Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Thank you fabulous ladies! I will keep you posted! I have tears in my eyes reading your posts! So glad I found you!

PHEW I sort of feel human again. Went from surgery to horrible head cold.

First short on Sunday, that felt awesome.

I see Oncologist tomorrow and will let you know how that goes. According to Surgeon, this is just routine and will probably recommend hormone treatment.

Good luck and prayers to all

TikkkasMom

Thinking of you and wishing you well as you have your Oncology appt. Hope that cold gets better soon too. I quit having those long time ago, but I do recall how much fun they were NOT.

Blessings

Jackie

Something I found that is neat and does make me feel better:

I am a Seenager. (Senior teenager)

I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later.

I don't have to go to school or work.

I get an allowance every month.

I have my own pad.

I don't have a curfew.

I have a driver's license and my own car.

I have ID that gets me into bars and the whisky store.

The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant.

And I don't have acne.

Life is great.

Also, you will feel much more intelligent after reading this.

Brains of older people are slow because they know so much. People do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe.

Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full, so too, do humans take longer to access information when their brains are full.

Researchers say this slowing down process is not the same as cognitive decline. The human brain works slower in old age, said Dr. Michael Ramscar, but only because we have stored more information over time. The brains of older people do not get weak. On the contrary, they simply know more.

Also, older people often go to another room to get something and when they get there, they stand there wondering what they came for. It is NOT a memory problem, it is nature's way of making older people do more exercise.

SO THERE!!

I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can't remember their names. So, please forward this to your friends; they may be my friends, too.

Love the seenager info!

Everything is great right now, even though this is a chemo week for Mike. His labs yesterday were better than ever. His hemoglobin is finally in double digits.10.2 is still far below average but a huge improvement over 6.0 in January. Mike is delighted. He feels good, has energy, and is optimistic again. He will have his third bone marrow biopsy in a month and of course we hope the cancer percentage has not increased.

My son Ryan is calmer and happier. His doctor convinced him to try an antidepressant, which is an absolute miracle. Ryan swore at 18 that he would never take meds again. The ensuing 12 years have been so difficult for him but it was his choice. He's been on the drug for 3 weeks and says he doesn't feel scared anymore. He has worked for nearly 7 months now...longer than he has ever been employed...and is doing quite well as an assistant chef at Alamo Draft House. We feared he would lose the job during his most recent suicidal episode, but his boss was understanding and his doctor vouched for Ryan's inability to work during those days. Today Mike took Ryan with him to the chemo clinic and then had an appointment with the oncologist. Ryan is very close to his father and confessed to his sister Allison that he was sure we were keeping something from him. The oncologist spent a lot of time with him, showing him lab results and telling him the absolute truth, his father has a fatal illness with no cure, but also talking to him about how well Mike is doing. She shared her enthusiasm and hope about the immediate future and talked to him about the bone marrow stem cell transplant to come. Ryan told me tonight that he was impressed and although he always thought of the doctor and the chemo clinic as being dark, depressing and scary, but was pleased to find everyone cheerful and the clinic bright, with a positive vibe.

What a difference from a few weeks ago.

Sandra,

What positive ( even though long range outcomes need to be faced ) news to bring. I'm happy for everyone. Though VERY happy for Mike, I'm deeply impressed with your son Ryan who has carried his burden for 12 yrs. That is a long time to try and handle such a serious problem which does indeed affect not only him, but the whole family, employers and relationships one may be attempting. I hope he can continue to see that medication does not need to be an enemy and can actually help him adjust more realistically to life, imperfect for him medically/mentally as it might be.

Going along with that I do hope Mike can hold onto his gains for as long as possible. What a struggle as well it has been for him and we never know just when some of that beautiful grace will come along and leave a bit of light in life.

There is sun out today --- as there was a bit of yesterday as well. That makes me happy and eager to work through my day. Happy lights help keep me going but the bottom line is always a great big happy sun outside. Then everything seems to become easier.

Hoping for a wonderful Wednesday for all.

Blessings

Jackie

Wishing you the best birthday yet with many, many more to follow.

Blessings Sandra

Jackie

Oncologist appointment done.

No need for chemotherapy or radiation. So thankful...

Wants me on Armidex. Anyone else been on it?

Thank you IllinoisLady any personal experiences are helpful.

Good luck, thank you

Tikkasmom, I've been on it for 3 years. My arthritis got worse. Am hoping it lessens when I am finished!

Sandra, good to get positive news.

Jackie, hope you had a wonderful birthday.

The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace.
A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being
that places harmony in one's life.
- Peace Pilgrim

tikkas mom

I've been on generic Arimidex for a year, first month I had pain in my hands that would wake me at night, that has disappeared. What I notice now is that if I sit too long (like 2 hours) when I stand up my knees and ankles are really stiff, but after just a few steps they're OK again. Hair is a little thinner, but who knows, I'm 64, it probably would be thinning just from aging. I was told it helps to keep active, and because the loss of estrogen can also cause loss of calcium in the bones, I make sure I get my daily calcium, take fish oil, and walk on the treadmill every day. Lew gave me a Fitbit One for Christmas last year. It took awhile to build up to 10,000 steps a day, but I've now done 10,000 every day since July 6.

Be sure and check out the topic "For Arimidex (Anastrozle) users, new, past and ongoing" under the forum "Hormonal Therapy-Before, During and After", remember though that the people having the most problems are the ones that are posting and looking for help. There are many of us on there as well that are doing just fine.

When I called in yesterday I was told my group was not needed for jury duty and I didn't have to report in this morning. Fine with me, too busy a time of year to be on a jury.

Hello lovely ladies!

Saw my RO for initial appt yesterday - he is a very highly regarded RO and only deals with breast cancer.

He explained it all to me and now it makes sense. The chemo is to kill any stray cells in the blood that would affect the major organs - which is exactly what my MO said. The reason to do rads is because some of the tumor cells could have flaked off and still be in the tissue surrounding where they did the lumpectomy. These would not be gotten by chemo because they are not in the blood. I asked if I had a BMX would that change and he said no. With any lymph node involvement he'd recommend rads.

He took an hour with us and was thorough and patient. He uses the most high tech equipment and writes a program to individualize the rads and they are programmed to not go near the heart or lung. So, it seems to make sense and he explained how it raises the survival rate a certain percentage and I want the highest percentage for sure. Because there is lymph node involvement I am only a candidate for whole breast radiation because he wants to be sure to clean it up as much as possible.

So - CAT scan on Jan 4 and I start soon after that. Thanks for the reassurance that it's so much easier than chemo! The daily grind will get old but it's all close by.

I want to be done by March 4 because it's spring break and we have a trip planned with daughter, SIL and granddaughter! I will be celebrating for sure!

Sandra - thanks for sharing your journey to feeling old. I feel so much like that! I am tired which is not like me at all! I teach part time and come home and all I can do is rest on the couch! Never had to do that when I taught full time!

Thanks for all your sharing! Here's hoping for a good weekend ahead. I had Taxol #2 on Tue and am hoping this round is easier than the last. I have no taste buds but so far no body aches which we think were from the Neulasta shot I got as a precaution after the last Taxol. Did not get it this time. Fingers crossed!

Sailorgirl: so glad you like your RO and that he was able to fully answer your questions. Find out if your RO has a preference for what creams you'll be using during radiation. You don't put the cream on within 4 hours of your radiation treatment, but use several times a day. Mine said I could use aloe gel, vanicream, or aquaphor. I found the aquaphor greasy and it stained my clothes. I liked vanicream, I used the large container that had a pump dispenser. Also, you can't use deodorant or shave under that arm during radiation, so be sure and shave before you start. Some RO will let you use the natural deodorant Tom's but ask your RO before you do.

Your breast will be tender, I found regular bras uncomfortable and wore a soft camisole top with a built in bra cup that I liked, bought it at the specialty store that sells our mastectomy bras and products. My doctor wrote a prescription for a "post surgical garment" and my insurance covered the cost (it was pricey).

sailorgirl,

Good for you. Getting answers to questions that make us comfortable or pretty much so is what helps us do what needs to be done to get the most protection we can. We never know the outcome a lot of times, but doing as much as we can is the best insurance we can get for trying to make it the very best outcome possible.

I used aloe Vera gel, but do get the clear bottle if you do use that. I used it ( not the morning of the radiation ) several times a day afterward. It was not expensive so I was generous with it. Fortunately, my rads were during months where it was not hot, so doing w/o the deodorant was pretty easy.

Crispy outside but otherwise sun is on the menu. Can't disappoint me with that. I think it will be a really good day.

I'll likely be checking in later. See you all then.

Blessings

Jackie