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

Hi everyone,

I am happy to be finding time to read back a bit and see friendly posts from "old" and "new" ladies here.

Teacher, glad you are back and hope you are getting better each day.

Sandra, your story about your visit from friends is very touching. We just never know what others are going through. The photo is really special. You have the thoughts and prayers of so many here. Please know I will continue to keep you in prayer through Mike's procedure.

Deltalady, I am sorry to hear about your husband's most recent diagnosis. It must be very difficult. Sending prayers to you and your family.

Ritajean, it is so nice to hear your reports from Florida! It makes me think more seriously of retiring. WE have a financial meeting at DH's job on Monday. You never know.....

Carole, so glad you got to play golf. It sounds like you are experiencing what we consider "vacation weather". We will have a little warming period this week end.

I am happy it is the week end and I do not have to get up early.
Jackie, I am glad you found the router and can check in!

*Sandra and Mike* *DeltaLady and Husband*

DeltaLady and stellamaris, welcome to the thread.

Teacher, yes, excellent news!!

Hope you can feel and hear the hoorays all the way from sunny southern Illinois.

Jackie

Nice start to the weekend with good news Teacher, thanks.

Welcome Stella- sorry you're here, but happy to offer you as much support as possible. Also happy to take you off the "cancer planet" for a few minutes here and there as we talk about anything and everything going on in our lives. We are best, though, at listening and giving support that others, who haven't dealt with cancer can not. We will understand your fears, your worries, your feelings, your anger - whatever's going on with you, we will listen and understand. And the only "judgement" you might get is someone who says they didn't go through what you are going thru, but mentions someone else who might have. Meanwhile, we look forward to getting to know you.

I am the mother of 5, grandmother of 6+2 more on the way- one at the end of March, one in June, both girls. I live in Ft Lauderdale, but since my oldest DD moved to the Atlanta area with her family ( my two oldest grandsons) 5 years ago and my oldest son moved to S.C, and he has my youngest granddaughter, I am a traveling woman. I divide my time mainly between here and Atlanta, with frequent and increasingly long visits to see Lucia who will be three in June and is getting a baby sister for her birthday. I was Dx and treated in Atlanta so I go there for all my checkups but right now I am in Ft Lauderdale for the longest stretch since my husband passed three years ago, aside from my cancer treatment time during which I was on the cancer planet. My daughter here is having her baby, Alexandria Rose at the end of the month.

My keyboard is slowing down to an aLmost a complete stop, so I am done for now

Hope you allhAve a great weekend

Anne

Teacher, great news!

Stella, welcome. What a beautiful picture! You are the kind of active person I admire and I expect you to resume all those outdoors activities once you're recovered. Goodness, I see you had three lumpectomies and then a MX and reconstruction. In hindsight you probably wish you'd started out with the MX.

I opted for bilateral mx even though my tumor was small. I didn't want to undergo any additional mammograms and be told again that I was positive for bc. Not everyone's decision but it worked for me. I played tennis for years and then switched to golf. My husband and I bicycle a lot during the summer when we're in MN in an area with about 200 miles of rails to trails bike paths. I used to walk 3 miles almost daily for exercise until my feet started rebelling. Now I go to the gym on the average of 3 times a week and get some cardiac and strength exercise on machines. I walk on the treadmill, use the elliptical and also the upright bike, not all on the same day! I also do a circuit of strength building machines. I would like to start going to some pilates and yoga classes but haven't managed to do that yet.

It's a lovely day here, sunny and mild. DH is playing golf and I am getting some things done in the house and the kitchen. Hope everyone is having a good Saturday.

Congrats, Teacher!

Welcome, Stella! What a gorgeous photo--I miss the PNW so much. Left Seattle reluctantly in 1978, and would love to move back to the region to retire. (Hate to mention a touchy subject, but if a certain tycoon wins in Nov., I suspect you'll have a lot of new neighbors).

Gorgeous weather today--but a nasty viral epidemic decimated the prospective audience for tonight's house concert I was to play in Wauconda--so it looks like we're going for a walk and then grilling

Welcome Stella.....you have found a good thread! Come often and hang out with us!

Oh teacher, what wonderful news! YEAH!!!!!

Joan, so good to see a post from you. I have missed you! Retirement has been good for me. I really worried about filling the hours of retirement because I had worked all my life but now I wonder when I ever had time to work. I still write a few questions for the gentleman who bought my business but I do it while drinking my coffee and always on my schedule. Every year I write a few less.

Glad to have you back, Jackie. It just isn't the same place without you!

welcome Stella, looking forward to getting to know you.

Teacher, so happy you got good news!

I went with Audubon group birding in Minnesota yesterday up by the Canadian border. We left about 6:30 so that we'd be at the road in the forest for the spruce grouse at dawn, and we found them. We found a snowmobile trail that we hiked and found 2 Great Gray owls close to the trail. Found several Northern Hawk Owls perched on the very top of dead snags.

There were 3 cars and we were the last in the group. All we knew was that we were headed for some feeders. Well, it took us 1 1/2 hours of driving on narrow State Forest roads, some ending in impassable snow drifts and all of us had to back up a LONG ways, hoping the wheels didn't drop off into the deep snow, then go down another one that looked promising only to have to carefully turn around (middle car got stuck and had to be pushed out). All I could think of was that we were in the middle of a forest where cell phones didn't work and wasn't at all happy with our leaders. They finally found a road that got us to the place with the feeders, including 2 deer carcasses, where there was a good assortment of birds. One gal even got a Gray Jay to come and eat out of her hand.

Puffin, what an adventure! It sounds like the leaders could have been a little better prepared. Winter travel and back roads...you never know. Glad you saw a lot of birds and that you are all safe and sound. We used to take our 4WD out in Colorado in late winter/early spring. No cell phones, 3 little girls in the back. We ended up on a narrow steep unpaved road covered with a drift...I took the girls out of our truck and helped my husband turn around inches at a time. I was pretty scary.

Jackie, that bed sounds pretty darned comfortable. I wouldn't want to get up. It sounds like your DH is the "go to" guy at his new job. Hope he gets relief soon.

Stella, I, like Carole, noted your multiple surgeries. Now your reconstruction and complete healing can begin. No radiation for you? There is life after BC and you will return to your outdoor life. Meanwhile, there is a lot of comfort in needlework and reading for awhile. I do love your photo! I visited BC a few years ago and stayed near Banff--rafted the Kicking Horse River Gorge. It is a beautiful place.

Termite, big changes are ahead for you! I hope your move goes smoothly and that you will enjoy your new home. I am guessing you will have lots of visits from the kids. My DH and I were just discussing places that are affordable for retirement. New York State is definitely not retiree friendly due to high cost of living and taxes. Very few states do not tax retirement funds, but Florida is one that does not.

Ritajean, I like to hear from those who have retired - most say it is the best thing they've done. I have not been working that long; but it is getting harder to keep the long hours I work. I am afraid I would sleep late every day. I feel like I would like to sleep late and not have to get dressed up for three months. Once rested, I'll never have trouble keeping busy.

We have an "informational" retirement meeting with DH's employer tomorrow. Who knows? It could be sooner than I think.

Good morning. It is lovely here with a whole lot of sun. Had it yesterday with temps about 65. They might not get past the latter 50's but that will be ok. We don't have the fierce wind today for which I'm really glad. Hopefully, we won't get anymore today. That just kept it not feeling as warm as we expected to be.

Puffin, oh my !!!!! Sounds like I'd have spent a whole, whole lot of time on the edge of my seat had I been with you on the bird foray. Having to back up a few feet on level dry ground on a clear day gets to me --- so everything you described gives me the pitter-pats just hearing it.

Ah, retirement. I think your life can be so full no matter what you are doing. I also think you have to learn retirement. We figure out how to get things done based on odd times and little windows of opportunities -- then all of a sudden you have 24 hours a day. It is a big change. I haven't really retired and neither have my Dh, but we both have spent some time not working. Found that having too much time was almost as bad as not enough. I do think though that re-settling upon retirement is a big adventure since you will be making so many discoveries -- best shopping areas, restaurants, walking-biking paths, area must-see's. Something new to enjoy at every turn.

So with you Carole on the wt. issue. I will have lost some as I usually do when I work here and stay for a few days. My problem at home is that for some reason I can't get going on doing enough exercise and even though I go to the gym, I still don't FILL in with more at home. I always think I'm doing enough housework. Just isn't so. We really do become immune to the things we do all the time and it produces way less results. Hoping that when the better weather comes I can figure something out then. That shouldn't be long now.

Just to refresh --- tomorrow night ( late ) around mid-night or so I will be going home. Dh will take my computer after supper and re-hook it up for me at home. Should be back on here sometime Wednesday -- but maybe just a little extra sleep/nap may be in order as I'm used to going to bed around 10 p.m. That and going out and driving home ( though not far ) that late and disturbing my household at a late hr. will likely keep me a bit tense and feeling like I had a wild night out.

See you all later and sure hope you are having pretty sunshine where you are.

Jackie

The WW meeting was fun. It was a large group with all types and ages of women. Only one man, who didn't say a word. I just logged onto the "new" WW web site and didn't like it at all. The old site was so much more user friendly. I'll get used to this one, I'm sure. My goal is to lose 12 lbs by the end of May, when we head north to MN.

Jackie, I know you'll be glad to move back into your own house and sleep in your own bed.

Greetings to all and best wishes for a good day.

Sandra, You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers. I imagine that all of you are very nervous and anxious. Please keep us informed. Hugs to you!

I have always said that is it just amazing what you can do when you have no choice. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and end up where you are supposed to be. Sandra, that is my picture of you. You are weathering every storm that comes and just not letting go. My hope, prayers, and heartfelt supplications to the Universe will go out to hold both you and Mike up, giving healing and healthy energies as needed.

Blessings sweet friend,

Jackie

Disgusted for you Anne. I sooo hated the time my computer behaved like an electronic alien. Here's hoping that MSN or whomever will send along a right to fix a wrong by updating itself. I'm mainly mystified by electronic things and if they don't work --- I'm lost, confused, un-settled, agitated and just plain upset. Here's hoping and hoping and hoping.

Jackie