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

No one is happy or free who lives only for him or herself.Joy in living comes from immersion in something one recognizes to be bigger, better, worthier, more enduring than his or her own self.True happiness and true freedom come from squandering one's self for a purpose. - Carl W. McGeehon

So sorry for your loss Anne. My prayers are sent to you and your family. Dara

Sorry to hear this news -- not what you really would have liked I know, but there are many things for which we have no choice. Prayers and love for you and your family as you all learn to adjust and accept this world without your loved one in it. As long as they are in our heart they are not so very far away. Peace and comfort to all.

Jackie

Anne - I'll be holding you in my thoughts.

Anne, I will keep you & your family in my prayers. Hold the wonderful memories of your brother close to your heart & remember it's alright to grieve in your own way. I am so sorry for your loss.

Anne, I'm sorry you didn't get to see him one last time, but you were following orders. He sounds like he left a lot of good memories with the people he loved. Hugs.

Di, so good to see you here. You know every time it rains I think of you. I hope things are good with you. We are having a couple of dry days after a whole lot of rain though more I think is on the way. Seems of late --- always rain for the Balloon Fest our little time has every yr. Big tradition. I know people here have heard if often --- how the balloons circle a pond we have in ou park where all the Fest activities take place --- and at dusk do a times balloon glow with all of the balloons reflecting in the pond. It is the prettiest thing to watch.

Also un-like many other places, we are not separated from the balloons and their pilots. We can walk right up, look in the gondola's, ask questions, feel the heat and draft when they fire them up and many can at certain times even get a ride in them. Not for me, no thanks.

Thinking as always of each of you and hoping that you will all have a great week-end with reasonable weather.

Blessings

Jackie

Jackie, Love Hot Air Balloons. Saw one out front the other night. We were able to take a tour that included the albuquerqe (spelling?} Festival. There were 600 balloons. Evening burn was great! I went up at a festival upstate about 10 years ago. When we had a dog, he used t alert us when the morning flights did a burn. Miss seeing them, no dog alarm!

The jets (Blue Angels or Thunderbirds, I forget which) are taking advantage of the sunshine between the storms to practice for this weekend’s Air & Water Show. My cats have gotten used to the din. Last year, we went to the 95th fl. of the Hancock for brunch, and watched the jets streak past below us! Unfortunately, Bob is working this weekend, so no repeat. I recall last year’s brunch so vividly because it was the very last one before that fateful routine screening mammo just two days later. (And it was the last time I was able to squeeze into that 34FF balconnet bra, albeit with an extender--the culinary pity party culminating in weight gain began the morning after the mammo, when I got the report of the “focal asymmetry”).

I ran out to the deck to rescue the two tomatoes that were beginning to ripen from the possible clutches of the squirrels. There are a scant four still on the vine on the deck and two teeny ones and a blossom or two on the plants I moved down to the yard. I have enough green ones on my sill now that we can make it to Labor Day before we have to buy another tomato.

You are goodness and mercy and compassion and understanding. You are peace and joy and light. You are forgiveness and patience, strength and courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion. You are the deepest wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love.

You are all these things. And in moments of your life you have known yourself as these tings. Choose now to know yourself as these things always.

Neale Donald Walsch

Anne, what a shame that you didn't get to see your brother before he died but you did as you were asked. He sounds like a wonderful guy and I know you will miss him.

Mike isn't doing well. He started having diarrhea and blood in his urine last week. They called in some specialists but nothing was found. They finally did a CT scan. He has a complication called paralytic ileus which can happen after such drastic chemo. His gastrointestinal tract is damaged and has kind of given up. Anything he takes by mouth goes right through him. Poor guy has had grade 3 diarrhea for many days now. It is life threatening. They are pumping him with fluids, blood, platelets, and other meds designed to support him while he heals. He is too weak to take the top off of a small Gatorade bottle. He cannot get up without help. Three days ago he fell during the night while trying to make it to the bedside commode. He didn't make it. He couldn't get up so he just laid there for awhile because he couldn't reach the call button. Finally he pounded on a wall until a nurse heard it and came to help him. They have put on the bed alarm now so they are alerted if he is even trying to get up. Mike's weight is dropping again. He's lost 24 lbs in the 3 weeks we've been here and he was too thin to begin with. Before he was sick, Mike was usually 220-230 lbs. He got down to 178 before any treatment for MDS was begun in Jan. 2015 but after the bone marrow transplant in March, he had built back up to 203. He was 193 when we got to MD Anderson and now he's 169. The docs did another bone marrow biopsy Thursday so we should hear early next week if the percentage of leukemia is down. Mike is only half way through the first round so we don't expect much but even just a little would be a nice boost. He sleeps most of the time and has a thin, raspy, soft voice when awake. He has to take a nap after talking more than a sentence or two. It's heartbreaking.

Ryan is better. Last weekend was awful with him as he cycled through the bi-polar episode. I stayed until he seemed ok and wasn't having panic attacks, then drove back to Houston. Today I spoke to him on the phone and he was in tears because he's so worried about his father.

Allison is flying in for the weekend next Friday. She got one of those super-cheap flights. It will be good for her to see her father, even if it is through the glass.

On a positive note, the long awaited meeting with our very own Minus Two happened yesterday. Another of our BCO sisters, JbDayton, also met with us for lunch at a cute little place near Rice University. It's always a thrill to finally meet face to face after so many years of supporting one another on this site. Here's a photo of Jan (MinusTwo) and me yesterday. It was wonderful to feel the love from my BCO sisters. Thank you for a yummy lunch, Jan.

Sandra and Jan, looking good!!

Sandra and Mike and Family, in my evening prayers.

Oh.......Dear Sandra,

Hubby and I spent the first week in August in Alaska cruising from Vancouver, BC to Whittier/Anchorage .

When we were in Glacier Bay, I thought of Mike and You being being there less than 2 years before, when we were all on the same cruise from Seattle round trip. I raised my hands to the heavens and talked to Mother Earth in that serene, majestic place, asking for healing for Mike as he goes through chemo.

(This year on the cruise I was in a transporter/wheelchair and it certainly changed my perspective on things )

I am sorry Mike is not well, with diarrhea....it's a Pain in the A__!

You can Tell Mike, I can relate as I had "D" for a few days short of 4 weeks when I had C-diff/severe sepsis.....and I know about "accidents"....in ER hallways, public restrooms, in my hospital bed, disposalable panties, hospital room floor.......enuff of a shitty subject!

Does Mike get a break between rounds of chemo?

I wish all of you healing thoughts as Mike goes through this.

It was wonderful that you and MinusTwo and JbDayton all got to meet up for lunch.

Where are you staying in Houston?

I saw my oncologist this week and he still thinks I HAVE MDS (pre luekemia).....another bone marrow draw in the future.....for near future it is an iron infusion, an MRI of my leg, and find out what damage the severe sepsis did to my leg.

Love to you Sandra, and Tell Mike he served and protected our country, and he is to NEVER give up this fight!

Hugs to you & your tire family!

Di

The three hardest tasks in the world are neither
physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but
moral acts: to return love for hate, to include
the excluded, and to say, "I was wrong."

Sydney J. Harris

Welcome Terri/keepthefaith, of course you can join us. Our door is always open and the welcome mat out. Sundays can be slow. Sometimes a lot goes on here and sometimes we get a bit quiet. I am generally here everyday with a quote and lots of love and hope for all of our futures.

With that said --- hugs to Di and Sandra today and big hello's to everyone. We will be looking forward to seeing a lot more of you Terri.

Blessings

Jackie