My (perhaps controversial) thoughts as a "newbie" to CA.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi JBeans-- So glad to hear you had a nice picnic--with a few "episodes" to enliven things! Sounds like fun! I'm glad, too, to hear you are faring well, hives-wise. I hope that you are beyond the worst of it and that minus more cortisone you'll progress well. I'm feeling a bit better also--have three more days of tapered cortisone myself, but I do see the ENT on Tuesday and will talk over things with him then.

I'm glad you like the writing--the stories, etc. I LOVE Sandy's writing also--boy, she described that concert so well! And hearing of her musical life is so interesting and so different from my own "typical days". She does get out there and seems to be into so many things....a real powerhouse. (Sandy--hope you are listening!)

Lately I'm working so much on my book that all my creative stuff seems to be going there and the batteries die down and need re-charging...I've thought of funny events it would be fun to write about here as I've been doing but those will wait till another time.

Yesterday I finally calmed down enough to get to sleep, without too much coughing although the stuff was/is still down there. I hoped to get a good night--or early morning--sleep. I think cortisone is famous for making it hard to sleep.

But I was sleeping fine and then at about eleven a.m. there was a lot of knocking on the door and I got up and here were three guys who said they were checking for dampness on my living room floor rug. Yes, there it was ---from the far wall in and extending to under my sofa. The wall to wall was wet all along that wall.

Turns out there was a food fire up on the 13th floor. I'm on the 3rd so that's a lot of water coming down a long way! Sprinklers around here are super powerful...we've had several instances....they go off and produce tons of water.

The fellows left and said they'd be back with blowers or maybe an extractor....when they left I pulled the sofa out and the jelly cupboard and lamps. My rug was damp along its edge also but it seems ok and is already pretty dry. The guys from ServiceMaster came back and set up a loud blower which has been going all day and all through the evening. It does a very effective job of drying things--but boy--what is my electricity bill gonna be? I think I'll turn it off when I go to bed...

They also pulled off the baseboard stripping.....so that will have to be replaced...

Aye aye! More drama! Am thoroughly tired of drama! But Miss Panty had a ball! She was out there and climbing up on all the re-arranged furniture...she's quite a little sociable gal...my other kitties were quite shy....

But still--my whole living room that has looked so nice since the renovation is now a jumble! I guess sprinklers do need to do their job and I'm happy they go off and control stuff...but they can leave quite a mess too...

So no real damage--thankfully. I think of the Floridians and others who will undoubtedly get a bunch of rain with this new hurricane...heading north...here in Baltimore we'll probably get the rain...the Chesapeake Bay does sorta protect us and blocks some hurricane activity....but hurricane Sandy with her sideways rain did a real number, sending water in my closet and running over across the bedroom floor! So I'm crossing my fingers this time it's not that bad...

What's the Chinese curse?

"May you live in interesting times."

Boy, that's a good one!

Bye for now!

(And Hi to all out there--am thinking of you!)

love, t and p

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi alt22--

Welcome to the site!

I hope you gain many good things this site has to offer--so much on offer by powerful, loving, brilliant women of great courage. I'm astonished at the wisdom here and the depth of the gals. The breast cancer experience I believe makes us stronger, better people. I do believe that absolutely.

I'm at peace with my choices and I pray everyone who comes to BCO is serene with their choices and decisions also. Including you.

I so hope things go well for you in the up-coming days. This is all a new thing for you, I gather, and that can at times be confusing, baffling, scary--the whole nine yards. But eventually, as is true of many things in life, the "chaos" calms as we learn and reach out and grow and at last find peace.

When they say it's a process they are so right!

Hang in there during these challenging times...it will ease and get better. And this site offers so much and is so helpful! Every time I come here I learn something or am warmed or end up having a good laugh or see a wonderful photograph of flowers, kitties, dogs.

Bless you, too.

Love, trill

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi again alt22--

I just wanted to fill in and clarify some things.

I just re-read my original posting from back in November 2015--which I hadn't done in a while--where I was considering doing nothing, just letting nature run its course.

And then I asked myself "How do I feel NOW about things?"

Well, I changed my thinking on that and opted to have a total bilateral mastectomy. I was fortunate in that the sentinel node was negative.

But I opted out of chemo based on the fact that the treatment regimen would have been a 4-month-long thing and out of it I'd gain roughly 6 months and 10 days added to my life. I felt that the deleterious side-effects of chemo would have been too harsh on this 72-year-old body of mine. It wasn't a good trade-off, as they say.

Were I younger I probably would have gone with it. But I think I would have even then taken it one treatment at a time--and not felt bad about stopping if things got too rough and compromised the quality of the very life I was working to save.

And if it had struck not at 72 but at 82? I might have said "Phooey--no thanks!" to surgery, etc. But then again I might have gathered myself up and said "OK, let's go for it!" Who knows?

The women on this site drew me out of that 'do nothing' position. Panic and denial played a large role in that original posting.

But I continue to feel that acceptance that I'm a finite being with finite years is very difficult for me--I can't imagine not being here! Here and now! Right now!

But I AM finite. I am a creature of nature and part of the natural order of things. Accepting THAT has taken time. And I guess i still don't believe it, deep down... It's a tough one.

I think for me it boils down to--and would have boiled down to had I gone for chemo--I will be true to today. I will be honest with how I feel today. And if my body says this is too much, I will honor it and stop. And accept that I am human and part of the natural family.

We are so complex, aren't we? And have so many things to think about. Should I fight? Should I accept? Will this be worth it? Will I regret not doing more aggressive things if it recurs? When to stop. When to let go. When to forge ahead with new treatments...

That's tough stuff, probably the toughest we'll ever face in our lives.

I love sharing things with the women here---funny and naughty stories that hopefully bring a smile and take the mind--for a bit--onto other topics that I think can be helpful with healing and coping and carrying this thing we all share, this thing called breast cancer..

Yes, I've heard of Caroline Myss and her work but thanks for reminding me of her.

I have cd's by David Illig that I listen to that I found through Health Journeys. I love listening to him and going to sleep to him and getting the benefits of the portions of the cd that are subliminal--you can't hear them but they are heard by the subconscious. In the meanwhile your conscious mind hears tumbling waves and music, etc. I love that! It's fun to listen to him--and he creates these images and sets these little stories that you follow...it's kind of magical...and I love his voice!

Well, I just wanted to share with you--the newcomer--some thoughts about the past 10 months. I hope this site proves helpful to you and that you know you are always welcome here...

t

ChiSandy · September 2016

Thanks, Trill. I was insanely jealous of Cameron Crowe, who got to live his rock critic dream while still in high school.

I wish I could tell you unequivocally how great NSAIDs are. They are truly miracle drugs. About 25 years ago I was swirling melted butter and oil together in a skillet for an omelet when I accidentally spilled some on my bare foot. Hightailed it straightaway to the nearest clinic. My primary had just been detailed by a rep for an NSAID called “Ansaid” (flurbiprofen). I was familiar with the class of drugs--first for dysmenorrhea (Dr. Penny Wise Budoff, who discovered how the NSAIDs Ponstel and Zomax relieved menstrual cramps due to prostaglandin inhibition, should have gotten the Nobel prize for medicine--except that men don’t get uterine cramps) and later for the pain of having my teeth braces adjusted (I took Motrin while it was still Rx, and my orthodontist actually cited me as a case study). My doc said the detail rep had gushed that Ansaid’s pain relief was comparable to morphine, not just codeine, and inflammation control was as good as butazolidin. I took the sample--and within an hour not only hadn’t I gotten a blister but all redness & pain were gone. NSAIDs were the painkillers of choice in my house (still are for my husband & son).

Unfortunately, my knee arthritis got so bad that before I gave in and had my knees replaced, I was gobbling Aleve like they were M&Ms. And then after my replacement surgeries, I weaned off prescription opioids and gabapentin by using the “Bonesmart cocktail” of extra strength Tylenol & ibuprofen. I not only exacerbated my GERD, but I also burned an “ulcerette” into my stomach, which bled badly enough to have made me anemic. So handle these with care and stop at the first sign of GI distress.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi Sandy--

Wow, after all that I hope that omelet tasted good!

Yes, I told Karen that those large doses can cause problems--kidney, stomach, liver...she's aware of that and said that since this is just a ten-day deal she was gonna try it and voila--it worked. Her doc said that if the lessening of inflammation--the point of it--doesn't hold the next step is an mri of her shoulder...

Well, when I see him on Tuesday I'm gonna mention it and also what you were saying about preventative things. I'm making a little list to take in with me.

It was weird. When I was talking to Karen today about this sinus problem, I recalled that the other day--and it happened a couple of weeks ago as well--I was brushing my teeth and when I ran the brush onto the upper right side molars--and of course the brush usually hits the gums somewhat--I felt a pain. I took out the brush and rubbed my finger on the upper right side on the gums in the back and it was painful up there...

?????

I suspected maybe an ulcer, but no, there was nothing. I tend to get mouth ulcers from time to time and take L-Lysine for them and that knocks them for a loop. But there was nothing there--no sore, no redness (I used a little dental mirror)--no nothing. And nothing happening with those upper back molars either.

And then I recalled reading that sinus problems can cause dental pain. Wow. That right maxillary is in the worst shape--polyp over there, gets hugely congested to where he can't even get the endoscopy thingy in. And I think that pain is sinus pain...in the mouth! Weird, huh?

And now it's gone--rub there and nothing. 'Cause the cortisone is calming things down a la inflammation.

Wow--girl--you have run the gamut health-wise...two knee replacements? If anyone should know about pain etc it's you.

Have you ever used DMSO? I got a bottle and sometimes it's like a little miracle. A few years back I fell outside the building--carrying a load of art books from the library--and landed on my left knee. I came inside and iced it immediately. Still very painful. Then I rubbed on some DMSO and the pain vanished. I mean gone and gone for good. I kept the stuff on there and it worked for me. Last week I stubbed my toe--and kinda the whole left side of my foot ached. DMSO helped that too.

This cortisone is like an upper...

bye! Thanks again!

WenchLori · September 2016

Good morning ladies! I'm baaaack!

Chemo had been going okay, I guess. I had been given an antiviral medication to fight an SE of chemo but it made me feel worse instead of better. I was switched to a different Med and so far so good. The only thing is I have to take this one 5 times a day!

My mom's health has been failing fast the past few weeks. I've had aides and nurses coming in 3 or 4 days a week but mom is to the point where she needs help 24/7 and I can't keep up anymore. She's also developed shingles which is highly contagious, just what I need! So now I'm on meds to fight that off. We've decided it's time for mom to go into a nursing facility for awhile. At least until she gets her strength back, if she ever does? My hubby has been doing most of the work with mom, he's had to pick her up twice in the past week. I don't have the strength nor the healing to be able to lift a 160 lb woman up off the floor. I have to put me first and it's a hard thing for me to do but it has to be done.

I've got some reading to catch up on and see how everyone is doing and what everyone is doing :-)

My critters are happy, well fed and growing like weeds! Thanks to my hubby keeping up with the feeding. It's funny to hear him chuckle over the baby raccoons antics on his way to the kitchen at night.

Here they are as teenagers!

Molly50 · September 2016

Lori, we missed you!! Your hubby sounds like a good man. I am sorry about your mom and your SE's.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi Lori-- I was so happy to open the site just now and see your posting! You sound chipper! I had the feeling you were dealing with the SE's of the chemo....I hope those pills help...as Molly says, your husband sounds like a true dear...

Glad to see, too, that your teenagers are doing what all teenagers do--eat incessantly...I love the one on the right that shows his/her little arm....they look so cuddly, yet I know they'd probably not care for that. (Just as I was typing that Pantaloon jumped in my lap...she got a big squeeze)

I'm sorry to hear your mom's not doing well. That must be a trial--and I'm sure you're torn as far as how much to get involved and do yourself. That's wise to find a spot where she can get 24/7 attention. Hopefully that will stabilize her AND give you added peace of mind knowing she's in good hands.... YOU need to do just what you're doing--taking care of Number One.

Well, you know I'm thinking of you each and every day. Keep up the good work and it will soon be in your rear view mirror.

love, t and p

JBeans · September 2016

Lori, I'm glad you've got your critters to look at as you work on keeping yourself as healthy as possible. I'm sorry you are so torn now with your mom. It does seem that too much comes all at once sometimes, at least for me. Enjoy your hubby's chuckles. :-) They sound fun

WenchLori · September 2016

Good morning Ladies!

What a day! I had infusion #3 yesterday, so far so good! Before heading out the door for my infusion I decided to go to my mom's basement apartment to check on her. Boy, am I glad I did! I found her laying on her bathroom floor! The last time I checked on her was around 9pm to make sure she didn't need to go potty or want a snack. She's not sure what time she got up to go potty by herself instead of buzzing me but we figure she'd been there most of the night. My hubby called 911 and then took the day off to help me take care of everything. Ambulance took mom to ER, hubby took me to chemo. He waited for my blood tests to be drawn, took me to breakfast, waited for me to get settled then he headed to the ER to take care of my mom. What a man I have taking care of all of us!

After my infusion we picked mom up from the ER. Mom didn't get hurt thank goodness, she is now resting comfortably at the nursing home. I let the director know that it may be permanent, but I didn't tell my mom that. Hubby then took me to dinner and then home to rest. Did I already say what a day?! Needless to say I love, love, love my man! We're both beat!

BBL

Lori

Molly50 · September 2016

Lori, I think I love your hubby too. What a blessing he is. It was a sad but necessary day that we put my dad in a nursing home. I know you must be torn.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi dear Lori--

Wow!!

Double WOW!!!

What a day! You and your husband must have been FRIED afterward!

I don't know the set-up for your mom--is/was her basement apartment in your home or in a separate dwelling? You said you went to check on her.... if she's been in your home but downstairs, that's a lot on you.... I hope that you have her settled where she can get care and give you peace of mind in that regard. That's so important for all of you...

We had to find 24/7 care for my mom--she had dementia and no memory and would be up all night, thinking she needed to call her doctor. etc. Would forget her pills or overtke--not good! It was hard explaining things to her but thankfully the social worker who worked with her signed ME on as a patient! That helped a lot---I had someone I could go to and share things with etc. It saved my life.

When at times I'd feel guilt that we had to place mom in a private care home (she thought she was at her home and that the people caring for her were her kids...so in a sense, yes, dementia did have positive sides....she was what her doctor called "chatty incoherent"....was in fact quite happy there...such a blessing!)--when I felt guilty the social worked told me to write down each and every thing I'd done for mom--you know, the trips to the doctors, the various errands, the foot care that had to be done, the care for her beloved cocker Selkie, etc. When I'd feel guilty I'd read the list and feel not so bad.... it was a good tip....because we forget all that we have and are doing...

I hope YOU are faring well. You sound good and I hope that means you are dealing with things. Your husband deserves a medal. He's a testament to the fine person you are and you're a testament to the fine one HE is. You're both lucky people!

Well, dear, I hope at this moment--8 p.m. Wednesday--you are resting or sleeping or munching something good or laughing at your critters out there with their bowls. Every time I look at your latest photo I want to scoop them up! I scoop Pantaloon instead....she doesn't mind but I think THEY would...

Here's a photo of her taken New Year's Eve back in 2011 or 2012....we were watching the PBS show where the orchestra in honor of the holiday was playing Rhapsody in Blue. Panty got this blissed-out look on her face...here she looks like she HAS no face--it's so flat!

But that is indeed her profile...very majestic and yet odd at the same time....

My love and heart and thoughts are with you! A hug for your husband from me!

t

Molly50 · September 2016

Hi Trill, Lori, Disneygirl, JBeans et al. I hope you are all well. Lori, how are you doing with chemo? I miss everyone's stories.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi Molly--

How are you?

I was just thinking of the site and wondering how everyone was/is also....and here appeared your post!

I've been slowly adjusting to the fact that I'm just gonna have to learn to live with and manage my sinus issue....I just don't want surgery and besides all that one goes through I even doubt it would be any kind of cure...I'm crossing my fingers that with cooler weather and the windows closed it might block some allergens as it seems things calm down in the colder weather...at least i'm hoping....I go to the allergy/asthma clinic at Hopkins in October so maybe that will be helpful...the ENT seems to think that there's an asthma component of all of this..now I will be hearing from a dyed-in-the-wool asthma doc about that...he put me on Singulair and I've been taking that 10 days without noticing a whole lot of difference with the post nasal drip and cough thing...well, we'll see...

O la, doesn't life just get not any longer but certainly more interesting??

I have to confess that I just finished watching--binge-watching--all three seasons of a series called Rectify on Netflix--I almost mis-typed it as Rectall!!! (That would have been a short binge, eh?) No, really, I found this on Netflix and thought I'd give it a chance. The first twenty minutes were underwhelming....but then I was hooked and just an hour ago finished... What did I watch? 3 seasons...25 episodes in a row??? God!!

But it SAID on the little caption they have with each episode that in the last episode the killer confesses...

No such thing!!!

AND I thought that that being the case the series was complete--again, no such thing!

I see in the imdb that it will begin airing season 4 October 2016--so off to the races again.

I was almost hoping that the story was wrapping as you know you get attached to the characters etc BUT it can be wearing after awhile and you just kinda want resolution...it's an unusual and quirky drama/dark comedy type thing...

As a result of this binge and of having kept strange hours since Wednesday I have to confess I haven't had a shower since Tuesday night! I know!! Isn't that awful??? I don't know when I've let two nights go by without hitting the shower....it's embarrassing....even when I had drains in I showered on the second day after the bmx...

I've been working on the book and the blocks and in between watching Netflix...but more TV than book or blocks....!!

A little while ago I was in the bathroom and Miss Panty came in and, being ever the optimist, she got behind the shower curtain and got in the tub, thinking I was surely going to be hitting the shower and playing with her our little shower/tub game. This sounds quite the production but amounts to her sitting right at the spigot and me letting the tiniest dribbled of water start--not enough to even make a sound...she's intent until it comes on, then looks all around and acts bored and strolls off--so I don't know what's up with that. I've heard of kitties drinking fresh water right from the tap and keep hoping one day she'll betray her secret lust but she never does...hmmm.....

The other thing we used to do was I'd toss her ping pong ball in the tub and she'd lurch after it--well, she's more graceful than that--pardon me, Panty, for calling you a lurcher!.....or I'd drop it down from the shower curtain rod and let it fall between the curtain and the liner... and she loved that...(that reminds me that I have to buy some new ping pong balls as I waged a war on them this summer and went around stomping a few that had gotten so ratty....plus I was stepping on them in the dark and freaking myself out..!)

So today it was a little sad that Pantaloon waited and waited for me to get up off the toilet and disrobe and open the shower curtain and get started with our little game....but mommy had to hurry back to the tv to watch the final two segments of the show THINKING the big killer reveal was about to happen... I don't think fastidious Miss Pants can conceive of the idea of mommy not showering for two nights running and now well into Friday afternoon...

O how the mighty are fallen!

Miss P does love it when I'm showering and she gets up between the outer cloth curtain and the clear liner...she can see me and I think my whole ablution routine fascinates her as I squirt shower wash onto a pouf and end up with a mountain of suds on myself...she will get herself so empathetically involved she'll walk along the tub's edge very concerned as to whether I'm all right or not--then I'll pet her through the clear plastic curtain and in her delight that I'm still alive she'll rub hard up against my hand and topple herself off the slippery edge, thankfully slip not to the inner side but to the outer.....Ever since I got her when I emerge from the shower she's right there as soon as I pull back the curtain, paws up on the edge, meowing loudly, very anxious...again when I lean down and pet her and reassure her, she's all purrs and delighted to see me having once again survived the attack of the shower monster!!

Speaking of cat behavior--I've only ever had male cats and know that they like to spray their scent around. I never had one do this but the two I had did sometimes sorta back up to something and shimmy their behinds a little. Maybe because they'd been neutered/spayed there was no material to spray out but they did the little shimmy thing anyway.

The odd thing is--Pantaloon does this too! We'll make our evening trip to the trash room and while there she will of course have to sniff around. Then often right after she's sniffed something like a box she'll turn around and do that little shimmy of her rear-end at it...it's the funniest thing. I'd love to get a video clip of this...Anybody ever hear of a female cat doing this?? I know it can't be JUST a Pantaloon thing...

How is everyone doing? Any embarrassing confessions to add to mine? Any Netflix junkies out there?

Lori--Am hoping chemo is going ok.....am thinking of you!!

Hi and love to all from lazy dirty couch spud trill and miss p...

Molly50 · September 2016

Trill, miss P sounds like one of my kitties from long ago. She would walk around the edge of the tub while I bathed and sometimes would step on me while I was in the water. Only once did she accidentally get wet. She never once scratched me. My current kitty, Sheik, has to follow me in the bathroom and waits for me to pet her as I sit. She's a very talkative kitty. Glad you are doing well and I hope your sinus problem gets better.

JBeans · September 2016

Hi everyone!

Oooh a Netfliks binge sounds kind of nice. I watched an episode and a half on Netfliks tonight if Australia's 72 most dangerous animals before getting so sleepy I had to go to bed. Then of course once I was in bed I thought to myself - I wonder what's up here, I've not logged on for over a week. So here I am half an hour later and not the least bit sleepy.

I'm so glad you are all here too and I hope you are well and especially you Lori with the chemo and you Trill with some relief from your sinuses.

My bee hives are heavy and they've got plenty of stores to get through the winter. Kids are in school and loving it, well loving recess anyway. My little one who is 3 just started JK this week. I'm back at work and loving it too, the new group of kids are nice and eager (for the most part) to learn and try. I played a game of 3-handed whist tonight with hubby and his brother and tomorrow we are off to the fall fair to check out the exhibits and have some fun. My oldest entered a sunflower, two flower arrangements and two petit pan squash he grew and he is hoping for a ribbon.

Good night and love to all.

ChiSandy · September 2016

Hate to tell you this, Trill--but not only are neutered male kitties able to spray, so are spayed females! (In either case, their pee doesn't smell as strong as that of a tomcat or one neutered too late to prevent onset of puddy-tat puberty. My dear departed too-late-neutered mostly-white-with-charcoal-patch male cat Matthew (he may have been neutered by the shelter after being brought in) used to spray-mark to such an extent (apparently, before we adopted him he was used to being the alpha male, and was extremely frustrated that we already had a male kitty, MishMosh (black as night)--and poor Mish spent much of his too-short life having to fight off Matthew. Mish, though a year younger, was half again as heavy as Matt. Mish died suddenly at just shy of his 8th birthday; Matt made it to 19-1/2. He sprayed so often that after awhile we started putting up Chux or puppy-training pads on his favorite vertical target surfaces. (We used to by “OOPS" brand plastic-backed paper towels by the case until they went out of business). One day he peed on a Yamaha A/V receiver--did you know that cat pee makes electronics arc purple, blue and green sparks & flames? We immediately cut the power, went out and bought an audio cabinet to replace the rack, and replaced the receiver. Our current little ebony princess Heidi decided to channel Matthew last month when she found Happy (our massive orange patch tabby perma-kitten, aka "Baby Huey") sleeping on “her" spot on the loveseat--fortunately, Gordy was right there with the bottle of Nature's Miracle.

Trill, if you have nerves close to the root of the tooth, sinus pain can often be unbearable. Until I got conscientious about snorting Nasacort morning & night, my teeth were sometimes as accurate a barometer as an overfilled fountain pen, my behind-the-eye sinuses and my LE. (Outside air pressure goes down, inside pressure goes up).

Still recovering from my first (R) cataract surgery. I needed a suture, and had both a subconjuntival hemorrhage and a couple of corneal blisters. Feels fine now, though still looks bloodshot. (But I no longer scare people when not wearing sunglasses). And the difference in my vision is amazing. I look through my left eye every now & then and can't believe how I used to manage with both eyes seeing as if looking through a frosted yellow window. My eye needs to heal before we do the L one, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 2. Trigger-thumb surgery is this Tuesday. The cortisone shot took 8 weeks to kick in, and my thumb is much better, but I can't run the risk of the shot wearing off before an important concert I'm doing in Iowa City late next month--and a second shot might not take effect in time. This way, the sutures will be out in 10-14 days and I will be back to picking, pinching & strumming in plenty of time. The LE doc and the surgeon assure me that despite this being on my LE side, as long as I practice scrupulous infection control and don't have a tourniquet, I should not need to be wrapped--but Highland Park Hospital will have an LE therapist standing by just in case. I didn't get any LE flares or cellulitis with that first shot. I'm more worried about how many attempts it will take to start my I.V. (it took five stabs for my Zometa infusion, and four weeks for the bruises to fade). My surgeon says I can opt to take a mg. of Xanax and get regional & local anesthesia, but I would be fully awake throughout, with full memory of every second. (When I had my L thumb done 7 yrs. ago, I had some I.V. Versed to calm me down but I remembered not just every snip but the conversation my then surgeon had with his nurses. Probably no “twilight sleep" because his surgicenter was in the basement of his office bldg). My surgeon this Tues. operates at Highland Park Hospital, part of the same North Shore health system as my cancer center and hospital.

Trill1943 · September 2016

Hi all-- Finally got that shower....

Molly, am glad to know I'm not the only one with a very-involved-with-bathroom-things kitty....

JBeans, I was watching a netflix show yesterday and they talked about how the honeycomb shape--is that a hexagon? Six-sided? I'm so dumb when it comes to geometry etc!! Anyway, that shape is the most economical one for nature to make--circles have too many little spaces, triangles use too much wax, hexagons use the least amount of wax.. It showed closeups of the bees at work and one or two had their upper halves actually down in the cell itself, rear ends sticking up...I guess making the wax and building up the sides....are those white blobs inside eggs holding new bees? I think it said that they have to fly the equivalent of 12 times around the earth to make one pound of wax!!! It's evidently a very tough substance to create...am glad to hear yours are all ready for the winter...

How can you tell which is the queen? I always wondered about that...

Speaking of weather, it's so sultry! It's in the mid-eighties and humidity is up there also...the air just sits there...like it's stagnant... I'd even settle for a little hurricane or two to freshen things up (she says as she looks back on her three days without a shower saga...). It's almost as if nature is taking a deep breath and holding it, preparing to flip into cold weather after months of heat...

ChiSandy--That's great you are halfway home regarding your cataracts... what a thrill it must have been when you saw through that repaired eye!

The cortisone shot took 8 weeks to take effect? Wow. I had one in my foot (ouch!) for plantar fasciitis and it worked right away but wore off quickly too... just the opposite...

i had no idea female kitties sprayed! So THAT'S what she's been up to!?

Think I'm gonna watch Most Haunted again....thing is, when the fans are on, you can barely hear the little sounds that freak out the ghost hunter gang...one fan is now off so maybe I'll be able to hear what they hear...

Positive2strong · September 2016

hi Molly,

I live in Los Angeles. My surgeon is Kristin funk and I have surgery on Monday.

Have you heard of her.

Molly50 · September 2016

Hi Positive, no I haven't. What hospital does she work out of? What surgery are you having?

JBeans · September 2016

Hi everyone!

Good luck on Monday Positiv.

Trill , I'm lucky that the fellow I bought McQueen from marked her with a white dot so she is really easy to spot. Did you know that there is an international system of colors to mark queens based on the year? I found this out at my local Beekeepers association meeting. Queens reared in years ending in1 or 6 are dotted white, years 2 or 7 yellow, years 3 or 8 red, years 4 or 9 green, and years 5 or 0 blue. Apparently the mnemonic "will you raise good bees" should help to remember this.

Anyhow, I found this picture online to show the differences between workers, drones, and the Queen.

Purrs to Miss P and hugs to all.

Trill1943 · September 2016

HI JBeans-- Thanks for this photo....wow, she IS a good bit larger than the others...interesting....

Love the mnemonic...

The only mnemonic I recall is Bojo Rolo Take Two to Tango--meaning Beaujolais, Rhone, and Loire valley wines take two years to ripen. Fun fact I have absolutely never used and have no idea why I even know this!

I heard on the news that a certain type of bumble bee may go on the endangered species list.....

Last month I almost wrote you about this but held back cause even the writing of it was upsetting so I deleted, but did you hear about the millions of bees that were killed I think in either South or North Carolina due to spraying for the Zika mosquito? I think beekeepers weren't notified...it was so upsetting, like I say, I decided not to write to you about it....

Wow, you know, if I had a home as you have, where you have land and can raise bees, I'd be doing the same thing you are! It just gets more and more interesting the more I learn about it.

HI and love to all out there--Lori, hope you are doing ok during this chemo time. I think of you daily. And Positive--good luck Monday also to you.

It's finally cooling down and feeling like fall. Hooray!

t and p

ChiSandy · September 2016

Beaujolais is considered ready for sale the summer after harvest; Beaujolais-Villages usually is released two years after harvest, as are the crus (the ones with the village names, such as Julienas, Chenas, Fleurie, Morgon, Regnie, and Moulin-a-Vent). They never spend time in oak, and are crushed by “carbonic maceration:" by their own weight rather than mechanically, and some fermentation goes on. What drains off may spend some time in stainless steel before being bottled. Some light Loires--such as Sancerre and Vouvray—are released after only one year. The whites go from tank to bottle—no oak.

Didn't have the thumb surgery. I kept playing phone tag with my surgeon's nurse for a week and though I hadn't talked to the surgeon, she said that there was always the chance the triggering could return before my late October shows in Iowa City, and if I got another shot there was no way to tell how quickly it'd kick in. So I agreed to go ahead and play things by ear. Got to the hospital at 6 am (my housekeeper got up at 4 so she could get to me by 5 and ride along to drive me home—they wouldn't operate unless a patient has a responsible adult tagging along). Shocked to discover that I had to take off even my underpants beneath the hospital gown (my first surgeon didn't even make me remove my bra, much less my underpants & jeans). Took off all my jewelry (even ear studs). I was so ambivalent that despite my having been NPO since midnight, my gut was churning. Was in the loo each time they came around to take my vitals. The nurse wanted to start my I.V. but I told her I planned to take a Xanax instead and remain conscious but calm while my hand and thumb were numb. She said “we don't do that—talk to Anesthesiology." The scrub nurse came in and said that if I decided to go through with the surgery, I should let nobody but the anesthesiologist go near any of my veins. The anesthesiologist came in and I told him I was an extremely difficult stick and wasn't letting anyone but him try an I.V.; and besides, I wasn't even sure that I was having the surgery and wanted the surgeon to see and examine my thumb—perhaps doing another ultrasound to see if the nodule was still there and how much the sheath inflammation had gone down. If the nodule was still there and the sheath still swollen, I'd bite the bullet but still refuse I.V. sedation. Surgeon finally arrived (late), palpated my thumb and then held the area where he’d be operating and had me flex my distal (the one that triggered) thumb joint. He said he couldn’t palpate a nodule and my thumb joint wasn’t triggering. “It’s a lifestyle surgery, not just elective like your cataract. Your triggering may never come back, and if it does we can always reschedule.” I apologized and he said “no need, I was running late and now I’m back on schedule.” He also said to go have pancakes at Walker Bros. Which was what my housekeeper & I did—we shared the giant apple pancake and could each get through barely a quarter of it, so we took the other half home for Gordy. I also drove home, gave my housekeeper an extra week’s pay and sent her home early.

My eye looks almost normal—the hemorrhage now looks only as if I had pulled an all-nighter. I do have a touch of heterochromia: my eyes, which always looked brown from a distance (and that’s what it says on my driver’s license), are actually a dark hazel: mostly medium-amber on an olive green background iris. The R one now is and is mostly medium olive green with a smaller lighter-amber center. The ophtalmologist says that after my next surgery, I should see the L one “catch up” chromatically—and that since I’m looking at it in the magnifying mirror through my clouded lens it’s probably the same olive-with-amber as the R one already. So my eyes are true hazel. (Bob’s are a very light hazel—gray-green with a touch of gold and a blue rim). But I have no desire to go to the DMV and wait in line just to change the eye color description to “hazel.” (Besides, I’d rather not take the chance of my new photo looking as shitty as my passport photo—in which I look like I’ve been flying in Economy for 9 hours and standing in the immigration line for another two—pretty accurate).

JBeans · September 2016

Wow what a day Sandy, hope all remains well - the giant pancake sounds great.

Trill (and Sandy) - you've given me my next 3 bottles of wine to try and I'll know what to pick up by that mnemonic- it shall come in handy for me. :-). I don't think I've ever had any of those wines. When i go to the liquor store my eyes glaze over and I look for something made from a grape I recognize.

I've got a pretty awesome picture of my bees on one of my sunflowers- will post later. Trill - if you were nearer I'd say c'mon over and share my bees with me. :-

Trill1943 · September 2016

ChiSandy-- Have you ever considered going on Jeopardy? I had an idea the wine references would get you to chime in! And I was right!

You and your thumb had an interesting day. Didn't somebody here that they have us strip ALL except gown to keep bugs etc on clothing completely out of the sterile field? I thought it was in case they had to access parts of the anatomy in case of emergency.... I think it sounds like good luck that you aren't having your thumb done....bet that pancake tasted good after nil by mouth for all those hours..

I was watching--again--the Ghost Adventures Collection on Netflix last night--first time around I skimmed--and they were doing the Excalibur night spot and I thought of you. Their hi-tech devices didn't awaken/uncover any spooks and so they went on to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery...truly creepy place (although my oh so not creepy bedroom here can be rendered scary as hell with just the lights out and an even vaguely suggestive scary movie on TV....or these ghost-hunting shows....it happened last night and I ended up turning on my lights! Then, as I was trying to get to sleep in between coughing, my foot was off the end of the bed and it suddenly hit me wouldn't it be awful to have something reach up and grab my foot? Aye aye...needless to say I dragged my foot back up on the bed...)

Molly50 · September 2016

Jbeans I am learning so much from you about bees. It's fascinating!

Jiffrig · September 2016

ChiSandy...you sure get yourself into situations! Love hearing about them, but sorry for you to have to go through them all! I guess I was really naive, I had cataracts removed from both eyes at once. Ignorance is bliss.

DisneyGirl16 · September 2016

Hi, Ladies!

Been missing everyone terribly. Just got really busy with life. I guess that is a good thing, huh? The temperature is cooler and the leaves are just starting to turn. I love this time of year. Of course, it is causing my sinuses to drain, but it's not too bad yet.

Trill, I have a Netflix account, mainly for my son, but have yet to start binge watching anything. There are a few shows coming in the next couple of months that I know I will be watching on it. Then, I, too, will be putting off showering to watch tv. LOL. I may have to start with a ghost hunting shows marathon.

I learn so much on this site (besides all the breast cancer info); bees, wine, etc. I love it!

ChiSandy, sounds like you did the right thing following your gut by refusing the surgery. You have enough going on without that.

Positive, hope you are doing well after your surgery.

Trill1943 · September 2016

DisneyGirl-- Good to hear from you and about what you've been up to....yes, life comes along and gets you all caught up...

I have this sinus thingy so I can relate to your "drainage" issues..

It's funny but the other day I was thinking about it and realized that all during the active breast cancer time--October 31 thru till I decided against chemo which was the end of January--so about 3 months--I had NO sinus issues at all! I found this hard to believe, looking back, but then realized that I would have DEFINITELY been aware of it had I needed to deal with major surgery and drains and PT sessions and decisions to make PLUS having the congestion and coughing. I mean, sleeping with drains plus incision soreness was enough to keep me tossing and turning at night but a cough and crackling exhalations with every breath would have been a DOUBLE nightmare that I would not soon have forgotten....and I didn't have any of that...

Which led me to wonder why the nasal/chest congestion thing backed off during that time. I talked with my therapist about this and she said that definitely the more serious BC deal would have taken over my head and pushed the sinus problem to the background. But that's so hard to accept.....I mean, is it all in my head? Meaning not that it's unreal but that my head and emotions control the coming and going of this sinus thing? I have a nose/chest thing and that's it--I have it. Just like I have/had breast cancer...

Is it a seasonal thing wherein the colder temps and closed windows, etc. led to a diminishing of it?

Does this topic tweak the curiosity of anyone out there? I just find it so,well,hard to understand. Maybe the folks at the allergy/asthma clinic will have some answers.....

Life is so weird.

DisneyGirl, I'm watching the Ghost Adventures Collection over and over...every time I see something new...

My therapist thinks it's all bunkum (is that the right word?) I once took my computer to our session and showed her one of the episodes, or at least a minute or two of it, and she just laughed and scoffed at it.

If it's trickery, well, phooey with it.

But if only 2 out of 10 things they hear/see are real---what is THAT? It can't ALL be bunkum. I mean, those voices and words sound authentic....

Rambling, rambling....

(In that Most Haunted series at one place they leave a camera in a room and it just films hours worth of stuff and at one point a wheelchair (this is a huge home that during the war was used as a hospital of sorts...)...the wheelchair moves out. On its own. It's photographed and looks 100% real....the thing just moves out a foot or so....)

I want to believe in ghosts!

I think I want to be a ghost hunter...

MelissaDallas · September 2016

Just stopping by to say Hello to you all.

I don't know a thing-I'm tired, so just sitting sewing. Two new shows I like are on tonight - Bull and This Is Us

It's evil ragweed season here so I guess we all have the snorts (and itchy eyes.)

My (perhaps controversial) thoughts as a "newbie" to CA.

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