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

"We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity."

-- Barbara De Angelis

Positive2strong, I am 65 and a year ago last week finished my 4 rounds of chemo over 12 weeks. Taxotere and Cytoxan. I was sick but it was from the Neulasta shots that I received because my blood counts were so low. I have a great oncologist and the infusion nurses were fabulous. I was tired during chemo and more tired after 6 weeks of daily radiation. My hair fell out during chemo but has come back. I can taste again! I am now on hormone therapy for 10 years taking Aromasin which has its own side effects. Mostly bone pain and trouble sleeping. I live alone and my sister and her dog took good care of me. I was out of work for 3 months but now everything is pretty much back to normal. Good luck and sending positive thoughts. Maryellen

I did not have Chemo so I did not have Neulasta—but was told to take Claritin for a few days before & after my Zometa infusion in order to mitigate bone pain. Worked for me—just about the only short-term side effect of Zometa I didn’t get.

Puffin, that must be maddening to have that fluid in your ears. Any problem with the senses is difficult to tolerate. Hope the situation improves without the tubes.

Oops, another of those days. We are still in the midst of the ice storm. Not horrible here, but not very nice either. We will do okay though I'm sure. I only have to go out once to do my kitties -- and only if the rain is not falling -- so not bad for me as today is a day off. I have picked up something extremely rare ( or has been ) for me. I seem to have a chest cold. Haven't had one for yrs. and yrs. Not to say I didn't have some issues -- one sinus infection which was easy to clear, as well UTI ( not a cold ) which was easy as well. Guess I need to be watchful as 2016/2017 seems to be bringing things I've not had to handle since I returned home in 1997.

Hope your day is not bad and sending good vibes.

A pretty day here, sunny and in the 70's, but not horribly humid. I took two great nieces and their mother to lunch at Taco Bell and to the movies. We saw Sing. It had a rousing finale but dragged a bit getting there.

Seven year old Olivia got restless.

Happy Saturday.

Hi Ladies.............Can I come and play...............was thinking of checking out altogether, but decided to find some old fiends...............so can I come and play here..........LOL......my pilot. says he will fly me wherever I want to go.........but for a price..................LOL

It need not discourage us if we are full of doubts. Healthy questions keep faith dynamic. In fact, unless we start with doubts we cannot have a deep-rooted faith. One who believes lightly and unthinkingly has not much of a belief. One who has a faith which is not to be shaken has won it through blood and tears--has worked his or her way from doubt to truth as one who reaches a clearing through a thicket of brambles and thorns.

Helen Keller

Illinoislady, Glad to hear everything checked out OK! Jean

Teka - that is sooooo great. Hard to remember when we're in the middle of taking care of everyone all the time, but really important.

Good morning ☀️ to everyone. Jackie, good news that you're basically healthy.

Sunny and mild weather here today.

Happy Monday

Mornin all,

Lots going on here as usual. We had 2 of the grandchildren that are moving to Lake Placid overnight both Fri and Sat nights. They are so incredibly different here without Mom. Thurs was an early release day, so I picked my DGS up. When we got home, he immediately saw the 2 dog leashes on the table because the dogs had an appt for the vet that day. He of course wanted to walk them. I said absolutely no because the dogs are too big and strong and they are not leash trained. I ended up on a call about insurance, and when I got off, both dogs and leashes and Kayden were gone. I had to get in my car to find them and they were with a very irate man, who said I should know that a child Kayden's size cannot walk them. I told him I was very clear with Kayden that he was not to take them outside. I don't know if he believed him, but it was true.

When we got home, I asked him if he thought my saying "no" was to protect him or punish him. He said punish. So I explained again why I had said no, then asked him why he was behaving so badly, and, my eight year old baby burst into real tears. He doesn't want to move. He says the land they are planning to build from containers is on a property that is so large, they have no neighbors. He doesn't want to leave his friends and his school. OMG, my heart broke even more it already was. I fail to see any logical reason for them to go. Neither of them have jobs there, my SIL hasn't even begun to find or make a workshop so he can continue custom painting remotes for video games, much less start on a home for them. They don't have enough containers to build anything that all of them could be comfortable in, but they are moving 2 hrs or more away into a 2 bed 1 bath apt., taking the kids from the only security they have.

Then on another note, the DD who lives with me started dating someone. First serious relationship since her divorce 12 years ago. He is a devout Jehovah Witness. I know very little about Jehovah Witnesses, except that they don't celebrate any holidays and won't get blood transfusions. I could not and would not make a judgement about all Jehovah Witnesses based on those two facts, so please understand that I am not, in any way, being negative towards that religion. However, this has already become a major issue for them (him more than her). He has broken up with her twice over it already, including Christmas Eve. My daughter is not a practicing Christian at this time, but holidays and birthday are important to her. He was feeling so guilty about seeing her, although they have done nothing more than kiss, that he felt compelled to confess his sinfulness to the governing members of his church. They have excluded him from taking full part in their practices for 90 days.

So they have had some phone conversations, but no face to face contact since Christmas. She is very clear to him that she does not want him to give up his beliefs for her, because she realizes that the day may come when he "blames" her for that. Then I guess he called last Wed and said he wanted to see her Fri nite. The whole religion part is really just background to the real problem. She agreed to see him Fri night to talk, but meanwhile one of the men that works at her job was in town and was going to be stuck here all weekend, and asked Tracy to go to dinner with him Thurs night, because he is unfamiliar with the area and did not want fast food again. While they were eating, the other guy called. Tracy ignored it. Fifteen minutes later, he called again and again she ignored it. The co-worker she was with went to the bathroom and Tracy texted D that she was out to dinner with the guys from work and would call him as soon as she got home. This is where It gets crazy- he went nuts on the phone, accusing her of cheating, lying, giving away "his" seat in our house. She hung up on him multiple times, but he kept calling back.

Tracy is like me, not liking confrontations, but when prevoked, watch out! She let him have it, asking what right did he have to question anything she did. He broke up with her! As far as cheating she told him she was the one cheated on in her marriage and would never put that pain on anyone. She also said she was in a very controlling marriage and was not going there again. When she made herself very clear, he backed way down, and brought her flowers. Anybody else ever see or read about abusive men? My radar is screaming get away from him, but like I said, it is her first relationship in 12 years, so she is going to see what happens from here.

That's my life at the moment. Thankfully, my brother will be here within a week of today. He just has a way of making me feel safe and sane, even with all the chaos. Hopefully, he'll be staying for a couple of months.

Anne

have not been on this site for a long long time

I had my mammogram and had to go back for another one and they found 5 dots on my right breast which is the one I had the lumpectomy on. I have to go for a stereotactic biopsy on jan 23 and am so so so very frightened.

had my lumpectomy on 1/13/2012 and my hubbie was here with me to go through all this,,,he died 2015 and I am so afraid to go it alone..

i am a month and a half away from 70 and although my biopsy results aren't in yet, the overall picture is not good at all. I'll know for sure in a couple of days according to my doctor. Hello....

As I posted on some other threads, our temple’s “Rebbetzin Emeritus” (wife of the older of our two retired rabbis) passed away Friday on her 102nd birthday. (Her husband is 101). She was so beloved that among the pallbearers were nearly every local clergyperson—two Greek Orthodox prelates (St. Andrew’s is down the block), the priests from the two contiguous neighborhood RC parishes, three ministers and an imam.

One of the many eulogies was delivered by her eldest granddaughter, now in her late thirties. She said that when she was in 3d grade, her grandma told her her very first dirty joke. To honor her memory, here it is, as retold yesterday:

A rabbi had a very modest and devoted wife. She supported every aspect of her career, led the Sisterhood and every Friday night sat in the first row of the temple, gazing adorably at her husband during the sermon and hanging on his every word. One midweek evening at a meeting of the post-confirmation Youth Group, one of the teens said, “Rabbi, your sermons are so complex and scholarly. But could you please do one on a subject more relevant to us?” He asked, “Such as?” The congregant paused and replied, “…Sex?” The rabbi thought for a few moments and nodded. “Okay. Come to Friday night’s service and you’ll hear it.” Being a thoughtful and tactful man, he thought long and hard while writing the sermon, worrrying as to how his demure wife might react.

At breakfast Friday, the rabbi told his wife, “Honey, with all due respect I don’t think you’d be comfortable attending services tonight.” When she asked why not, he replied, “My sermon will be on a topic that really wouldn’t interest you, so you wouldn’t like it.” She asked, “What topic is that?” He replied “Water skiing.” The rebbetzin nodded and agreed to stay home.

Friday night arrived, the rabbi delivered the sermon, and it was indeed a hit. The next Friday night at the after-service Oneg Shabbat (coffee-and-dessert reception), congregants kept coming up to her, telling her it was such a shame that she missed such a terrific sermon the week before. “Really?” she finally asked, “How could he give a great sermon about something he hardly knows?”

“What do you mean?” one of the women asked, aghast.

“Well,” said the rebbetzin, “he told me he’s done it only twice…and both times he fell off."