Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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Sandy - I have only one son. He would not ever want to live in my house (the house where he grew up). So any money I choose to spend at my age is only to serve my own whims. And I was raised to save money, so not likely I'll do more than paint and replace the worn out floors & carpets.
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Our kitchen is very very tiny. I would like to paint the cabinets white and the little bit of wall above a soft orange. The only other wall is behind the stove, so it could be the same. I'm not sure about the bottom cabinets. I think a soft color would be easier to keep than white. All the new houses featured in the paper here have dark wood cabinets and look gloomy to me. I'm not sure I would like it totally open to the eating and living area.
A cook would be nice too.
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Oh yes Wren - a cook!! We actually re-did the kitchen in 1986. My cabinets are a lovely, light oak. I like the warm, honey color.
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I'm happy with my kitchen. The layout is great -- it is open to the living room although it is an L shape. The cabinets and pantry attached to the cabinets were built by the Amish. I regret only that there weren't a few more, but you are inclined to fill up what you have so all in all -- its not bad. My fridge is right by a walk-in pantry and in the back of that pantry is a small stand up freezer. My kitchen window overlooks the back yard and woods ( though I don't spend too much time at the kitchen window-sink area, I can watch wild life if they happen to be there at the time. The cabinets are light wood and rather than a lazy- susan which was in vogue then, there is a corner door just like a lazy -- but there are shelves there instead. I really like having the second smaller attached pantry for things I use much more than those kept in the walk-in. I keep spices there and some of the smaller dishes ( two people size ) and paper plates along with our coffee and filters. Mainly things that are used almost every day. Our kitchen is small in size ( amt. of cabinets etc. ) but the area is big since we have plank flooring all over the house and the kitchen is open to the living room and living room is open to the big room sized foyer.
Open rooms are always bigger so while it sounds huge the house is only 1,545 feet which around here is considered small. Most of the surrounding houses not on the lake properties like we are, are in general 2500 feet or more. In my view, and at my age to have that I'd have to have some cleaning help. I barely am able to keep up with this place now. Just thankful no basement here or upstairs to have to care for and clean. My kitchen door opens to a large deck so rather than looking out the windows we most often have coffee there and lots of meals when the weather is nice. Love listening to the birds sing in the morning. Never thought growing up that I'd one day live in the edge of the woods. I have no desire to be in town but some day we won't be able to keep up here. We struggle now sometimes, but it is not near time yet.
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All my Chicago apartments, before we bought our house, had separate walk-in pantries. It’s a very Chicago thing, especially in the apartment houses and 2-and-3-flats built for working-class families back in the '20s and ‘30s.
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Small homes seem to be a Illinois thing! Ours is only 1500+, also. We are on 5 acres, but more of the farms have been developed with large homes. We remodeled about 8 years ago,W live in a log home though the interior walls are sheet rock, For our kitchen we did Hickory cabinets, which are light with some dark elements. It opens on the living room and looks out on our porch. Lots of deer and woodchucks to talk to. Only a small pantry, but we do have a basement. What I miss is no attic, so too much is stored in the basement. I will second the wish for a cook. I never was one, more a baker, but with DH on sugar free and me on Gluten free now, that's limited. Having a log home has its own challenges, carpenter bees and then the woodpeckers say Yummm! It's small, but enough for us , at this stage in life!
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*Oldies and Newbies*
Happy Mother's Day!
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Feeling grateful to or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.
Christiane Northrup -
Happy Mom's Day to all and I am grateful to be here and be able to share daily. It is gorgeous here and I hope that everyone is having if not fantastic, at least quite decent weather. Dh works today so nothing much going on here. Pulled chicken sandwiches and potato and macaroni salad for dinner. Who knows -- maybe I'll wash my car -- but probably not. Too many other things.
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Talent is God given; be humble.
Fame is man given; be thankful.
Conceit is self-given; be careful.
John Wooden
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All are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Quiet here so hoping all are well and just busy. Hot here today. I am babysitting ( 3 little dogs ) for a couple of days so will be in and out here until some time tomorrow. A bit of extra cash for me. That won't be a bad thing.
I'll be a little hung over ( you know, strange bed, routine and all that ) but short duration this time so not a big deal. Stay cool everyone and enjoy a beautiful day.
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Dh and I went to the gym a little earlier than usual this morning to give him time to go to a dermatologist appointment. I grumbled a bit last night about getting up early but I am making good use of the extra time.
After lunch I plan to go to the nursing home to spend several hours with my mother. She enjoyed a Mother's Day lunch at my sister Michelle's house on Sunday. Five of her six kids were present.
Next Tuesday we will be heading north to MN for the summer so the bags of items to be placed in the cargo trailer are taking up space in the dining area. I sure hope climate change doesn't heat up the normally pleasant weather in northern MN.
Happy Tuesday
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Hot here too—but the wind off the lake made it actually pleasant to be outdoors. (Dragged my laptop out to the deck for awhile). Walked to Whole Foods tonight—had planned to grill a little hanger steak I bought on sale there, but the hot bar had roast chicken thighs and the salad bar had grilled veggies (I bought one slice each green & yellow pepper and eggplant). When I got home, put it together with leftover pork chop & rapini, washed down with seltzer. My brain wants dessert; but my tummy is full.
My PCP's PA called today to discuss my test results. She compared them not just to the ones they did last August after my Italy trip, but to the ones my MO ordered (missing a lipid panel) in March for my Prolia shot. She told me that they're all pretty normal and almost all of them an improvement over the past tests…except for my a1c. My glucose was 114 fasting last Aug., 125 (post-prandial, after eggs & toast) in March, and 112 fasting—(except for a single egg) this time. But my a1c was 6.1, up from 5.8 in Aug. It's not considered Type 2 diabetes as long as it's 6.4 or below (and the fasting glucose 125 or above), but any fasting glucose >100 and a1c >6 is considered pre-diabetic. Combining it with hyperlipidemia (286, down from 306, but still too high—at least my HDL is back up to 79. my triglycerides are fine, and my total/HDL ratio is well within healthy limits) and hypertension (120/75, but that's because I've been on a bp med for >20 yrs) brings me into the wonderful world of Metabolic Syndrome. (Not to mention central obesity—much of mine is skin, but too much of it is fat). They don't want to treat the glucose & a1c yet, other than with low-carb diet & exercise, unless my numbers rise after 6 weeks on Crestor; Bob, if he had his druthers, would start me on metformin right now—he says it protects against dementia and inhibits tumor proliferation, while not raising LDL as much as the newer “glyptins" like Invokana or Jardiance (which lower glucose and a1c more dramatically). Seems I've reached the age where you can't fix one thing without breaking something else. (My PCP is sure that letrozole is largely responsible for the spike in total cholesterol, but if it prevents recurrence it’s worth it).
Bob made a point last night: if controlling lipids brings on Type 2 diabetes at my age, it’s not a catastrophe: at 66, I’m highly unlikely to live long enough to suffer the long-term consequences of diabetes—such as retinopathy, kidney failure, neuropathy, or amputation. But treating the sugar without treating the lipids could easily lead to a cardiovascular “event” (heart attack or stroke) that could kill me. My Framhingham risk score (percentage of likelihood of such an “event” over the next 10 years) is 6.4, which while fairly low is not insignificant; add that to the cardiovascular-pulmonary train wreck that is my family health history, it’s a no-brainer: bring down the non-HDL cholesterol ASAP and deal with the a1c later.
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Re: elderly - there was a report on the news about an "elderly" woman who had been in an accident. She was 64!!!! At 70, I took offense at that as I certainly don't consider myself that "E" word!
Chevy - seeing your photo, I feel your pain. Hope you got it checked out and that you heal soon.
MJ
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ChiSandy, Try the Mediterranean Diet. Fish, chicken, vegetables and fruit with limited carbs and red meat. It's actually pretty tasty, especially compared to some of the others. My glucose was too high a few years ago and I lost some weight and it went back down to very high normal (98). I hear you on the metabolic syndrome. All my fat is in my stomach, I'm on a statin and BP med, and have a total train wreck for family history. Good to know that the statin is more important.
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When I behave myself, I'm pretty much already on a modified Med. diet with lower carbs (no rice, pasta or any bread other than the occasional slice of very-high-carb 100% whole grain or even less frequent slice of sourdough, both of which types are lower-glycemic). I don't eat red meat more often than once or twice a week—it's just gradually worked out that way. What threw a monkey wrench into my diet was first the pity-party I threw for myself when I got that fateful mammo before diagnosis, the “reward" (yeah, right) I gave myself—a daily visit to the artisanal pie shop—after each radiation treatment; and the occasional times when I get cocky and think I can exercise my way out of going on carb binges (artisan breads and gourmet donuts were my downfall). Oddly, I don't seem to gain while traveling (except Christmastime in NYC)—lots of walking, smaller portions when traveling with my husband and we share courses, no time or opportunity to mindlessly nosh. As to my abdominal fat, when I had my gallbladder out in 1994 (I was about 15 lbs. heavier than I am now), the surgeon told me he was surprised to find that most of it was subcutaneous, not visceral fat. But I was still very much pre-menopausal back then, so who knows how big that “ommentum" fat curtain is now?
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Tappermom! I KNOW! We sometimes watch that silly show "Family Feud"....And the questions they come up with, regarding Grandma & Grandpa, or "older" people are even worse than the answers! People, generally, when in a group think it's really hilarious to make fun of some of the things we do..... But SOME of us, with our senses and humor still in tact, just think of them as morons. Hopefully, they also, will live long enough to to see and feel what it's like to cherish our older years.
I figure... "just wait"... Won't be so funny to watch your Mom, or Dad have issues with every coming Birthday.... Just walk around an Assisted Living once in awhile..... and you come from there thanking GOD you can still walk away, and drive to your own home.
Elderly care.... (there's that word again) is a life-saver for a LOT of our older folks, and hopefully they still have their kids to go visit them.... But so many have "nobody"... We talk to them all when we pass by, and just a little smile from them is the sweetest feeling! Last time we visited our 93 year old friend, we went with her walker down to the beautiful little garden they have.... Mimosa's were the drink of the day... Ha! About 10 of us were sitting with the flowers, and the birds, just talking about EVERYthing! Some could have a REAL Mimosa, but most just had the orange drink. But helping "older" folks be a part of fun and conversation, just helps them with their daily life!
Okay, now after all that, I have to go out & fool around in my yard.... Hopefully finish painting the trim on the shed.... Hah!
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Good Morning all.......this "very elderly woman is saying "hello".........LOL......at 82 what else could I be called...........
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Yes this lady is elderly.........Not sure when it happened.....LOL......but mirrors don't lie...........but I'll take 82 compared to the alternative......LOL
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Ducky - that is a GREAT picture. You look gorgeous.
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Free will is not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the face of otherwise overwhelming impulses.There lies freedom indeed. - George MacDonald
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That is a great picture Ducky and I concur -- I find it hard to think of myself as old/older/ I don't even think of asking for Sr. discounts -- because I don't feel old enough most of the time. What jolts reality is I'm given them often even if I don't ask. Boy that's a sign you can't deny. I'm fortunate ( but furiously knocking on wood so hard I'm liable to dislodge my arm ) that I don't yet need hair dye at 71 and in the mornings I am full of energy -- a little more inspiration and organization would be a wonderful thing -- so I try to ignore most of it and carry on.
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Ducky! You look beautiful! I DO wear make-up, still do my eyes, and roll my hair every day with hot rollers! I mean if I am leaving the house.... Hah! Yep, mirrors are not for the faint of heart.... If we can "help" what we look like in the mornings, it seems to start our day off great!
I remember my Grandma telling me.... (when I was in my 20's) that if I would keep coloring my hair.... (the grey) that I would be bald by the time I was 40. My Mom and I both started turning grey in our 20's. And since I am 60 years older than 20, I still have my hair...Hah! If I wanted to let it all go grey, I would.... but I'm so used to the way I look, that I choose to stay this way.
My child-hood friend, looked great with her white hair! Didn't ever want to color it...
But looking back at my life, I see so many child-hood friends who have passed away, or in wheel-chairs, or my ONE friend now had a stroke and is left with Aphasia.... Cannot speak hardly at all... or move her right side... I don't have many friends to go to lunch with anymore.... And one is taking so many drugs for her heart problems, and who knows what else, that she just doesn't sound the same at all.... and can't drive.
So cherish the friends you have, because sometimes things happen, and they aren't what they used to be anymore......... How many of you remember that song... "The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be.........."?? I know they are singing about a horse, but my Dad used to tease my Mom, and sing that around the house.... Never thought it was funny then, and still don't.
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I should be grateful that I made 82.....my poor husband was gone at 57....it is funny how we get old on the outside, but somehow stay young on the inside....."oh not our inners, but our heart stays young"........I said many times before...that even after a heart attack at the age of 72.....(no stents, no surgery )...just meds.....I bounced back in no time..and never thought about the HA again......but the cancer at 75 took a lot.......NO, I take that back.........the Letrozole took a lot.....after that lousy drug everything changed....I felt older, I looked older, everything changed..and don't tell me its about "attitude, thinking positive, and all that bullshit.........the body knows....I went from a very active able to do anything to someone I didn't recognize anymore.....and trust me....I tried, and I tried damn hard.....the Letrozole kept winning the fight.......after 4 years I said "enough is enough".........sad thing is......many of the SE's even after going off that crap do not go away......they ease up, but do not go away completely......
So everyday I get up and try a little harder just to prove "I may have cancer, but cancer does not have me"
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Right Ducky, You look great. I agree about the inside feeling younger than the outside. My aunt used to say" I walk past a mirror and wonder who is the old lady in the mirror, then realize it's me!" Have a friend who tried to convince me to go grey, I told her I wasn't ready to be a grey haired old lady yet! Told Dh , if I go first make sure my hair is done for the funeral! The Arimidex got me too, more weight and I'm sure the arthritis is worse. Hopefully finished with it this fall. I almost quit at the beginning , from the SEs! A few of my friends have passed, but more are gone cuz they moved south. We looked at it, but I imagine we will be in our little log home forever, or at least til we move to a senior community here. My son suggested Nevada, where he lives, but that's in Death Valley! I don't think so, 120 in the summer doesn't appeal to me.
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At 76 my hair is getting gray in streaks, but still looks mostly brown. I'm going to try the streaks in pink, purple and turquoise to see which I prefer. Neo crayons can be used on hair as well as faces and will let me try it out temporarily. The rest of my family turned white early. DD has no idea what color her hair really is and my niece has had so many colors I'm not sure what it began as. DS posted a photo on Facebook with brown hair, so he has dyed his also. DH is as snow white as both his parents were.
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Well at 82 I have some gray, but really almost none......and I didn't start to get that until I was around 78, but you could barely see it... I just decided to do highlights because I wanted a change ....now I have a scalp condition that says "do not use dye or bleach cause it can cause a flare-up.....so I will see how long I can handle the new gray I have, and if I don't like it......screw the flare-up.....I'll do it again....LOL.....
Of the 6 kids most say "Mom it looks fine".....one of my sons said the other day when he picked me up to go to dinner......Wow Mom, your hair is getting gray.....I said "what do you think"....he said "I like it bette rthe other way"...."this makes you look older".........I said "NEWS FLASH, I AM OLDER"......LOL.......
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Love the stories--no matter that we might get shoved down with something -- just get right back up and take off again.
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