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

Jackie, for me browsing through any kitchen ware department is risky. I can easily buy things I'll never use! I'm attracted to serving dishes and gadgets. There are great buys at a Good Will store, especially in a neighborhood with well-to-do people who can't be bothered with garage sales. We have a store across from the entrance to a gated subdivision. I have bought children's clothes there with the tags still on when I was shopping for a great niece. I know a couple who live in the gated subdivision who keep an eye on the merchandise in the Good Will store. They buy name-brand new items.

It's another gloomy day here. I need to call my mother and check on her. She wasn't feeling well yesterday because of the dreaded D ailment. I don't know whether it was some kind of virus making its way in the nursing home. She warned me to stay away and I did.

I also need to brave clearing my desk in our little office. I have been piling papers on the desk since before Christmas.

Happy Sunday to all.

Puffin, That will look great hanging on the wall. Looks like it was fun to do as well.

We did a puzzle over Christmas with the whole family there. My 14yo grandson is an absolute whiz at finding big chunks that fit. I have one I haven't opened yet because it looks pretty hard. I think I'll need his help.

There's a Salvation Army Family Store here that makes everything 50% off on the final Fri/Sat of each month. I talked DH into going and we scored a sofa! Called a friend with a truck and he was working in our neighborhood, so brought it home yesterday. I've wanted a new sofa forever and have looked and looked. It's an OK design, OK color, and the right size for our small living room. I'm considering using 2 sofas and a recliner. I have cut outs for all our furniture and rooms, so will try out various arrangements before moving anything. DH laughed at me when I measured everything, but if it fits on my diagram, it fits in real life. He found a tripod (not sure what he wants it for) and we picked up a knife to use for mayo and peanut butter (so we don't have to pull a heavy drawer most of the way out to get a knife) and a spaghetti claw spoon to grab things out of the back of the washer.

Maybe our find will make up for the future week of rain, rain, rain.

We only have a Salvation Army here, and they send everything to a central distribution center, don't do it locally!

Kate, I'm not sure about anyone here right now having had CMF, but I think I do know someone and I will pm her to find out and see if she will tell you about her experiences. She/we had chemo back around 2007 soooo don't know what may or may not have changed since then. Sunday nights here could be slow so that is why I wanted to offer you something.

I don't know that much of chemo ( whatever the kind ) is related very much to age. It may be more due to just how your body reacts to things ( chemo for instance ) since all of us -- even those getting almost the exact same chemo tended to have differences in how we reacted. I had two different kinds of chemo and both caused nausea, but only one had it as a side effect -- so sometimes we just get something because for a variety of likely minor differences our bodies react differently. Still, my friend may know EXACTLY what you are talking about so it is always good to ask a question.

Kate is my daughter's nickname. Her name is actually Kathleen, but back when we named her she would have gotten the nickname of Kathy and we didn't care for that so we made her a "Kate" immediately. Often called her Katie. She told her kindergarten teacher her name was Katie Kathleen Michelle -- uh, well, not really but that is what she what she thought.

Hang in there and hopefully you will get some answers soon.

Jackie

Kate, good luck with your treatment. I can't offer any information but I'm sure there are others on bc.org who can. You can start your own discussion thread with an inquiry. We welcome you on this forum.

The sun is shining and the temperature is mild here on this Monday. Hope everyone has a good day.

Sorry Kate, I can't help with that. Hopefully it was just the sample that was off somehow.

I'm off in a few minutes for my yearly breast exam with the onc. I need to schedule a mammo in Feb. My PCP could have done the exam, but her office would be full of flu victims. I decided oncology would be a safer bet.

Hopefully Kate someone can get you an answer on the liver enzymes. Mine ( far as I know, as no one said otherwise ) were mainly normal. Once I did have to have some retesting done as numbers were 'odd' when they had never been. Then again -- our liver processes a lot and I think depending on meals and other things an 'odd' number could appear.

Good that you asked on the hair coloring. CMF usually leaves a fair amt. of hair in place I'm told though it might thin --- but harsh ( hair colorings ) chemicals could have a negative effect. I had the kind of chemo where head hair as well as ALL bodily hair disappears for a few months so it was never a question for me. Keeping my bald head warm in a VERY told winter was my issue.

19501952

I don't know if I can be of any help, but my liver enzymes went up after I finished radiation (I never had chemo). I was supposed to start hormone therapy, but the liver numbers were way over 70 and my MO said no. He waited 6 weeks and ordered another blood test, but they were still up. It was about 10 weeks before the enzymes went down on their own to around the 27-32 level. I haven't had any problems since.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
prosperity would not be so welcome.

Anne Bradstreet

Passion doesn't come from business or books or even a connection with another person. It is a connection with your own life force, the world around you and the spirit that connects us all. YOU are the source. Books, work, music, people, sunsets all provide sparks, but only you can light the fire.

Jennifer Jones

"The journey begins where you are, not where you want to be! So be here now and embrace the present moment, and all it offers."

- Charlene Proctor

Just got home from my PCP appt. Drew not just an a1c but also CBC, ferritin, iron-binding capacity, & reticulocytes. Asked him what a1c score would be worrisome, and he said "we really don't do anything for anything below 7 for someone never diagnosed," but went on to say that because I've "been on the fence" for awhile and I'm obese, he might recommend Jardiance anyway--more for its weight loss and cardiprotective effect. Has none of metformin's GI side effects and is more cardioprotective than metformin (which is, admittedly, far cheaper). He also thinks it doesn't raise LDL as high as do metformin and the other anti-diabetes drugs like Invokana.

But he's concerned about the red patch on my arm, below the actual injection site, that appeared after my Shingrix shot a couple of days ago (which I got at a supermarket pharmacy). He says it feels a bit warm and had the nurse outline the perimeter with a few Sharpie dots. I am to keep an eye on it, and if it's spread beyond the dots by tomorrow I should come in for observation and an antibiotic. Should also have my labs back by Sat. morning at the latest.

All in all, he's satisfied that my weight is down a bit since June and I've had no other real problems. My wrist healed; my old stress fracture in my L foot & ankle will always bother me somewhat so I should just support it; and my groin pain is indeed only a recurrence of my old iliopsoas muscle strain. He wants me to resume exercise once the arm thing is past, but "low & slow" at first.

But here's what he's found. Remember Zostavax (the original shingles shot) and all those TV commercials that suddenly stopped? It's because, while it was thought to be 40-60% effective, after one year no zoster antibodies could be found in a large test cohort. Yup--it's worthless. (At least Merck sent me a full rebate when I got it back in 2012). As to Shingrix, he's truly surprised at how fast the FDA cleared it and the CDC began recommending it. It's so new that there isn't even a body of evidence concerning the type of reaction I'm having. He said to keep an eye out for flu-ish symptoms, and warned that because the virus in it isn't as attenuated as in Zostavax, it could give me shingles...but a much milder case that would then confer immunity. I did receive it because it popped up in my "health reminders" section of my Presence patient portal, along with my "asthma action plan" and "Medicare wellness visit."

Brrr, but a beauty of a sun outside. The moon lately has been very pretty -- so bluish white and very bright. With the cold I haven't spend all that much time outside and I sure didn't go outside in the wee hours to look at it while it was a blood-red moon. Feel a little bad about that, but I'm in the midst of my beauty sleep then. So far, my beauty sleep hasn't produced some of the effects I wish it could, but life goes on. Dh has the day off which usually means I don't get all that much done -- so I've learned now to count on a lot of personal actions taking place. Got my morning chores done....that may be the gist of all that takes place.

Hope the sun stays ( look quite promising ) and warms us a bit. Just wow on those shingles shots Sandy. I never bothered to get one ( the shot ) and likely won't. When I was really young ( had rheumatic fever then ) around age of 8 my sister brought home the chicken pox. My mom asked the Dr. what to do and he said that since I being treated ( quite heavily since they weren't sure what the most direct surest tx. even was at the time ) for the rheumatic fever that I might as well get the chicken pox out of the way. Despite the contact --- I got one ( it was a bit of a maybe ) pox at the side of my nose. It could have been that but who knows for sure since there was only one bump. So --- I live dangerously and don't bother with the shot. So far, so good.

Hope you all have a fantastic day today and that you too have lots of sun.

Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Hello ladies! Have only read a few posts in this thread so far, but I can tell it is where I belong. Love your posts IllinoisLady. I am from Carbondale, IL but moved to S TX a few years ago to avoid the cold.

I was diagnosed late last year and have Round#2 on Monday. ILLady, we have the same genotype. Did you also have TC chemo?