how about drinking?

Holy Jeez, I'm so sorry I don't get ere often enough, I'm saying I'm sorry for me cuz I miss everyone so much. Every time I try, this damn phone goes and I get tied up with craziness. Anyway---

Oh Susy!Q it's good to see you, I wish I could help u, I think, but don't know, it's hard to understand why we go thru such lows but so understandable--this disease is not predictable and what all the crap u've been thru takes a toll on body and mind and all of us are right with you and always sending good vibes ur way. I do know when I'm not here much I feel the difference tho. It's not that can vent only, its my connection to all of u which I care about so much---so I know that feeling of not being here, except my reason is so different from urs but I feel that hurt and a loneliness .

Mary I can't believe Anorable is that old now, she was just a tiny baby.

My prayers go out to everyone who's struggling right now because of this crap,,,I think it just gets all thru the body a little at a time---even if it's not cancer but because of cancer. Certainly not a medical opinion just being around it so much.

The moon pics. are fantastic. Sandy I could see the moon but not very well so I didn't see any difference, it was all fuzzy.

I was certainly glad to see Dara in, even tho it was just a note, at least we know she's all right.

I read everyone's post but in bits and pieces , so my memory of all of them is not there. U gals now I don't have a clue about numbers for tests, I never pay any attention to my own and never ask, I guess when they say not good I take whatever they tell me to and just go back for another test later on. I wish I could be more diligent like u gals I know this sounds disgusting but I wash with all those non rinsing cleaners all this time. But I took my first shower yesterday with Jodie <my DD> she made me LOL cuz she kept on saying OMG mom I'm so proud of u, cuz I don't move very well---so that made my girls very happy---oh of course I had the chair and Jodie never left me for a minute. But she did get all wet too outside th shower and we all had a good laugh, after I felt very shakey and weak but I was fine. But I did throw up ahaha, I always have to make things dramatic.

Ki, from what I remember now u r really into teaching. Like I have said anyone in ur classis awfully lucky to have you, I'm sure they don't realize it yet, but they will for sure.

Lori no matter what is happening to you, u r always so positive with ur attitude, U don''t even complain about how far u have to drive for all Dr. things--mine are just blocks away and I don't go. U know everyone should come on this thread to just read it, oh not about the drinking but about attitudes nd friendships that have come from well I guess drinking LOL

Leslie is really coming around now, her sense of humor is back so we laugh a lot now, really missed that, I think she did too. Now Monday we'll find out te next step and get thru that whatever it is.

I'msorry I didn't get to everyone, but I don't remember much else.

LUBS U ALL

Just submitted the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) form to the CDC.

Good early morning ladies, think I finally am getting over this nasty bug, been banished to the upstairs since Thursday by my hubby. He's been carrying around a can of Lysol and had total charge of the pooches since Wednesday night. Other than going to the breast surgeon Friday I have not been out of the house but I believe I will be ready to join the living today. The bright side is that I got it over with and I'll be all better in time for my surgery, it's a week from Wednesday, I'm getting a bit nervous. The BS ordered an MRI, I'll get that Wednesday and then go back to her Friday. She was not very concerned and thinks the lump is maybe a bit of alloderm that formed scar tissue around, sure hope she's right since the ultrasound report says, "suspicious for malignancy". I told her I want my knee done regardless, I told her I'd rather have cancer and a good knee than cancer and a bad knee if those are my only 2 choices.

NM, I'm really not overly worried at this point, I was for the 5 days before the US and thien it's like a switch turned off when I realized I had to wait yet again and I got a more say la vie attitude. Love the picture of Sadie snuggled in the covers. You sound so much more relaxed since you started teaching. Are you still doing hospice PRN? How's your mom and Dick, I've been away for so long I don't know if I missed anything in regards to them. 

Sue, I hear ya about trying to commit to popping in more often, there were plenty of times a few years back I would never have gotten thru w/o you girls. I was feeling the blues too last week. What surgery are you having? Nice to hear your kids will be coming for a visit, that should help perk you up a bit. I love dirty martinis, one of my favs but I drink them too fast an it always seem that 1 in not enough and 2 are too many, same with manhattans. I can have 2 or 3 glasses of wine and not get all chit-faced. I hope you like your new MO and hope you get feeling better soon, the old fun Sue is still there, I'm sure, we love ya no matter which version you bring. Nice thing about this thread is it's the one place that you don't have to put on airs, so if you need to go down that rabbit hole for a bit, you're allowed around here. Congrats on giving up the smokes, huge accomplishment, try eating lots of apples, supposed to help with the cravings.

Lori, Love the pic of the moon, we didn't get any of it here, was too cloudy, not that I've been up past 8 since I got this wicked bug. I am so sorry about your mom, it's got to be just awful being so far away. What does the her dogs chip have to do with your aunt and uncle taking him? I mean even if the license stays in your son's name, can't they just take him? If the MRI comes back clean I'll probably have the MO repeat the CEA in a couple of months, if it continues to rise he'll probably order a PET but whether the ins co will go for that I have no idea. I donate blood all the time, once you are a year or 2 out of tx and no longer "have cancer" you become eligible again. I'm O neg which is the most needed so they hound me about it. Can't do it now tho cause of my upcoming surgery, need to keep all I can.

I'm going to post this then come back to the rest of you cause this new puter and me are not best friends yet and I don't want to lose this, Harvey the puppy just came bounding up the stairs and jumped on me and for a second I thought I lost this.

Ok, found it... Snowy Cowplop signing out, have a good superbowl Sunday, hugs and kisses to all!

Genny- those dogs are adorable but then ANORAable? She is just so pretty and that blonde hair is long now! What a doll!

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Sunday Funday! Snowin' and Blowin' up a gale here, and the temp is right on the freezing mark, so it can't decide if it wants to be snow or rain. Really is drifting up in places, too, still being mostly snow. Glad I don't have to go anywhere today. I imagine there are a whole lot of football fans who really don't care as long as power and cable connections stay on! I'm thinking a nice nap is in order today, or at least a nice session with agood book and cup of tea or cocoa and listening to the wind blow. The wind is blowing enough to make Sadie kind of antsy today. She keeps coming over beside me and looking at me as if to say "Is everything ok?" after particularly loud howls of wind or thumps of branches hitting the house. I tell her It's ok and she goes back to whatever she was doing.

Mema--I take it you are a football fan?

Cammy--nothing wrong with washing up with cleaners or out of a sink. Wasn't that long ago showers weren't even available unless one found a waterfall and people managed to stay clean! The no-rinse cleaners are really good for preventing dry skin, especially in the winter. But a good shower does feel good, doesn't it? Even if you do get shaky and dramatic! I really, really do love teaching. Soglad to hear that Leslie's sense of humor is coming back! Hopefully she's been through the worst of it, emotionally. And physically.

Chi--Wow, 4 days later and the reaction is still going on? Seems like a lot, but as you say, it's a new vaccine and we are still gathering data on it. It does still sound like a reaction and not cellulitis, the swelling with cellulitis generally does not go down while the area is still reddened. Don't blame you for not wanting to go the antibiotic road, especially after a viral vaccine, not likely to be very helpful and may cause more trouble in the long run. It really sounds like some of the vaccine either didn't get into the muscle, or worked its way out of the muscle and is traveling down your arm through the subcutaneous tissue. Have you tried warm packs or cool packs to see if one or the other make any difference? I'd opt for warm packs first to increase the circulation and help flush out whatever is causing the reaction.

Genny--It sounds really logical that the lump is scar tissue around some alloderm. Seeing the"suspicious for malignancy" phrase in a report would make anyone get uptight for a while! Glad your worry switch turned off. I still am doing Hospice PRN, about 2 days a week, need to keep the lights on and food in the fridge. The teaching will be seasonal, when nursing schools graduate classes in January and in thespring, but there are opportunities to expand over time and do online teaching as well. Mom is doing well, Dick's memory and cognition is troublesome. He has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or any other form of dementia, but I think that's because the only doc he's asked about that is his eye doctor, who told him he's fine. But it's not "fine" when a man who used to run his own insurance business can no longer handle the monthly bills or use a Jitterbug phone without help. Sadie says "Woof" to Harvey the puppy!

Jazzy--Sadie and I are mostly watching the wind blow the snow around and listening to the wind howl and the stuff knock against the house. Gonna be a low key day today.

Oh my goodness, what lovely pics!!!!!

Goldie--I get together with Mom and Dick most Saturdays at bean suppahs. I do need to take Sadie down for a visit sometime soon, though. Dick likes to have her around and Mom won't let him get a dog--too much work and too much fur on the floor and can't just pick up and go somewhere (like they've done any of that for the past year or so anyway). Dick's kids are getting used to their mother being gone. One of his grandchildren has had a couple of odd spells of weakness and decreased responsiveness (she's 2) and they are still trying to find out what is causing all that. Next time your Mom pulls the "whatever you guys want me to do" line, call her on it and say "I want you to go into (fill in the name)nursing home where you will get the careyou need to stay out of the hospital. " Then stop talking and see what she says/does.

Cool Dungerson's DOTD:

Gale Warning

2 oz vodka

1/3 oz lemon juice

2 oz Sprite® soda

Pour ingredients over ice in a collins glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

NM- Sunny Green Flash here (yes I have seen the green flash too). I think Sadie's name is the best tho.

I am definitely coming down with a cold now. The fun continues......

Hi all - I've haven't posted in ages - I think its been over a year or maybe 2. I'm not on bco much but do read from time to time. Just wanted to share that my mother passed away on January 18th. I miss her so much. She had struggled with a neuro-degenerative disease for over 4 years and had been bed bound for close to a year. I had the honor to be with her non-stop her last few days.

On a positive note, yesterday was 12 years since diagnosis.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Karen in Denver

Mary, ANorable lives up to her nickname. Back in 2012, I had the same shingles shot (Zostavax) as you did, because it was the only one out there. It's a live but attenuated (very weakened) form of the varicella zoster virus. There were high(ish) hopes for it at first--tests had shown it to be 50% effective and even when not effective, the "breakthrough" shingles cases were milder and shorter. But updated research (presented at both the Infectious Diseases and Family Practice conferences) showed that three years after inoculation none of the original test subjects who didn't develop shingles tested positive for any varicella antibodies--i.e., the immunity had worn off.

What I got last Tuesday was Shingrix--a combo vaccine of inactivated (killed) varicella virus and "adjuvant" recombinant-DNA viruses-- three years of testing showed that >96% of subjects aged 50-60, >91% of those 60-70 (median age of all subjects was 69), and >82% of those older than 70 showed antibodies; and the incidence of subsequent cases of shingles was less than 0.1% over all subjects (vs. an avg. of 10% of the control group, i.e., getting placebo--and the control group's incidence rose higher with age). Data were released to the FDA in Oct. 2017, and it was approved before Christmas--with CDC recommending Shingrix be the shingles vaccine of choice for everyone over age 50 (Zostavax was for those around 60 & above) who is not allergic to any of its components or actively receiving cytotoxic chemo or undergoing rads. (After completion is fine)--whether or not they've already had shingles or received Zostavax. It began shipping in early January. It wasn't available in the Chicago area until a couple of weeks ago.

This morning, the rash appears not to have spread further since yesterday, and is beginning to look paler (with the orignal red area fading the most). So I'm not going to Urgent Care and not asking for an antibiotic. So it was a reaction, not an infection. I will wait on the second shot till at least a few of weeks after my March Prolia shot, since everything involving needles either goes into or comes out of that arm.

My updated bloodwork came back--everything is the same except that my iron binding capacity is within low normal limits, not "low." So I'll keep on taking heme iron (Feosol Complete) and eating dark green leafies, whole eggs, and reasonable amounts of red meat, oysters & dark chocolate. No smear or marrow studies necessary (whew!). Also, my PCP tells me my a1c will probably go down further as my hemoglobin rises. For now, I am considered "at risk for Type 2," not fully "prediabetic." I'll breathe a bit easier if it dips below 5.7--all my maternal-side first-and-second-degree female relatives had either Type 2 or gestational diabetes. (Dunno about my paternal grandma, as her ticker felled her at 66).

Celia, it was just a rash & sore muscle--shingles itself would have been far worse. Definitely worth getting the shot, since not everyone reacts any worse than a sore deltoid that lasts just a couple of days, and only 20% get even that much of a reaction.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Monkey Day! Back to work for Hospice for me today. Then a couple of days of social engagements, and work on Friday. Going to schedule in some teaching re-prep work and at least one decluttering project in there, too. Yesterday's snow turned to rain, not much left now except where it drifted. Making for a lovely foggy ayem, though. I'd ask Sadie what she thinks but she's gone back to bed. Knew there was a reason I didn't make the bed as soon as I got out of it!

Good Lord, the TV news is talking about ANOTHER Amtrex train collision, this time with an empty train.

We've got some interesting Tropical Drink names going on here!

Jazzy--Get some zinc lozenges, that will help with the cold symptoms and shorten the duration. Having a cold is no fun, be sure to take care of yourself so it doesn't get worse than a cold.

Illi--Another Floozy Foot!Love the hubby's name, too!

Karen--So sorry to hear about your Mother's passing.Glad you could be with her at the end. 12 year cancerversary is very good! Hugs.

Chi--That is great info about Zostavax and Shingrix. And even better news about the blood work!

Celia--good morning, and hugs back!

Genny--keep taking care of yourself, these bugs can be really hard to shake off as I learned last year. Make sure you are getting enough rest and take care of yourself so it doesn't get worse. It is so easy for people with memory issues to get taken advantage of. God bless people like you who work with them and are honest! Toe nail care and foot care is so important at that age, particularly if they have diabetes, yet so hard for them to do. I do like teaching, and in this case I actually make more per hour teaching than I do in Hospice. The teaching isn't steady right now, although I think it can be worked up to that over time and with being willing to travel some. Anyway, I miss my Hospice colleagues and really miss the patient contact, so will keep up the Hospice work no matter what. Just on MY terms from now on! Don't blame you for liking Breezy Tidalwave, that is much better than Snowy Cowplop!

Jumping Floozy Foot's DOTD:

Tidal Wave Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 parts Malibu Coconut
• 3/4 parts Pineapple Juice
• Splash of Blue Curacao
• Splash of Coconut Cream
• Wedge of Pineapple to garnish

Directions

1. Put the Malibu Coconut, Pineapple Juice, Blue Curacao and Coconut Cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Vigorously shake the mixture for 30 seconds and then strain into a cocktail glass. Serve immediately garnished with the pineapple wedge.

Good Morning Ladies---had a couple of calls so far but I'm here as Sloppy Hamockhanger, sounds good.

Karin <1> so sorry to hear about ur Mom, that is always so sad---12 years tho wow how wonderful for you. It is nice to see u here again.

Karen <2> u've got lots going on now but just take care of urself first.

Mary she's the same Anorable as ever, just looking older. Ur so blessed to have her. And so kind to seniors it always more appreciated than u know. Just feel better so u can get to what u like to do. Nice to see u here tho.

Jazzy again, these "colds" are brutal I hear, and u have to start being very vigilant about taking care of it. They're even talking about it on the news now.

Lori u have a road ahead with your mom, it doesnt sound easy, Shes still clever tho, u have to give her that. I know that u know what to do, but how is another question. It's hard to figure out.

NM ur weather is sounding like ours here snow, and cold, then cold and snow . Just be carful and this is sure cuddling weather with Sadie so use it as much as possible.

Sandy ur "reaction" sounds awful but u now said its getting better finally. Are u having more snow there cuz of the lake... ours is on and off but super cold in the middle.

Joey fell and hurt his back pretty bad , then he fell again and really banged his chin, he' so clumsy but he's fine, he just seems so sad a lot. Now 2 of Leslie's Drs. said she probably won't be able to do the work she's been doing. I told her don't listen to that chit. After a yr. of school nd starting to get jobs, she might have to work harder to move her arms, but that doesn't mean anything that they say. Like I would know, but still to tell someone u can't do that job to me is foolish. She's worked so hard to get that Certificate. Well today she finds out just whats going on.

We've had a busy post now---good.

LUBS U ALL

Morning DahhhLinKs,

I am a FB fan. I don't pay much attn to the names of players and stats and such. But I do kno that Patriots have won several SBowl rings so I was glad the Eagles pulled out the win yest.

DH turns 70 today, will b leaving in awhile to go on a little stay-cay in Boulder City. My DD sent a few packages that he will open when he gets up. Been 70o around here the last few days...loving it, but thinking it's a prelude to an extra HOT summer.

Hello and welcome to the new breasties. I'll would love to meet ya in the lounge later for a dwink or two...mayb 3.

Gotta get my ewwa in gear.

Lubslubslubs