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

When we lived in Seattle (U. Dist.) in the '70s, our "AC" consisted of a big maple tree shading the bedroom side of our 2nd fl. apt., a box fan in the living room (we had vertical casement windows), then a swamp cooler (worked for about 10 min. between ice refills--and we had to buy ice because we couldn't make enough in our tiny freezer), and finally hanging out in the Health Sciences Bldg. air-conditioned lounge across the street. Our little Datsun 1200 had "480" A/C--four windows down, 80 mph.

Not looking forward to walking to dinner in a couple hours, as it's still 93F. Maybe by then there will be street parking? (Probably not--there are 3 other restaurants w/in a block either side, none of which have a lot or valet).

Jackie, the one unfortunate side effect of Medrol for me is that I want to eat everything fit for human consumption that isn't nailed down. Fortunately, it's worst on the first three days and as the dose tapers, so does my appetite.

This a.m., the excrement appeared to have temporarily collided with the oscillating rotary air-circulating device. My housekeeper made it in for all of about 30 min. before she got a call from the CFD paramedics: her husband was at the barber's and suddenly lost all sensation on his left side. So she lit out for the Hines V.A. (where he gets his treatments for Type 2 diabetes and monitoring his prostate cancer recovery). Turns out he was just dehydrated! (Never lost his power of speech, and no facial droop). So he was released with orders to drink water & diet Gatorade (no Coke!).

Whew!

65 here this morning with a breeze. Prediction is for mid 80's before evening. Bright sun so I'm sure they're right.

Took our kitty in for his expensive treatment for hyperthyroid. We had to drive to Tacoma because the clinic close to us was booked up. Took over an hour without any traffic jams. Coming back took a little longer. And we get to do it again in a day or two when he's no longer radioactive enough to need their facility.

Sandy, maybe it's time for Gordy to enter adulthood and fend for himself in the realm of "sink or swim"? Spoken by someone who is not a mother! It sounds as though he wants to be more independent.

It's sunny and cool here this morning. I am enjoying my coffee and computer time. Today I have nothing pressing to do. It's a good feeling. I plan to take my fishing stuff and a folding chair out on the fishing dock and cast some poor ugly leeches into the water to tempt unsuspecting fish to grab onto my hook at the end of the line. Don't worry about the fish. I'm a poor fisherwoman.

DH will be playing golf at noon so I will be on my own all afternoon.

Happy Wednesday.

I applaud Gordy deciding to embrace the adulthood of making his own way. I hope he is not trying TOO hard to be thrifty though it is an admirable trait. It may seem to him that in doing this he is giving himself leeway for times of 'slim' pickings perhaps. Glad that is only a yr.'s lease as maybe should he need to 'give' up that apt. he won't lose quite as much if he holds out til' the last couple of months or something. Sometimes we have to make less than adequate judgments in order to get the proper sensations for moving in better directions. Here's hoping for a learning curve w/o too many issues.

I have my mammogram today in the afternoon. I'm also waiting on the a/c ( man who put in our new furnace a short time ago ) technician to diagnose ( hope its only Freon ) why our a/c suddenly quit late yesterday afternoon. We were gone for awhile and came home to 81 inside the house. 80 right now. The humidity is striking though so feels pretty awful. I don't know I'll be too 'fresh' for this mammo -- but as I go through Choice Care in V.A., I don't want to cancel the appt. Hopefully, the guy will get here while I can be here. I'll have to leave a note about what he can do if I'm not here.

Life -- it can't be perfect -- what would we learn -- but sometimes the learning is messy.

It was 84 here yesterday. At 2:30am I woke up to see the curtains horizontal from the cold wind blowing in the window. I managed to shut the window. At 3:30 I woke to use the bathroom. That's when I discovered that I had only dreamed I turned off the fan. Oddly my grandmother and great grandmother were in the dream, helping decide what to do. I don't think I've ever dreamed about either one before. Today it's 59 at 10:30. Pretty nice, actually.

Our cat is back from his treatment for hyperthyroid. Now we have to save the litter (from both cats) for 2 weeks and then store it for 80 days to let any radioactivity disperse. The vet says the city monitors for that because it can indicate bomb making. We did it before, so have a garbage can under our deck to hold it.

Now to get something done today!

Good news/bad news. Good: mammo is fine, repeat in 1 yr.

Bad: I fell. Again. In the hospital corridor. As I walked, my "non-skid" rubber soles suddenly stuck to the terrazzo floor & down I went--breaking my glasses, R elbow and possibly L scaphoid. They wanted to take me to the ER, which would have turfed me back to ortho, so I told them to eliminate the middleman and take me to the ortho appt. for which I was there. Hand surgeon had both hands & arms x-rayed; put my R arm in a sling and ordered me to wear the L wrist splint 24/7. The cortisone shot I was supposed to get is on hold till next week, when a repeat X-ray will reveal whether the faint blurred gray line on my L scaphoid film is really fracture (the new bone from healing would show up bright white) or just a shadow from a blood vessel or edema. Needless to say, no more gigs for awhile.

And I have a wedding in Lake Geneva to attend this weekend--Bob says he'll drive, but only his own car--a Fusion--too small for the three of us & luggage. My Outback is "too unfamiliar" (which is also why he procrastinates on any repairs that might require a loaner or rental). So, since they let me out of the sling to drive home yesterday, I'm hoping to be allowed to drive to Lake Geneva (with frequent stops) so poor Gordy won't be squashed against suitcases. My R arm has lost a lot of ROM, so I'm hoping more icing, elevation, and NSAIDs will do the trick.

So beware of "non-skid" or "no-slip" soles, especially on non-textured floors. At least those glasses were cheap, not one of my "good" pairs.

Sandy, you're an "accident about to happen"! Sorry about your injuries. You do have grit, though, and keep going, no matter what. Hope you heal fast.

DH and I got up early yesterday and took our wares to a flea market. He displayed beautiful wooden bowls he had turned and I displayed my placemats and crocheted dish cloths. I sold nothing and he sold about 8 bowls. The cost of renting the site is $20 so we did fairly well. Interacting with the people, other venders and the customers (lookers), is entertaining.

We were back at the resort about 2:30 and went into action mowing grass.

Today at noon we're playing couples golf and going out to eat with the group when golf is over.

Happy Friday.

Just wow Sandy -- you don't do things half-way do you ??? Hope you don't mind my levity -- inside I'm horrified for you. Also I feel guilty for pretty much only being laid up a week for my very recent back issue. I do sympathize about the floor and shoe problem. A number of times ( I've actually fallen twice myself ) my shoe quit my ( its ) glide pattern like yours and Wren's. I've been fortunate ( only slight skinning of a knee ) when it took place and wondering if you did more damage trying to minimize getting more to what you already had. Just wow !!!

Not sure that it would help or even that you could find out ( maybe calling a dealership could provide some answers ) be we have had Chevrolets, car, truck and SUV, as well as GMC SUV, and most of them have had controls and options very very similar. Been many yrs. since we had any Fords, but perhaps there are a number in the Fusion type line that are as similar as Chevy's can be. More work, but maybe you could rent a 'bigger' Ford that wouldn't be so unfamiliar. Just a thought. It is not something I know much about but Dh here will drive ANYTHING, almost anytime and anywhere.

I hope you can get it all figured out and that even though not able to play, you can go and enjoy.

Carole -- I surely would spend lots of time at your booth were I at the flea market. The older I get, the more I tend to feel more for 'home-made' items that I can feel someone has put a bit of themselves into rather than something that just flew off a machine or conveyor belt.

Yea Sandy -- glad to hear you are good to drive and feel a lot safer.

Hi everyone,

So sorry about your wrist and arm troubles, Sandy. Having them both hurt at the same time has to be irritating, to say the least.

My brother had been in Phoenix for his son’s birthday, and was due back Tues about 6:30pm at the Ft Lauderdale airport, which is very close and I have no trouble going there. You head east leaving my community, and don’t turn again till you turn into the airport. He texted me somewhere between 2 and 3 to say he had finished the first flight with plenty of time (I think 2 hrs) before getting on the second flight. About 15 min later, he texted his flight to Ft Lauderdale had been cancelled. Long story short, he ended up coming into Miami at 8:30. Two big problems- I do not drive in Miami ever, and it would be dark by the time I got there, and I don’t drive in the dark. Knowing my daughter also doesn’t drive in Miami, I texted both sons to see if they could pick him up. My younger son replied quickly, but said he was working. My older son texted one word “Yes”. I told him that’s why he’s my favorite- which is a long running family joke. Although, I do love the fact that anything I ask, he agrees to do with no questions asked first. The girls will help me with anything I ask, but would need details first. Neither my son, nor my brother had had dinner, so we stopped to eat on the way back, so it was a late night for us all.

My middle daughter is not doing well, but will not accept my help, and won’t even tell me what’s going on. As much as I could say “I told you so”, I won’t. From the time she had her daughter 13 years ago, until they moved a year ago March, she had help and support with her children 24/7. Either me or one of her sisters were always willing to help out. She has three kids now, and lives 21/2 hrs away. She is coming down for a three day weekend next week, which will be the second time she has done that within a month. Before that, she refused to spend the night. She has somehow decided that her kids cannot stay here without her, which means she is with them 24/7. And the two oldest have no problem telling her they are not happy with the move, even more than a year later. She has made me the bad guy because all the kids want to do is stay here. The way her mind works, it’s actually a good sign that she’s made me the bad guy. It means she is confident enough to know that I will welcome her back when she’s ready, without explanation or repercussions. She trusts me, which is not easy for her to do. My biggest problem with the current situations, is that she is using my middle daughter (the one who lives with me) as her confidante, and besides the fact that that daughter is an alcoholic, she twists and bends history constantly. Last time my younger one was here, after she left,Tracy reassured me that things weren’t as bad as I thought- Jamie did not see me as a monster!! Never, ever have I ever been described as a monster, and I am sure those words did not come from Jamie. Jamie’s ticked that I criticized her parenting choices, but knows I was right-but does not have the skills to parent well. She also knows her kids all behave very differently when they are with me, and that makes her jealous. She doesn’t realize that there are many different styles of good parenting, screaming and yelling just doesn’t happen to be on that list and that the one critical thing with any child is that you need to interact and pay attention to what they are doing- not be a police officer 24/7, reacting only to the negative, never the positive. As always, when she is ready, I will help her any way she needs.

My brother leaves Tues for an undetermined time.😟 I will miss him terribly. I may not see him till Sept, and that will be me, visiting him for his daughter’s wedding reception. Lots of long lonely quiet days ahead. But my two granddaughters from SC (and their mom) arrive next weekend for a longer visit than usual. Although they won’t be staying here, I hope to spend a lot of time with them. I am especially interested to see how the two youngest ( one from SC, the other from Lake Placid) behave with each other. They are only 3 months apart in age and at just a year old last summer, they really didn’t interact much. Now they are both walking and talking some. Both of the girls from SC will be celebrating their birthdays while here, and I have gotten them gifts that are different, but similar. I have also bought some stuff for the other two year old, because if the SC girls are playing with new dolls, Alexandria is going to want one too.

Anne

Got my mammo report back today—L is BIRADS 1 (negative) and R is BIRADS 2 (benign—can’t be negative because of evidence of prior lumpectomy). Seroma is <5cm.

Also got x-ray reports—no surprise, “slightly depressed but non-displaced” hairline fx of R radial head; radius & ulna not fractured; slight bone spurs in the condyles of radius, ulna & humerus. (Hello, old age). Also mentioned “area in scaphoid waist concerning for fracture;” but the same language popped up in the reports for both R forearm & L wrist & hand. Messaged my ortho to ask if I may have broken R, L, or both scaphoid bones—Wednesday’s X-rays will tell. (If a fracture, bone that has begun to “knit” will, after a week, show up white-ish on the films).The R elbow seems to be bothering me much less than the R wrist. I can spend longer intervals out of the sling, but my L wrist must “stay in jail” except when I shower. It’s beginning to click again when I try to rotate it in either direction. I think an arthroscopy is in my future, to see what’s going on and clean up the debris. No way am I going through another wrist MRI—I’d rather be waterboarded.