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

The sun is out today, yay and more yay, but I've put my long pants back on as the temps won't go up that much and the morning is chilly. I do think our temps may stay mainly more tolerable and I might get away w/o needing shorter pants. There are a number of dry leaves on the ground ( not loads of course ) which from some wind and some of the rain got loosened enough to leave the trees that surround us. Well, summer ( though hot and humid a few times ) in hind-sight wasn't as bad as some have been. Glad for that.

Going to take a friend out to breakfast -- so won't need to make my weekly amt. of steel cut oatmeal until later today. We have that more than anything. Once it starts cooling off outside it seems even better.

As it drizzled those couple of times I actually need to wash my car again -- sigh !!! Pretty soon I'll likely have to think of going to the car wash as it will be too cool to do it outside with the hose. Well, there will still be the detailing so I won't be off the hook.

Hope you are all going to have a great Sunday. Hope you have sun to enjoy as well.

Hello everyone

Finally have a few minutes to check in. I arrived in GA on Fri. I have found it works better for me when I take the 8:45 am flight- I am at my daughter’s house by one, and don’t feel quite as exhausted. My DD and I went out to dinner last night, and today went to lunch with my oldest grandson, who is in his second year at UGA. He has matured so much since going to college. He’s always been extremely smart, and incredibly kind, but we talked about several family issues at lunch, and he was spot on in his understanding.

Wish I had better news about my middle daughter ( the one that left her husband) but, for some reason I am still not her favorite person. If you remember, I flew home about a month ago because her 9 yr old broke his wrist, she announced out of the blue that she was getting divorced and had moved into a 2 bed apt, then while at the hospital getting her son’s Wrist casted, her ex had a major anxiety attack. Silly me thought she could use some help. I saw her and her youngest child 2x while I was home, but have not seen or spoken to the other two. Apparently, her ex had a “come to Jesus” moment in the hospital, and is a changed man. Unfortunately, he is repeatedly telling the kids that it was totally their Mom’s decision to leave, accepting absolutely no responsibility that he has made her life and their lives an unending battle field for 14 yrs. He is constantly reminding my DD that divorce is a sin, and she will never be forgiven by God. Thankfully, she does talk to my oldest daughter, who is able (sometimes) to bring her back to the truth. Luckily, she assures my daughter that returning to him is not an option,ever.

On Wed, I will drive to my son in SC, stay thru the weekend, then head to my brother in NC. After a day’s rest there, we will head for NY for two weeks, hoping to see some fall colors, and family. Then we will reverse the trip, with me dropping my brother off in NC so he can pack up his car and he will then meet me here at my daughter’s for the drive back to FL. We are taking my GA car to NY because it is a lot newer than his car, but he needs his car in FL.

Welcome Taj and Amica. As you might have guessed, I have 5 children and 8 grandchildren living in 3 states, and they each have their own problems. My life is crazy and at times very stressful. Speaking of that, I went to my psychiatrist before flying to GA to get refills on my meds. Last time I saw him, he said he could no longer write 90 days scripts, but had to write 30 day ones with 2 refills. My late husband was a100% disabled vet, and I get my meds thru the VA. It just didn’t sound right to me, because it would triple their workload. I called and asked, and they said they were definitely still filling 90 day scripts on my meds. When I told the Dr that, he said that “they” changed it because of the opiate crisis, because if I were to become suicidal, I would be able to commit suicide with so many pills. Yeah, but I’m not suicidal nor have I ever been I told him. He said the possibility was there, if, for ex, I lost someone I was very close to. I told him I had lost my husband of 42 yrs and never once felt suicidal. Then he told me it would only take 18 sleeping pills to do the deed. If that is true- I could commit suicide with any of the 30 day scripts. What an idiot- he not only put the suggestion of suicide n my mind, he told me exactly how many pills to take. I’ve be seeing him for about 3 years, since my long term one retired, and he doesn’t even know how many children or grandchildren I have, much less what stress I am in at any time or why. I know I need to find someone new, but he is such a disaster, I am afraid to try.

Hope you all have a great week

Anne

People who have attained things worth having in this world have worked while others idled, have persevered when others gave up in despair, have practiced early in life the valuable habits of self-denial, industry, and singleness of purpose. As a result, they enjoy in later life the success so often erroneously attributed to good luck. -Grenville Kleiser

Jackie, I know what you mean about waiting until the job is big enough to be worth your while. I tend to be that way about leaves. They're pretty easy to rake when dry, but once the rains begin they're a real chore - and you're doing it in the rain. We're in the city but have a lot of trees in our yard and the leaves can be overwhelming. Two enormous poplars are in the back yard, planted in 1946. And the leaves don't compost well. I told DH we should get a leaf blower and only use it while everyone else is at work so the neighbors wouldn't know. (I detest the sound and rant against them every year. Now I want one because it's getting hard to rake.)

Sunny here and supposed to be high 60's to low 70's for the rest of the week. I love this kind of weather. They are predicting a warm wet winter. Not good for water supply which depends on snow melt.

I'm glad we don't have pines. They're beautiful, but all those needles are so dry. Worrisome where there are fires.

Oops, it stormed ? I think in the early hours of the morning. Even w/o hearing aids I woke up to hear thunder. It was not the sharp kind, but sort of loud and rolling. This will be a warmer day though. So, as it did late last night, we do expect the a/c will come on. Just don't know how much.

Nothing special planned though I will go over to my cousin's and let my little friend outside ( hopefully it won't be raining ) for a while as they need to go to the city ( St. Louis, Mo ) for a check-up on previous eye surgery. It is always fun to go and see Muffy. Otherwise I'll just enjoy and be grateful for a normal day. Later a trip to my second home -- Walmart. Sigh !!!

Hope you are all going to have a really good day with hopefully nice weather.

To be nobody-but-yourself-in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

E.E. Cummings

68 now but I have the heat on: got down to 52 overnight, getting cooler the next two nights--Sat.'s high is forecast to be 59. But we are set for a couple of 80-degree highs next week. Three of my six tomato plants are history: haven't borne fruit in several weeks, blossoms dropped. Got two with regular tomatoes: one with two smallish ripening ones, and one with three smallish green ones. Last one has the heirloom Brandywine cherry tomatoes--couple more green clusters and about four tomatoes ripe enough to pick tomorrow.

Am an official old fart today: yesterday, my local Apple Store messaged me that the new Series 4 watch was in stock and I could cancel my for-late-Oct. delivery and order online for in-store pickup. I got it in gold (almost a pink gold with a "pink sand sport loop" band-- absorbent cloth, velcro closure for wear during exercise or swim), 40mm (the Series 2 was 38) with cellular. Apple made a wise decision in designing the slot for attaching the bands to be the same size as in the 38mm, so that buyers could still use their wardrobe of aftermarket bands. (My rose gold band, though, wouldn't work because it has an integrated frame that snaps over the 38mm watch itself, and even if it fit the 40mm, the cutouts for the buttons would be in the wrong place; so I ordered a matching pinkish gold and a rose gold band from Amazon for $10 each--Apple's own branded version is $149 a pop).

But what gives me my geezer bona fides is that it has a built-in "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up" detector. Its gyroscope detects a hard fall, buzzes a "you have fallen--are you ok?" message, and if you don't respond it dials 911. You can also dial it yourself with the press of a button--or respond to the message and say no call is necessary. No ugly plastic pendant, and no monthly monitoring fee. Having had two falls in four months this spring, I'm sold on it. (Also, its heart monitor now alerts to A-fib or tachycardia, and it's ready for an actual EKG app coming in Dec.).

Sandy that watch sounds incredible. On my salary I'll have to get help the old fashioned way, but good for you. So far I have avoided falls, but you do have a history and for you it sure seems a wise decision. I also think the heart alerts are tremendous. In the last three or four yrs. I've learned of so many local people that have these issues, for which beforehand I was blissfully unaware.

Had to make a quick trip to Marion V.A. for Dh yesterday. There were tests needed for surgery he expects towards the end of Oct. that only they could do. So, a long day there, but partly as we needed to eat after the tests as one was a fasting test. Got through it only by taking Bill to the groomers very early in the a.m. since it was his bath day. Then having to go well past the far end of our little city to pick him up again before returning home in mid-afternoon. Hopefully alls well when you get done what is needed.

It is nice to pass that 5 yr. mark isn't it Anne, and nicer yet when you pass it for the end of our treatments. I hope you get to that point with flying colors and then just keep on going. Loved the divorce at 40 story.

Sun out today which is nice. It is cooler though we could have some warmer times. It always feels better to me when the sun is hanging up in the sky. It lightens me up all over. So today is a catch up day here. Hope everyone has a fantastic day.

There is a $99 device called Kardia that is about the size of a deck of cards. It has two finger sensors and connects to your smartphone (Apple or Android). If you feel odd, lightheaded, whatever (or if your doctor tells you to monitor your heart regularly no matter how you feel), start the app and touch the sensors long enough to generate an EKG. It'll send it to the provider of your choice for interpretation. Meanwhile, you don't have to know how to read an EKG--it'll tell you in plain lay terms whether you have an arrhythmia and what kind, and to notify your doctor. Neither it nor the watch EKG app are substitutes for a full 12-lead EKG in a medical setting, but they're adequate to alert you to a rhythmic crisis.

You are a great source of info Sandy and especially when it comes to great alternatives that are good for people needing to be cost-conscious.

Cool today only reaching 70. We will go back into a few warmer days, but nothing that won't be easy to take -- just some 80's for a bit. It will all be fine I think. I just have this mild dread of knowing we are going back into the part of the yr. when the trees have no 'clothes'. I'm still delighted that we came back 'home' as I did so miss the seasons, and truly enjoyed winter though we had some that were really burdensome. I think what affects me rather than snow and cold is how stark and bare it can be in the wintertime.

I do have a picture ( a black and white ) that was entered into an event that our Art Council puts on every yr. They have entries that are judged and awarded prizes of 1 st. 2nd., or 3rd. place and corresponding monetary awards. After the judging is done the general public can come and view all of the artwork in whatever categories which are pastels, oil paintings, photos, etc. Many will sell these pieces and I fell in love with a picture done in early evening that shows a house with a light on and snow piled ( not too high ) against a wooden fence that is reflected on the snow There are a single set of footsteps going towards the house. Other yard decorations show with a layer of snow on them as well. Something about it just settled itself in my memory so I bought the picture to enjoy everyday.

Hope you are all going to have a great Saturday.

Hi Holding On52 -- not sure I can answer your query. I took anastrozole for a couple of yrs and never noticed an issue like yours. We are all so different in our responses to the same things. I will say though that I've heard many women that were able to avoid a number of side-effects by using Arimidex. I started out on Arimidex doing fine. Then after about three yrs. it became a generic -- anastrozole and I was immediately switched.

I actually thought I was doing just fine on it as well. In hind-sight I was having another side effect. I would get immediately either really upset or angry about things and that would happen very quickly. Figured it out a couple of months before it was time to stop taking the drug. For that reason I never asked to be switched back to Arimidex.

Maybe some others will get on and be able to give you their thoughts too.

I was put on letrozole (generic of Femara). Dunno about Arimidex or Aromasin, but even on Medicare PartD, Femara is insanely expensive--$2100-2800 for 90 days' worth (and that was in 2015). I bought some from CanadaDrugs.com (which the FDA put out of business) for $588. Good through 2019. I use it when I run out of the generic and can't get to the pharmacy in time to refill it. The Accord generic version I take is $9/mo. ($5 once I get out of the "donut hole"). The version that gave me the fewest side effects was Roxane (no dyes or talc, fewest fillers--purer even than Femara), but when WestWard bought the company it stopped making letrozole. Teva was nearly as "transparent," but after a year or so none of the pharmacies around here could get it from their distributors.

I was flabbergasted to read awhile back that a generic version of a brand-name drug need contain only 75% as much of the active ingredient!

I haven't heard about receding gums as a side effect of AIs (mine aren't any more receded than before), but it makes sense. Because AIs deprive the body of estrogen, they accelerate the effects of aging--of which receding gums are one. (That's where the expression "long in the tooth" comes from). Home care is essential, and perhaps switching to a toothpaste & mouthwash for sensitive teeth (to ease symptoms of near-root-exposure) might be a good idea. I use Sensodyne and Listerine Sensitive, respectively.

Quiet morning here and as usual Sandy you are a fount of useful info for people. Helps everyone figure out what to do about so much. The beauty of a place like this is that you can acquire so much from a number of people when you can get so lost at times on your own.

It will warm a bit today. Not sure how the day will go as we think Dh has the day off though he was actually going to have to go in at least long enough to get the store open which now seems to have been cancelled. Whatever. There is plenty to do so it won't really matter, but I to tend to be less involved with my personal work/goals for the day when Dh is off work. He always has things to do that he hasn't mentioned until the last minute -- so it becomes a day when things fall apart more than together. Good thing I accepted that quite some time back, even though I feel like I'm falling way behind.

Hope you are all going to have a great Sunday.

IllinoisLady -- that is a wonderful wise quote. thanks!