how about drinking?

Mornin ladies,

Welcome Maria, I don;t think any of us heard any connection between wine and cancer, so enjoy and I hope u come back to share with us.

Kim I still don't know how u do it all, u do more for people in 24 hrs. than most cuz I know u take mind things home with u. That's why u have Sadie she can relax you when maybe nothing else can.

Oh Lori what u go thru sometimes, I'm so sorry, but u need to take something I'm sure. Can't u call ur Dr. and get something else. And now another long ride??? I'm sorry but the thought of that gets me sick. U need rest just going to ur Drs.I have no idea what can help u, I wish I did.

JAZZY's back and u have really kept busy this last month. Did I know u were volunteering??? Wow that's so nice to do.And I know ur happy about getting ur swimming in, that's been sorely missed by you. Ur looking great and I really like ur hair. Things are opening up there just like here, but a little scary to me.

Hey Teka!!!

Sandy bad enough going thru all the tests, but riding home sounds horrendous. I told all of u boring is good, but u had to go another way. Good thing u were an hour later too. I saw something on the news, but since I don't know areas it never dawned on me u would be near that. Good luck with the rest of the tests and just go ur usual way. Be safe. Chicago's a mess.

It really just dawned on me tomorrow is a Holiday so people are off today, so I'm thinking the guy in my office is probably off today meaning I have all the phone calls. Holy shit I have a hard time doing that anymore just to many for me. And I saw the guys are jammed today so it doesn't help me trying to get people taken care of. And I have to find out what the prices are for tomorrow, see how ill equiped I am. I think of these things now.

JC sounds like a couple of fun days planned for u. I know how much u enjoy that. And ur cross stitching is beautiful, lotsa patience there.

Kim I certainly don;t think I'm fabulous, but I think cats think they are for sure. I never met a cat that didn't love himself like crazy. After all they lick their own butts.

Hey Celia.

Have a safe and observant few days everyone.

LUBS U ALL

JCS, happy birthday to your son. Nice that you can celebrate with your family. I think Medicare will cover some things, eyes and ears, but just the exam. I don't think they pay for glasses or hearing aids, from what I remember and nothing on dental.

Sandy, glad the scans went "ok", but quite the ride home. Hoping all goes ok today with a better ride home.

Jazzy, of course we missed you, but my gosh, the time sure flew by. You have been busy, but you alway are. I just heard on the news this morning that NM is fining $100 for anyone caught not wearing a mask out in public! Is that good news that your SIL could last that much longer? Is that any QOL? Of course we never want to lose a loved one. She was taken off life support, right?

Hi Maria and welcome. We know of no such thing that relates drinking to BC. So stick around and have some drinks with us.

Cami dear, I'm fine, I promise. The one thing that makes my long drives easy, is they are usually pretty drives, always mountains to look at. I'll call someone today to find out if I need a dif. anti b. Doesnt' Dan let you know if you have all the calls. I'm sure you will do fine, seems like you always do.

NM, thanks for the swim yesterday morning, always a pleasure. A do nothing day is the best day! I just need more of them! Thanks for the info on the anti b. I have stopped taking it. My mouth feels ok and I have a ton of stuff to do today since being gone a week camping and then all the dental stuff when I got home. Work and home cleaning stuff. Plus have to make a dessert for bbq with neighbor tomorrow. If I can find time, I will call my onc or the dentist. It's just that if they call in another script, that's 2-3 hours of my day!

DH's appts. went fine. He has to have neck MRI and covid test next week. At least a 2 day hospital stay. I think I will take my own sheets/blanket/pillows and some bleach rags to wipe everything down and no room service/cleaning. Especailly after learning what I posted before. We will have to go the day before as he will probably have to be at the hospital very early in the morning.

Hi ladies- thank you for your welcome back. Couple quick responses to a few things here:

Maria- I was diagnosed in 2012 and had two different MO's during my first six months, whom I talked to this about. There had been something shared back in the 1980s about it and it came around again around the same time I was going through treatment. Some linkage between alchohol and increased risk of bc. The first MO suggested that I limit my drinking to 2-3 drinks per week, the other one (my longer term MO) said he did not think there was that much relationship. I choose to stick to the limited consumption and because of other health issues since bc. I think it is a personal choice/risk assessment about how much anyone wants to imbibe and think you will see here we have a range of what people do. Sometimes we talk about drinking more than we actually do!

The best info I can share with you comes from this BCO site:

https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol

Goldie- no, my SIL is not off life support. She has been on a respirator since last October, and a feeding tube since about November. Quality of life, I think not. I am not really able to explain this situation to anyone about the why, but have detached from all of it because as NM says "not my circus and monkeys." My sister and have never had an easy relationship and there are years we have not talked or seen each other, but have tried to maintain some connection with her. I have compassion for the situation but have upped the boundaries with her to avoid any more problems to my life. All I can say to anyone about this is if anyone creates a DNR, people need to be very clear it in about how much should be done and get it documented clearly too. I was the one to execute on my mother's DNR when the time came, and respected my mother's wishes not to be left lingering when there was no more hope of recovery or QOL.

NM- my SIL is an only child, and has an aging mother and an aunt who need a lot of help and all of this has fallen to my sister to deal with. The MIL was moved to CA from TX about this time last summer as she needed more care, and they got her house sold and moved in to a nice place near them. She has been doing okay for the most part, but yesterday, something bad happened. The MIL fell in assisted living and could not get up. She was taken to the ER and has a broken hip, which they will pin. That assumes she can even have surgery, because she has had a bad heart for awhile and refused heart surgery. My sister believes she may not recover from this (aged 88).

Cami- not sure if I had talked that much about the volunteer work. It was really getting going in May as we were figuring out how to help. I think we may be ramping down end of the month, but with cases on the rise out west, we are not sure?

Happy July 4th to all of you and be back next week!

Thanks, "Beav!"

As to alcohol, it's all over the map--but the only studies that show a coincidence (not a correlation, if you remember the diff from Statistics 101) between alcohol consumption and cancer did not address recurrence risk, only the risk of getting cancer in the first place. Biochemically, the theory as to alcohol and ER+ breast cancer is that alcohol can impair the liver's ability to clear estrogen from the bloodstream. BUT aromatase--which is the catalyst for the body's conversion of androgen (androstenedione, secreted by fat cells and adrenals) into estrogen (estrone)--is produced by...wait for it...the liver. So theoretically, alcohol might also impair the liver's ability to produce aromatase. Add an aromatase inhibitor into the mix, and alcohol's relationship to ER+ breast cancer is questionable. As my MO and my BS' first NP said, "moderation in all things." So I still keep my wine consumption under a pint (three 5-oz. glasses plus an ounce) a week. If anything, wine does have calories and even dry wines have carbs. I notice my weight plateaus when I have wine with my dinner. I think that my getting below my 150-lb. weight loss goal since the pandemic began may have been due in part to less dining out and NO wine-tasting dinners/events. Having a Coravin--and for bottles we actually open, eyeballing where on my wine glass 1 or 2 oz. hits--certainly helps. But when we dine out (al fresco), I do allow myself a full flute of bubbly. And if I do order a red with dinner, I usually drink less than an oz. of it--when I'm done with my protein, I'm done with my wine.

Thanks, "pocket passengers!" Once I'm past tonight's scans, I'm gonna put it out of my mind till I see the reports. Planning to have Gordy & Leslie over tomorrow for some outdoor grilling. I told him not to call after 6 tonight because I'm "having some tests." Carefully avoided the words "scan" or "MRI." He assumes the "tests" are to fulfill my CLE requirement (as per the last steps Bob does for his CME). What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long. Been busy getting into a trial to see if radiation for single bone mets vs systemic therapy alone adds any progression free or overall survival benefit. I'm in and randomized to the radiation arm but now insurance is giving the trial doc trouble. Also had a follow up brain mri last Friday and was notified that a spot appeared in the fluid but to wait for the radiologists official report. Monday the report confirmed as suspicious for leptomenigial disease, so I had an mri of the spine, went home and completely lost my shit. Lepto mets has a average prognosis of 4-6 months for BC. Fortunately, I was told on Wednesday that's the spine mri was clear, no lepto but I will have the two new spots zapped.

I am eating a bit better, bigger bites and crunchy things like celery and apples. I also had my first glass of wine in nearly 6 months!

Now, I'm coming down off the emotional roller coaster and planning for more hospital stuff.

I missed you all 💖

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Saturday! Happy Independence Day! Sadie and I are going to stay right here at home today, and avoid the traffic and craziness that is going on out there in the world. Got a few more things done around the house, if I keep puttering at this rate the entire house will look clean again soon. I just don't have the physical stamina to clean for hours at a time like I used to. I can remember Mom saying things like that when she hit her late 60's, so it seems I'm a bit ahead of the curve on that one. That's ok, no real need to rush, anyway, right? Sadie says Hi to everyone!

Goldie--I do like a good swim, too! Hopefully you've gotten the antibiotic long enough to ward off any potential infection and you can just stop it entirely, that would be easiest for you. Taking bleach wipes to the hotel sounds like a good idea. Hope everything goes well for your DH.

Librarian--Yeah!

Jazzy--oh my goodness, not good news about the MIL. At her age, life expectancy if she has surgery is 6 weeks to 3 months, 6 months to ayear if she doesn't have surgery. Does the MIL have any dementia? If so that will make things a lot harder. That is a lot for you sister to be dealing with, and there is really nothing you can do to help except what you are already doing. Thank you for the volunteer work! I know we have been depending on volunteer projects for many things here.

Morning, Beaver!

Chi--nice touch with the don't-call'after-6-I'm-having-tests line! Have a good time with the grilling.

Illi--oh my, what a ride you have been on! How is the insurance company giving the Trial Doc problems? It's not like they are going to have to pay for anything related to the trial. Why do things always have to be so difficult?

Red, White and Blue Wine Spritzer

Ingredients

• 1 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar plus 1 part water, boiled until dissolved and cooled)
• ½ cup fresh strawberries (sliced in half)
• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• club soda or tonic water
• ice
• few sprigs of fresh mint for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill Pitcher with ice and top with berries (save some to place in glasses).
2. Pour in simple syrup and then wine until pitcher is ¾ full.
3. Top off with club soda or tonic water, stir and serve in ice filled glasses. Garnish with mint sprig.

From <https://www.prettyplainjanes.com/2013/06/28/red-white-and-blue-wine-spritzer/>

NM, The insurance company is being asked to pay for the radiation in this trial and they believe that since I have mets elsewhere (brain), the bone radiation is “not medically necessary” but the trial doc has a plan B (and plan C if required). My participation was approved but now that I’m due for rads, they’re fussing.

Goldie, no pain or headaches and the 2 mets are tiny, one may be slight regrowth from a previous met but they didn’t specify at my appointment. So far I haven’t had any SE’s from brain mets, mine seem to grow slow and we catch them quick since I am monitored so frequently.

DH and I are heading to a friends house today for a few hours. We’ll be outside mostly and I’ll be distancing like they’ve got the plague, lol. I’m pretty comfortable about it since they’ve been home working on their house for weeks, my only question is where their adult son and his kids have been but they all know to give me lots of space.

Delicious sangria

Green chili infused margarita

BabyGirl, so glad to hear you are not experiencing horrible SE's. Hope you had a fun time at your friends house.

Jazzy, interestiing cocktails, but I'm with NM on the chili infused margarita! I know you are enjoying.

NM, I am def. taking good care of my teeth, rinsing with salt water and I also have a prescription rinse I use as well. Sorry that first firework sent you to the ceiling, but I did chuckle about it. My garden is doing so so. I have terrible blossom drop on my tomatoes, I think due to the heat. So losing them that way and the birds helping themselves! Whale watching cruise, I remember you going on that, but didn't realize it was a yearly thing. That will be fun.

Good time at my neighbors, there was 7 of us, not including her 91 yo FIL. The guys (3) mostly stayed outside grilling. Everyone kept a nice distance, no hugging or hand shaking and I made sure to ask if they were mask wearers. 2 were not, both guys. One is married and she wears one, but I don't see where that does any good if her husband doesn't wear one. He is one of them that thinks this is all a political joke. He started in on that and his wife put the kabosh on that right away! I took a dessert "Better than Sex" 9x13 dish, just enough left that I could bring some home for my DH. When everyone left, my neighbor made me a "Scooby Snack". Malibu rum, Midori and milk on ice. It was ok, a tad too sweet for me. During the get together, she has snap chat and took pictures of everyone, one of me as a guy and one as a young hottie! Got home around 7:45. My DH did not go as there was a neighbor there that he doesn't like.

Oh, Goldie & Illi, those pics are too much fun! In order to see a pic of me as male, I need look no further than a pic of my younger brother.

Illi - Glad to hear you are feeling better. Healing thoughts coming your way.

NativeMainer - Have fun on your whale watching trip. Went on one with my daughter & sister outside Boston (Stellwagen Bay) and it was amazing. Two whales were "playing" at continually broaching and then slapping their dorsal fins on the water.

Jazzy - Nice bar and drink pics!

I have dreams of one day rendezvousing with members of this topic and drinking a toast. Think today calls for a Chambord Spritz, but a little later in the day. Just finished my irish cream liqueur laced coffee.

Mornin ladies,

A pretty full group here and I read everything but only remember a few things.

Oh Illi so glad u pooped in, u must have been going thru so much and still are. But u are better at least. This has been a long haul for you and I pray u really are getting better. At least u can eat now. I don't think anyone thought it was going to be this hard on you. I'm so sorry.

Jazzy ur swimming is really great, not n easy thing to do. And it must feel good. U know I always enjoy ur sunsets and sunrises and I wonder sometimes cuz I never see all that beauty around here in our skies, and wonder why. Wow ur SIL is still hanging in there but doesn't sound very well.

Lori I saw the beginnings of ur garden and still remember when u had a super full table full a few years back, How r u going to stop those critters there must be a way. Will u stay with ur H overnight. I think it's kind of a good idea cuz ur so far from home.

Hey Teka

JC Ur really beaming with things ur doing now, just be careful.

Kim things sound as usual for you. How u go thru this everyday is beyond my comprehension I always said ur like Superwoman and u still are. Don't u get scared or nervous when u get home cu u never mention that. Give Sadie and extra belly rub from me.

Sandy r u done with ur tests yet. Holiday weekend is always a wait. I'm anxious to hear what is causing this actually so explain in layman terms when u find out. And doing something with Gordy will be nice.

Sandy u have the same news I have. I don't know if all of any of u have read about Chicago the last few weekends, but it's been horrendous. So many killings and of little girls in their homes. I've been so sad about all this I don't even understand it. Protesters are fine, but all this violence has nothing to do with what's at hand. it's just killing for killings sake. Another girl was killed last nite doing nothing wrong. Why??? Why are these people killing their own people what are they trying to prove. All these families are all crying with so much hurt. I actually watched the news and I'm not doing that again. It just made me miserable. I'm not being political, I'm just being sad for all that is happening. I'm going back to my comedies at nite no more news for me.

I talked to my sister last nite and did I get a bashing from her <bitch> I've been putting off my tests for a couple of months now and I know it's time but she wouldn't let it go.So I promised her this week I will make app'ts. GRRRR she aggravates me. It's easy to promise, now I have to do it.

Hope all is going well for ALL of you.

LUBS U ALL

And Cami, the only thing besides street-gang wars (and miserable aim on the parts of shooters--often rookies ordered by leaders to pull the triggers as an initiation) I can think of as a motivation for all this gun violence in Chicago is a generation inured to early deaths and therefore with no concept of respect for human life, nor even the empathy to feel grief. (Living the old maxim that "life is nasty, brutish and short"). That, and--despite strict city gun laws--easy availability of guns just across state lines (the Southeast Side abuts Indiana) and even neighboring low-income blue-collar suburbs just outside the city.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Monday Monkey Day!Waking up to some more rain but it's supposed to blow through this ayem and clear up through the day. The humidity has dropped off which is a great relief. Sadie is doing a good job supervising the neighborhood in between naps. I'm sure she'll keep herself busy while I'm at work today.

Goldie--The birds helping themselves to the tomatoes must be hard to see. I'd be unhappy with them, that's for sure! Sounds like the BBQ was a good time.Just SMH at the hubby that won't mask and the wife that does.I hope he's reading the reports that are coming out about how "mild" cases of COVID-19 are leaving a lot of people with long term after effects.Those pics of you are fun!

Illi--I wondered who the Dude was when I first saw the pic, hard to believe that's you!

Celia--Whales are amazing creatures. It's great fun to see them breaching and spy hopping. I love being out on the water seeing them and the birds and other critters.

Cammy Cat--I don't get scared or nervous at home very often, but when I do it's usually about work stuff. Home is my sanctuary. Sadie is better than Xanax most of the time when I do get anxious about things. Iunderstand putting off tests, I have a tendency to put things like that off, too. Glad you have your sister to keep you in line!

Chi--glad to hear the testing is over with, now comes the waiting. I can see where the dental appointment is going to be scary. Take something with you to poke the elevator keys with instead of using your finger. I pray that you can get an empty elevator, or at least one with very few people and all masked. Sounds like Leslie is making out well work-wise. Sounds like Gordy will be busy at work and have the added concern of the commute soon. So many people are coming up on that point soon, and probably very frightened about the whole thing. Good luck with the weigh in, even though I know you don't need luck!

Librarian--love the way you made the spa into a pool! Looks like you were having fun!

Fireworks Flair Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

ICECUBES

12blueberries

water, to cover

COCKTAIL

4 ice cubes

1⁄2 cup cranberry juice

1 ounce vodka

1⁄2 ounce blackberry brandy

1⁄2 ounce triple sec

1 blueberries, for garnish (optional)

1 raspberries, for garnish (optional)

1 three-inch-long strip lemon rind, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

BLUEBERRY ICE CUBES:

In ice cube mold, fill 4 molds half-way with water. Freeze for 2 hours. Drop in 3 blueberries. Add water to fill those cubes. Place in freezer for 48 hours to set.

COCKTAIL:

Place 4 plain ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Add cranberry juice, vodka, blackberry brandy, and triple sec. Shake; strain into glass.

Add blueberry ice cubes.

Garnish with strip of lemon rind in an S-pattern around blueberry then raspberry.

From <https://www.food.com/recipe/fireworks-flair-cocktail-458315>

Oh my BabyGirl, I wouldn't want to run into you in a dark alley! I think my guy looks very very gay. Which is funny, cuz I have 2 gay brothers!

Celia, meeting a breastie is one of the best things. I think I have met about a dozen, some more than once.

Cami, I'm doing my darnedest to stop the critters. For birds I have fake snakes, reflective tape and my traps. I highly doubt I will be allowed in the hospital, especially since AZ is now a hot spot. Glad that Lu is bugging you about your tests. I know you don't want to go, and I don't blame you. But it might mean a change in meds/treatments for you.

JCS, a Zoom wedding. Kind of sad isn't it. One of my kids HS friends was planning wedding in Sept. but decided to hold off a year. Fun in the hot tub with hubby, how fun. Cute cut, super short. Glad you like it.

NM, I am non too happy with the birdss. I think it's mocking birds. Sadie better than Xanax, of course she is and so was Snooky. And I'm sure more before them. Is your schedule the same every week? Or do the days change?

Had to run to town today for labs. Onc appt. tomorrow morning 9:30, so I most likely won't be posting, hence my post now. DH has to go for tests and scans on Wednesday, 2.5 hours one way. And if he doesn't get these done, surgery will be postponed. He needs x ray, ekg, covid, mri and labs....oy vey. My mouth is doing pretty good, still a bit tender, but doesn't really hurt. Was going to stop at my dentist's office today to have him look at, but they were closed.