Best Of
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Hi everyone. Hope you had a good day and perhaps enjoyed some Olympics. Our day started warm and not it's about 45 degrees, brrr.. I started to cut back dead foliage. I believe the bird of paradise will make it. Worried about the bottle brush bush/tree. I don't have much in the way of flowers, mostly plants, so these are important for the bees, butterflies and what few hummingbirds come thru. Time to replant and replace after our gulley washer due here Sunday.
DD and DGD have moved out (again). It's quiet and that's ok by us. But we realize our best friends moved or passed on, so we sit here without companionship. I'd love to go to a social dance. Might just dance on the table, like old times. NOT. We actually stayed in and ordered early Valentine's meal. Daytona 500 this weekend and restaurants are slammed. Wouldn't dare go on the beachside due to traffic. Sometime, or rather, most of the time, we are staying home due to viruses, traffic and budget. Can't get lunch for 2 with drinks for less than $40, unless doing Steak n Shake or Wendy's. That doesn't entice me except for chili and a frosty. We took a step back from Chick-fil-a, also. They are cutting their lettuce and soaking it in a whiting product. This happens when the lettuce starts to turn brown (or rusts, as my Gram use to say). I am highly allergic to that product and become very ill, borderline food poisioning ill. I wish they wouldn't cut too much lettuce at one time and then it would not need to be treated. Plus pulling lettuce versus cutting makes a difference also.
I'm on prednisone taper pack for the difficulty breathing. We believe it is an MS flare. Hate how I feel on prednisone. It feels like my kidneys are on fire. I read that it's probably fluid retention. My BP skyrocketed with taking the two tablets when required. Major headache, requiring tylenol. 2 days down, 4 to go. Plus no sleep…
But I'm gonna try. In pockets for all the sweet ladies here on the porch. Stay warm and if you aren't, I'll let you borrow Grammy's crocheted squares afghan. It was my high school grad present along with a $100 bill. Can't recall how I spent the money, but the afghan has been a warm and welcoming bit of home for 53 years now.
Laurel
Re: Newly diagnosed stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
No, I went flat. At my age (64) I don’t want to go through another surgery. The truth is I’m scared of surgery. I don’t wear prostheses. I use Busted Tank inserts for swimming. It took me at least two months to heal so I could go to therapy. Radiation was easy, but make sure you apply protective cream right after each session and reapply throughout the day and continue for at least 2 weeks after the last session. I stop right after and had a little blister that went away quickly. Hope your chemo goes well. I didn’t have chemo (sentimental lymph nodes negative). Chem is good that it would kill rogue cancer cells. I pray you’ll sail through all the treatments. 🙂
myyoga
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
@mara51506 That sounds like a fun outing.
Re: how about drinking?
Good Morning, Loungettes! It's going to be a bit of an exciting day today. I woke up the power out to part of the kitchen and living room. Not too big a surprise, it was windy last night and if the power flickered it sometimes flips a couple of circuits. So I feed the puppers and put my coffee on and head downstairs to check the breaker panel, expecting to be back upstairs with everything working by the time my coffee is done. Silly me. I heard a funny noise as I went down the stairs, and found a very large puddle of water about 3 inches deep with more water raining down from the pipes overhead. So I've got the water main off, the power to the furnace off, and a call out to a plumber I've used before. Hopefully someone can get here today, but it may be tomorrow. At least things aren't getting any worse as I wait, the overnight snow has been plowed from the driveway already, and I've got the Wednesday, Women, and Wine get together to look forward to this evening.
Wally--If they had a PA in the onco dept that person should have seen your DH, or in some way responded to your call for help. That's what the department is there for. Your letter is not offensive, it expresses the justifiable frustration you feel about how your DH was treated, or more accurately, not treated. The powers-that-be need to know how his treatment affected you and your DH, your letter does that. The powers-that-be need frequent reminding that patients are people, human beings, deserving of decent treatment, and not just medical record numbers and insurance claim generators. Being "calmer" comes later as the investigation unfolds, if anyone truly investigates the situation. One thing that is very helpful is keeping a notebook with the date, time, and name of every person who calls you or who you call, with notes about what was discussed. You can estimate the times of the calls you made and received at the time, or get the times from your phone call history on your phone. Create a running timeline and attach a copy to everything you send in to anyone by email or snail mail. The timeline I ended up with for Mom's experience with the local cancer center is 5 pages long and has been extremely useful for referencing specific calls and interactions and shows the hospital system's quality control and/or patient satisfaction department that you have legal action worthy information documented and being documented ongoing. That make them sit up and pay attention. Being "calmer" gets you nowhere in these situations, I know from experience. They made you and your DH's lives miserable, and they should be held accountable, not treated gently and allowed to brush things off without consequences, even if the only consequence is that they have to give you a (preferably written) apology. This experience negatively affected your lives, it's not just a small appliance not fixed correctly or minor paperwork mistake at the bank. The thing to do now is keep the issue open. You should hear from someone soon, be prepared to tell them what you want done, who you want a written apology from (and that can be more than one person), and that you expect a response/resolution within 10 days. Repeat this formula with every contact until you get the apologies AND evidence of what is being done to prevent the same thing from happening to someone else.
Sorry if I'm ranting a bit, this situation is making me as angry and upset for you and your DH as I was for me and my Mom. This kind of thing is happening too often. More of us have to stop being "good patients" and start holding hospitals and doctors' offices accountable if anything is going to change.
Ingredients
• 1 Ounce Fireball Whisky
• 12 Ounce Hard Apple Cider Angry Orchard
Instructions
• Combine Fireball Whiskey and Hard Apple Cider in a Pint Glass. Stir together. Enjoy
From
Re: how about drinking?
NM, priceless info. I think they did have a PA in the onco dept. I will re-read your info and see what else I can do. Thank you so very much.
I was a bit apprehensive that I was too offensive in the letter, but it is what I felt. I think my friend mentioned I could have been "calmer." I guess you'd have to be in the throes of it…maybe. So at least I don't feel like a total dick-head.
wallycat
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
I had a new experience today - I went to a "Galentine" Party. I'd never heard the term before but have since seen it several times. Ladies party - lots of champaign and lovely appetizers and mini deserts for a very reasonable price. Five of us went together and just had a fun visit. I was pleased that when I asked for a non-alcoholic alternative, I got nice sparkling cider instead of fruit juice. They also had chair massage available for those who wanted it. She was good.
There will be 8 at our usual Saturday dinner tomorrow and that's really too many for our table so we've decided to just get pizzas and eat on paper plates in the living area. I'll wash down the patio if Ella and her friend want to be outside. I can't imagine that two 15 year-olds really appreciate the adult company.
We haven't seen as much of the olympics as some of you but was really impressed with the snowboarding last night. That super male skater was the guest performer at Ella's holiday show a year ago. I think he's from AZ.
Petite, you know how great I think it is that you've found that second home even if some days it seems like you will never get everything fixed.
Have a good weekend everyone.
1946taco
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
petite1, so glad you are enjoying your visit to your piece of heaven, even if the work continues. Once it is all done, you will be able to really relax and know that it is all fixed.
cindyny, I agree with carole, that you make the honor roll list for social skills and outings. I get tired just reading how you buzz around. Enjoy your niece and grandniece when they visit. I am sure you will keep them occupied.
DB finished painting the woodwork in the dining room and didn't realize if he had removed the screens from the windows (which entails opening them and not the weather to be doing it) painting it might have been easier. I'll open it over the weekend to clean the interior sill. I might wait until Sunday to start cleaning items as I return them to their designated spots. I do know the glass shelves in the china closet need a good cleaning as do the door glass. I many leave the doors until I have finished loading back the closet contents, they'll only get dirty from being touched during that process. I did pare down the number of place settings I store in the cabinet and the extras will head to the attic. It looks so good and I'll call the drapery cleaning place on Monday to tell them they can return to hang the drapes and clean the valance.
I'll most likely put the rug down last to avoid dirty or wet shoes. We'll need DD or DSIL to help us with that because it is a large area rug and quite heavy. I'll clean the crystal cups and the drops and buttons for the chandelier and reinstall them once the rug is in place. So a lot of cleaning involved to be done, but I'll space it out over a few days. I will be happy when I am only down to one doom room. However, I had painted the woodwork in the guest room, but not the window, so once he's done that I'll have another room to put back to normal. Good thing it is cold and I don't want to go out.
Last DB chores, after painting the window in guest room, are installing wood blinds in the windows, and caulking tubs. I did ask him to repair a corner of the kitchen island for the second time. Someone keeps gnawing on it and I haven't been able to catch whoever is doing it. I am sure I will find a few more small jobs while he is here. He does meticulous work so I'd rather pay him than someone I don't know.
It is has been above freezing, but not enough that we get any great melt. We still have over 4 inches of solid ice on the lawn and the poor deer keep sliding on it as they try to walk around the yard. The suet cakes are popular with the birds and the squirrels. We alternate between sun and gray days, but it seems more gray lately. Overnight we are back into the teens and 20's.
Canarycat, happy to hear about your new play. You'll have to share photos and more about the show. I was in a play in high school and really enjoyed it then.
Regan refuses to take walks in this weather. She doesn't like getting her feet cold, so she doesn't even stray from the back step more than 5 feet in any direction.
Hope everyone had a great day, and waving "hi" to everyone. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. DH brought me yellow roses today, and they are my favorite.
betrayal
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.
betrayal
Re: Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Happy birthday, Abe.
betrayal