Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Hi Cami nice to "meet" you!
Today a friend from college visited at another friends house and I joined - of course all masked, distanced and drinking our own cool beverage. So nice to sit with dear friends for an hour. We mainly talked books, a little politics and caught up on family news from each other. A real treat during these strange times.
Have a good start to your week ladies!
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Sandy- So happy to hear of your good news! Now, that's the ticket! (As my dad would say.)
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Betrayal, So cute! Thank you for sharing.
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My internal med doc was correct, my diverticuli ruptured causing me to have stool from my vagina.
Am scheduled for a sigmoid colon resection on the 31st, will be in the hospital 3-5 days or till I poop, and he said I should be able to care for myself in the apt after discharge.
In your pocket Sandy, good thing our pockets are as big as they need to be.
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Probably not the answer you wanted, but good to know for sure what the problem is and plans to fix it. You're right, we all have needed big pockets lately.
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Puffin2014: good luck with your upcoming surgery. Please ask for a stool softener from the day of surgery so the pain meds do not cause another issue with constipation.
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Puffin, jumping into your pocket too. Hope it all works out--Bob bounced back fairly quickly from a hemicolectomy back in 2015. I too have diverticuli, so am particularly interested in and hopeful about your surgery.
I have an e-mail in to my ocular onc., asking whether I must remain in-hospital for the 4.5 days my brachytherapy plaque is in place; or, if I can go & stay home, whether I must stay isolated in a separate room (away from Bob, housekeeper, cats)--how on earth would I be able to cook, watch TV, use the bathroom, etc.? I am particularly apprehensive about spending 4.5 days in a hospital that CMS gives only 1 star and Leapfrog rates as a D. I chose my ocular onc. because he's the best and most experienced there is, but I'm really nervous about the reasons for the hospital's low rating. (Infections, inc. COVID? Fall prevention?). It's a huge university research hospital (in fact, one that took part in the remdesivir trial and will take part in the next phase--effectiveness--of the COVID vaccine trial) where Bob did his residency & fellowship. I realize that it does see a lot of poorer patients, as well as those in more serious condition--which can skew results. My own "home hospital," N.Shore Evanston, gets 5 stars and an A rating, but its ocular onc (who is really a retina guy and is the only one in the N.Shore system who treats eye cancer) is only 3 years post-fellowship. My UIC ocular onc. is the head of his dept., a full professor, and head of the retinovitreous fellowship program.
Judy, Dr. Law is back at work. Hope Dr. Merkel brings her up to speed on my case (which until 2 weeks ago was as boringly uneventful as IDC can get). And my bariatric clinic nurse is back at work at Skokie Hosp., so my weigh-in this Wed. will be in-person. Gordy dropped by today to see our housekeeper--but she had to leave early to pick her DH up from dialysis. I will drop him off at his house in half an hour (his GF needs him out of the house till then so she can concentrate on the training for her new online job). It's great to see him, but oh how I wish we could hug!
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Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we become weak and faint. Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look confidently at the world. We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves. With it we are creative. With it we march tirelessly. With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.
Chief Dan George0 -
One challenge down and met. Spent part of Saturday and all day Sunday in GERD upset. Finally able to get those over at St. Louis to let me get some Omeprazole. All week-end with headaches, earaches and my throat on fire -- finally resulting in tossing cookies three or four times. Got the script ( actually over the counter with made it much quicker ) and in a couple of hours I was ready to eat an actual small meal. the med has always worked well for me. My throat is clear ( all the burning and sourness is gone ) and I'm ready to get on with things. A little low on energy but since I wasn't able to eat much -- and just under heavy sedation for 6 hrs. Dh said, I think I would feel this way with or w/o the GERD flare-up.
Have already made the appts. for cytogram on the 27th. and cath removal on the 28th. Then onward.
Puffin -- I'll be in your pocket as well. We are all having some issues but we will get it all together again.
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Puffin, hope there is lots of room in your pocket as I'm climbing in too. Hoping you heal well and quickly and uneventfully.
IllinoisLady, glad the GERD is better. Don't forget that even though you don't have a huge incision (thank goodness for that!), you still had major surgery and need to give yourself time to heal. You are usually so busy, now is the time to rest more than work. Take care.
Sandy, hanging in your pocket. As you know so well the waiting time is very stressful. I clearly remember taking care of someone with implanted radiation seeds when I was a nursing student. Of course, the instructions were to be as efficient as possible to minimize my time in the room. One of my classmates stood near me while I was preparing to go into the room murmuring "shrivel, shrivel" (referring to my ovaries). Interesting the things one remembers from so long ago!
Nance, love your menu and with you on the birthday cake candles. Happy Birthday!!
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Puffin - add me to the pocket mix! We've got each others back.
Sandy - stay away from Dr. Google. You're already well informed, asking all the right questions, and being in control.
IllinoisLady - glad the Omeprazole worked. Rest and relax, as you heal up.
Hot all weekend, hot again today at 93. Tomorrow hopes for 85-87, how sad is that for a "hope"!
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Sandy - I did the radiation seeds with my BC - all outpatient. Is the UIC hospital the "old" St. Luke's? I admit the rating is a little scary. Holding you all close. Not a good summer.
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Taco, the "old Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's" (where Gordy was born) is now the brand-spanking-shiny "new Rush." (used for the exterior shots on Chicago Med).Next door to the old one was Cook County Hospital, replaced half a block west by Stroger Hosp. (still Cook County). That old County? Being turned into a luxury inn, suites, & offices. UIC is in the same area--only it's greatly expanded and with newer buildings.
The first season of ER, the ambulance bay at UIC was used as the ambulance bay for the fictional County General. The next year Warner's built s replica (right down to the L tracks) on their lot in Hollywood. During Bob'd intern year at UIC, on his nights on-call there we'd dine alfresco on Al's Italian Beef sandwiches and Mario & Donna's Italian lemonade (ices by any other name, but studded with lemon peel)--washed down with hospital coffee so bad I drew the "Mr. Yuk" symbol on the cups.
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Good morning, Ladies. It is hot and muggy. Not much going on today. I think I will work on some projects and check on the gym. Last time I went, I left early as too many people were coming in.
In the pockets of all you, so much going on.
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Sandy, I believe Dr. Law will be right on your case, all caught up by her own discipline and also by Dr. Merkel. I watched her video on North Shore and his too. She seems so human and warm, talking about her mother’s BC; he hardly looks at the camera; is, I interpret, shyly removed. I would be confident of her help re this unexpected challenge you’re facing( which I’m praying will turn out to be the 1% nevus,et.al.
So it would be great if you could “ glow in the dark” in the safety of your home. You don’t have to cook or watch tv and the bathroom could be worked out somehow. My question would be if your ocular oncologist has to check you each day or if they have to minister to the eye while the plaque is in.I see Merkel on Monday for 6 month 15 minute- though it goes longer- check. Haven’t seen anyone since him in January. Have to call Kellogg or someone, don’t even know who his NP is and don’t want to bother him, but don’t know if I have to have Covid test before going to Kellogg, don’t know if Gil can come with me...
It’s a lot facing the uncertainties, not being able to hug.
j
I
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Giving love, attention, and respect to the individuals who share our lives and to the people who cross our paths by chance will smooth our own passage day by day. The effects of our goodness will often be felt quickly. A smile elicits a smile.Kind thoughts bless us as well as the receiver. Life events do come full circle. -unattributed
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I think Merkel has the same NP--Carrie--as Dr. Law. Meanwhile, I have an in-person weigh-in up at Skokie Hosp. tomorrow aft.
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Really hot out today. We have had rain early in the morning yesterday and then again during the night. Enough to get it good and steamy. Well, I'm not going outside much till this catheter is no longer attached so it won't bother me. I do feel for Dh who is having to run the bills around, picked up needed items at the store and do anything else that might be required on the outside.
As I am perfectly comfortable in my own house this works out fine for me. I don't feel like I'm a prisoner. Dh has to get out, so he too finds this working to his liking. I do miss my furry friends and will be back to them as soon as I can.
Hope you are all able to 'stand' the weather and are having good days.
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Restoration efforts to house have begun (7/6) so we now have a new roof deck and roof, the exterior wall has been rebuilt and new second story windows have been installed. Master bedroom is still a shell and open to attic so eventually air conditioner company can do installation but that is not until 8/4. So far we have only had room fans to try to offset heat and it has not been very pleasant. It's not even cool enough in the shade to escape outside.
This last week has been a killer and I finally had a showdown with project manager about lack of A/C. He told me once the roof went on, the A/C could be installed anf they finished the roof on Friday. So when I asked if the A/C guy was coming on Monday, he then informs me that they were otherwise engaged until 8/4. I was not a happy camper and shared my thoughts with him about how cruel this was to make us suffer through, not only June, but also July with no A/C. So today, after an awful weekend, they showed up with portable air conditioners. A brand new large unit for the downstairs which is just taking the edge off the heat and two in-window units for the bedrooms upstairs. So perhaps tonight I will be able to sleep without feeling like I am in a swamp and clammy. This project will take probably in to the fall because they have to install electricity, heating, drywall walls and ceilings, hardwood flooring in the master bedroom and living room, repair walls in the basement, insulate the attic and reinstall the flooring we had there, etc. It is a long list yet. We feel like we have been living in a storage unit since household contents are scattered over many rooms and we have not seen some contents for nearly 9 months. I will be glad when this journey is over and hope it is before it's been a year.
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Sandy - we drove by the "old neighborhood" several years ago. Were totally disoriented At that point the old county was just totally boarded up - can't imagine the change. Ken did his internship there. We first lived in that large FHA housing apt. building just west of County. When Ken made "too much money" by being an intern, we moved to a duplex in that emerging Italian neighborhood between CCC and the med school. It was a wonderful two years - it really was a neighborhood with it's own godfather. My best friend lived in Oak Park and if I visited her in the evening, I could always count on the "corner boys" to check who was or wasn't welcome in the neighborhood after dark. Our landlord was first generation - bought one of those old brownstones and fixed up the first floor where we lived and was working on his apt. upstairs while we were there. Goal was eventually to have a walk-in basement apt. too. I worked part-time as a research assistant at the med school during those years and walked to work. My employer let me bring a playpen and a infant seat and Debbie even got an acknowledgment in the book I worked on. A 4 month old really loves to be part of a conference table discussion. I had some at home childcare but when we were running late, the sitter just brought Debbie over in her buggy. Those years have all kinds of memories!
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Those were the days! We lived up north even then (first W. Rogers Park, then Andersonville). Bob didn't drive till his second year of fellowship when he began moonlighting. At first I would drive him and pick him up; then he figured out the CTA and walked half a mile to what is now the Red Line, changing in the Loop.
Several of Bob's fellow residents lived across Ashland on Taylor St. in that Little Italy neighborhood. On Fridays at the end of shift, we would all gather for pitchers in a cafe we all called "The Greeks" next to County. (Nobody called it by its real name, which nobody I know remembers). It burned down while Bob was starting his cardiology fellowship; after that, our new watering hole was Little Joe's on Taylor (which later became the original Tuscany. Rosebud is still nearby). There was a huge to-do when Rush-Pres. decided to expand and build its new modern wing, barricading Paulina St. (which many used as a pass-through shortcut from the Eisenhower/Congress to UIC--which we all called "U of I" back then)--a lot of the UIC residents & nurses sported buttons reading "Open Paulina, Close Pres." We were RushAnchor HMO patients back then. It was a very closed network, but a topnotch one. And it was a true HMO--our premiums (very low, as we were both State employees) covered nearly everything, no deductibles or co-pays. There were Anchor satellite clinics all over the city. When Gordy was born (and I spent a week in Rush), all we had to pay for was the newspaper and the TV service (for which all hospitals charged back then). Anchor was like that all the way till 1994, after which first PruCare and then Unicare/Wellpoint took it over.
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Betrayal, Hopefully the restoration will go quickly without anymore setbacks. I sure am glad my house is done. I feel you pain.
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Thinking of you as you recover, Jackie.
Healing thoughts to anyone else needing cyber hugs.
DH is playing men's golf and I am off to the gym this morning. He went yesterday and reported there were more people than previously. It's selfish of me but I hoped the number of people exercising at our little gym would remain low.
We have had some cooler days lately and the temperature at night has been good for sleeping. It was in the high 50's when I got up this morning. This has definitely been the hottest July up here since we began coming here. Awkward sentence!
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Ask the trainers what hours are least congested. Or bop in at odd hours yourself.
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A part of us wants life, wants to make the commitment to live, and is willing to trust our intuition and follow it from moment to moment. There is also a part of us that doesn't trust this inclination. "I can't do this, it's too much, too intense. I don't want to surrender. "When we distrust this inclination we experience only effort and struggle. When we surrender to life the flow of energy increases, and we feel the passion of being alive. -Shakti Gawain
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Doing okay so far today, and am now expecting each day to be better. We had rain last night and just had another super pour-down. We are going to fill up the already high water table and have standing water in many places. They likely opened the dam from our lake yesterday and again this morning. Where we set here in the woods, most of the run-off makes it to our territory always. There are big ravines on each side of us so we have never worried about 'real' flooding here.
Grrr on the home repairs. I am glad that there is some possible relief in the form of window a/c units. They are inconsistent, but hopefully will allow you to experience some comfort in sleep.
Hoping the day is fine for all.
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Good morning, Ladies. I have found the gym is the best between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. It is after the people that exercise on their lunch hour and before the working folks get off. In the morning there are the different classes and group exercises. It is anytime fitness, so I guess I could go at 3:00 am if I wanted, but that would be creepy.
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"You take away all the other luxuries in life, and if you can make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness."
-- Brad Garrett
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Good evening ladies! We've had rain, thunder with downpours yesterday and today. But weather should clear up for tomorrow.
We've got to get busy staining the garage; so far only power washed it. Tree guy said they'd probably get to me this week. No calls, so I'm guessing not. Between weather, vacation to the Cape (rented a house 8/1-8/8), we don't have a lot of time before pool install (8/14) to get it all done that I want done. This too shall pass! LOL
Hoping the best for all our health issues popping up - healing and getting clarity.
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Went for my weigh-in yesterday, and the NP was adamant that I transition from quasi-keto to Mediterranean maintenance so that I learn how to keep my weight steady (I'm pretty skilled at gaining & losing). But unlike my PCP (RIP), she was not pleased with my LDLs and wants me to start exercising more and eating less saturated fat, plus double up on the Crestor (which Bob had thought I should have been doing all along). Just got home from my first walk since spring: 1.5 mi., 22 min., got my heart rate up to 99. Doesn't sound like much, but I think I need to work up to it. And I am sweating like a glass of icewater. Baby steps...
Meanwhile, my phone consult with UIC Hospital's Rad. Onc. Dept. is tomorrow afternoon. Hope they tell me I can be at home and not isolate while the "plaque" is in my eye. And I hope I don't lose too much of my vision once the plaque is removed. If I have to be an in-patient for the 4 days I'm "aglow," I will pump them for details as to how I'm supposed to pass the time with no visitors and only one functioning eye (especially with an annoying floater in it). And I know the food will be less than optimal for my weight maintenance & heart health.
Meanwhile, at my mani today I reluctantly had the salon owner trim my L hand nails back so I can start playing guitar again (and build my calluses back up). I miss making music; and before I go in for the brachytherapy, I want to record a few videos to put online.
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