Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Cowgirl - Saw the SF sky, as you described, on the evening news. Very scary looking. Stay safe!
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Hello, I am new to posting on this forum but I'm 67 so qualify as an 'older' person. I live near Sacramento CA and today has been 'other worldly'. The sky has gone from orange to grey to brown then to orange again. It is so unhealthy outside. Betrayal, I recognize that desk! My great-nephew is using that very desk right now. My grandson is using an old dressing table that has been cut down to fit him. His kindergarten teacher suggested children need a desk where his feet touch the floor & this fit the bill.
I have been doing pretty well with my diagnosis but COVID, my mother's death & now these awful fires have taxed my resilience. Hope everyone is well.
Jane
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jhl: Welcome. Yes, the desk was part of an Ethan Allen Maple set made just for children. The tops were formica but the desk body, drawers, etc are all wood. My DD was surprised when she saw the dove-tailed drawers, etc. DS had the bunk beds but they are the only thing that did not survive; the side slats were metal and did not take well to jumping on the bed like boys are wont to do. We still have the dressers, nightstand and the book case topper. They are actually in better condition than the desk which he used and abused. So they were meant to last so my grandson feels special that it was once his Dad's and how nice that your grand-nephew has the same desk.
Sorry to hear about your travails. Dealing with your mother's death would be enough but throw in Covid and those fires, this would tax anyone. So hang in there, we're here for you. Avoid the smoke by staying in if you can and stay safe.
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jhl, welcome and yes you are old enough to be here. While all of us are not exactly spring chickens we would let anyone come here if they really wanted to. The thread got here mainly because we don't face the problems that some of the younger women do. I'm sorry to hear about your losing your Mom. That is rough no matter how old we are. We feel lost and a little stranded. Hard to have that rug pulled out from under you. Time heals, but it is not a great time with bad fires and bad disease processes on top of cancer.
I lived in Ca. ( Santa Barbara and Ventura ) areas for 25 yrs. No stranger to fires but most of them never got too close save for one in Goleta which is right next to Santa Barbara. We mainly were concerned with earthquakes. Been back home here for 23 yrs.
I hope you will come often. I think it is a great group of women. Not too many of us so easier to keep up. We vent to each other, get involved in discussing various subjects ( like desks ) sometimes drop in a recipe or two, and generally enjoy each other's company. Just a nice place to share.
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MCBaker, the fire is 5 miles north of Willits (fortunately a north wind is blowing) and the evacuation center is at the Willits High School. So you know it's safe in Willits if they have the evacuation center located there.
Welcome jhl! I was born in Sacramento at Mercy Hospital and grew up in Woodland. Small world!
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Betrayal, thanks for sharing.
Cowgirl, it is hard to imagine, cyber hugs
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Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
Overcast this morning. I hope it will stay a little cooler. Maybe some rain but this time of yr. we can expect almost anything. Just washed a bunch of windows so the rain will have a nice target.
Same sort of day planned today as yesterday. This is always ( getting ready for winter ) a busy time of yr. Have to keep up with the falling leaves etc. They haven't started big time, but the first few have come down. Still can't see the houses on the street in front of our woods, but soon. We are started to see the roaming deer who come to the yard to find droppings ( we have nut trees here ) now. They come off and on all yr. but are almost daily visitors in fall.
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A heavy layer of frost on the outdoor grill cover this morning. Two nights in a row temperature sank to low 30's. It's supposed to warm up to 68 today and next week is forecast to be nice weather with highs in the low 70's. It's amazing how quickly the leaves turned yellow in the big stand of trees across the creek from the campground.
Our neighbors Mary and Lyman are winterizing next door and closing up their big camper. They'll be driving to Ocala, FL, to their winter home. They face a battery of medical appointments and surgeries. Lyman has a cancerous tumor in one lung and the lung will be removed. He'll undergo chemo and radiation. Mary needs eye surgeries. I'm probably being repetitious. Apologies for that.
It's warm inside our camper and I'm enjoying my dark roast Community coffee. Hope everyone has a good....Thursday?
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Hi folks. I've been lurking, just felt like I did not have much to say! We had rain night before last and off and on all day yesterday. This morning, a cold wind and temp mid morning is 59. This after the temp on our enclosed back porch has been between 95 and 100. Don't expect it to stay cooler but this is 2020...
Prayers for all those impacted by the fires. The pictures are frightening. When we lived in California we were close enough to Santa Barbara to get ash from fires there but that was nothing compared to what is being described this year.
Keep safe, the virus is still with us.
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Saw my bowel surgeon yesterday and got the results of my latest CT scan. The fluid spot is still there, now the radiologist is thinking it could be an ovarian cyst. It didn't change at all after my 10 days of augmentin so they're not thinking it's an abscess any more. So I went through 10 days of diarrhea for nothing. I'm still having some pelvis discomfort but my dr says that will gradually get better and that I can eat and do whatever I want. He's planning on following up with an ultrasound in a few months.
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The winds have been horrible here....finally calm now.....our skies were "NOT the Bluest in Skies in Seattle" due the fires in California, Oregon and (we live south of Seattle) and in eastern WA..... The orange skies were just eerie!
So windy we lost power, so no air conditioner , but did NOT open windows due to the smoke.
Warmed up lunch, leftovers on out butane 1 burner unit outside on a wood TV table.
I COULD NOT see Puget Sound which is only about 600' from our house, due to the smoke.
Di
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Cowgirl - stay safe. Those wildfires in CA are way scarier than the ones in CO.
Betrayal - your grandson is a handsome young man. My son (now an adult) bedroom furniture was his father's bedroom furniture - dresser plus hutch over bottom with doors.
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Welcome, Jane. May your mother's memory be for a blessing and you manage to steer clear of COVID. My best friend from law school & his wife live in Moreno Valley (not far from Riverside), and their home is in a desert-and-succulent "bowl" surrounded by a low scrub firebreak. They're 30 miles from the nearest fire; so far, so good. My social media coordinator lives just outside Eugene, OR (where we'd once contemplated retiring) and it's pretty scary. The Willamette Valley vineyards are not in immediate danger, as most of the grape harvest was in before the fires got going.
Judy, how much longer are you & Gil staying in Glencoe before moving back to Evanston?
The city sent a crew to go through the alleys to clear branches from power lines. And my next-door neighbor informs me that his decrepit garage will finally be demolished tomorrow. (He didn't know he could ask the city to condemn it and save him a bundle). About half my missing mail pieces were delivered today, including the two packages (top-rated cloth masks I'd ordered), a check from our timeshare resort company (overpayment of assessment), and an "unclaimed property" notice from the state. Filed the claim online and it was approved! (Mad money).
Bob suggested the reason for the delay in biopsy path results may be that they were so inconclusive they had to be farmed out to a more sophisticated onco-pathology lab. Fingers crossed.
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Welcome! "Keep coming back" as we say in AA. No age requirement. Most of us are retired but that isn't a requirement either. And we are open to non-cancer related discussions as you can see.
This year ought make us more environmentally aware. The fires are so scary and I suspect everyone knows someone who is in harms way. I'm surprised AZ hasn't had more fires as it has been extremely hot and dry this summer - our usual "monsoon" really has been a "nonsoon." Record breaking temperatures all summer. We were able to open the house last night for the first time since early June. But it's supposed to get hot again.
Stay safe everyone.
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Sandy, Still working out our moving logistics and still don’t know what’s going to happen in the fall with COVID, but our lease is up here on November 15. I have feelings of both regret at leaving Glencoe and anticipation of being back in the Mather community with it’s now open, but people limited, dining. What I’m most dealing with now though is my PTSD from surgeries and stuff, not just BC. So, next week is my forehead Mohs surgery, two Squamous Cell on opposite sides; the pictures on the Facebook Mohs surgery forum are terrifying and I’ll be all stitched and miserable for a week or so. That takes place on Rosh Hashanah Eve, then on Yom Kippur is my mammo and the cutie,Dr. Winchester. Don’t know if having this done on the High Holidays portends well or Ill or nada. Then, in early October my wonderful PCP, and dermatologist. Blood tests yesterday to see if platelets are high enough for Mohs- think they will be. PTSD is ratcheting up. I must stay off of Facebook. It’s the researcher, obsessive, somewhat masochistic part of me that compels me to see the worst. Other than all this, and the stiffness of Arimidex, I’m remarkably healthy for my ancient years, walk 5-6 miles a day, but, as we know, life can come crashing down in a moment.
On another note, ate at Morton’s on their very nicely spaced patio with friends last week when the weather was lovely, and, on Friday nights, Gil and I go to Fred’s Garage. Wonderful hummus. I agree with you about the Middle Eastern Bakery. Have totally admired your handling of the melanoma, of how you enjoy life and have not sunk into the Slough of Despond. j
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Chi-Sandy, thank you for your wonderful thoughts. I am not Jewish but I've always thought the honorific of 'may your loved one's memory be for a blessing' such a thoughtful and deeply moving tribute for not only my mother's memory but also for me and moving forward. She lived a wonderful 101 years which guides me to live my own best self. She was also a 30+ year breast cancer survivor.
Today was cooler but the air is almost choking. Our air quality is more than 100 which is very unhealthy. Tomorrow is my husband's and my 44th anniversary. We are planning to go out to dinner for the first time in more than 7 months. We have a beautiful restaurant on the Sacramento River which should provide some air movement. If not, the restaurant has inside seating with plexiglass dividers. With fingers crossed, we will venture out to celebrate today and many wonderful tomorrows.
Stay safe everyone!
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keywest - don't go by Facebook posts. I have had five MOHS surgeries - all on my face. You really can't see any of the scars - even without make up, which I never wear - even though one was 3" long. Hope your surgeries go well & results are as smooth.
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Contentment comes as the infallible result of great acceptances, great humilities--of not trying to make ourselves this or that, but of surrendering ourselves to the fullness of life--of letting life flow through us. -David Grayson
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jhl- Welcome to the group. The fires in the west are bad to see on the news, I can't imagine the stress of being there. And I'm sorry for the loss of your mom. My partner lost his mom Feb 24, she too was 101. I hope you get to enjoy your anniversary dinner.
Sandy- we BC ladies are used to the waiting game. But still, very stressful. As Key west said, you're handling this well.
KeyWestfan- a lot going on for you, with the move and surgery. As said, don't go looking for trouble (FB). Best wishes.
Betrayal- I've got a desk set up that was my sisters, it's about 50+ years old. It's not nearly as nice as yours, which is beautiful. My grand niece will be using it at my home for her remote learning. She likes knowing it was her grandmothers.
Puffin- UGH, the blasted antibiotic messing up your system! Been there, don't like it. Good news they think cyst. Your system will be back to normal soon.
Carolhalston- we have not seen frost, yet. Although the hill towns and maybe Adirondacks have. My plants, impatients that grew huge, look ready to go. Only one closest to the house looks like it did a month ago. It all seemed to go so fast this year.
I can't remember who was having surgery on teeth. I'm hoping it went well, with minimal complications and pain.
I saw a new dentist Wednesday for teeth cleaning. I can't remember if I'd mentioned, my regular dentist isn't opening back up now, or maybe ever. Practice was in her home, a contemporary built by her to include office space. Tech & dentist seemed nice, did a sufficient job. But now I've got an inflamed spot on my gum I didn't have when I went in. Who knows!
I've gotten a quote on removal of cast iron piping under toilet; just under $800. Still need a carpenter to estimate replacing any rotted wood under the toilet; need to coordinate w plumbers.
I've got a roofer stopping over - we have moss growing (north side LOL) in the "J" channel of vinyl siding along a large dormer. I told him I'm too old, and the roof pitch is too steep for us to do it.
I've calmed down a tad, it is what it is, and this too shall pass...as long as I write the checks.
Have a great day ladies!
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Hi, Ladies. I can't keep up with all that is going on.
MOHS - I have had it done just before the BC diagnosis. I was very worried about it, but it was a nothing compared to what was to come (BC). I can't even see my scar.
Cyber hugs to all of those near the fires.
Hope to all those recovering.
Patience to all that are dealing with construction, repairs, replacement, and etc.
The mornings are a tiny bit cooler in my area of Florida, but still heating up in the day. Carol, I am to the West of Ocala, on the Gulf. A little over 20 years ago I would commute to Ocala for work.
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CindyNY: Thanks for the comments on the desk. I do appreciate it.
We had a moss issue on our roof since our property is mostly shade and had zinc strips applied to the roof. First it was power washed to remove most of the moss and then zinc strips were applied to each level. They need to be placed near the peak and on each level so the zinc can wash down over the shingles when it rains. It really worked well and we just had it installed on our shed when we discovered the back side was growing moss (shady side). Since we just had a new roof installed, we demanded they replace the zinc strips we had prior. It was not that costly and should prolong the life of the roof.
Karen1956: Thanks for the compliment about my grandson. As you know grandmom's are biased so I think he's handsome as well. Plus he is a kind, helpful young man who tries to find ways to help me so I create opportunities for him to do so. Love him to bits.
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Judy, my best friend's DH has had two Mohs surgeries (like you, one on each temple) and after the sutures were removed the scars healed rather rapidly. You have to look for them to realize they're there. I will put you on my MiSheberach list nonetheless--PTSD is a real ailment, and I hope you can ride it out.
Jane, I certainly hope you and your DH can safely (w/regard to pathogens and particulates) enjoy your anniversary dinner!
Our neighbor just had his decrepit garage demolished, along with the concrete slab floor. But because soaking rains are predicted tomorrow, the new concrete can't be poured till Monday--a warmer, dry week is predicted from Sunday on. Next to go are the rotting trees in his yard.
As to equanimity, there's no other way to approach my diagnosis. I will hold on to feeling well, seeing well and looking good (she said modestly) for as long as the fates allow--and then take it from there. Panic does me no good, but being as proactive as I can does make sense. My UIC patient portal "goes live" tomorrow, so if there are biopsy results to be had they will be there. (Unless the IT Dept. walks out along with the nurses, who will start a week-long strike at midnight).
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No dinner by the river tonight. The air quality here today has been over 200 which is unhealthy for all persons. We have experience with the need for flexibility. Our 25th anniversary was Sept 11, 2001 which became a tragic day. We had planned a lovely dinner with our children since the eldest was headed off to college the next week. So, I've always got something planned for this day. Please pray for everyone on the west coast. We have fires from Washington to San Diego California. Everyone in between are living on the edge in very unhealthy circumstances. I keep you all in my thoughts.
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Cindy-- Last stitch came out yestermorn. I saw the dentist yesterday afternoon. He checked with others, and the changes in the bone structure that previously held the teeth continues for a long time. So I am no longer expecting fast results if the root was in the sinus. My new full plate upper is feeling comfortable. The healing areas still don't allow for much chewing.
I hope my brother in the Santa Rosa area has access to O2 if necessary. And my sister and her husband are going out that direction with a truck and mobile home.
I was busy this morning going between the rummage sale by the local animal shelter and another by a friend. I got a floor lamp, but she is going to fix it for me first. Also got a small George Foreman and a chopping board and an ironing board.
Sandy, your neighbor has a great opportunity to get tree work done between the destruction of one and the construction of another garage. Opportunities like that should not go un-noticed.
I tan easily, but probably ought to get checked over by a dermatologist. I got quite dark this summer.
Tippy got quite richly treated with a ball that he can roll around and use to make noises. He was afraid of it at first. He also got a pet moose. And a new harness that swings him around to face me when he bolts. And some treats.
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My heart is aching (and my teeth are on edge) over the massive conflagration spreading along the entire length of the West Coast (and points east of the Cascades & Sierras as well). We lived in Seattle for 7 years; and liked to joke that while possible quakes were always a sword of Damocles, at least on the "wet side of the mountains" we were safe from drought & wildfires. It took me a long time (decades) to make peace with being uprooted from a region I'd grown to love and plopped down in the flat-as-a-pancake middle of the country, where summers were hot & wet, springs & falls pollen-and-mold-laden, and winters frigid & snowy. Despite the derecho we had last month (and the omnipresent possibility of tornadoes), I'd been saying a silent prayer of thanks that at least we were immune to wildfires. Now, looking back on my rain-soaked years in the PNW, I'm not so sure anyone in America is safe from that.
I get chills thinking back to the 2015 Folk Alliance conference, where Al Gore came to screen a 10th-anniversary update to "An Inconvenient Truth." The takeaway catchphrase from that was "Dirty fuel makes dirty weather." Indeed.
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Success is getting and achieving what you want.
Happiness is wanting and being content with what you get.
- Bernard Meltzer0 -
Found both of these on another site and wanted to share.
"The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. We can spout our opinions all day and it may make us feel good to do so, but telling our opinion DOES NOT change someone else's". unknown
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Both of those are wonderful. I really like the first one as something we all need. The second is so true. We are known more by our deeds, as the rel picture of who we are, no matter what we say. A picture is worth a thousand words.
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Good morning, ladies. Thank you, Betrayal. It is a good thought for the day in these horrific times we are living, wildfires, hurricanes (another storm is forming in the Gulf with Louisiana in the cone, again), riots, COVID-19 and I am probably missing a few things. YIKES
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