Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Good morning, ladies. I did stay up for the end of the game and slept like a log. Cold this morning and freeze warnings for tonight, into the morning, but the sun is out. My BFF and my brother are recovering. Hope everyone has a pleasant day.
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It is not sufficient to deny or ignore evil; it must be understood. It is not enough to pray to God to remove the evil; you must find out why it is there, and what lesson it has for you. It is of no avail to fret and fume and chafe at the chains that bind you; you must know how and why you are bound. -James Allen
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Hoping for sun today -- not sure yet, but it is brighter than it has been so fingers crossed. Today will warm so maybe that sun will make it. Had some light snow last night. Gathered on roofs and old leaves on the ground that could support it a bit off the actual ground. Where there is nothing on the ground there is no snow. So, this should soon be gone.
Going to have a good a day. petite -- hope your BFF and brother keep moving toward good health after covid. Hope all of us are able to stay well and get through the next months okay while waiting to get the vaccinations that will help us get back to some kind or normalcy.
Stay well and hope everyone has a good Monday.
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Sandy, I totally understand your jealousy. When I heard of our friends?, ages, 59, 55, 49, 22, who have no preexisting conditions and have all had their second shots because their father, grandfather, a retired physician was able to game the almost nonexistent system and get them appointments, I was appalled, but jealous. Am also jealous of every long term care facility I know of in Chicago and North Suburbs, all of whom have been vaccinated. We, at the Mather, do finally have a date of January 27, if Walgreens doesn't run out.It feels perilous around here and I ran into a fairly energetic 97 year old who can't wait to get vaccinated because he wants to travel to see his great grandchildren who he's never met.
North Shore Hospitals turned down a shipment for Moderna because they had inoculated their health care workers. Now, though, with extra vaccine they will use it for hospital patients. It's all a big, disorganized mess.
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AAARGH!!!! Hospital patients before seniors with cancer? GRRRRR... I threw a "Hail Mary pass" (can we Jews do that?) by messaging my late primary's NP (whom I haven't officially dropped as my de facto primary even though I now have a NorthShore one in Lincolnwood) and asking if St. Joseph's and its clinics in Lakeview can start inoculating their Group 1B patients. I stopped going there because they don't have self-parking, and I don't feel safe taking cabs/rideshares or valet parking. But for the vaccine, I'll double-mask and valet park. I realize that for her it's a very delicate situation, as her dad was my primary and died of complications of COVID back before they figured out more effective therapeutics.
There comes a point at which they have to realize that anti-vaxers will be anti-vaxers even if they're health care workers, and that pushing them to get inoculated is as futile as getting you-know-who to concede defeat and exit while wearing a mask. Those vaccines will spoil if not timely administered, You can lead a horse to water; but if it won't drink, you'd better shunt that water over to thirstier critters.
Jackie, you can now lawfully go have coffee and a sandwich inside a restaurant near you--your area is now in Tier 1 mitigations (lesser of 25% capacity or 25 patrons per room in restaurants). My BFF who had DCIS back in 2016 lives in Minooka and as of today can do that too: her subdivision straddles the Kendall/Grundy county line, both counties also in Tier 1. Chicago & Cook County have improved to Tier 2--no indoor dining, but museums reopened (gonna buy those "Immersive Van Gogh" tix), along with fitness classes and 10-person indoor gatherings (still masked & distanced, so there goes choir practice). Sat. night I turn 70--we have reservations on Mon Ami Gabi's tented, vented heated patio, but will bring blankets (they're allowed). It's gonna be brutally cold, but it'll feel as if we've been sprung from prison. We're considering going to one of the Mexican restaurants along 26th St. in Little Village, which have set up metal scaffold-framed, plastic walled heated areas on the sidewalk, fully open at both ends so that passerby can walk through. I asked Bob if tented dining would be safe, and he replied "we all take chances: I go to work every day, you get manicures every other week." Ever since mid-Nov., I've been venturing out only for medical appts., manis, the pharmacy, and that one drive with Bob down to Oak Lawn on Christmas Eve to pick up my pendant. The only fresh air I get now is retrieving packages from the porch or taking out the trash.
Will have to make a SpotHero reservation to park in the pay lot up the block from the restaurant--it's Lincoln Park, after all.
I only hope I get vaccinated in time--as will Gordy, Leslie and our friends--to be able to celebrate our 50th anniv. at the end of June--even if masked and outdoors. (And that I live that long, of course. Tired of hearing God say, "here--hold my beer").
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Our tiers go the other way. Tier 1 is nobody does anything. Tier 2 is outdoor dining. We've never been in Tier 3, so I don't know how restrictive that is. Last week my county had about 12 deaths per day. Far too many for me to want to go out.
Happy Birthday in advance, Sandy. I hope you can celebrate your 50th in style by then.
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.." I threw a "Hail Mary pass" (can we Jews do that?) by messaging my late primary's NP"
you answered it here:
"I only hope I get vaccinated in time--as will Gordy, Leslie and our friends--to be able to celebrate our 50th anniv. at the end of June--"
I think you have been married to Bob long enough to do a "Hail Mary pass" without any problems.
I have decided to wean myself off of Gabapentin. Tired of pseudo-Alzheimer's. Walking around like a zombie, and doing the dumbest things.
State supreme court has humstrung Evers long enough that maybe Biden will have the power to get things moving here.
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MC, I hear you about gabapentin. I had to really reduce my dose to 100 mg a day and I am doing really well although for me it was prescribed for anxiety and is really working. I'm not a candidate for any of the benzo's so this has been great.
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Yeah. Hopefully my PCP will prescribe me some 100 mg tablets, so I can do it more gradually.
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MC, your PCP will probably tell you that the 100 mg isn't even a therapeutic dose but lean on her for the 100. I need a pediatric dose to start on some medications...when I started on prozac years ago I could only tolerate a third of a 20 mg capsule but was then was able to increase it quite a bit. So hold strong because I think the gabapentin is a good med but when I tried 300 mg I was also bumping into things and couldn't organize my thoughts. Good luck!
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Oh, no! I was on 2700 mg/day at the beginning of this week. I dropped 600 a few days ago. But I would rather go down in 100 mg steps, given the fact that I wake up regularly sometime between 2:00 and 5:00 nearly every morning.
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Peace of mind just can't be bought. Trust me: Even if your conscience doesn't stop you from playing dirty to get what you want, once you get it, it will keep you from enjoying it. As my mother used to say, "A good conscience is God's eye." Which is why I always prefer a loss to an underhanded gain; the one brings pain at the moment, the other for all time.
Patti LaBelle0 -
So far a beauty of a day here. Lots of sun to enjoy. The temps. are fairly cool but having the sun as a buffer makes all the difference. I had chemo # 6 this morning. That means only two more to go. I'm really happy about that. After I'm done I will go back on a schedule to be checked every 3 mos. that nothing else goes on. That won't be fantastic ( being knocked out to have scopes of kidney and bladder ) on the one hand, but in time if all stays well I won't have to do it so often.
Glad I am retired so I can do these things w/o having to arrange it all around a work schedule. Still holding at around 170 #'s. That is good. I'm not really too interested in more wt. loss. I'm still overwt. but I find that I can eat what I like now and don't seem to gain. So, while I could weigh less, I don't think I'm in too bad a shape. I started out at #197 so for me it is a lot of chunky wt. gone now. I do like that I don't really have any real food restrictions now which is perfect for me since I tend to fall off the wagon easily. In fact, it does seem I'm less inclined to do it now.
I hope you have all been having a really good day. Here is a good thought. Tomorrow we get a new President and I hope it is the start ( long climb though ) of getting our country and more than that, ourselves well. The pandemic/covid remains scary, and has changed all our lives so much and now we will have someone who wants to fix it as much as we want it fixed.
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IllinoisLady- I'm glad #6 is behind you! 2 more to go, you've got this.
Well just when I thought my home expenditures were behind me - tree removal, new pool, yard work, painting & staining, foundation repairs, new roof, and lots of plumbing, our hot water tank crapped out. I took a shower Sunday night and noticed before I was done that I had the handle full over to the left, and it wasn't hot but warm. During the day we noticed when we used hot water it acted like air was in the line.
So long story short, I text my cousin who had installed that one, asking about installing a new one. He's busy at work and didn't get back to me, so I contacted the plumbers who have been here since September. They could come Wednesday morning at earliest, $1,132 +8% tax. Cousin stopped by last night, let's do it now. We ran to Home Depot, $476, I opened a credit card to save $50. He did it in about 2 hours, $260 to him. Saved me almost $500. Old tank put out on the curb, this afternoon someone took it for scrap metal. (I know, it wasn't a short story!)
Last thing I need now is a new kitchen faucet to be installed. I purchased a new one today. Betrayal - I thought of you and all the work you've been through at your home, and I still don't know how you've survived it all.
Sandy, I'm a lapsed Catholic, but I think you can call for a hail Mary pass at anytime. She was a woman after all, and would cover us all.
I forgot to take all my meds today - allergy, omeprazol, and my osteoporosis med. No excuse for first two, but I thought it was Monday and I only take osteoporosis drug once a week on Tuesday. Or in my case now, on Wednesday.
It's been in the mid to low 30's, the water pumped out of our water heater froze on the side street. But weekend is predicting a high of 20, and a low of 4. BURR!
Hoping you all stay safe. Petite1, and that your brother & bff recover quickly. Enjoy the week.
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The "original" Mary was Jewish, so I guess it's okay. Bob is a semi-lapsed Catholic, who atones by writing monthly checks to our parish in the same amount as our temple dues. And he is a rabid football (especially Notre Dame) fan, so that at least gets us to "1st and 10."
More COVID mitigations being rolled back now: Jackie, your region is now in Phase 4, where we were in summer (includes 60% capacity indoor dining & drinking). Most of the regions are now in Phase 3 Tier 1 (25% capacity indoor dining); Cook County & Chicago are in Tier 2, but Dr. Arwady says she expects to move us, too, into Tier 2 by Feb. 1 (Yay--indoor Valentine's Day meal?). Immersive Van Gogh opens Feb. 11, and is selling tickets. Need to pick a date.
My late primary's NP (his daughter), whom I haven't "fired" as my primary (I guess that makes her my secondary), is frustrated as hell: her hospital system, AMITA (except for St. Alexius out in the far burbs which was the Pfizer distro center for the whole NW 'burbs) lacks the ultra-deep-freeze storage necessary for the Pfizer vax, and therefore can't vaccinate 1b patients---and even some 1a workers, like all of her office staff except the RN haven't gotten inoculated yet. (They get mini-shipments every so often from Loyola, and have to use them up the same day--because her dad practiced at AMITA St. Joseph--and died there of COVID--she got her shots on short notice). Meanwhile, I was able to register with Lake County--their questionnaire did not ask about residence, just ZIP code--and didn't disqualify me for that. They're doing 1000 drive-thru shots a day, but have no open 1b appointments available yet; they will let me know.
I can't get anywhere with any of the chain pharmacies.
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AZ went to 65 and over this morning.. Got myself registered but no appointment in Feb. A friend who is also under 75 got an appointment at 5:00 am but said she spent over 2 hours doing it and I don't know how early she did that this morning. Very un-user friendly website. Hopefully AZ will get more sites open. Ken has to go all the way to downtown Phoenix - we probably should either take a trial run or allow an hour to get there. We're already worrying about full bladders! None of the pharmacies seem to have anything yet. The local independent living complexes don't seem to be giving any shots either. On the other hand, my SIL who lives in CO said Walgreens came to the rec center in her age-restricted housing development. What a mess!
I had a fairly good seat at the 1993 swearing-in thanks to Senator George Mitchell. While I certainly have hopes that life will calm down, watching TV tonight just made me sad. We shouldn't need 25,000 troops on the streets to swear in a President.
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I just downloaded the "1776 Report" about re-creating the US in the image of 1776 but in modern times. Heather Cox Richardson has been talking about it for the past few days, and the impossibility of such a scenario. We must interpret the Bible in the context of the times we are in, just as we should interpret the Constitution in the context of present-day life.
I say you have every right to invoke the phrase, Sandy!
Temp is 5degF right now. Not nice. And trying to procrastinate taking Tippy out for his morning walk would stretch his bladder beyond its limits.
Our Mayo system clinic will leave a message on the patient portal notifying people when their class comes up, asking us to call to make appointments. It looks organized, but there is plenty of room for things to change between writing up a plan and implementing it.
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Good morning, ladies. My BFF and brother are recovering. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.
Cindy, you and Betrayal have been though so much with you houses. Wow
IllinoisLady, 2 more to go!
MC, 5 degrees and I complain about 30. LOL
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I guess I would be bored out of my mind (not) if I did not have a house that is still far from restored. I am currently focusing on debulking our finished basement offices and entertainment area in preparation for the next phase. They called yesterday to ask if they could drop off the oak flooring for the living room and to see if they could do the installation on Thursday. I refused and reminded them that they still had to complete the second floor, the A/C in the attic, etc and that the next focus would be the basement. I do not want them to finish the first floor and then have them traipse through the house to access the basement. They create so much dust that the last thing I want is my living room to be finished and then have to dust and vacuum daily. They need to replace the granite flooring in the foyer so what is the point of restoring it and then having them damage it?
Cleaning the basement will be a boon for a local teacher's charity. I have lots of 3 ring binders I used for work and other school supplies that we do not need. I contacted the woman who spearheads this charity and she is willing to accept all that I have. So we wiped down all the binders with lysol, bagged paper clips (I think they multiple when the lights are out) and are creating an inventory list for her (she asked for this to help her out) and currently have a rubber maid bin full and 2 large cardboard boxes of binders ready to go.
I purged lots of my work related materials I don't need anymore, shredding anything related to students and recycling the rest. It has been hard slogging and sometimes after hours of work it seemed more of a mess than before but it felt good to purge. I still have 2/4 file drawers to do but the one cabinet I used is totally empty. The bookcases have been edited and many of my nursing books are being rehomed to the wife of my son's friend who is currently enrolled in a nursing program. I have 2.5 xerox boxes for her. They are all current so it may save her some money.
The basement needs the flooring replaced and wall damage repaired plus repainting. It is mostly cosmetic but means moving furniture from one area to another while they do the flooring and painting. However, it may lead to a reupholstering of the furniture in the entertainment area eventually. The cushions can be removed so it's not like I can send it out to get it out of the way. It's the old Pine Factory furniture, if you can remember that, and still serves us well for a relaxed area. It has survived two children and many years of use. It is also a chance to rethink usage of storage items so there are some small cabinets and book cases that my be rehomed or donated.
So the house is still a work in progress and the restoration company has been put on notice that I want them to finish and get the hell out of my home. While their work has been excellent, their ability to organize and effect the repairs has been less than exemplary. In fact, they stink when it comes to logistics. I am meeting with the project manager on Monday and already have sent him a partial list of things that need to be done by various contractors plus I have a few more to add to it. I'll write them down and he will leave with a headache on Monday.
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To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden, and unconscious to grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. -William Henry Channing
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I have a vaccine appointment, for next Tues. 1/26 (when the city & state will officially have started vaccinating Group 1b), It's mid-morning, at a far NW Side Walgreens (9 miles away), but beggars can't be choosers. And word is that Chicago may restore limited indoor dining this Sat. (my 70th birthday).
Chilling the champagne (and not just for the vaccine) as we speak.
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A wonderful day and a wonderful shot in the arm for your 70th birthday present, Sandy. We’ve seen Hiaasen several times in Key West and heard him read at the Literary Festival there. He is wildly funny with a great knowledge of South Florida’s weirdest personalities We get our shot on the 27th. Long to go to Key West for a week in April- hope I can convince Gil who thinks it might well be too dangerous still, even though vaccinated, to go through the airports, to fly. Think I might prevail though.
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Got my first shot yesterday! Was able to get into our system on Saturday. Couldn't get into the three closest sites to me as they filled up fast but was able to get one about 15 mins away by car. Was in and out in about half an hour which included the wait time after the shot. They also scheduled my appointment for my second shot.
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Bob just came home and is livid: neither the employees nor the patients in SW suburban skilled-nursing facilities (aka nursing homes) are being vaccinated, despite being in Group 1a. The assisted-living and starting Mon., the independent-living staff & residents are being vaccinated. One of his cardiomyopathy patients at Manor Care caught COVID, despite my husband having applied in DECEMBER for the guy to be vaccinated. The doc with whom he shares office space does wound care at nursing homes--but had to get his shots from one of the hospitals where he makes rounds. That doc's daughter is an LPN at a nursing home--but SHE can't get vaccinated either.
Meanwhile, our local CBS station reports that due to a glitch in Walgreen's site, ineligible people (even group 2, which isn't scheduled till April or May) have been able to get appointments--and some already have been vaccinated at a couple of their stores (far W Side Belmont/Central and S. Side Gage Park). Bob suggests that maybe I should postpone my birthday dinner till 2 weeks after my second shot...which would take me into March. But he also says that vented-tent dining is still safer than my mani-pedis (one of which I have tomorrow and must get lest my ingrowing toenails get infected).
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I'm reading now about thousands of vaccination appointments nationwide having to be canceled because the expected doses haven't materialized. Most of those were to be given at local health department sites, but in DuPage County a pharmacy inside a Mariano's grocery canceled all next week's appointments made only yesterday. I'm a tad nervous that my Walgreen's appointment may meet the same fate--which if it happens would trigger homicidal rage at those selfish a-holes who gamed the system and glommed on to vaccines for which they didn't qualify. Good thing I don't own a gun. (Our local CBS news station ran a story on that--and the ones who managed to get vaxed out-of-turn stupidly boasted, allowing their own names to be printed. If I were them, I'd go into Witness Protection to escape those who recently lost friends and family to COVID).
We all know whom to blame for the shortage of vaccines. One of them is safe inside his Florida Fortress. But IMHO, Scott Atlas, Alex Azar and perhaps Jared Kushner might want to make sure their bodyguards are paid on retainer.
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Sandy - its just not the people you are talking about who are gaming the system. I know someone who has a medical supply business and has signed up people to get the vaccine saying they are employees - the business makes calls to doctors in hospitals. The other is a dentist who put is adult children down as being employees of his dental practice. It's across the spectrum. I worried the games my governor is playing that 2nd shots might not be available for those of us lucky to get our first. The whole system is not working. My CO is at 6% of population has had the first vaccination and way less both. Vaccines are being thrown out due to poor planning. In Canada, only 1% has been vaccinated and they haven't even started high risk individuals. I hope you get your shot next week.
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Yay on the vaccine appointments and Boo on "gaming the system."
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There should be a stiff penalty on those gaming the system.
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Listening is the oldest and perhaps the most powerful tool of healing. It is often through the quality of our listening and not the wisdom of our words that we are able to effect the most profound changes in the people around us. When we listen, we offer with our attention an opportunity for wholeness. Our listening creates sanctuary for the homeless parts within the other person. That which has been denied, unloved, devalued by themselves and others. That which is hidden.
In this culture the soul and the heart too often go homeless.
Listening creates a holy silence. When you listen generously to people, they can hear the truth in themselves, often for the first time. And in the silence of listening, you can know yourself in everyone. Eventually you may be able to hear, in everyone and beyond everyone, the unseen singing softly to itself and to you. -Rachel Naomi Remen
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I am sorry Sandy and anyone else who may find themselves on the receiving end of disappointment over the vaccines and getting them. Here's hoping that there is opportunity for the new admin to straighten things out as soon as possible. I do know it may not be near soon enough for those already being shunted out of their appts. I guess I can't be too surprised since the preceding admin. was so very bad. I haven't tried yet to set up an appt. but had hoped to work on it first of the week. Have to play it by ear I think.
Going to be nice today but back to pretty cool tomorrow. Just wow !!! Have enjoyed the sun and warm temps, but it is still winter time here. In fact, Jan. used to be a fairly harsh month. We have been very fortunate. Seems like every yr. lately it is predicted to be quite miserable and it hasn't panned out. So, I think we are going to squeak thru here again ( hope I didn't jinx just now ) and be okay.
I hope you all have a really good day.
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