Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Having a pretty good day. We went to Salem hoping the vet's office would be open ( we are out of our dog meds ) but it wasn't. They usually are until 12 on Saturday, but may be on vacation. We went and had a sm. bite to eat and then wandered thru a couple stores. Found some wall-paper which we may use in the big bathroom later on. It was on sale for $1.00 a role. They had some pretty blue plaids and that has me thinking. I may have to go back and get some more paper. I'm not too big on wall-paper, but my half bath and dh's big ( garden tub-walk-in shower ) bath both have wall-paper. My half bath has bead board half way up and dh's bath only has the paper on the wall behind the garden tub.
Came home and after a couple of other chores I finally got out to clean my wheels and polish them. They look pretty darn good although close up I have a couple of spots that I missed. I will get them next time. Doing all four was a long time all folded up on a stool for me. I'm not that limber anymore. So -- it is good enough to pass for now.
My car has dusted off so easy after applying that Seafoam Finish Fast. It still looks as nice as the day I did it and we have taken that 148 mile rd. trip to Marion the other day. Well, anything that makes it easier for me and even more so if it is a product that once applied takes on a certain amt. of shelf life. I'm told that you can wash a time or two and you will retain a certain amt. of the Seafoam. We will see -- but I'm really happy with it for now.
I hope you have all had a really nice day. It is starting to get hot here again which was the biggest reason that I forced myself to do those wheels. We will get heat, rain and humidity for a while again so things that require being outside need to be done.
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Jackie - please do report down the road how long the Seafoam coating lasts.
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We had a "middling" day at the farmers market yesterday, not our worst and not our best. We were packing up dh's turned bowls at closing time when a woman came up and expressed interest in large bowls. I had already packed up a big shallow bowl made of tiger maple. I got it out and she immediately said, "I'll take it." That sale boosted our total.
It was windy and overcast most of the day but no rain showers. The drought continues.
Today I have nothing planned but may drive to town to get a few grocery items.
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It is curious—curious that physical courage should be
so common in the world, and moral courage so rare."— MARK TWAIN
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Yesterday got a bit un-comfortable yesterday. My work outside intensified it but a long cool shower took care of that. SIL treated us out to dinner and that was a great bonus for me. I did have a meal planned but we will just use to today. We are still awaiting rain. I think thee is a 60% chance today so we will see how it goes. I have things ( always ) that I can work on inside and as well some laundry to catch up so I will stay busy no matter what.
Tomorrow I've changed days with the lady I help as I will be taking Dh to Marion on Tues. for his eyes. He can't seem to figure out what to do with them and I'm wondering if the issue isn't the disease process he has. I've forgotten the name but it is something that is a bit similar to macular degeneration. If I could remember the name I could look it up and see what you might expect if you have it. Well, I will go in with him and make sure the eye Dr. knows and can address it. Dh is a bit forgetful at times and may/could be having issues that his Dr. expects. That would mean there is not much perhaps you can do with this problem. Not sure, but don't feel it is good, Dh use to buy all kinds of over the counter eye drops and apply them many times a day. He has been many times a self medicater and have I never liked the idea of diagnosing yourself for certain issues -- eyes, being high on the list. We will see how it goes. He has felt he hasn't gotten reliable help with this issue while I wonder if he has listened carefully enough to know what to expect and whether there is any REAL substantial help or it is something you have to learn to adjust to.
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Hi all,
I am so glad I found this forum ! I am 62 and just was diagnosed with ILC on Thursday 8/7/21,I am single ,never married,no kids and it took me a me a long time to accept me as me.Like I know it will take me a long time to wonder why I got this cancer.I could understand it better if I had a family history of it ,but I am now the only one on both sides of the family that have it.Now is there anybody here that can give me some ideas on what questions to ask,I meet with the surgeon on Thursday..I really hate Thursdays lol
Thank you
Debbie
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Hey, y'all!
Just re-joined this site. 🌈🌈🌈
Dx Ductal Carcinoma. Nothing 2020 screening mammo. Waiting for surgery consult.
Cisgendered female non-binary. 71 yo. Jackie - Aussie Silky Terrier and Bingo, tuxedo senior feline are housemates.
My partner of 44 years died in Nov 2020 of BC mets after years of Tx. Judy died peacefully at home while in hospice.
Mother and maternal aunt both died of BC mets in the 80s.0 -
DebAI and ValSRQ - We just wanted to send you both a warm welcome and thanks for joining and participating in our Community. You're sure to find this a wonderful source of advice, information, encouragement, and support. We're all here for you, so please let us know if you need any help at all as you navigate the discussion boards.
Best,
The Mods
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DebAl, Welcome. There's a topic "just diagnosed" that will have a lot of info and suggestions for things to ask your surgeon. One of the big decisions is between lumpectomy and mastectomy. Another is whether or not you want reconstruction. If you do want it, look into the different kinds available. At my diagnosis I was the only person in the family to ever have breast cancer. Since then a cousin has been diagnosed. She did have a maternal grandmother who had it.
Val, Welcome. Sorry to hear your partner had BC also. I hope you get relatively good news when you meet with your doctor. I'm glad you have sweet housemates. I love senior cats and try to take them for fosters.
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Welcome Val and Deb. Wren's suggestion is a good one but we're glad you are here too. All questions welcome. Someone will have an experience to share. What happens next will depend on size and location of tumor and whether there is lymph node involvement. Your scan and biopsy will give your BS a good idea of what is there. I suggest you take a friend with you for the appointment. BS will give you a lot to consider and it's hard to take it all in so a second set of ears is good. I too had no family history but I've learned not to spend time worrying "why me". I can't redo my past even if I could determine contributing factors.
Stay close and know we are holding you close this week.
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Welcome to our new friends Deb and Val. So glad you found us. Wren has great advice DebAL. I seemed to have been the first one in my family to have breast cancer. My family tree medial info is fairly sketchy but I could find no BC.
ValSRQ, I am so sorry that you lost your partner and may she rest in peace. Glad to hear you have great friends though sharing your life. We have a house full of mainly rescued cats and 2 dogs -- always fun here.
Wishing you both well on your BC journey. The door is always open here.
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DebAl & Val, welcome. DebAl, besides a recommendation for type of surgery, you might want to ask your surgeon what the biopsy revealed (thus far) about your ILC--especially grade, hormone-receptor and HER2 status, and its estimated size. You might also want to ask whether you should be tested for known genetic mutations, especially if you are of Ashkenazi Jewish, Cajun, or French Canadian ancestry (three groups in which BRCA 1& 2 mutations are much commoner than in the general population). Not surprised that you're the first person in your family to have breast cancer--85% of all breast cancer patients have no family history.
Val, so sorry to hear about your dear partner and what she/they went through with her/their own BC. 44 years is a good long stretch--most formal marriages don't last anywhere near that long. May her/their memory be for a blessing. (Hedging my pronoun bets because you didn't say whether Judy was also non-binary). May your furbabies keep bringing you comfort. My IDC was also discovered after a screening mammo--previous year was clear, as were all 19 before that. Not even so much as a lump. Hate it when you wonder what the fates will throw at you next, and comes the reply "here--hold my beer."
You two are, as we say here on BCO, "in your pocket" for your upcoming visits & treatments. Your sisters here are with you wherever you go.
Got a pleasant surprise today--out of the blue, an old friend called to say he was in from Atlanta visiting his sister here. (He was my first band's lead guitarist and still leads a weekly blues jam). Luckily, Bob is home--it's his day off and earlier we went to brunch, his barber, and Teuscher for our chocolate fix. We three caught up on old times, and there was certainly enough to talk about--so much so that we didn't have enough time in one visit. He's staying only one neighborhood to the north (just blocks from our BFFs, who begged off coming over because they just got in at 1am from Seattle, where they were visiting their son, DDIL, and brand new grandson). He didn't want to try to fly with a guitar, so I lent him one of mine for him to keep in practice (if only I were that disciplined!). Gordy is working late tonight, so he couldn't come over either. Gotta put together a casual semi-party one night this week. (Yup, we're all fully-vaxed).
Mary, between vaccine hesitancy and continuing vaccine production, there's more than enough to offer boosters to anyone 70+ or immunosuppressed who wants one. (My Atlanta friend's 40-something daughter is dragging her feet--she has lupus and thinks the hydroxychloroquine she's been taking for years will protect her). I can see waiting for a true variant-tweaked booster if I still have enough antibodies from my two Moderna shots. Back at the start of the pandemic, when COVID tests of any kind were in very short supply, labs offered antibody titer blood tests for those curious as to whether they'd previously been exposed yet asymptomatic. (Bob was crushed to learn back then he was antibody-negative). I think it might be a good tool to determine which otherwise non-susceptible seniors can in good conscience "jump the line" for a third shot before a true new & improved booster is ready to roll out.
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"When you seek this Voice within you,
from Voice For Love.
you think you are seeking a Voice that is much wiser than your own.
Each time you hear it, it will remind you of Who You Truly Are
until the day comes when you know this Voice as your own."0 -
Warming up today and likely raining some later on. Our humidity will roar on back as well. A little work today since I will be gone to Marion tomorrow for Dh. I have been doing the lady ( my friend ) in town as her reg. person is off for about a month. It is not hard to do so it is okay but will require that I spend a little extra time out most mornings til I can get back home to my chores here.
Will be interesting to see how my car looks after the downpours we had. Big thunderstorm last night -- lots of light and booms going on. In yesterday afternoons rain my windshield cleared much nicer with my wipers as the car finish I used is okay for windows. I was happy about that.
I hope you are all going to have a great Monday.
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Studies indicate that Moderna is holding good after six months, and Pfizer is waning. So I am good. My antibody test from Red Cross (they said get in line, but rejected it after, probably some use for it if they are casual at the drive) is good. You are right that maybe we ought to wait to see if they can add some variant protection to a booster. And if we don't contribute to vaccination efforts in third-world countries, then covid will continue to be a plague.
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Welcome, Val & Deb. Sunday marked 2 years since I found the lump. We had an electrical storm last night and the power went off and on several times. Had to reset clocks this morning. More rain for today and something brewing in the tropics that may move through the coming weekend.
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Almost forgot - the wrap pants
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The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures,
the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations -
each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy,
bound together by cosmic harmony.
- Ruth Bernhard
The life of inner peace,
being harmonious and without stress,
is the easiest type of existence.
- Norman Vincent Peale0 -
petite, keep racking up those yrs. now. We do seem to be having some real NOT nice weather in places. Very hot here today and we have to go to Marion again. I will drive dh this time. I hope my a/c can handle it. I think in addition to the heat -- the humidity is back so that really adds to discomforts.
Love the wrap pants. Gorgeous.
Hope you all have a great day.
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petite: Those wrap pants are so cute.
Had a nature call at 2 AM, discovered outside spotlights were on and had to try 2 controllers to finally get them off. Not sure if they are coming on after they are autoturned off at 11:30 or if they are coming on again due to a glitch. Finally get back in bed, drift off and Leo (my velcro cat) decides to have a hacking episode and vomits in my hand, on the bed and on the carpet. So by the time I get this cleaned up, I am now wide awake. Put sheet and blanket in washer and then dryer. Watched videos my PT sent me on Lymphedema and finally fall asleep again around 5:30. Rough night which means no energy for today. I am trying to get small projects done each day since weather is too hot and humid to work outdoors. We are in an extreme heat advisory supposedly the hottest one yet. Most of the new perennials I had purchased and planted have died in spite of frequent watering, etc. which is disappointing. I have ferns I want to transplant but will hold off until it gets cooler.
Hope everyone has a good Tuesday.
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Petite, Those are cute. I made some in my youth but discovered OK is too windy for them to be modest. They were sure comfortable and cool though.
Betrayal, Oh that's the worst! I've heard that the sound of a hacking cat will bring owners out of a dead sleep. Wonder if it would work with teenagers.
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yeah, I am trying to dream up a way to make mine into something that I know will cover everything that needs or deserves to be covered.
I washed all my skirts, having a fun time pinning them up on the clothesline. But clearly needed a break. I was dripping. The temp is 88, but with a feels like of 100.
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Welcome to the group DebAl & Val. Petite1 those wrap pants look great! Betrayal, I hate when we do our best and the plants still die.
Today was my hamstring surgery. Dr said it went great, he was able to remove the piece of bone I tore off and reattach everything. Two surprises for me: One, they gave me an epidural, in all my reading no one ever mentioned that. But nurse explained she’d push a drug in my IV and I wouldn’t remember any of it. Two, my knee brace goes from mid thigh to my ankle. In my head and in pictures I’d seen, the brace was just above knee to just below knee. Surprise! I’m much more stable and more able to use the commode, with a pool noodle zip tied half way on the seat. I’ve mostly slept the day away. So I’m good.
Weather here is hot hot hot and humid. My niece & herdaughter should be here tomorrow for the pool. I’ll face time them between my naps. Looks hot all week.
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Betrayal, I'm sorry to hear you had such an interrupted night and lost sleep. Sounds like you are old enough too, to have a foggy very un-inspirational day after a mostly sleepless night. It also seems there are a number of states ( Illinois too ) having super heat/humidity periods. We all need to find things to do indoors and anything outside done early if it has to be done.
Cindy, it sounds like you got some "good" surprises for your surgery. That is good to hear. Can't recall -- did you say it would be wks. that you will be in the brace and healing or have I confused you with someone else. I hope it all goes a bit easier for you.
Took Dh to Marion today. My car a/c didn't seem to work as well as I had hoped, but likely due to the muggy heat. We arrived early, were taken in early and were back on the way home by the time the 'actual' appt hr. came. We did run into quite a thunderstorm on the way home. It dropped the temps. from 95 to 71 so fast. Although I'm not much for driving in the rain, it was nice with the cooler temps. The a/c worked much better then. Traffic was very minimal and it was nice that all my 'possible issues/possible problems' never materialized.
I hope you all had a really good day.
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Cindy: So glad to hear your surgery went well and that you can sit when it is most needed.
I am sure I will sleep like a log tonight and hope that Leo doesn't hack again. It doesn't happen often but it is worse in the middle of the night. Bedding is clean and back on the bed so I am good to go. Did little chores like mop the kitchen, powder room and laundry room floors and some overdue filing to make sure I am tired.
Finally think we got situation of Medicare and IBX 65 Special straightened out today. DH retired officially on 7/1/21 and we have had the dickens of a time trying to get Medicare to pay MD bills. Medicare agent told me that my IBX was the primary (not) but it is the supplement and a holdover from a plan that no longer exists where my DH worked. It costs us nothing because we prepaid for it and prescription coverage for years. Agent told me I needed to "drop" the IBX plan and I told him it only expired when I do. Then he started reading the Medicare handbook to me and I told him this was above his paygrade and I needed to talk to a supervisor. I supposedly did but they still did not fix it. Bureaucracy winds slowly when it comes to them having to pay their share of medical bills. So 6 weeks later, the prescription plan is finally working as well and now maybe my eye MD can be paid. It doesn't include glasses or dental but we were able to use Cobra and it is chaper than the other plans we explored. We can use it for 2 years and maybe by then all will be covered by Medicare.
Tomorrow has to be a better day.
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Cindy, glad it went well. The pool noodle is a great idea! Better than an elevated toilet seat.
IllinoisLady, Crazy weather all over. Tropical Storm Fred should be arriving Sunday - Monday.
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Once we started seeing the beauty of life, ugliness starts disappearing.
If we start looking at life with joy, sadness starts disappearing.
We cannot have heaven and hell together,
We can have only one. It is our choice..Rishika
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Heat and humidity ( temp indexes well above 100 for a few days ) will stay with us. Yesterday's rain just likely helped that old humidity get a great foothold. My friend in town has not had a/c at her house for 3 yrs. Have tried to talk her into a swamp cooler. We all make money mistakes but she spends on things that could be let go for a while and that money put toward a/c repair. I worry that she will not stay hydrated well enough in temps that seem to be worse by the yr.
Nothing too much planned for today. Taking Bill for a bath and a trim. He has been hot even inside the house and later he will get a full cut when the groomer is a bit less busy. Also my car needs to go in and be checked for the bearings it seems to now need.
Our yard is looking really good, but hopefully not much will be done for a bit while the heat is on-going. SIL drinks a lot of water while outside so that is good.
Hope you all stay well and don't have to go out much in the heat.
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A swamp will not work when the humidity is high. I have a dehumidifier and feel almost cold with the temp set at 77. I might try setting my ac at 80 and see if I am comfortable.
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