Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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All those on the east coast, please stay safe.
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Humanity's attempts to override nature have separated us from our source and destroyed what can save us. A camera can point to the glory of a pristine forest, but cannot create it. No smartphone is smart enough to spin a planet into orbit. God speaks to us daily, but we rarely take the time to listen. Nature is my church. When I walk in nature I know the Tao. No building, altar, or ritual is necessary. Human beings have created magnificent, awe-inspiring cathedrals, but none can surpass the wonder of a starry night. Alan Cohen
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Heat and humidity going to be hanging around. Well, maybe in a week or so we can see some of the temps come down and slowly get us back on better footing. Sure hope so. My kids ( daughter and sil ) are doing okay but are really getting a humidity trial by fire. Dh and I are not suffering near as much, but we do feel it.
Hope we don't have anyone from Tenn. here. I think they had bad issues and loss of life over our recent storms w/ so much rain and flooding. We are I think it seems, having more serious storms a lot of the time and I think the start of another seasonal change to fall will tend to encourage these issues. Prayers for everyone there.
Hoping all else have a good Monday.
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"Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art."
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Hello, all. I haven't been on for a few days. Today it is 2 years since BC surgery. It is a busy week with appointments for DH, Midnight Louie (the cat), and myself. Some are 2 appointments in one day.
Hope all are safe and didn't suffer from Fred or Henri or any international people from Gracie.
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All of this carries its PTSD and scariness. Saw Dr. M, my kind MO today, for routine 6 month checkup. See the handsome BS, Dr. W,every 6 months too. I have normal blood pressure and pulse in the 50's. BP was 179/81 in office, pulse 126. Dr. M, after he exams each breast says, “this is a normal exam, “ which I find most reassuring. He also said again that he expects me to live out my normal life span. I told him that I am stiff when I get out of a bed, chair and that I don't know whether it is age or arimidex. He said the way to tell would be to go off the arimidex for 6 weeks, that if it is the pill, my joints should lose the stiffness. He also said that he sometimes tells women to take the pill intermittently- every other day- if they have pain. I don't and am sticking to it nightly. So,no-more PTSD,hopefully, until September 30 and the annual mammo.- He also ordered a CMP, complete metabolic panel, which he’s never done. It made me a little nervous,but results just came back all normal
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Hang in there, Judy. Sounds like you had a classic case of "white-coat hypertension" and its cousin "stethoscope tachycardia." Anxiety when being at the doctor's office is notorious for that, compounded when the appointment has the potential to deliver momentous news. My bc MO, Dr. L, always orders a CMP and CBC for me at each visit. I don't see her again till April. But I'm on the every-6-months plan with my melanoma MO, Dr. B--will ask him what blood draws, if any, he will order. My weight control NP, Dr. M, entered a standing order for an a1c test, which I haven't had yet. (I didn't get it done the day I saw her at Skokie Hosp. because it's supposed to be a fasting blood draw--maybe I will get it done at the same time as the panels Dr. B orders. My PCP in Lincolnwood, Dr. S, says I don't need a lipid panel for another year.
Picked up my new orthotics today. They definitely have a higher arch than my 2-yr-old ones, and my feet are not pronating. They felt natural to me, maybe because I've been wearing some form of orthotic for a couple of years. The dress ones are very comfy too. Both pair came in under $500 total. I got off pretty cheaply, IMHO.
Bob is definitely getting his booster this week--Little Co. texted him that it's been 8 months since his first Pfizer shot, so his age is just "icing on the booster cake." Meanwhile, I'm wondering when Moderna will get full FDA approval for those age 16+. Probably Sept., as the company applied a month later than Pfizer did; but some immunologists are saying that the two mRNA vaccines are so similar that approval may come sooner.
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I went back to the exercise class at the gym yesterday. I had five classes left on the punch card at $5 each. I was welcomed by the other women. The routines were doable and I worked up a sweat. I took a cotton bandana to tie around my forehead and needed it. The room is too small but it's the only space available. I am looking forward to the Silver Sneakers classes at home when we return.
Last night we drove the short distance, a mile, to Clancy's restaurant and had dinner there for the first time this summer. I like their broasted chicken and usually get take-out several times during the summer but this summer they've been too busy for chicken take out. So I decided to go there and eat. The chicken was delicious but the thigh and drumstick were quite small. I also enjoyed a baked potato and salad with blue cheese dressing. It was nice not to have to cook and the restaurant wasn't crowded on a Monday night.
We had gentle rain during the night and it's cool this morning. Our drought may be over.
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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. -RachelNaomi Remen
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Our heat remains, and no rain although I felt a couple of times yesterday that it was close. Spot showers somewhere, but not here. Well, onward for the week. I think although hot and humid we will be mainly okay. We stay in most of the time when it is like that outside. Come he week-end we will lose a lot of the humidness and temps will be in the low 90's. Not great, but we can do a lot if the humidity is not so bad.
I hope you all have a really nice day.
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Well, it had to happen. Sunday morning I watered the tomatoes & herbs and ran the sprinkler, because it was getting hotter and things were looking parched. Yesterday was hot but tolerable. Today? Oy to the vey, 100F with 80% humidity. So hot I actually drove the 3 blocks to the fish store just for the air conditioning. Got home, took the patio tablecloth indoors, and by 6pm the heavens opened...followed by another storm an hour later. All the off-ramps from Lake Shore Drive had ponding (and those with viaducts were flooded). Bob barely made it home in time to avoid getting drenched. We're getting a little reprieve overnight but by morning it'll be pouring again. About 1/2 mi. west, a tree was uprooted and slammed against a brick low-rise senior/disabled-citizens' condo building, where it's (weirdly) vertical with its roots dangling--but the city crews won't do anything because the tree is entirely within the building's private property line and they can't get a quorum of the board together yet to vote to grant permission to remove it. One strong gust and it'll take out several windows.
Speaking of trees, the city came out a couple of days ago and removed what remained of our neighbor's linden tree, leaving a stump. So with our big maple replaced by a tiny black oak sapling, there goes our shade--and up goes our electric bill for air conditioning.
Bob's working all this weekend but gets off work early on Fri., so he wants to go to the Sox-Cubs game at Guaranteed Rate Field (we all still say "Sox Park" or even "Comiskey"). It'll be rush hour, and the roads will be jammed, so we will take the CTA Red Line down there, double-masked of course. (Train-wise, it's a reverse-commute so we can easily sit all the way down there). He wanted the club-level seats with waiter service and the ability to run a tab, so I bit the bullet and bought the tickets online last night from Gordy's agency (which is basically Ticketmaster's reseller). Hope it doesn't get stormed out before it even starts. The other advantage of the club-level seats is that if it gets too hot (or rains during the game), we can retreat into the air-conditioned club and watch through the floor-to-ceiling windows or on monitors. And there's a dedicated restroom in there too.
It's distressing that we may be facing mitigations again soon--probably starting with indoor capacity limits. We already have an indoor mask mandate again (it seems like it had been lifted for all of five minutes before being reinstated). I hope we don't go back into semi-lockdown like we did early in the pandemic.
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The journey between what you once were
and who you are now becoming
is where the dance of Life really takes place.
- Barbara De Angelis
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Hot today with high heat index ( 110 degree index ) but I think we will do okay. Just won't be doing much out of doors. Most of the gr. cover transplanting is done. It looks so nice. Hope ( gr. cover is drought resistant ) that we can keep it just wet enough to re-root well in the heat. Most people coming here now would not really recognize our yard. I'm amazed. When we first moved in our house 18 yrs. ago we were still loading up our truck every day of the week and doing lawns at the houses our family had purchased. They got them early so we cared for the yards -- in a couple of cases for over 4 yrs. till they arrived. So, you don't do much to your own yard when you are 'doing' yards for others all week long.
We are happy to see the improvements that are not completely finished, but close enough to sit back for awhile. In fact, because of heat issues and a couple of others items, it may be closer to Spring 2022 before we get back to it. That old heat has just taken us over.
I hope you all stay well and have a good day, full of success with all you do -- even if it is just resting or recovering from surgeries or other issues.
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Sometimes we're tested not to show our weaknesses but to discover our strengths.
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Another day here mainly like yesterday. That is okay. We will do fine I think. The back hub bearings will go in my car later today after I get home from my errands. I'm anxious a bit. I sure hope that stops the noises and if possible the dash computer lights that tend to come on -- sometimes for no discernable reason. One of them keeps telling me I have a severely low tire when it is at the required level.
Used to laugh a bit at the older people I knew ( when I wasn't one of them ) who always seemed to be pining for something in their long ago past. Now I see it is for people my age now, perfectly normal and totally understandable behavior. Said several times lately that I felt I always did just fine for yrs. in my cars that did NOT have anything remotely resembling a computer. In fact, one of my most favorite cars was a very late I think 60's Volvo sedan ( four speed ) big stick on the floor like a truck shifter. Once the hood was opened you could look down and see mostly ground. It ran like a clock and had a zillion miles on it. Shifted smoother than almost any other car I've had. Now, I just get to laugh at myself for pining those things I now miss.
Hope you all have a most wonderful day.
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I wrote a detailed text and it disappeared. It was back a while. Oh well, such is life!
I went to my follow-up with the surgeon yesterday. All is good, but I'm still braced for another two weeks. I start PT on 9/8, 2 weeks out and can take the brace off then too. They cut off excess material on my brace and tightened it. Can't drive for 3 more weeks.
I can do upper body workouts, use a pool to float (very carefully), and get a pedicure - which I've scheduled for today. The salon is aware I'm in a brace, I can take it off but my knee must remain bent. I can't wait!
It's 90 here today and humid. I could use the pool but it's one of those things that I know will zap my energy from worry, getting in and back out. AC blasting indoors and I'll await my pedicure.
Jackie I'm glad your yard is getting to where you want it. We're ignoring ours for now. Heat & humidity high, and partner taking care of me, and me pretty much useless to help outside, it is what it is.
I'd have to go back to address everyone's posts. Know I did read them, and I'm hoping everyone is doing well.
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Glad you got a positive report from your surgeon Cindy. Wish you did not have to put up with the heat and humidity. It seems to be in many places so all we can do is commiserate with each other.
Well, I started out for work today ( the free day for work ) and went around the corner in our lane and the road was blocked ahead. I could not tell ( though I knew it was a fire department type truck ) what was up ahead other than cars and that truck. I immediately thought that there may have been an accident of some sort right there at the beginning of our lane. Not so.
The house on the corner ( very wonderful retired man ) was awakened this morning ( 4 a.m. ) by an explosion. He had a Chrysler Pacifica in his garage and the lithium battery chose that time to explode. Since we live so close he and his lady friend were amazed it didn't wake me up. Well, I didn't have my hearing aids in and my door was closed as well. Sounds travel differently in the woods so I heard nothing. Non one else in our household did either. Well there was a fire of course and I heard none of that either.
Thankful that Tim and his lady friend are fine and he had fantastic insurance. Interestingly his State Farm Ins. Agent lives almost across the street from him. The house is pretty much a loss although I think only the garage had fire in it. Still the explosion brought the ceilings down in the house ( not sure if that included the finished basement ) and the smell of smoke permeates everything. Another point of interest, Tim was the original owner of the house and had it built. After it's last owner ( third one I think ) decided to sell it, Tim made an offer and regained his old home. He spent the last 4 & 1/2 yrs. making improvements on it. No more siding, all brick -- including the big three car garage at the far end of the property. He put in some pool improvements plus a really nice black metal fence. All the fencing around the yard was taken out and only that around the poll remained. Made lots of improvements in the house as well as yard landscaping. I so feel for him. I hope he chooses to put the house back as it was. He made it so pretty .
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So sorry about your neighbor's house, Jackie. Seems Li-ion batteries have been exploding more and more these days (a cellphone blew up on a plane last week during de-boarding, and people had to use the emergency slides to get to the tarmac).
It sounds like you have one or more faulty tire pressure monitor sensors. That's what happened with my car a few months ago.
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Yesterday it rained gently for a good part of the day, eliminating golf with the women's league and mowing.
Not sure what today's weather will be. It's overcast this morning.
Hurricane Ida, headed for Louisiana coast, is worrisome, even from a distance.
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Good morning, ladies. My 2 year follow up appointment went well. All my labs are normal and my follow up mamo is being scheduled. DH had his appointment with the kidney doctor and it was better than expected. She is referring him to a pulmonologist and a hematologist. He is not feeling well this morning.
IllinoisLady, Wow. That is scary. There was a lady near us that had a new Nissan that the battery exploded and the house burned down. That was a few years ago.
Cindy, I am glad your doing well.
Carole, stay safe.
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If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be. -John Heywood
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Carol, I hope your rain will keep it nice and cool for you. I do hope La. is okay with the coming storm and there won't be much damages. They are struggling with low vaccination rates and so already have a lot of their plates.
Petite, hooray for good labs. A great start so hoping all the rest of your tests turn out as well. Sorry to hear your dh is not so well this morning and hope his further appts. with his Dr.'s will help him transition to a better over-all health picture. It is probably hard for him to feel a lot of confidence since he has been in such a long struggle with his health.
I think there have been off and on a number of big recalls on those lithium batteries. Tim only just bought that car in December so not sure his YEAR, make and model were even listed in a recall as yet. I talked to his lady-friend but not him and I didn't ask. Hope all goes well for them.
Big day today at work. I didn't go last wk. as their was a family covid case and so my friend wanted to go thru the standard period to make sure she didn't have anything going on although she was vaccinated. I appreciated that she was willing to quarantine herself. Will be a lot of catch-up today but I always expect this pretty much since I'm down to only one day with her now.
I hope you all have a good day.
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Carol, praying your home stays safe with the hurricane aiming for your area of LA.
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Me too Carole. Hopefully you have someone who will board up for you.
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Thanks for the concern. Our house has storm shutters and we lowered them over the windows before we left home. I am very worried about family members who will not evacuate but will ride out the storm. My sister and her dh and extended family may go to our house since we have an installed generator capable of running all the electrical.
We're having another rainy day. DH was signed up for a golf tournament that was canceled. I stayed in bed until almost 8 am.
Best wishes to everyone.
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Will pray your family stays safe and all those impacted by Ida.
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Carole - prayers to your family down there. Ida could be severe.
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When we live moment to moment, we place ourselves at the center of life, where infinite wisdom abides, rather than on the periphery, where things are forever changing and we are susceptible to the vagaries of the world. It is in our awareness each moment of our oneness with God that our inner peace and greatest strength lie. -Susan L.Taylor
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Prayers for your family Carole and all the people in LA. It sounds like Ida may be worse then Katrina. Here's hoping its category might decrease and not have the ability to cause so much damage.
I'm late today but it has been a nice day if hot and humid. Not as bad as I was thinking. Being out in our woods with plenty of shade and no concrete to surround us like in town does help a lot.
Went to Good Will for a while. We hadn't been for some time. I'm amazed -- got two blouses ( Liz Clairborne ) for $1.00 each. They were on a color tag sale. I didn't pay any attention to the 'special' sales -- just picked out what appealed to me. They almost always have good prices whether on sale or not. Got a few other things as well. We had a fair sized bag of goodies all for less then $11.00. My kind of shopping.
Hope you all had a really good day.
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Carole, sending positive thoughts that your house stays safe. Though Ida may be stronger than Katrina, I hear that NOLA's levee system has been considerably reinforced with pumps that can divert up to 5" of rain every four hours. You're inland a bit (north of the lake?), so that should help.
Got some disconcerting news--a couple of my friends, who moved in Feb. 2020 to a tiny town in central SC, caught COVID on an anniversary trip to Myrtle Beach. He had a very mild case that lasted a couple of days. But she (who takes an immunosuppressant for her severe fibromyalgia) had to be admitted to the hospital when her sats dropped too low. She's managed to stay out of the ICU and is feeling better with supplemental O2. But it'll still be a tough road back. They've always been on the ideologically-conservative side (which was likely why they left the near SW suburbs of Chicago), so I didn't ask if they were vaccinated or even wore masks. And I'm not going to ask--they have enough stress as it is without feeling judged.
We went to the Sox-Cubs game last night down at the former Comiskey Park (nobody calls it by its corporate nom-du-jour). We took the CTA train down, and it wasn't too crowded because we went early. Bob wanted the "club" seats that come with waitstaff service and indoor lounge access, so we bit the bullet and bought a pair from the reseller service for which Gordy works as an online fraud analyst. We're not spending money on travel these days anyway, and I hardly ever clothes-shop. IMHO, not really worth it--the food & drink menu is pretty limited compared to the various walk-up concessions at the lower levels (though it was cool to whip out my phone and order via app, and not have to pass cash across several seats; and the no-line spotless restrooms, with hot water, was a big perk). But the weather had temporarily cooled off just enough that we didn't have to take refuge in the air conditioned lounge. Next time, back to the cheaper seats. (If there is a next time--and it'll be at another Sox game because I don't see us doing a repeat visit to Wrigley Field since the Cubs traded away everybody good; and the atmosphere in & around Wrigley is "tech-bro-show-off/drunken frat boy").
One more night & day of 100+-degree heat indexes and pop-up T-storms before a cool front pushes through on Mon. morning and drops us back down to the low 80s (maybe 70s here by the lake). But it looks like by next weekend we'll be back in the "schvitz."
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