Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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"It is good to have money and the things that money can buy,
but it's good too, to check up once in a while
and make sure you haven't lost the things money can't buy."— GEORGE HORACE LORIMER
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Beautiful cool weather ( oh how great to skip full summer's humidity ) here in Illinois. The sun is out so should be a fruitful day. Sorry your old fridge is being temperamental again Carole. Mine is not tooooo old, but save for what new ones cost I won't likely be sorry when it goes. We have one of the French door varieties. While having all the things you use most often front and center so to speak, I've found for us -- the size we need for our kitchen spot just doesn't cut it too well. We so often never know for sure what is in there since it is all more or less crammed in. I think we will go back to double door. Dh doesn't like that, but I know I would be much happier.
I have work to do in my room and elsewhere on the way to filling boxes full of things to find another home. I also have a box out in the garage for "new" home items. It is slow but is coming together.
Hope you are all going to have a great Sunday.
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Carole- years ago a friend went up my moms house to fix her fridge. It has stopped working. He took a hammer and gave the condenser a big whack. It went back on & didn’t die for years. We always teased she missed the opportunity to replace it. If yours is pretty much dead already, I’d try giving it a whack.
IllinoisLady- I have a side by side and love it. I’m tall and was sick of bending down to see what’s in it, regular fridge. Then the top switched up to fridge, with bottom freezer. I grew up with that (one mentioned above) and the freezer just don’t float my boat. So I vote with you, if yours ever stops working.
Overcast and cool, 52. Tomorrow high of53. Yesterday shorts. Temps changing on a dime.
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I have been out of town. So many different people to meet-- relatives and old friends. Went back home. First people I met were a cousin and her husband. I haven't seen her in over twenty years. We had lunch at a Mexican place. I have recently eliminated milk products from my diet. Have you ever eaten Mexican without cheese?
Next I ate lunch with two old friends from high school. One I knew more from Facebook. Both of them worked in education. It was fun. Was disappointed that the third one I had named wasn't able to make it, I had gone to school with her all the way through.
My sister and I went downtown in our hometown. There were two antique stores. One was next door to the building where my grandfather had a dry cleaning shop. We found an advertising fan from grandpa's shop!! Needless to say, I walked out with it.
Then another meeting was with my 94-year-old aunt, and my cousin who is a month younger than me (and her husband). My cousin had BC five years before me, and there was no plastic surgeon available. They left everything they could leave so she would have no problems with a restoration. Needless to say, she has been depressed for the past five years, but afraid to go ahead with it. I showed her what I had, and she showed me what she doesn't have. I asked her why insurance covers restoration, and she delivered the right answer. She decided that it is finally time to have a serious discussion with her husband about it. My aunt's health is declining, and she is having a lot of problems with pain. So sad to see, but inevitable.
We had pizza, but I ordered a hamburger. My BIL gave me a little slice, and I picked the cheese off and gave it to my dog. Pizza without cheese is much better than Mexican without cheese.
Bedtime.
Irish, like I said, sometimes it pays to get angry. Don't be embarrassed to show emotion. Being afraid of our emotions leads to more problems later.
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Thanks for sharing your visit to your home town, Mary. I enjoyed your account, especially finding that fan.
I am meeting four other women for lunch today. When I texted one of them that I had gone back to coloring my hair, she reacted with great relief, saying she had been dreading her reaction to my "natural" look because she didn't want to hurt my feelings. She just turned 87 and looks much younger. She's a good golfer but is dealing with sciatica.
Today's weather is supposed to give us another nice day.
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Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a person who won't cheat, then you know you never will. -John MacDonald
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. -Alan Simpson
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I too enjoyed MC's going home stories. In so many important ways there is no place like home. The fan was a great find and treasure. I am also up with the idea that not showing what we feel can be very troublesome for a long time. I've had recent experience of this with my SIL and things are so much better now. Being who we REALLY are is generally ( with thought and care ) the best road.
Nice today with sun but not hot or humid. Those are our best conditions. We have actually turned for furnace on. Surprised me but it was and will be getting into the 40's in our overnight temps. and Dh hasn't handled cold very well these last few yrs. I've got his agreement not to go past 71 on the heat. Hope that holds. Trying to get him to go lower ( 68 ) at night but I may not make it. I'll keep trying.
Going later for a read-out and dx on my car interior trouble lights. The dealership I think would have me replace the whole computer system and I don't think I need to do that. Maybe a couple of modules. Also, I hope the guy can trace my rattle that no one else seems able to find. It is so off-putting to me and no one says much but when they ride with me I just sense they "wonder" what's up. My Reps. bill's use Jeff and I do know he is extremely talented since he builds cars and has been sought after by most of the repair centers in town. Fingers crossed I can find out if there are remedies I can afford.
Hope you all have a great Monday.
ETA: A little late but I put my black cat avatar on for the current season.
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Good morning. It is even a nice cool Fall morning here in Florida. Pleasant to walk. The cats are very lovey and want to sit on my lap and get petted. They are enjoying the cooler weather as well. It will warm up this afternoon.
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This is a sweet little flower outside my office window.
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Bachelor's buttons. I need to go out and pick my cherry tomatoes-- all of them because the vines will be dead from frost by the end of the week. Parts are already. Then I start moving more strawberry plants into those places.
I went to the hardware store early this afternoon on my bike. Tomorrow to get my flu shot. Called customer service for a minor bike problem and he was really nice. Spent a few extra minutes with me discussing common problems.
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Mary, I really enjoyed your stories about your visit to your hom town. Seems like the new bike is working well for your transportation.
They are bachelor's buttons and I have not seen any locally in years. I'll have to find some and make a spot for them next year. My irises are confused and just bloomed for the second time this year. I don't mind because they are quite beautiful and it is a bright note right now.
Had flu shot last week and arm was a tad sore but only to touch and when I rolled over on it. Get 3rd dose of Pfizer on Monday and have been warned I could have some SE. Had none with either of the first doses so hope it continues.
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I have several bearded irises and two azalea bushes that are of the reblooming variety. Not as prolific as in the spring but they always put a smile on my face
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Just noted that the clematis that I waited for all summer to bloom, is now in full bloom. The flowers are a lovely mauve so what a surprise to see 4 flowers today, which has probably been my worst Monday in a long time. They finally brought a smile to my face.
When I can hold my emotions in check I 'll fill you in about outcome of visit with GI surgeon.
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It's been a brutal two weeks. HK not coming in till Wed. Threw my back out today (4th time in as many weeks), but this time so bad I have to use a Rollator, cane, reacher, and "get creative" in the bathroom. Was supposed to have a vet appt. for Happy today--his IBD is worsening and it's now affecting "both ends." Of course, no way could I get him into a carrier and out the house into the car: I can barely get up from a chair and am dreading going upstairs tonight. So I postponed till my HK gets back. Bob will do the 11pm canned food feedings (I muddled along today with the reacher and occasional screams of pain) and scoop the litterboxes (had to buy a new one yesterday.
I'm gonna shuffle into the kitchen to fix myself a dinner plate, so will clue you in later on all the other woes of the past 2 weeks. (Dontcha just hate it when you think you can't take any more and God goes "here--hold my beer")?
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Dear friends,
My quest for the results of my ONCOTYPE test continues.
After Tuesday's calls to investigate I felt confident that I could trust the lab with their word that it would be ready.
Well Friday I spent about 4 hours on the phone with ordering surgeon's office, lab, insurance, nurse navigator. End of the day, still no answers,
Monday I began again, the surgeon's office was waiting my call. Still not resolved, lots of excuses. They promised answers buy 1:00. I call insurance to check on the prior authorization/ nothing.
Spoke with Navigator- she is onboard now trying see about prior authorization.
1:00 come call from surgeon's office lab is waiting on response from insurance with auth to release results.
I feel like I am being held hostage!
I find out the name of the third party authorization company and case number.
I search the internet find the corporate office phone number- then call.
The person that answered was shocked that the patient called to try to resolve the problem.
We had quite a discussion, afterwards she told me that she was going to elevate the prior authorization urgency.
I communicated my conversation to surgeon's office, she was surprised I had called the company.
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone
Let's see what tomorrow brings.
My oncology appointment is Wednesday-
Irish.
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So the saga continues. (My manicurist and woo-woo friends are saying "Mercury retrograde," which is astrology b.s., an optical illusion, and calls to mind the image of the late Freddie rolling backwards down a hill while singing "Bohemian Rhapsody"). The first thing to go wrong was when I got a rapid-fire succession of bank alerts on my Apple Watch--my debit card was used to make five small Amazon purchases. I went to my Amazon account, and of course there were no such orders. So I had to call my bank, get the card cancelled, and wait for the "your automatic payment has been declined" e-mails from whichever of my accounts use that card (rather than e-checks) to start rolling in. I have only a temporary card for now--and after the bank finally determined the charges were in fact fraudulent, they sent me a text saying it's gonna take an extra 10 business days for the new one to come in.
Then, I noticed my new glasses prescription listed a far-too-wide pupillary distance (PD 64), so I called Warby Parker and told the online optician. He used a couple of selfies I took & sent him, and measured my PD online as 56--twice. My glasses arrived--and they were all wrong. Round things, when viewed edgewise, looked oval and rectangular things looked stretched out. I've had progressives with astigmatism correction for years, and never needed to get used to them, much less had that much distortion. Re-booked an eye exam--the optometrist looked at my prescription and gasped, "that's not what I entered!" So she re-refracted me and got (I hope) the correct axis & cylinder measurements. And she manually used an old-school meter to measure my PD--which is 58 (my current glasses are 57.5). She said that 56 was too narrow--even a 2mm error can drastically affect the field of clear vision in progressives with astigmatism correction. Anyway, the blue tortoise coloring on the "fade" frames was different enough from the demo pair in the store that I didn't find them flattering (showed too much of my eye bags)--so I decided to go with my current frame shape but uniformly red. When the new ones come in, I'll have Warby replace the lenses in my current frames (which are purple tortoise with glod hardware) and sunglasses. I have other older frames I like even better but Warby won't replace lenses in frames that they no longer offer. (For those older ones, should I wish to re-lens them, I'll go to an inexpensive optician).
Next, I went to the fridge to get a glass of water from the in-door dispenser--and a mosquito came out. I took a pipe cleaner to the spout and it came out with little black specks! So I realized it was long past time to change the water filter--but the only ones I had on hand were for my previous fridge and of course didn't fit. Fortunately, I was able to drive up to the appliance store to get the replacement. The 2-1/2 gallons I had to flush through it took care of the skeeter-incubator.
Third mishap--en route home from the grocery, I noticed my right hand was bleeding. Turned out to be paper cuts on my thumb & index finger (the one on my thumb might have been from a plastic takeout box as I was doing self-checkout. The cuts weren't healing, because the waterproof band-aids kept falling off every time I washed my hands. I had to tape the bandages in place--I think they're finally healing. But then Happy got his claw stuck on my jeans as he was climbing down off my lap, and when I tried to extricate him (lest he dislocate a limb), he raked my R foot with his rear claws. So now I have giant Band-Aids, side-by-side, because the scratches are too long for the pads in regular-size ones.
The while struggling to open a stuck cabinet door I strained a finger on my L hand--which caused the nail to be ingrown and inflamed. Not infected...yet.
Fourth--we got a 2-month metered water bill for $400! I went to the city's website, clicked "check my usage" and found that my other billing cycles used 7000-8000 gallons...but between Aug. 2 & Oct. 1 I'd used almost 40,000 gallons! Even got an e-mail that my meter was running continuously. Couldn't find a leak anywhere, nor could my landscaper and plumber. Went to the basement to show the plumber the meter running--but it had stopped. He flipped the switch leading from the hose to the sprinkler timer (which I'd turned off as soon as I saw the bill) and it started to ooze. He flipped it back to "off," and the dripping stopped. I asked if that alone could have used up 20,000 gal. a month, and he said if it was going 24/7, absolutely. (I guess when the landscaper checked the hose connections, he'd inadvertently tightened them and solved the problem).
Then Happy began to get the runs from the wet food he likes best--Sheba. And yesterday, he partly missed the box--which was so old & full it had cracked. So before dinner yesterday I had to dash out to the Petsmart to buy a couple of new ones (3-tray sifting ones). I managed to get the old box & its litter to the garbage cart last night and put out one of the new ones. But of course, this morning came the Back Strain from Hell, so Bob has to do the scooping till my HK gets back on Wed.
Each episode taken individually sounds trivial. But put them together over two weeks, and it's like being stoned to death with popcorn...un-popped popcorn...one kernel at a time.
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Irish, any resolution yet?
Puffin, happy belated birthday! Petite, glad your leg sore is finally healing.
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We are not victims of aging, sickness and death.
These are part of scenery, not the seer,
who is immune to any form of change.
This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.
- Deepak Chopra0 -
Sunny today. Sandy, that is a lot to handle, even if it is a two week stretch. How we manage sometimes. Thank goodness we have this place which can hold so much of our life with someone to care and commiserate with us. Hoping you have success with all these issues and they fall into place ( the back one is the touchy one ) with resolutions that don't take too long. Hugs for kitty to get better too.
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Good morning. It is 60 degrees and sunny. This morning a 3mm cyst popped of the leg wound. The wound bed is nice and clean. It should heal up nicely, now.
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ChiSandy: So sorry to read of all your recent trials and hope the end is in sight. If Mercury in retrograde (do not believe this for a minute) is the cause then it does shift the source from other considerations. Thoughts of Freddie rolling backwards down a hill singing Bohemian Rhapsody (a favorite of mine) brought a smile to my face. As the old Morton Salt jingle said "When it rains, it pours" came to mind and like you I am tired of the "other shoe dropping". I need a break from the stressors of home restoration (mostly not happening) and changes in my health status.
What was to be an extended appendectomy for a precancerous polyp that reappeared after resection in June 2020, has now morphed into major bowel surgery and I am still trying to wrap my head around this. So what was to be a possible overnight stay post-op is now predicted to become a 3-5 day stay but "plan on 4 days". I am not a good patient because I know what is acceptable practice and know that my chances of seeing it are not likely. This is based on my past experiences to date and from my professional experience. Told that I would ahve to share a room and that while patients are screened, visitors are not and they can camp out in the room from 9 AM to 8 PM if they so choose. Visitors are restricted to one per day and once they leave, they are not readmitted. I do not want a roommate. I value my privacy and would feel like a captive if I have to endure not only a roommate but their visitor. Who enforces that the visitor wears a mask, doesn't use the bathroom in the room and doesn't remove the mask to eat, talk on the phone, etc. This is a major medical center but I have observed people in the waiting rooms maskless as they talk on the phone, eat, etc and no one reminds them of the rules. So the thoughts pf being in the same room with a stranger is not to my liking and I am pursuing a private room even if I have to bite the bullet and pay out of pocket.
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((((Betrayal))))
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Betrayal, I will be praying for you. Same for Sandy.
I pulled my cherry tomato volunteers last night. Gleaned off the best, but that was going too slow and might result missing some nice one, so then I cut off the racemes. They are on my porch in a peck basket I gleaned out of the dumpster.
A friend just returned from a week or two in the hospital. She had had Covid as a break-through. Looks really bad, pale. She is ninety, Asked me to get rid of some shavers, was afraid she might cut herself. I did not realize the seriousness of her request until I was in bed, but took care of it this morning.
Only bad thing is that a new neighbor requested some garden space, without even looking at the garden. Called my mint-patch some weeds, and didn't know that almost half of the larger garden is strawberries. I already have noted that she is intrusive, so this is going to take some time to negotiate.
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Sandy & Betrayal- HUGS It does bring to mind the Morton salt “when it rains, it pours!” You’re both getting poured on. Petite, glad you’re healing.
I ordered a different seat cushion to drive with. We start to TX to FL on 11/4 and I’m not sure my purple gel seat can stand up to that much driving. This new one is called Loutytou and has openings where my “sits” bone goes. Feels great onthe couch, hope just as great to drive with. I’m running out later and will test drive it.
We clicked heat on yesterday, I couldn’t get warm. The house was 62 & out side was 53. Today it’s better in & out and no heat is running. Enjoy your day ladies.
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Ladies,
Wanted to give you an update on the ONCOTYPE test sage trying to get results.
Since last week I have been trying get my results.
I have been waiting 3 weeks. Multi calls were made Tuesday and Friday/
Monday I began once again on trying to figure out what the delay is and how to resolve it.
I spent the whole day, making multiple calls to the surgeons office, the off sight lab, and my insurance.
I found out that the test was ready but the lack of prior authorization response, it was on hold.
I then discovered that a third party prior auth company was involved, I got the name and the case number.
I search for the corporate office and called them. The person that answered the call was shocked that I called, they only deal with labs and lab representatives, she told me.
I reminded her that I was the patient and the tissue that was tested was mine. She really didn't know what to do that a patient calling.
After a conversation explaining the frustration and the countless called everywhere, she indicated that she was going to talk with her supervisors to the problems. She then said the the request for authorization will be elevated.
I communicated to the surgeon's office of my call. it was late afternoon, I was exhausted.
Today I received notification that the test results were back!
It has been incredible that this has been a week long saga, it has been a emotional, and frustrating process. I have spent approximately 16 hours in chasing this test down.
I am grateful that I have the results, my oncology appt is tomorrow. Hopefully my treatment can begin.
Irish.
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((((Irish))))
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I just got a call, my oncology appointment was moved to next week,
because the ONCOTYPE test is not back.
I told the office yes they have it is was sent this am.
Then was told, her child is sick.
I said, then the real reason is the child is sick, right? Answered Yes
Am I in the twilight zone?
I think I am going to schedule an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic.
Irish
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I am sure your assertive actions are helping. I got the runaround with my dentures, and the story isn't dene yet, either.
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Ladies, it seems the world is topsy-turvy and trust for things to go right and on time have become a near impossibility. Starting to wonder -- will we ever be right again.
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Irish,
To be lied to is just awful! If she would lie about something like that, how can you ever believe what you say. Yes, I think its time to move on and if the Cleveland Clinic is close by, that would be my choice as well. While you wait for that appointment, you can always contact OncotypeIQ to get your results:
https://www.oncotypeiq.com/en-US/contact/contact-u...
Best of luck,
Jane
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