Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Irish, it’s been years but I’m pretty sure my onco type results took at least 3 weeks. I too recall the sample being sent but my insurance holding it up. In fact I started radiation under the assumption that when it did come back it would be low. It was borderline, with chemo recommended. Bottom line, with so many hands in the pot, it took a long time. Get the copy of results sent to you. HUG
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Been trying to catch up - I don't think I've been on all month. Will update another time. Sending hugs to all who need them.
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Irish, it's disgusting when people don't come clean with the real reason for delays--especially when you can prove they're lying.
Betrayal, "the other shoe(s) dropping" isn't supposed to come from a centipede!
karen, I hear you about trying to catch up--life, even a mountain of its trivial annoyances, so often gets in the way.
Today, my new debit card arrived. IDPH's Entellitrak Medical Cannabis System finally answered my e-mail, assigning me a new valid password. I logged in, updated my ID and photo, and confirmed that the new certifying MD had entered his recommendation. Even got a 70% senior citizen discount on my renewal application fee. Hoping the new card arrives in time. At least I was able to buy some 1:1 CBD:indica balm at the dispensary last week (nobody seems to carry those Mary's Medicinals transdermal gel pens any more, which worked fast without spreading a greasy mess all over my back). And Warby Parker e-mailed that my new glasses have shipped; UPS predicts they'll arrive tomorrow. And of course, hoping upon hope my HK shows up tomorrow. As much as I hurt I will make sure not to leave her a sink full of dirty dishes or full garbage cans. Laundry will take awhile--no hurry, we have more than enough clean stuff. I don't wanna know about the litter boxes--as I said earlier, I can't navigate the basement stairs yet.
But my back doesn't want to "play nice" yet. At least having to do everything slowly & painfully helps pass the time and alleviate boredom.
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Fellow warriors,
It is amazing to walk with you toward wholeness. I see us like a group of women walking, talking, crying and encouraging each other along the way. Often stopping to enjoy the simple beautiful things together . The strength of one gives courage to the weaker to continue on. When doubt and confusion slows one the gentle touch of another supports until calm returns. I've only joined this incredible group but I have been so blessed by you all.
Irish
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Hugs for everyone with problems than can seem overwhelming. In contrast mine don't seem so serious. But solutions can seem wonderful. A call yesterday that our new refrigerator will be delivered today. Hoping everything goes well and tomorrow morning dh won't have to walk to the outbuilding to get h&h for his coffee. And salad makings will be right here in the house.
I worked in the yard yesterday for two plus hours and made some improvement. I also went to chair yoga at the gym.
DH and I both have been discarding clothes from our closets. I'm bagging them up in large plastic bags for pickup. I set up an appointment with Vietnam Veterans and they come by and take the donations.
Our beautiful weather has gone east. It's overcast outside with the chance of showers. And the week's forecast warns of humidity and heat.
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Betrayal. Cyber hugs to you. I would want a private room, too. I had a bad experience with a roommate with C-Diff. They had us sharing a bathroom and I had surgical wounds. I did a lot of complaining and they did separate us.
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The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. . . . The ordinary objects of human endeavor -- property, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible. -Albert Einstein
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Gorgeous day today. Sure was cool this morning. Had to go to Marion V.A. early. Bonus -- while there we were able to get our flu shots. Had been trying to figure out how to fit them in so it worked out well. On the way home we stopped at Culver's in Mt. Vernon and had a nice lunch. I won't have to eat for two days now.
Carole, how great the new fridge will arrive so soon. It is great to have everything you need at fingertips. Something to look forward to -- a fridge that is dependable with everything where it can be easily reached. Sorry to hear you will be getting that dreaded humidity. We will be in the 60's for a few days. Guess I should pull a couple of my light sweatshirts out.
Enjoying my day off and only a little job tomorrow so maybe I'll get a little farther in my collecting up for the give away box. That will turn into boxes by the time we are through.
Petite, sure glad your leg is much better.
Hope you have all had a good day.
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Today was our last day of T-shirt weather, perhaps till spring. Going down into the 50s, which is as warm as tomorrow will get.
Back slowly improving to the point where I think "still quite sore & stiff," rather than "OMG!!! #$%^&*(_!!!!!"
New eyeglasses arrived--prescription is better than the first try, though it still isn't perfect. I'm still feeling a bit of strain and seeing some parallelogram distortion in the R eye--and slight vertical "stretch distortion" (i.e. slight ovalization of circles, not as bad as the first try) compared to the 2020-21 current one. Surprising in that it's the same frame (different color), same size & shape lens, same progressive blanks (i.e., identical distance/middle/reading and side area patterns), only .5mm PD increase; and 5 degrees different axis in the L lens.
Have to take Happy into the vet Thurs. aft. to discuss treatment going forward for his feline IBD--even if I were willing to subject him (at age 14) to a biopsy to see if it's progressed to intestinal lymphoma, if dietary changes haven't worked the next line of defense is prednisone (oral if he'll swallow it).
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Good morning. I had a call from an estate sale company I deal with for a pre-sale opportunity. There was over 50 designer bags, most have never been used, and all have the dust covers. I bought the whole lot. I have gifts for all the women on my list and plenty to resell. It was great fun.
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The new refrigerator was damaged and dh refused delivery. The dent was minor but the placement was near the water connection for the icemaker and dh was afraid the unseen damage might cause a leak. So here we are without a refrigerator. My sister recommended we buy a used model to use while we wait.
Yucky weather today.
Congratulations, Petite, on your purchase.
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Carole, I agree. Get a used one until the clog in the supply pipeline gets flushed out.
We are going to have a bit of sun this afternoon. Waiting for it so a customer can get some better light for choosing fabric for a new waistband for her skirt.
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A woman once told me that she did not feel the need to reach out to those around her because she prayed every day. Surely, this was enough. But a prayer is about our relationship to God; a blessing is about our relationship to the spark of God in one another. God may not need our attention as badly as the person next to us on the bus or behind us in line in the supermarket. Everyone in the world matters, and so do their blessings. When we bless others, we offer them refuge from an indifferent world. -Rachel Naomi Remen
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Wow, Carole. Now I wish I hadn't said how great for you about the refrigerator since it really wasn't. I concur -- a used one would get you over the hump while you wait for a new ( in perfect condition ) one. I wonder how many times big ticket items like refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. do get damaged. Dh who sold them for Sears for such a long time said it happened a lot. In fact, the one we have had some hard to see dents which is why we got such a good buy on it. Didn't matter to the store since they only sold them -- and none were necessary for them. If too bad they sent them back. There were stores ( I don't know of any now though ) who would often take the slightly damaged ones and sell them. I hope you find a quick, workable solution.
Sunny today. We were due rain last night but it did not come. SIL has I think the new roof all done on the 4-car garage and half carport adjacent. It sure looks nice out there. I think the total cost ( for one extra sheet of medal and roof cap and some sealer ) was about $110.00. Our cool starts today though the bright sun will make it quite tolerable. Time for that light sweatshirt.
Keeping the house at 71. Both of the kids being used to Calif. have trouble with heat. I hate to say I'm glad, but I am. When we had the new furnace installed Dh wanted to keep the temp. ( heat ) at 74 or 76. He just didn't realize we have never had it that hot in here save for summer. Anything that allows the temps to be a bit less makes me happy. I'd rather put another layer on then have to remove down to bare minimum.
Hope you all have a wonderful day.
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We're keeping the heat at 71 till it gets way cold outside and we can't sufficiently re-caulk the cracks & crevices in the front room (where I spend most of my time).
Vet thinks Happy might be hyperthyroid (he wasn't back in 2019), so she did another CMP today along with a urinalysis. He's lost another 10 oz. since his checkup & shots in June. She agrees that we should start treatment with low-dose prednisone pills, but also a different and unflavored probiotic from the FortiFlora he takes now. She's leaving next week for the public-health sector, using her veterinary credentials to study zoonotic diseases (like the animals in the city's zoos who've had COVID). Happy's new vet will see him in a month.
Just put on the last of my prescription-only Lidoderm patches. I can keep it on till morning. As to the eyeglass prescription, even a tiny change in astigmatism axis correction can take over a week for the brain to get used to. The frames are slightly crooked, though--so when I feel well enough to go out for routine stuff I will head over to Warby Parker to have them adjusted. And if by then I've gotten accustomed to the new prescription, I will have it installed in my purple frames and my sunglasses.
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My sisters husband left the house for the bank, 15 minutes later he was back to ask “Where was I going?” This happened 4 times. She proceeded to tell me how he cooked his steak 2 days ago, he put in in the oven to broil but used no pan - grease had her coughing and when she looked no pan. He said - you told me it was self cleaning. She’s at wits end. When she told him his actions are not normal, he’s quick to respond “my dr says I’m fine.” I’m thinking she should contact her insurance carrier to explain the Dr has ignored the list of things not right, and at this point he could endanger them both - see what happens.
It was beautiful weather today, sun on and off but in the low 70’s. We put away the last of the yard items- tables and chairs, threw away an outdoor rug from the deck, I pulled all my garden crap and birdbaths too. Only items left are a few solar things I like to look out at night (6:40? Haha) to see. We leave in 14 days and today appears to have been the warmest predicted over the next 10.
Healing thoughts to all who need them. Hoping you enjoyed the day.
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I finally wrote a letter to DH's doctor listing incidents I've seen and saying I thought he should be referred to a neurologist. He did finally. I went to his appt with the neurologist on Monday. She had already told him to stop driving but he still was. She looked at him sternly and said stop. He told me he didn't remember that but I was sitting there and heard her loud and clear. He has decided to stop driving and is donating his car to our local NPR station. I can't wait for it to get out of the driveway so I can park there. We went grocery shopping this afternoon (2 hours). He went up and down each aisle with his itty bitty old man steps and asked me 4 times if we needed bread. I said no each time. I'm really worried about his physical condition too. He takes little bitty shuffling steps and almost fell backwards off the front concrete steps this afternoon. It's a good thing his doctor referred him because I was going to go up the ladder if he didn't.
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My DFIL was dx with Alzheimer's but he was able to hide his symptoms from his MD for many months much to his detriment. I finally had to tell my MIL that she needed to emphasize to the MD what she was observing and things we had observed such as impulsive driving including no regard for oncoming traffic, using the edge of a tablecloth in a restaurant to wipe his chin, inability to let ehr out of his sight, etc. She was using a lot of denial about his forgetfulness but also trying to reorient him which lead to his becoming angry. I refused to ride in his car to provide directions and told my DH he could do this in the future. After a car accident, in which he was not the cause (fortunately it was observed by a cop), he decided to stop driving.
Wren44, I applaud you for your actions in getting him a neurologist referral and am happy he made the decision to give up driving. CindyNY, I feel for your sister and she should insist that a referral for a neurologist be made. That physician has a responsibility to provide for his patient's safety and if he doesn't it is time to notify the state medical board if he has failed to respond to your sister's concerns.
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I seem to be adjusting to the new eye prescription--at dinner, I looked down at my cocktail glass and it seemed round, but when I took off my glasses, it appeared horizontally oval. (The new Rx, at first, made round objects look vertically oval). My back seems to be better--or maybe I'm making peace with my pain. (The Lidoderm patch is helping immensely).
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All of nature offers lessons on living, free of charge. One morning I noticed a dead tree supporting many living things--fungus, vines, lichen--which taught me that even after death we can continue to support those who live on. Living trees on our property teach other lessons. One tree has grown around a barbed wire fence. Another has grown around a nail, and a third through a chain link fence. These trees teach me how to accept irritation, absorb the pain and grow around problems. Nature teaches me how to find my place, grow toward the sunlight and bypass obstacles. To survive, we must be able to change in response to whatever is required by the challenge of the moment. Our bodies know this, but our minds often rebel when change is necessary. -BernieSiegel
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Wow -- scary stories here. It is sad that the illness of Alzheimer's exists. I do hope that all can have the problems diagnosed and proper steps taken. It is hard on everyone and more so if you are the caregiver. Hopefully you can find a way later on to get some time out for yourself.
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Very sad stories about mental loss. DH's mother had 7 sisters and she was the only one with Alzheimer's.
We purchased another refrigerator from a different retailer yesterday. It's supposed to be delivered on Tuesday. It's stainless, French doors, freezer on the bottom. No dispensers in the door. My big collection of magnets from all the years of rv travel will no longer have a home and dh won't have his easy access to ice and water. AND we're spending about $1000 more. But maybe we'll have an in house refrigerator next Tuesday. Here's hoping.
Meanwhile our goofy refrigerator that works off and on has been busily making ice for us to bag up and store in the outside refrigerator. So far during this saga, we haven't had to buy a bag of ice! Sunshine peeking through the dark clouds.
Another unseasonably hot day for late October. DH is playing golf and I plan to go to the gym for cardio and the senior exercise class. I also am bagging up discarded clothes for a Vietnam Veterans pickup.
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I was going to help make pizzas for the school. However, I have a skirt to finish, payment to arrange, and a trip to the post office. Then a check from my son will arrive, along with mirrors to clip to my glasses. I then can bike to my credit union on my bike, a total of 12 miles there and back. Then probably cleaning up my garden after the first hard frost of last night.
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Good to hear you have a fridge coming Carole. I'm also glad to hear you are having some success with your old one. Our fridge was making ice but we usually ( after a spot time ) threw it out as it would get freezer burn waiting to be used. I don't drink cold drinks but did use ice on boiled eggs to make them easy to peel. Also used some for applying a cold pack to whatever needed it. I do miss that since we turned off the ice maker. I may have dh turn it back on maybe. The kids like everything cold as can be. They did it in Calif. so nothing new for them.
MC, you have it would seem a really full day and it sounds to me exhausting. I would be making pizza's either. Hope all goes well for you. Happy biking.
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Jackie, interesting that you don't use ice.
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Talked with a dog-walking friend this morning, and with everything else going on, may be best to drop gardening from the list. I have weeks to get that done. $$$ is more important at this point.
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MCBaker, do let us know about your trip to the credit union. 12 miles!
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AAH--- I decided to let USPS handle both the check and the package. Instead, I cleaned up the pots around my front door, and pulled the butternut squash from the garden. The parsnips are still happy. Thirteen squash, including one eaten, one cooked, two others aged to perfection. Two more too green to ever eat, on the hay bale with my mini pumpkins. But I did get my rear view mirrors today, so I am ready to use my bike all around town.
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Wren, Your description of the "itty bitty steps" makes me think of Parkinson's. Has he been showing any other signs?
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"Peace is not something you attain.
It is a permanent state of being within you
that you choose to allow in every moment, or not."0
