Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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So, scared and a little shaky, like scanxiety, but not anywhere near as bad, I took the Abbott binaxnow rapid test on the fifth day of exposure. Good video on youtube showing all the steps. Set Apple Watch timer for 15 minutes, and voila, one line, so was negative. Covid is exponentially increasing among the residents and employees- all vaccinated and boostered- in this Independent Living place, “ The Home.” Very glad to be negative, will test again, as Abbott suggests, 36 hours later, tomorrow night at 7:30. If all is well, leave for Key West, Tuesday am with the horrors of the airport to get through. Hope the Admirals Club is open and flight not canceled
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Travel safe - keywestfan.
I picked up two packages of tests (two to package) several weeks ago when the library was giving them away but as far as we know we haven't been exposed and aren't traveling. Don't know that I could find one if I needed it now. I still feel safe at our country club but not anywhere else, even boosted and masked.
Thanks for your support for my 2022 anxieties. It's hard to watch the ones we love begin to leave us, whether physically or mentally.
Our financial and legal arrangements are all in place but we do need to make cremation arrangements. Debbie is supportive of my plan to stay here in AZ as long as I am able although I may spend more time in Maine in the summer than I do now. While I still have Facebook friends in Maine, we haven't lived there since 1992. I have a great support network here though.
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Judy, hope test #2 is negative as well--the new requirement for a positive attitude. Travel safely--as much as FL is spiking, the Keys are nowhere near as bad as eastern Miami-Dade. And while you're down there--able to dine outdoors--you'll be safer than up here.
More trouble for Bob's office: his night secretary had a house fire. The hits just keep on coming...
Tried to dine out tonight. Went on OpenTable for L.Woods, but there were no tables available. Booked an 8:30 at Jameson's Charhouse--which promptly called to tell me they were closing at 8. So I reserved 8:30 at the Alcove, but decided to call them to make sure--good thing I did, because I got a recording that they were closed 12/30-1/5 "due to COVID." Not sure whether that meant--did a staffer have COVID, or (as with Pompeii, Bob's lunch mainstay on his Union Health days) to train staff as to how to check & enforce the vaccine-proof mandate? So booked an 8:45 at Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba, and called to make sure how long they'd be open and whether they still have a valet. Reassured, I hung up--only to find Heidi had thrown up for the second time today. Cleaned it up; and we left for the restaurant, pulled up in front at the valet sign, hit the flashers and...no valet. Went inside, hostess said he was probably out retrieving or parking a car. After 15 min. I was about to find a street space, when the valet pulled up in his own car and said he was "done for the night." He did park my car across the street, as a favor, so I gave him a tip.The place was crowded (and across the aisle a table full of Gen-Zers were singing "Happy Birthday." The menu was much more limited than I recall--even when it first reopened in summer 2020.
So nervous about the cats: we may have to increase Happy's steroid back to daily, because he's had a couple of vomiting episodes in the evenings of his non-medicated days; Heidi's appetite is erratic--she's finicky about wet food anyway and prefers Happy's kibble--and she's drinking a lot. (Her bloodwork results are due tomorrow). Tonight she came down and nagged me for wet food at the usual feeding time. But just now, Happy snuck downstairs, ate his food and Heidi's crumbs; and just now ran me ragged playing with him. Over the past couple of days, I'm getting some skipped heartbeats--not sure if it's from the wine, the worry, or something else. The ECG app on my watch has given me a few "inconclusive" readings. Bob read the tracings on my phone and says they're harmless PVCs (premature ventricular contractions); and that in a study, a large proportion of asymptomatic medical students who were given Holter monitors as an experiment showed arrhythmias. Will message my PCP and NP (the wgt. mgmt. program is part of Skokie Hospital's Cardiology dept.). Bob suggests I have them order electrolyte levels, especially K and Mg. Have to go get my D levels drawn anyway. Been afraid to do that, because there's a real possibility I could catch COVID there.
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Winter break is over. PD day today, though no idea what I’m doing!
We don’t have any testing kits but go nowhere to be exposed
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I spend most of my time home alone. No need for a testing kit, either.
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I scheduled a covid test for Tuesday at 2:30 only because I’m sick with what I hope is a cold, but I’m around a lot of older people who seem to think they’re all good without a mask. I’d hate to be the reason they’re sick. The county down here has places set up. I’ll bring a book in my car, knowing just because I have an appointment doesn’t mean I’ll be seen right away.
Sandy - Safari on my phone never works, won’t access multiple sites I know are valid and I hate it. But I wasn’t sure if it was just me or my VPN blocking access to sites. As for a fire pit, check out Solo. A gf of mine has one and we love it. They give a lot of info on their site and should explain if it can go on a deck, I’m not sure if they sell a pad to go under it
My niece and daughter flew home yesterday. We dropped her at the airport before 8:30 but I didn’t strip the bed just in case. They left Fort Myers a little late, stuck on tarmac as the pilot said the FAA didn’t have enough air traffic controllers in the tower. They flew into Chicago where chaos ensued. They waited at a gate, full plane already there, no crew to fly the plane. Her gate was moved, late boarding then had to wait for other passengers to arrive, then wait some more for their luggage. They arrived at destination 1.5 hours late. Which is better than gf son who had all his flights for today cancelled. He was flying out at 6AM Monday to go home from FL, Southwest rebooked him for tomorrow.
Overcast and 69 now,not a pool day but nice enough for this northerner.
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"The peace that you seek lies within you.
It is your state of mind that opens the door to it,
and your joy that paves the way
for your expression of it in the world."Voice For Love.
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Still scared about second test tonight- though know it's past traumas, as well as the positives where we live. Feel fine- others here who are positive describe feeling as if they have a bad head cold. All packed, would hate to call it off now- coward that I am, tempted not to retest since first was negative and the testing isn't required by the CDC protocol, but conscience and masochism kick in.
Sandy, do you remember in some post of mine six weeks or so, I panicked because for 2 days I had a lot of bubbling, gassy burping going on and ECG on Apple Watch continually read Atrial Fibrillation which I had never had? Finally called PCP, the wonderful Patrick Logan. After 4 ECG's, at different times in his office, he said, “not AFib, just a few PAC's or PVC's. However, to double check, he sent me for nuclear stress test, echo, zio monitor for 7 days. No AFib. Apple Watch was reading acid reflux and skipped beats as A Fib. Certainly, Bob is right, Apple Watch is wrong and nuclear stress gave me the equivalent of 400 chest Xrays.
Have not been to Cafe Ba- Ba- Reeba in 40 years. When I worked in the Chemical Dependency unit at Martha Washington Hospital we had two beautiful waiters, would not be called that now, who were heroin addicts. They faded away to nothing from Aids- heartbreaking. That, I suppose, is my very sad association to the restaurant.
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Hard to imagine being a traveler stuck in an airport for hrs. and be possibly turned away many times before finding an airlines that has room for you. I heard on the news this morning that many people opted to rent a car and drive home. I'm pretty sure they didn't have destinations clear across the U.S. Likely cheaper than trying to keep a hotel room for several days, and I'm sure some had work or other obligations they could not ignore.
Hoping with all my heart that by next yr. much of this pandemic is eradicated. I still have fear of getting it. I have to go over to the state of Missouri ( where my valve surgery was preformed ) and my BIL will take us. That is on the 6th. He, a short while ago took up going to a local church here and while we think if he followed his heart to do this -- fine. My thing is how many people I know that got covid during church attendance. My cousin was going to do the honors, but found out she had to do something else that day. So, my fingers will be crossed.
I think I really need to keep this appt. as it will be the first since the operation which was on Nov. 26. Have high hopes some of my current restrictions will be eased or eliminated. I've progressed a fair amt. and have been able to really sense when I reached those milestones although I do know I will still have to gradually work up to the further achievements that will come.
I hope we are all able to stay well, and make to the other side of OMICROM, for sure. I know everyone has worked hard to do the right thing to stay safe despite some challenges.
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Been reading that the reason Omicron is milder even among the unvaccinated is that unlike prior variants, it tends to attack only the upper respiratory system (nasopharyngeal) and not the lungs. Bob reports that his hospitalized COVID+ patients are hospitalized for other problems and were diagnosed via the rapid test administered upon admission. He says they’re all at least in their 80s and get sent home as soon as their other issues (the ones that sent them to the hospital) have been ameliorated. But I’m still nervous after finding out (from ABC’s Dr. Jen Ashton) that a prior variant infection is not protective against Omicron (although if boosted, the bout of Omicron is short & mild). She analogized it to the flu: you can have it one year, but if exposed to a different strain the next, you don’t have immunity if that strain isn’t in your current vaccine.
Have a message in to Skokie Hosp. Cardiology (my NP) about getting K & Mg levels (or an electrolyte panel) added to the Vit. D level already ordered. Nervous about visiting a hospital lab (probably Evanston), but I think if I double-mask (surgical over KN95) and get outta there STAT I should be okay—as okay as anyone can be these days. I’m hoping that the fact that my booster was a full-strength Moderna dose adds a layer of protection. The CDC is about to reduce the recommended interval between the second Pfizer shot & booster to 5 months (currently 6). Not sure whether they will follow suit for Moderna fourth shots in cancer patient. If so, I’ll be first in line at Walgreen’s Jan. 20.
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Tonight and tomorrow is my mother's 4th yarzheit (anniversary of her death). On the English calendar its January 18th but we light the yarzheit (memorial candle on the Hebrew date. I miss her more with every passing day.
It warmed today (40s), tomorrow high 40s, but it will get cold again on Wednesday afternoon and more snow. Single digits Wednesday night.
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May your mom's memory be for a blessing, Karen--and may each successive Yahrtzeit bring more happy memories than tears,
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Good morning. It is a sunny 44 degrees and will warm up nicely. DH's BIL was discharged from the hospital after his bout with COVID (he was fully vaxed.) Scary stuff. Hoping no one has been adversely affected by the snow storm. What a mess in VA.
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The anniversary of my mother's 3rd year of being missing in my life will come in May. I made chicken and dumplings last night for our dinner and it dawned on me that one reason I had been putting off cooking it is that she loved that dish so much. It was a part of her food background in the area in Mississippi where she grew up. It was a favorite in our family when I was growing up. DH really likes it and had been requesting that I cook it for our dinner.
One blessing is that my mother is very "present" in my life. I talk to her in my mind and sometimes aloud.
My dad, who was a rural south Louisiana man, never really liked dumplings but didn't complain about eating them. He doused his serving with hot sauce.
We had patches of frost on the lawn this morning. Today will begin a warming trend that will bring us back to the 70's.
Jackie, I hope your trip to the doctor turns out to be a safe trip for you. You don't need anxiety.
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If I could tell the world just one thing
it would be we're all okay,
and not to worry cause worry is wasteful
and useless in times like these.
I won't be made useless.
I won't be idle with despair,
I will gather myself around my faith.
Light does the darkness most fear.
- Jewel0 -
Hmmm, another messy day for me. The nursing service the VA uses ordered meds for me to be overnighted. Due to having no one to sign off on them ( they were ordered this past Fri. ) I did not get the packet until today only to find the med I needed most was not included. Sigh. Working on that now as we speak. At almost the same time I discovered that apparently the meds I came home from the hospital with which were re-order thru the VA on the 17th. Of Dec were missing two. One a heart med which is important. Had to put in another emergency ( overnight med service ) call and I sure hope that got taken care of. That will cost me more time on the phone tomorrow.
I have spent the last three days on the phone and it is getting to be a real annoyance to me. I have never been a big phone user and the last few yrs. it sometimes is difficult with the hearing aids. I know they have "fixes" but I'm not in a hurry just yet. Just seems to be an issue for those who speak quietly to begin with and those who tend to run some words together.
Otherwise, thank goodness we had a bright sunny day. Dh and I had to get into the bottom freezer of our fridge. It iced up from being stocked carelessly and was quite a mess. I found a lot of 'forgottens' in the bottom so they all went and a sturdy wash out after ice removal. Then I cleaned the remaining packages and put them back in. Sure looked nice -- while lighted. Well, bulbs do burn out -- so we need a new freezer bulb. I cleaned a few areas ( slowly and carefully ) elsewhere in the kitchen and it ended up looking quite nice. I've spent little time there since I came home and was amazed at the drips down front of range and dishwasher. I guess I've never learned the fine art of NOT seeing spills, drips and other assorted forms of things that detract from appliances and other parts of rooms. Another good reason to be faithful with my exercises.
Carole, I often made chicken and home made noodles. I've had it with dumplings and its quite good that way, but mainly my Mom made noodles. They are rolled and cut with a lot of flour so as not to get sticky on you. Then when cooked in the chicken broth after thoroughly drying out -- the broth thickens a bit. Chicken pulled from the bone is stirred back in. The family loves it when I make this, but for some reason it still seems like my Mom's tasted better. My mom has been gone since 1998 so I'm pretty much okay with cooking her way now. Just seems like a tribute to the love she had for us and put into everything she did for us. Of course, her memory is a treasure and spends a lot of time with me.
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My Mom would make chicken and noodles for Sunday dinner. She would roll out the noodles and cut them and they would dry while we were at church. Those noodles were really good. I made chicken and dumplings. They're easy and were a real hit with the kids.
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Jackie, that's how I make chicken and "dumplings." The only drop dumplings my mother made was blackberry dumplings. We picked wild blackberries in the woods, getting infested with red bugs in the process. My mother cooked the blackberries with sugar and dropped in spoonfuls of cake dough. It was so delicious, especially with vanilla ice cream. A yummy memory.
DH has been on the phone with insurance company, doctor, and specialty pharmacy employees since before Christmas trying to get his Repatha prescription filled. It's an expensive medication for people who can't take statins. Periodically the insurance company throws up roadblocks. I admire him for his persistence. Hearing all the runaround conversations, I would be tempted to yell into the phone before throwing it at the wall. But that wouldn't accomplish anything except venting frustration.
It's not a pretty day outside. I signed up to play with the 9 Holers golf group today but am feeling no enthusiasm for getting out.
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Carole, I’m with you on yelling into the phone. I took the covid test Monday before 5. They said I’d be contacted with results within 24 hours via email. I’ve seen nothing. I wish I had a phone number to call, but will likely drive back down there to ask them to look it up. I’ve looked in junk mail and spam too.
New washer dryer tower, a repair guy will be here today. The dryer keeps snaggingthe dryer sheet in the front, no idea why but not normal. I did some research and folks have showed it can catch the clothes too. I hope there is a fix. These new “smart” (term used loosely) washers are for the birds too. I want to see how much water goes in, not the reverse of putting clothes in with detergent laying on them or under them (I’m using pods now) and hoping my “smart” washer uses enough water. Savings they say on water, but one small load runs an hour. It’s not saving me. Oh and did I mention the dryer has no buzzer? I bought a timer to take out of the laundry room with me so at least my clothes won’t sit wrinkling. VENT over with.
74 partly cloudy and nicer than 34 cloudy at NY home. The “cooler” SWFL weather suits us just fine.
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Cindy, We need more women designing appliances. My dryer has a 'do not wrinkle' cycle that just keeps tumbling already dry clothes - but it's only on the hot setting. The perm press setting just stops so everything wrinkles. I really don't care if my towels and sox are wrinkled, but shirts are a different matter. Any woman would have seen the problem with that. My washer is a front loader and only uses about a tablespoon of detergent per load. I tried what they recommended and it didn't rinse clean even with an extra rinse.
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Yum. All this talk about homemade chicken and dumplings is making me hungry.
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When the heart of your heart opens, you can take deep pleasure in the company of the people around you . . . When you are open to the beauty, mystery, and grandeur of ordinary existence, you "get it" that it always has been beautiful, mysterious, and grand and always will be. -Timothy Ray Miller
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Giggling over petite's hunger -- chicken and noodles always seemed like a 'treat' food to me. We often ha little green peas to go along and I still make peas as well when I make this dish.
Wren, I couldn't agree with you more about women designers. My Kenmore front loaders are old enough ( thank god they have never required service --knock on wood ) to not be too smart. Early on the man, a friend of Dh, who ran the repair service for Sears, told me to hold off on recommended amts. of laundry soap and only use a little -- tablespoon or so. Maybe that is partly why they are still running. I've about decided I might be happy with Speed Queens next time I need some, but a lot would in fact depend on the design. The more bells and whistles the worse these machines seem to be. Hopefully by the time needed they might be smart enough to go back to a more winning formula. I do fear pricing, but that's another topic. No buzzer/bell/ or other warning when cloth are done is just crazy.
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I don't have any control over the washing machine or dryer I use. But all this emphasis on having your finished laundry smelling good is a bunch of balderdash. I suspect that I am allergic to some of them, but whatever, some of those scents are positively too heavy. I have used a free and clear laundry soap for several years, but the big heavy plastic container was getting to me. This time I figured out the per load cost of "Ecos" and compared it to the free and clear. I have been using it the past month, and have no complaints. I also use wool balls in the dryer to soften the laundry, again without scent. If I ever have a load that doesn't smell right, I add vinegar to either washer or dryer.
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Has anyone heard from keywestfan? She was awaiting first a confirmatory followup negative rapid test and then (hopefully) a flight to Key West. As bad as FL is right now, Key West is warm enough that practically all activities can be done outdoors (it's not as much of a "hot spot" as eastern Miami-Dade county).
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Was a blooming wreck waiting for rapid test results Monday night, 36 hours after a negative test. Two negative tests spaced offer confirmation that the first was not a false negative and are supposed to equal specificity of a PCR. We were leaving for KW at 8:20am on Tuesday. Was afraid to look at the test result, but thankfully it was again negative. Cases are fast multiplying where we live in Evanston . Activities stopped, dining rooms closed. Eating outside in Key West is such a pleasure, as is walking the lovely neighborhood streets, seeing the famous authors here for the Literary Festival that starts tomorrow, talking to Judy Blume. All seems relaxed, casual. Too much so- no one wears masks. We are looked at oddly.
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Judy, I'm doubly delighted for you--both the confirmatory negative re-test and your making it to KW. Trebly so, now that you are mingling with the authors at the Literary Festival. Lift a tropical drink on the veranda and I'll virtually clink glasses. And you have great timing. Not only is Evanston a metaphorical "hot spot"--as is Chicago--it's literally near-Arctic. Wind chills right now are already subzero.
BTW, anyone here shoveling snow? If so, put down that shovel and find someone younger to do it for you. Cardiologists at the Cleveland Clinic are warning that those >55 are at high risk for injury and heart attacks as a result of shoveling. If anyone gives you grief over your uncleared sidewalk, tell them that you are an >60 cancer patient--and if they are unwilling to help, suggest where they can put that shovel.
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Sandy - I love shoveling the driveway! After dinner I went out and shoveled, but there was only about 2" - it is still snowing lighting but we are supposed to get up to 6". Currently its 3F and getting colder. We didn't walk after dinner as we were worried about ice under the snow. Shoveling the driveway was a chance to be outside and get a little air and exercise. Thankfully, I got a 20 -25 minute walk at lunch.
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I'm getting my exercise on the treadmill, with a 5-minute bike warmup--plus trips up & down the stairs and occasionally expolring the vast reaches of Costco & Target (where the aisles are constantly being rearranged). About five years ago, my across-the-street neighbor, 72, had a fatal heart attack while shoveling her sidewalk & steps. I haven't been dodging cancers for 6+ years and viruses for two, only to blow up my ticker because I fear a ticket from Streets & Sanitation.
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Snow day❄️❄️❄️❄️ Totally unexpected. Superintendent called it around midnight. Went to bed at 11 and school was still on. Canceled due to severe weather, student absences and staff shortages. I had a busy day today. Three monthly meetings that I wonder if they will get re-schedule and an IEP meeting which will have to reschedule.
Sandy, I love being outside even in the cold. I have snow pants and heavy parka. I enjoy shoveling when it’s light heavy snow. I do it for me. When it’s thick and heavy, much more dangerous I will do it in stages.
Chevy, stay safe, healthy and warm. We got about 5”. How about you?
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