Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I have nothing to add to the pet poop conversation. When we had two cats, they were outside cats. Their home base was the car port. Dh made a cat condo for them that sat in a corner and gave them a high perch. When it was cold, they had a bed with a heating pad covered with folded towels. They were brothers and seemed very fond of each other. I grew up in a country home where all pets were outside pets and seemed happy with the situation.
I had an appointment yesterday for an annual wellness visit with my PCP's nurse practitioner. I had only two questions for her. Should I continue the small aspirin daily. Yes, I could if I wished. Was my BP going a little high? The nurse got a top number of 141. The NP got a top number of 138. The bottom number was 80 and 78. They both thought the measurement was ok for my age.
The NP explained, while trying not to insult me, that younger people had more elasticity in the walls of their vessels and the purpose of keeping their BP low was to help them attain longevity. I already had attained longevity at 78, almost 79!!!! I had to smile. Doctors are concerned that older people's BP doesn't go too low. The desired range is 140 over 90.
Their wicked scale is less wicked than mine. Even dressed and wearing exercise shoes, I weighed a couple of lbs less than I weighed with no clothes yesterday morning. I had worn clothes to go directly to the gym, which I did, arriving in time for my senior exercise class.
It's gray and cold outside. Good weather for making soup. I will probably make a pot of beef, veggie, noodle soup.
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I re-tested negative today, though I feel a bit post-nasal-drippy (typical for me this time of year). My oral thermometers and the older Thermoscan (which keeps giving me error messages until it gives me a reading) all place me between 96.9-98.1 (even right after hot coffee); but the new Thermoscan that came today has me between 98.9-99.4. (Still reading "green" for "normal"). Could also be a result of sitting with a heating pad on my lower back and wearing fleece jammies & a fleece lap-throw. It's only 66F here in the front room, thanks to "leaky" window frames. (Can't hang out in the warm bedroom or the sunny rear den because that's where Bob has been watching TV--as I said, so much for isolation).
Bob is at the infusion center getting his monoclonal antibodies (and maybe an antiviral to boot) and is pumped at the prospect of going to Popeye's drive-thru for a chicken sandwich en route home. I'm relieved at not having to wear a mask for a few hours. (We mask around each other). It's utterly frigid out there, but he is so happy to be out of the house. The boredom of isolation was worse for him than the fever & drippy nose.
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So happy Sandy that Bob is basically recovered, receiving monoclonal antibodies and a chicken sandwich and that you retested negative.
I signed up for a 4th Pfizer at Walgreens tomorrow. Asplenia qualifies and our congregate Evanston living is somewhat overrun with Covid. I thought about waiting for a more specific vaccine against Omnicron, but it might not be available until June and Omnicron might by then be replaced by a new variant. It’s all sort of a muddle
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Glad that Bob is recovering and you're testing negative, Sandy.
The chair yoga class was in the smaller studio yesterday rather than in the gym, which was being used for a luncheon. I wasn't happy with the smaller area and may not have gone if I'd known in advance.
DH has been having off and on upper respiratory misery for about three weeks. He refuses to go on my allergy med regimen. After a phone call appointment, he now has some prescription meds to take. I hope they help him feel better. He hasn't stopped going about his normal activities such as spending hours in his woodworking shop. The NP asked him if he wanted a Covid test and he said no.
I ordered the free Covid home tests. It will be good to have them on hand.
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Woodworking shop? Does he wear a mask and have a sawdust capture system?
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When we hold onto the negative in ourselves it comes with endless guilt. We hold onto a lifetime of floating visions and regrets about what we should have done or should have become. Conscience recognizes wrong and tries to atone. But guilt turns into resentment. Conscience brings us closer to each other; guilt drives us apart. Create a new feeling. Every time guilt settles in your stomach, write "I forgive" on a piece of paper. Send it up the chimney, tear it up and flush it, put it in the garbage. Don't eat it. -Jennifer James
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MC, I was thi8nking the same thing as you. I also think (if used) any wood treatments like strong oils possibly could trigger allergy-type reactions. Carol, I hope the meds. your Dh has will help out though.
Nothing on for today. Sure, good to see the sun. We will have a pretty cool day anyway, but if no breeze and sun it will be tolerable. Sounds like we will have cold or cool interspersed with some days of relative warmth. Makes me think of Spring coming and the trees and bushes getting dressed up again.
Work is progressing on the house around the curve on the corner from us. It is the one I may have mentioned that the owner had done so much work too. Story behind the story is that he had the house built originally and then later sold it. When it went on the market a few yrs. back he re-purchased it and did so many amazing things to it. Even substituting brick for the original vinyl siding. Just made it outstanding. Unfortunately, as he was winding down from much of his work, the new hybrid car that he had only had for about four months, battery exploded one night in his garage. Extensive damage -- in the main in the garage area -- ruining that end of the house including the up-stairs.
It took several months for insurance claims and adjustors to apparently reach some agreement, but work has finally started. Tim will re-build. I was so hoping he would. The house while nice before, became so charming and easy on the eyes. Each thing he did was to me a definite seeable improvement on what the house (quite nice before) was becoming with the sometimes small, sometimes large improvements. I'm sure it will take some time, but I will sure welcome seeing the property bloom again.
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Bob is feeling okay after his sotrovimab infusion--no side effects. Temp in the low 98s for >24Hrs. w/o Tylenol. Still has green snot (TMI), which is likely bacterial sinus infection. He doesn't want to prescribe himself an antibiotic yet, because even bacterial sinus infections can be self-limiting. He didn't get the chicken sandwich at Popeye's, but rather a full 3-piece dinner and wolfed it down. Just made him a tuna sandwich with crudites and grapes on the side. Fighting a losing battle keeping him from going out on the deck to sneak a few puffs in this weather. He won't vape because the only time he tried it (3 yrs ago) his throat burned. Got my Hooked on Fish delivery yesterday, so I will pan-sear tilefish tonight and sable tomorrow, with sauteed veg (plus an instant grain for him).
Judy, glad you can get that 4th shot. You can still get the Pfizer Omicron shot when it comes out in March (already in clinical trials). I'm waiting till a 4th shot is recommended due to age. If one of his hospitals offers it, Bob will probably get one a couple of weeks after he's COVID-negative. I may re-test tomorrow or Friday--if I'm positive, that's another 5 days stuck at home w/o a housekeeper and with no help with kitties (because Bob will be back at work with a vengeance). And i'm not expecting to be the one in 15 applicants chosen to get the infusion--he was extremely lucky. (3000 applicants for 200 doses). We also have the downstairs toilet draining very slowly after flushing, since yesterday morning--so we can use it only for peeing and no paper, keeping lid closed and flushing once a day. So now we have to share the master bathroom. God bless Lysol. And we can't call in the plumber till he recovers and (kinahurra) I continue testing negative.
Hoping we can stop dripping the faucets tonight since we won't have subzero wind chills (until Sat. morning). Not looking forward to the next water bill. Big adventure for today: bundling & booting up to take out the garbage. Expecting at least 3" of lake effect snow tomorrow night through Friday. Hoping our landscaper/snow guy stays healthy. We have no cash in the house to pay neighborhood kids to shovel, unless they'll take Venmo or Zelle. We don't carry cash any more, and I haven't hit an ATM since my last trip to the dispensary in late Oct.
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Sandy, You're lucky to have teenagrs who offer to shovel for a fee. None here at all.
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Has anyone heard of someone getting a GI reaction to the booster? DH was really sick yesterday with vomiting & diarrhea. He'd gotten a booster the day before (Moderna after Pfizer before). He also takes a memory drug that could have that side effect especially if he took 2 rather than 1. He won't use a mediset like every other senior on the planet and can't remember anything reliably.
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I fill out my med tray every Sunday afternoon. That way I know what I need, and how long it will be before I run out. My pharmacy delivers--for a fee. They say that most reported reactions to the vaccinations are psychosomatic. People expect to get sick, so they do. I would agree with you, however, that it is one of his oral meds. You tell him that plenty of older people use trays or whatever, not because of unreliable memory, but because of the sheer number. I take 11 different dietary supplements and meds.
Sandy, I vaped to quit several years ago. He ought to try again, this time with lower nic levels. Especially given the fact that he has a nasty set of upper respiratory bugs.
I am cutting out another caftan for my client. The deal is, she sent me all of her collection of saris (which she bought @ $50) Then she tells me what she wants made out of each one. My pay is all the scraps, and what remains after she is done. She already knows which ones I love. She pays for all thread and lining fabric, etc.
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I lay out my night & morning meds in a pair of shot glasses every night. The only time I do trays is for traveling (switched from compartmented plastic boxes to folding nylon pill wallets with slots for labeled zipper packets). It is a true PITA gathering all the bottles and arranging the pills to put in the packets. But except for a pair of packets for my overnight trip to NYC in July, I haven't done that since the pandemic began.
Bob isn't worried about the nicotine levels in vape liquid so much as the solvents. And he dropped and broke the glass in his "pen" soon after he tried vaping. I wouldn't mind if he vaped in the house because all that comes out the other end is steam, which wouldn't affect my lungs. I won't let him smoke in the house, which is why he goes out on to the deck & porch.
GI upset is listed as a known but uncommon side effect of mRNA vaccines--but it's temporary. More likely the synergy between the vaccine and GI-irritating meds.
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I keep a plastic box with all my pill bottles in a cabinet, get my tray, and get to work.
Propylene glycol is the irritating one, but smokers enjoy the "throat hit" pain. Vegetable glycerin provides the "smoke". They need to be balanced for the individual vaper. If the person is concerned about the extras, mix your own with a minimum of pg, plenty of vg, minimal nicotine, and no flavorings.
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My DH's retired PCP told him who we could get the 4th shot from - it is actually my late mother's pcp. We haven't decided if we should get the shot now or wait.
I have a "double" pill container for am and pm. Before dinner I put my bedtime meds in a Rx lid in the kitchen so I don't forget.
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Good morning. I was just thinking about getting a pill tray for myself & DH. The ones I usually miss are vitamins and supplements. It is the same for DH.
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Mine has four compartments for each day, as I take my gabapentin three times a day. It is best to take my nutritional supplements a few at a time. And my glucosamine and chondroitin is in two doses, and they are the biggest pills I have.
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When I took a lot of supplements I used a container that had 6 compartments with a rotating lid cover. I just made it easy and quicker to take them all. I’ve stopped most supplements so now I just have a little plastic bin with my allergy meds, omeprazole, calcium and vit D - these last 2 I mix in a small sandwich bag (vs the big bottles).
Petite - you must be getting some cooler weather because way down here over the past week it’s been quite cool (not NY cool, but SWFL cool). In fact on Sunday a low of 35 and high of 59 is predicted. Inland from us could go below freezing.
Yesterday I got my hair cut with a new stylist. I like the cut but think I should have gone an inch or so shorter. Down here it’s mostly pulled up in a clip so I can wait. But the humidity was high, and by time I got home - I ran around shopping, in & out of stores, my hair looked nothing like it did when he was done with it. I had big looping curls! I should be glad it wasn’t a frizzy BIG hair day.
Sandy - hoping you remain negative and Bob stays well.
Lastly I did find a Sports Chiropractor, soft tissue rehab, clinical massage. I saw him on Monday, treatment similar to NY doctor. My body was sore afterwards, to be expected, but my lower back sharp pain was gone. I still ache a little in my lower back but no pain like it was. I’ve got new stretches to do daily, and I believe he’s saved me a trip back to NY for treatment. Same fee as NY for initial visit, $120, and no insurance accepted. Repeat visits are 1/2 hour and $70. I will probably go back in 2-3 weeks until my back is settled, and then monthly for maintenance.
Enjoy your day
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I find it convenient to do two trays once a week, one tray for evening pills which I keep in the bathroom next to my sink. The daytime tray stays in the kitchen. Dh does the same. First thing in the morning I have a tiny pill for thyroid and a nasal spray for allergy. I take very few supplements. Some that I took for years, like glucosamine and chondroitin, I stopped taking and didn't notice any difference. I do take D3 as directed by one of my doctors.
DH's meds aren't having any noticeable effect. To answer your question, Mary, he has a state of the art mask that cost about $300 and a dust collection system in his shop. And he has been working with wood for many years. We're not sure what is going on. Last night about 1 am he woke me up sneezing. He wears an apparatus for sleep apnea. After the sneezing he went back to sleep. It's puzzling that his symptoms are intermittent. He'll feel ok then start sneezing and getting stuffy. I am suggesting that he try taking the o/c allergy meds that I take daily. My meds don't work 100 per cent when the pollen gets really heavy in the spring and the fall.
Today I have a hair appointment for a trim at 10:30 and then chair yoga at 1 pm. A busy day for me!
Happy Thursday to all.
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My hair used to curl easily. Then I had chemo and lost it. When it grew back, I rejoiced in my curls. Then the curls grew out, and I desperately chose to get a perm. Finally, I learned to accept fine, straight hair. Mom had my hair cut in a chin-length bob when I was very young-- it was like my paternal grandmother's. Now, the best choice is a chin-length bob. I got my hair cut a few days ago, it needs to grow just a little bit more, and we will hold it there. I am beginning to accept the fact that my hair will never again curl without help. Still wet this morning, I might go ahead and pursuade it to bend just a little at the ends.
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The soul grows into lovely habits as easily as into ugly ones, and the moment a life begins to blossom into beautiful words and deeds, that moment a new standard of conduct is established, and your eager neighbors look to you for a continuous manifestation of the good cheer, the sympathy, the ready wit, the comradeship, or the inspiration, you once showed yourself capable of. Bear figs for a season or two, and the world outside the orchard is very unwilling you should bear thistles. -Kate Douglas Wiggin
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Since I only take pills (mainly morning) I keep the bottles in an old Tupperware storage container with a crack in the bottom. I take thyroid pill early and then at breakfast pour out the rest from the bottles in the container. At night -- I just take the three I need and put them by my water bottle till time to take them. It has worked for me pretty well. Despite my condition (basically new mitral valve) I don't have to take all that much. In fact, no more blood pressure pills which got rid of three pills for me and recently able to stop the daily intake of potassium and Lasix so two more out of the way. I still take a D3 and calcium mixed from the VA, one water pill, one heart pill and a one-a-day type Vitamin along with 1 81 mg aspirin. Not too bad. I do have Lasix and potassium on hand here should I accidentally overeat my salt intake and get some swelling. Two times I've had to use it and overnight I've lost the water wt. and back to normal.
Carole, glad to hear that your woodworker has proper ways of dispensing with allergy causing wood remnants from his work. I think your temps there are more conducive to stirring up allergens than some of us. Maybe the intermittent flares are from something that generally only awakens your hubby's allergy response. Guess when we have no9thing else we can blame the weather, huh !!
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Does he have more problems in the summer vs the winter? Is anything blooming this time of year? Winter allergies are usually housedust.
Glad he is taking care of any possible sawdust issues.
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I keep my OTC meds & supplements out on the counter next to the espresso machine. And to the left of that, my prescriptions in a metal cashbox which I used to lock when Gordy was a kid. My eyedrops & nasal sprays are at bedside. The "pill wallet" I use--I have two, in case I take a longer trip--is from the Magellan travel catalog. I also have a packet of tiny ziploc bags from CVS for Bob's three meds (statin, ACE inhibitor, baby aspirin) for when we travel or he has to stay overnight on hospital weekends.
Carole, do you keep pets in the house? Dander & dust mites are the most common indoor winter allergens. Besides the wood dust (which, if it's from plywood may have adhesive particles in it), various VOC solvents can cause respiratory symptoms in anybody, allergic or not. And their aerosols can be even smaller than viral particles.
Bob is feeling fine and champing at the bit to break isolation/quarantine tomorrow. (especially to put air into his tires, as the low-pressure sensor light came on while he was driving home from the infusion center during the Tuesday cold snap). He will be required to wear an N95 around others, but was told to take it easy and watch football all weekend before returning to work on Monday. He thinks, in retrospect, what he had was a bacterial sinus infection (and his usual smoker's cough), with COVID "along for the ride." I will re-test tomorrow if I develop symptoms. My two negative results were from two different rapid tests: Sunday was Abbott, Tues. was FlowFlex. Might do either OnGo, QuickVue, or iHealth next.
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I have 2 pill sets. The pink one (dawn) has morning pills and the violet one (twilight) has evening pills. They are stacked and whichever one I took last is on top. Easy to see whether I've taken them or not. My only OTC are D3 and B12.
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My health system's e-mail newsletter said that a test taken on Day 1,2, or 3 following exposure could likely produce a negative result. I asked Bob what day he would consider me to have been exposed--and he said likely Friday and no later than Saturday, because we dined together unmasked and next to each other (he was likely exposed a week ago at Union Health and tested strongly positive Sunday). So he said to test again today, it being Day 4 or even 5 for me. This time I used the OnGo, which is a true PITA because you have to download an app and, even though there is an instruction sheet (which I followed) you're supposed to go step-by-step in the app. I followed the app, which said read it between 10-15 minutes. Halfway through the 10 minutes, I tapped my phone and found it thought I was still at step one. Well, by 10 minutes, the result was clearly negative (I even used a lighted magnifying glass). But because the app warned not to stop the timer, I let it run fully--which was about 16 minutes since I started my own timer. I had to photograph the test cassette right away (there's supposed to be a 5-minute window, making a max total of 20 minutes). Took two tries to get it into the frame and in focus. The app says "result negative but invalid because test expired." Bullshit--I know what I saw at 10-12 minutes. Bob agrees: negative. No need for me to re-test. I'm past the incubation period.
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Great news! What a relief.
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I'm still getting intermittent postnasal drip & mucusy throat (which I get with allergies all year long but especially indoors in winter). It's very dry in my house (have always had trouble with humidifiers breaking down) and I am trying to drink more water. I suddenly realized it had come on shortly after eating a tunafish sandwich with onion & tomato, washed down with a can of cherry Bubly. D'OH--GERD again! After a couple of Pepcid & Tums it's calming down.
I hope I can trust 3 negative antigen tests with 2 days between each (Sun, Tues, today), by 3 different manufacturers (Abbott, FlowFlex, OnGo). I messaged my primary care doc as to whether I should confirm with PCR. Problem is that starting late tonight we will be getting around 8 inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon, and getting to my health system's urgent care center (or any of the city or state's official testing sites) will be difficult-to-impossible. Until our landscaper can clear the garage "apron" to the alley, our cars are going nowhere.
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So with a storm like that predicted, you are as good as quarantined anyway. I would trust those tests. Omicron is not that serious, anyway.
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Our HK lives on the far west side in Austin, which is forecast to get no more than 2-3". (This is one of those times when living along the lakefront is no prize). But she has a parking slab instead of a garage--hope she can clean her car off well enough to get here by Monday. I suspect by then Bob will be using my car since it's an AWD Outback (his is a Fusion hybrid sedan, low ground clearance and front-wheel drive). So I will be marooned.
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Sandy, I feel your pain. Tuesday I went out to lunch with a bunch of ladies. It’s the same day I take my generic fosamax. So in my haste to get out to lunch I didn’t take my omeprazole. Came home afterwards and spent hours putting together a hall tree, bent over using body weight screwing it together. Any way, I was dying from reflux! I thought I’d get sick to my stomach the pressure I felt so bad. Took 2 Pepcid complete over 6 hours and slept sitting up. Didn’t realize I hadn’t taken oneprazountil the next morning. Hope yours goes away.
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