Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Looks like rain for us later. Well, I'll be mi8ssing the sun but we seem to be back in the same general mode as last Spring. Farmers are having issues getting fields dry enough to work with. Should try and enjoy since all too soon the heat and humidity will take over.
Contemplating doing my kitchen cabinets with Murphy's Wood Soap. They are in sad shape. Have been for awhile, but I think I'm the only one who notices. Anyway -- since I'm not up to the heavy-duty clean-up -- I will only likely do the outsides of the cabinets and not empty them. Maybe I can do that in a few weeks. Around here there is no shortage of catch-up work.
Keywest, I hope you get good relief on your vertigo. I too have thought -- just such a short time ago I was feeling great, could still work for hours if need be and felt so lucky to not take many meds. What a difference a few months makes. Still, I am determined to make progress.
Here's hoping we all have a really good day.
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I have had vertigo off and on for years. The first time it struck, I was frightened. My first thought was "Brain tumor!" Now I take it in stride. It goes away. With me, it seems to be connected to sinus issues. DH was prescribed a med when he had it. The therapy sounds amazing.
The only time we flew first class, we were bumped "up." It was delightful and we enjoyed the experience. The price is so much higher than "cattle class" that we were never willing to pay it. We just endured getting from here to there.
Jackie, you have definitely undergone rapid and extreme changes in your lifestyle. I feel like you're a longtime friend even though we haven't met in person.
Today's quote speaks to me.
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Agree that today's quote is one that speaks to me also. We have full sun today but it is more like winter than spring temp wise. It has been in the 40's with a biting breeze and today it will reach the 50's but the breeze is still biting. Ground too wet to consider working on moving or splitting hydrangeas.
We did sign with the contractor who listened to our vision for the front steps and side walk. I didn't want a step railing but realize we do need to add one. There was never one on our steps but codes change and I am sure it will now be mandatory. His bid includes the railing and installation, a natural stone wall around my beloved lilac (which I refuse to prune) and a stone wall across the front of the yard where it is steep and the new steps and walkway. His bid for realigning the flagstone patio is about half the other contractors and the only difference is he will use EP Henry blocks rather than Belgian blocks (in concrete) to contain the edges. So he will remove the flagstone, rebuild the slanting wall and add new material under the flagstone, and clean it. The wall will be deconstructed, and rebuilt with new stone filler, liner and then topsoil for the flower bed it contained. I need to move plants from the patio bed and from the area surrounding our old steps and walkway. I purchased some cheap planter pots to use as temporaries for the lily of the valley, lilies, Seal of Solomon, etc that will need to be displaced. I will also use them for the hydrangeas once split or use some bigger planters I normally use on the patio. I have about a month to 6 weeks to get all this done so I am looking for warmer, sunny days so I can dig.
I am attaching some photos of what I call daffodil hill and our backyard. The concrete statue you see near the by window (and my beloved Japanese Maple) is a Dalmatian. It has spots carved into the surface. The red flags you may see are for groups of daffodils that need to be split once they are done blooming. I have yellow, white, yellow and white combo and pink varieties of daffodils in this bed. I haven't marked all of them, but the largest groups, so this will keep me busy as well. I prefer to move them now rather than wait until the fall especially since I already ordered some bulbs to be delivered in the fall. Have to pace myself because between age, back and knees, I don't move as fast as I used to or last as long. I have pots on the back step that include plants that need to be transplanted, too. There are 4 pots of hyacinths that will move outside soon.
Jackie, it's okay to be pokey. It's more important to remain vertical and moving than try to do it at breakneck speed. What we used to do may not be attainable but we can still achieve goals that are more reasonable.
I had all 4 doses of Pfizer and other than a sore arm with the first 2 , had no other side effects other than a red spot where the shot was administered. Have a good day.
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Judy, I can relate re: the vertigo. I've had vestibulitis twice, and it's no picnic. First time was when I went X-C skiing with a head cold, and the trail (Stevens Pass, WA) suddenly turned to white-out conditions. I literally didn't know which way was up, so I deliberately went into a tuck and safely fell, in order to determine which way was down. Second time it felt like I was on a ship in rough seas even in my own house.
\My cardiologist told me that as we age, sometimes the soleus muscles (lower calves into ankles & plantar fascia) weaken and impair circulation. That's one reason why "sitting is the new smoking." But you're active, so I don't know why your leg muscles seem to be weakening. Hope the PT and vestibular therapy helps.
Betrayal, your gardens are magnificent!
Driving a loaner today, because the brake job alone will take at least a day or two. But at least the loaner is free. Still chilly--won't hit 50 today, rain starting any minute now, storms tonight. Next chance to stain the deck won't be till a week from tomorrow....maybe.
Chicago's positivity rate went from 2.1% last week to 5.4% today. Not taking off my mask in the grocery store any time soon. Will get that third booster as soon as it's available this summer. I'd get an antibody titer draw first, but my titer of 8540 wasn't high enough to keep me from getting Omicron. Will ask my PCP to authorize a full dose of the nirmeltravir (white pills) for my Paxlovid refill.
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Carole, what a pretty thing to say -- we are definitely old friends, which are the best kind. All of us here have weathered many trials together, haven't we ? I have friends right here I can see almost anytime but I'd be lost and have been any time I can't get on my computer and come visit with all of you.
I too love the flower beds Betrayal -- and if I were there in your yard I'd likely spend a fair amount of time admiring each flower bed up close. I am jealous, there's that. Dh somehow generally managed thru the years to annihilate everything I planted. No matter how big, imposing or sturdy the barriers I put up -- somehow he would always manage to knock them down some way and then ride right over the plantings. My SIL is taking over the yard -- and he loves to garden so we will have some nice areas.
Glad you are going to keep your mask for awhile Sandy and anyone else. Dh and I were some of the few in Walmart ( my first trip there in months ) that are bothering. I'm a little amazed. I too feel a bit put upon but I'd feel it even more if I got sick when I had masks to use. We are small here, but people from all over the county come to our Walmart. We stop in at others as well but haven't done it for a long time. Covid/Omicron are still out there and while we don't have the hospital admissions so much now -- people do still get sick. I plan on doing my best not to be one of the latter.
We are awaiting rain here. Had a little bit of sun this afternoon, but we knew it wouldn't be out long since the prediction was for a later rain -- and it did sprinkle a bit a few hrs. ago.
I'm also awaiting a call from the gastro Doc. so I can make an appt. for my colonoscopy I'm really feeling all is okay, but no way to be sure w/o the test. I am seeing lots of Drs. soI do have a social life -- quite varied lately.
Going as we speak to pick up a letter from my Urologist to the Cardiologist I will see tomorrow -- the fun just keeps going.
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Betrayal your garden is beautiful. I love seeing that many daffodils!
We survived my boating inexperience and had a great day out on the water. Although I'll admit being the captain is less fun than being a passenger. We saw many different birds and even quite a few dolphins. We ate dinner at the marina restaurant and it too was fabulous. I had the stuffed sole - stuffed with scallops and crab. I'll sleep good tonight!
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1946taco: I'm able to locate my favorites, though it's rather round-about. Once you're signed in go to Community, click on Active Topics, I get 3 horizontal bars in the right corner by my photo and click on Private Messages
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Betrayal, your photos are a major pleasure for me! Please post more as time goes on. There was a time when I was as involved in gardening as you are. It's very rewarding work. I saw a great gardening idea on Facebook this morning. Protective long sleeves. They come in different prints.
Cindy, your boat outing sounds delightful. We went on a similar outing years ago with a couple who lived in Marco Island. It's so much fun to dock at a restaurant for a good seafood meal.
I ordered new glasses yesterday with pretty red frames. It's a form of retail therapy.
Happy Birthday, Queen Elizabeth!
Wishing everyone a good day..
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Passion doesn't come from business or books or even a connection with another person. It is a connection to your own life force, the world around you and the spirit that connects us all. You are the source. Books, work, music, people, sunsets all provide sparks, but only you can light the fire.
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Hmmm, not sure today if the sun will be out or not. It is awfully gray outside at present. Still, it sounds like we will be in the 70's and there is nothing bad about that. We have to go to Marion today. I wish it were earlier -- but that is okay. I think I will end up with decent reports from Dr. Rueben, the Cardiologist. Looking forward to seeing her. I usually dread these appts. a bit, but mainly as I've had to have so many these last few months.
I generally enjoy boat rides ( when I've had them ) but then I love being around water. It is a soothing spiritual experience for me. I can get deeply relaxed and my everyday upsets and troubles just tend to melt away. To me that's a sign that I get too involved with outcomes from things I will never be able to have that much affect on anyway. After some good water therapy I feel much more at ease and much more positive. It is one of the big reasons I chose to get a lake-house. I feel better when there is a body of water close-at-hand.
I have been on boats with cabins and also a long ride on the Canadian side of the Detroit River on a houseboat. I can enjoy just watching others enjoy their boat ride. As far as seafood, I say bring it on. I don't like it all, but what I do like, I really love. Mackerel, Cod, Shark, Tuna, Halibut, and good ole' Catfish.
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Thanks for the suggestion, puffin. I have been using 'my history" on the computer and it gets me back to where I was.
Sandy, I stopped the AI's at 3 years. Had tried both astrozole and femora. Too many SE's and when I ran the numbers even my mathmatical sister couldn't see any advantage. I am still convinced the the AI's prevented my knee from healing the way it should have. When I asked at 6 months, ortho admitted they definitely could have been a contributor to the problem. (yes, I am still mad that no one caught that before the surgery!). Told oncologist's PA I had stopped them and she seems totally nonchalant and MO never called me after the Zoom call with PA. So no survivor plan and I won't go back to her even if cancer returns. BS told me my primary needed to be ordering mammograms from now on too.
As I was arriving at book club today, one of the members got a call that her husband had not arrived where he was expected on his bike. First time it's happened although he can no longer manage a phone. She was getting ready to call the police (it was 85 degrees out) when she decided to call home first. Thankfully, he had managed to find his way home. We talked about an Apple Watch for him and one of the ladies uses another tracking device - for them it's to put it their suitcases to insure that their bags and they are on the same plane. But it was another reminder that we are aging.
My D gets that vertigo and was taught how to hang her head over the edge of the bed to relocate the chrystals and it seems to help.
Have a good weekend everyone.
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I like most of the fish you listed, Jackie, but I "love" halibut. It was available at a local supermarket recently at $24 a lb. I admired it a few seconds and moved on.
It's sunny today and is supposed to get very warm, in the 80's. I am playing golf, probably 18 holes but I can always decides at the end of the first 9 holes whether to continue.
New Orleans is happy to have over 90 per cent occupancy of its hotels this weekend. The French Quarter Fest is drawing huge crowds, according to the tv news, and the PGA is in town with a men's pro tournament. The weather is cooperating with no rain.
Wishing everyone the best day possible under your circumstances.
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Courage is required not only in people's occasional crucial decision for their own freedom, but in the little hour-to-hour decisions which place the bricks in the structure of their building of themselves into people who act with freedom and responsibility. -Rollo May
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For anyone who needs it ( but anyone here likely may already know this ) there are some tuna brands that are lower sodium. Takes a bit of a seasrch to find them, but for me, worth it.
I think in my older age I'm getting meaner. Got a call today from V.A. ( procurement ) and was told a new scale would be available in mid-MAY.
I reared up and told this nice lady ( although I said it nicely ) that I found that answer totally un-acceptable. I told her how long I'd been waiting and getting what seemed to me something of a run-around. That I'd been to the Marion V.A. at least three times since my hosp. discharge and could have picked up another scale -- since I felt there could be an extra one somewhere in that whole hospital. I also told her -- I really needed it since I was being heavily treated for CHF. and not only that but my blood pressure cuff gave up shortly after bringing the new but non-functioning scale home. I chose to replace it out of my own pocket - he blood pressure cufff --- since I felt having two non-working items with my problem was rather dangerous to me. She told me that she would see if she could locate a scale for me much sooner. She called back and told me that she had found one and it was being mailed out today. I have fingers crossed. Despite my having purchased a blood pressure cuff she told me that she would see that another one from the V.A. got to me as well.
I used to be such a wimp -- not so much because I am one, although I am to a degree -- but more because I thought the V.A. would have a higher awareness ( especially if they worked around the Marion VA. Hosp. ) of pharmaceutical and equipment needs and it wouldn't be necessary to be stern with most of them. Now -- I've changed my mind. Even here you have to advocate and push. I will however stay gentle but insistent after this. People need reminders -- to them it may seem like nothing -- to the person waiting it is forever.
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Agree with what you are saying about the decline in healthcare systems responses to patient needs. I think I have had to be a self-advocate through my entire BC experience and it was wearying at times because the treatment was so tiring and at times bewildering. So there are days where I have to resort to tactics that I would rather not, but when I consider that it has a direct impact on me and my health, I do get my point across. I did realize that my GI surgeon had no interest when I reported my leg paresthesia because her focus was only on my surgery outcome and she had moved on. Pissed me off to say the least but my PCP was responsive. Did not get the answer I wanted from the neurologist I saw about future of this but he did feel surgical mishap was the cause. It is annoying at best so I can live with it, but I did not want a souvenir of my GI surgery other than the expected scars and this was the bonus I did not want.
I also agree when you are waiting for results, equipment, etc the wait can seem interminable. I once had the nurse at the MO's office dismiss my message and tell me that what I was experiencing was not a SE of the med I was on. I then told her that I had seen a physiologist who confirmed my carpal tunnel symptoms were real and that considering I had already had surgery on both wrists in the past, the only cause could be the AI. The physiologist told me I might need surgery again and that was not in the cards if it was AI related. I told the nurse she was being dismissive and needed to be more empathetic. When I saw the MO she agreed the symptoms were related to the AI and we switched to the next circle of hell which cured the carpal tunnel but caused other SE. I am on my 3rd AI and it is tolerable as are its SE's.
Sometimes only a squeaky wheel gets addressed, so I am glad you spoke up for yourself and hopefully get the results/equipment you need.
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Am acclimating to using a smart phone and at this point, it is still smarter than me. I took pictures earlier today and had the devil of the time getting them sent to my email so I could download them. They were decidedly on the slow boat but here are some more photos of my garden.
Daffodils and periwinkle.
Pink bleeding hearts by the stream.
Gazebo with pink bleeding hearts and a bed that needs some raking and weeding. Next on the list of "to-dos".
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Your yard is lovely. I enjoy seeing scenery I've never seen in person. How large is it?
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Do I spot what looks like periwinkle by the rocks lining the driveway. Always so pretty on the eyes in Spring. The foliage is such a nice deep green and always looks great with the little purple flowers standing right up to be counted. I also love the Easter lilies there. Seems your yard is planted to get the maximum out of the areas you as well as others will see first in Spring. Here ( aside from a sm. amt. of Ajuga and the periwinkle, all I have is green leaves on different kinds of foliage. It is however brand new, so bright and pretty -- not dusty and tired which is what starts in Aug through the rest of the season.
You'll never disappoint me with a gazebo. Yours is very pretty Betrayal and I'd gladly rake that bed for you if I were there.
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Yes, that is periwinkle intermingled with the daffodils. I have it on the daffodil hill as well as here. The bed near the mailbox (no photo) is all periwinkle because the hosta never survived being a deer buffet. It needs to be thinned so I will transplant more to the naked areas in the bed by the road once I thin the daffodils to naturalize here. The gazebo needs a new roof and I am hoping my DB can do it for me. The cedar shakes are disintegrating as the gazebo is aging. I love to sit in there and just enjoy the day. There are lilacs on the far side of the gazebo.
The pink bleeding hearts self-seed and some of the plants have a 4 foot diameter so I just let them abound. They really like that area and fill it in nicely. I also have lily of the valley that has been allowed to spread. It fills in where the honeysuckle used to be. It was another monster plant that I had to remove.
Years ago the brakes on our oil delivery truck failed and just as the driver finished putting the hose back on the truck, the truck took off without him to steer. Our driveway has a wicked curve which it failed to negotiate and it took off over the lawn and ended up hitting the gazebo. Although it moved the gazebo 3 feet from its original moorings, the damage it did was minimal and my DB was paid to repair it by the oil company. The driver was so apologetic explaining he tried to catch the truck but couldn't. When I told him I was glad he hadn't because he might have been hurt and asked "what did you expect to do if you did catch it if it had no brakes?" He had no answer. While appearances are deceiving, he looked like a Hells Angel and wore sleeveless shirts in the summer displaying all his various tattoos, he was really a very nice guy. Fortunately the truck hitting the gazebo kept it from going into the stream. They had to use a huge tow truck to remove it from the lawn. I heard this strange noise coming from the front of the house and looked out to see what was causing it. It was the tow truck and imagine my surprise when I saw the oil truck next to the gazebo. They though no one was home so no one rang the door bell. They had left a note on the oil delivery bill.
Wren44: we have just about 3/4 of an acre with the house sitting towards the back of the property. It was a tad overgrown when we moved here and with DH allergic to poison ivy, I have spent years eradicating it from the property. So once I killed it off, I had to fill those spaces with other plants. We are mostly a shade property due to towering tulip poplars, ash, former cherry trees (all gone now), crabapple and black walnut. So it has been a gradual transformation over the last 35 years where when I removed something like the center dead yews that were along the front walk, I replaced them with plants/bushes that needed minimal care. I hated trimming those yews and paid my son's friends a bounty on each one they dug out. Being money hungry teens they were gone in one day and there were about 10 of them.
The former owner had planted forsythia down front and that was a nightmare because it was a hedge about 10 feet long (6 feet high), overgrown, poorly flowering and had to be trimmed annually. I would cut it down to the ground and by the end of the summer it was a tangled mess again, plus my neighbor never trimmed his side (I usually ended up cutting it). I had it removed and the landscaper quoted me a flat fee which I am sure he regretted because it took them over 2 days to dig out the roots, fill in the hole and reseed the lawn. I never saw that landscaper again. I admire forsythia from a distance but will never plant it. I like things that don't need to be trimmed except for an occasional stray limb.
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Forgiveness is an act of love. As I forgive, I release negative energy that may manifest as resentment or anger. I open the way for something positive to happen. If I feel wronged or annoyed, I release the impulse to judge. The lines of communication remain open, and understanding flows freely. Relationships with family, friends and colleagues flourish when I act with compassion and easily forgive. I relate to others in harmonious ways. I exercise the same forgiving attitude toward myself. If I have erred, I learn from it and move on.
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You always have interesting stories about your 35 yrs. of lawn care Betrayal. . It is 35 yrs. of love and care to make it what you want and need. I know as we age having less to do is always better. I too love Forsythia but it can get so rangy, so quick. So -- none in my yard either. The only thing -- if I got that started good, Dh might have had to leave it alone. Wow !!! on that Gazebo getting moved. I did notice 'the roof', and thought it had a very OLD interesting look.
Today will be quite nice here. Sunny and 83. It won't likely get too hot though. Usually this early we can get some higher temps w/o the high humidity that we get later on in the summer. That makes me love this time of yr. Nice warmth w/o the suffering. I might even wash the windows today. Will be a good day for that. Also may bring out the deck chairs. We left the table out all yr. It is cumbersome to handle and once in my storage shed hard to get in for other needed things. It really doesn't hurt it to winter on the deck.
Nothing much else planned for the day. We are having the 'honeydipper' out to clean out our septic tank. We noticed gurgling sounds coming from the toilet stool yesterday while the washer was running. Good sign it is time to clean. One of the joys of lake living. Almost all the lake properties have septic systems. Ours is as old as the hills -- but as long as we live here we can likely keep it.
Hope you all have a gorgeous Saturday.0 -
Love those pictures! I had a pink bleeding heart planted in my backyard that after a few years didn't come back. I should look into planting another. I'd also like another butterfly bush. That too bit the dust after a few years. Neglect may be the culprit.
Yesterday we went to another new beach for us. Out on Sanibel island we got lucky to get a parking spot at Gulfside beach, also known as Algiers beach. No crowds, peaceful - a dolphin swam very close to shore right in front of us. We think if it were “high season" we'd never have gotten parking.
Today will be a quick walk thru flea market; a nice nature walk thru six mile slough; and later a visit to a fair being held at Jet Blue stadium- fields next door. My niece and daughter leave very early tomorrow morning for home, back to upstate NY. I say very early because I'll leave here at 4:30 AM to get them to the airport. Zombie driver will be me!
Have a great weekend ladies!
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Well, it's official: I am off Letrozole. My MO said that the vast majority of AIs' benefits occur by 5 years. She said while the risk of recurrence is never zero, those 8 months till Dec. 31 would not make a difference--if I were to get a recurrence between now & Dec., it was already "percolating" and would still have reared its ugly little head once the 7 endocrine-therapy years were over. She agrees that at this point, the chances of fracture, elevated LDL & a1c, possible coronary artery disease, and slow metabolism causing increasing difficulty in controlling my weight are clearer and more present dangers to my health--especially given my age and family history. And at least now I can have grapefruit-flavored stuff (if not outright grapefruit) again.
It's bad enough that any exercise requiring wearing shoes (other than UGGs) & socks (and now, even sandals) is excruciatingly painful thanks to the spur, toe-tip callus, and bunion on my L foot pressing against the hammertoe next to it--causing exquisite pain along the sides of my big toenail bed. My podiatrist refuses to do anything about it, saying I should just have my pedicurist dig out the offending ingrown barbs every 4 weeks--yet even the day after she does that, the extremely-curled sides of the nail beds still dig into my skin whenever I bear weight or don a sock. (Heck, it's even starting to wake me from sleep). And he won't touch the toe callus, much less remove the spur that's causing it. I'm seriously considering a couple of trips to Seattle for Drs. Hale & Huppin to do that permanent ingrown-toenail-prevention/relief surgery. (A couple of trips because I'd need to stay off that foot for a few days after each procedure). The podiatrist here who'd been willing to do it has since retired (and his office's professional building is connected to a hospital in s. Evanston that's a COVID hellhole). The only way I can exercise is on crutches or a non-wheeled walker (essentially bench-pressing my body weight). My PCP says swimming is good cardiovascular exercise but doesn't burn enough calories and does nothing to strengthen bone because it's not weightbearing.
I'm also finding it increasingly onerous to stay hydrated--drinking that much water is getting to be quite unpleasant, even during the daytime. I used to wonder how my elderly FIL kept letting himself get dehydrated (he claimed water "messes with the chakras" according to his old yoga instructor). I thought it was just another loony lifestyle peccadillo, like his weird dietary ideas. Now it's happening to me (and I don't believe in ayurvedic woo). But I want to know why we find it harder to drink enough water as we age. (Bob can only tell me that elders don't like to drink water and can't recognize thirst signals, but not the physiological mechanisms as to why).
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Sandy, I winced as I read about your foot issues.
Cindy, I enjoy your posts about your good times in FL.
I reposted an amusing post (meme?) on Facebook which spoke to me. It said I should write an oughtabiography about all the things I oughta accomplish.
Nothing much planned for today. There is a whole list of "might do's" but I might not do any of them.
Happy Sunday.
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Forgiveness is an act of love. As I forgive, I release negative energy that may manifest as resentment or anger. I open the way for something positive to happen. If I feel wronged or annoyed, I release the impulse to judge. The lines of communication remain open, and understanding flows freely. Relationships with family, friends and colleagues flourish when I act with compassion and easily forgive. I relate to others in harmonious ways. I exercise the same forgiving attitude toward myself. If I have erred, I learn from it and move on.
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Good for you Sandy. I do think I have heard the same a number of times about our getting whatever benefits can be had by AL's in the first 5 yrs. of using them. I also agree that letting go of them a bit early won't make a lot of difference either. I skipped the last 4 months of mine.
I also agree about the hydration. I routinely drank a lot of water and did so for the last several yrs. Now, I'm on water restriction due to the CHF. That seems at this time to be under control, but part of the control is not taking in too much water. I think for most people -- it is till considered to be about 8 glasses of water per day. Most people don't "count" but if there is a question I guess that might be what is called for. I hope you are able to work that out as well as some of your foot issues. It is no fun to have spurs that grow ( I have some too ) from nail-beds of in-grown toe nails. Mine were done a long time ago. Only the fact that I go to Marion every three or four months helps. The NP always goes into the side to remove the spurs. She is pretty adept and it takes very little time. I am way too inflexible now to do my own which I use to do. I always made the spur areas bleed so better that I go in and have the NP do it.
Hot yesterday and nice again today. We had to bring a fan out for the living room. We had a great breeze through the day, but at night it usually drops right off and then the house gets pretty toasty. It was un-comfortable till we got the fan going. It is cloudy right now, so don't know for sure what we will be getting.
I hope you all have a really nice Sunday.
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It's not so much the "barbs" of the ingrowns that cause me pain--the pedicurist removes them (albeit quite painfully as I am extremely sensitive and the curette she uses to dig them out makes me want to scream--so I bite my fist instead). It's the sides of the nails that curl under so much that they're practically scrolls, so that the barbs recur even when the nails are cut straight across. Decades ago I had the surgery on one toe--but the DPM neglected to chemically cauterize the "root" to keep it from recurring and I was back in pain again in less than a year. Nowadays, "killing" the root is routine. (I also recall how painful the local anesthetic was going in, and how inadequately it worked--the surgery itself was agonizing while it was happening--but that was 1992 and techniques have changed).
I have such delicate skin that it blisters easily too--and every callus seems to have a fissure beneath it. "Frustrating" doesn't even begin to describe it. Yeah, I know at our age little aches & pains are supposed to be normal, but I can't "grin & bear it," especially when they keep me from doing healthful things like exercise.
As to my back & neck, X-rays and my periodic MRIs show "age-related osteoarthritic degenerative spinal changes." Nothing can be done except to accept them--which I resent having to do. Can't even take the only non-narcotic painkillers that help--NSAIDs--due to GERD and a possible low-grade GI bleed that keeps me borderline anemic. My gastro said that rather than swallow a "camera-in-a-pill" that would diagnose it, I should just assume it's there and keep taking iron.
Anyone else here getting tired of having our concerns pushed aside simply because we're getting older and such things are supposedly "normal for" our "age?"
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Frustrated, too, with my voice teacher. He teaches remotely (now on FB live video chat when Zoom, Skype and FaceTime didn't work for him). He pops up out of the blue and suggests a time, so I structure my entire day around that--but then he either has a sudden meeting or (more often) Internet problems and the day is wasted. I am getting frustrated with not being able to depend on people's promises & commitments. (A reason why I gave up trying to get a defective satellite box replaced--DirecTV's customer service is abysmal, and waiting all day for a repairman who doesn't arrive or a package that never gets delivered is maddening).
Yes, I know about staffing shortages and "The Great Resignation." But companies have no business making promises they can't keep.
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I was 8 pages behind - read the first few, then skimmed the last two. I saw I haven't been on since the 12th - day DD#2 arrived. DD#1 left this morning. We had fun girl time. DD#2 and I went to Garden of the Gods on Monday, DD#1 arrived Tuesday and we went shopping, Wednesday to a wildlife preserve near us and Thursday to the Botantical. Gardens. I had comp time so took 3.5 days off work - still have 2 more days comp time to use before the end of the year. DD#2 leaves tomorrow afternoon. The school I'm covering has a comp day tomorrow, so I'll get lots of much needed paperwork done at home and I get to take her to the airport
Sandy - I'm going to go look at the site you posted of your kids.
Going to check out a few other threads that I haven't visit the past 12 days, then finish putting my Passover stuff away in the crawl space.
Have a great rest of the day.
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chisandy: Yes, I agree that I am tired of having my medical ailments blamed on 1) age; 2) weight and 3) Type 2 DM even if they have no relationship to any of those excuses they use. Can't change my age, my weight is something I've learned to live with and I suggest they do the same because I refuse to be "fat shamed" or weighed at the PCP's office because at this age I am not going to return to what I weighed at 20 (and that BMI which is from data based on a white male which I am not and it was never meant to be used as it is today) nor do I want to; and 3) my DM is well-controlled by diet and Metformin to the point my PCP is thinking about taking me off the drug. The AI I am on until 2023 is affecting my weight, cholesterol and BS. I eat healthy for the most part (large salad every day for lunch and carb count for other meals), walk about 10,000 steps a day even with foot pain from bone on bone arthritis in my left foot and back pain due to degeneration arthritis and I am active. Still trying to determine what I am going to say when they try to use these "excuses" if it is really unrelated to causation. Thankfully, my PCP doesn't fall back on these nor ignore my concerns. She had to cancel our appointment on Friday due to a family emergency and I was asked if I wanted to see one of the other partners. I politely declined and rescheduled rather than see someone who knows nothing about me and risk a fiasco of a visit that would leave me wonting.
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