Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I’m with you ladies on the doctor stuff. I had a PCP I followed through 3 different medical places. Most recently she just up and retired; not older than me, just dissatisfied. No notice. Even when a letter showed up it didn’t say much, just that they’ve assigned a different doctor to me. The new Dr doesn’t know me, nor I her. Being in FL it has to wait until I’m back in NY before I try to find a different doctor. I’ve got so many specialist I’m covered pretty good. But one more thing added to my “to do” list once I’m home.
My niece and her daughter left this morning. We drove to the airport at 4:15 AM. I didn’t go back to bed until after 5. Up at 10 to start laundry, which I feel like I’ve been doing all day long. I miss them both, but will be back in NY on May 18 and will see them then.
In my rushing this morning at 3:55 AM I dropped my phone on the bathroom tile floor. Sure enough the screen cracked. I put a new screen cover on and for now it will work. But if it cracks more I’ll need a new phone.
Monday tomorrow. I’ve got to put away all the Easter decorations. Seems like they multiply. No bunny pun intended. Have a good Monday everyone.
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My job today is to contact the Louisiana Department of Revenue about our tax return. That should be lot of fun. Sarcasm.
Summer is here complete with humidity.
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Good morning, I think there new web pages are shorter than before. It takes me forever to read everything and catch up. DH has suddenly lost all hearing in the left ear. He started feeling like he had water in his ear, about 2 weeks ago. Now he can't hear out of that ear at all. He is calling to get an appointment with an ENT.
Betrayal, the gardens are fabulous.
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There are six principles of abundant living which, when woven together,
produce a tapestry of contentment that wraps us in inner peace,
well-being, happiness, and a sense of security. First there is gratitude.
When we do a mental and spiritual inventory of all that we have, we realize
that we are very rich indeed. Gratitude gives way to simplicity--the desire
to clear out, pare down, and realize the essentials of what we need to live
truly well. Simplicity brings with it order, both internally and externally.
A sense of order in our life brings us harmony. Harmony provides us with
the inner peace we need to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us each
day, and beauty opens us to joy. But just as with any beautiful needlepoint
tapestry, it is difficult to see where one stitch ends and another begins.0 -
Just had my experience with the seemingly lazy cardio Dr. and switched as soon as I could. I don't hold it totally against him. I'm a V.A. patient and many of the provider Dr.'s know they are going to be paid at a very reduced level. Still, if that is the case, it is not a reason to be what seems lazy, and refer your 'job' to someone else. My PCP said fine -- I'll help you all you require because it is your needs that are supposed to be met. The new Cardiologist mainly said the same thing. It is not the AGE thing you all are talking about but runs something of a second. I would imagine we have all heard some variety of medical issues that have been connected with age. Some of it is true, but it certainly isn't an excuse not to do your job, willingly with a smile on your face and a determination to make as much of a GOOD difference as you can in the health and well being of your patient.
I too think we all know someone who doesn't fit the 'mold' at all. My Aunt was very morbidly obese for most of her life. Despite that she avoided many of the health issues because she ate well ( if way too much ) and she had good habits. She was a hard worker and got plenty of sleep, took her Dr's advice. She never missed a day at work and she had hobbies that she enjoyed very much. She had a good attitude. In so many cases -- age really is just a number and sad that it ( age ) gets tagged with so many add-ons that are not all that deserved.
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Yes, when I was thin, I was criticized for being "too thin" and now that I have moved to the other end of the spectrum, I hear criticism for this. But have decided I am just going to shut it down even though the one health system I use has questions posted that the MD's are to ask their patients and one is about BMI. My answer is my BMI is not me, end of discussion and let's move on to a more important topic.
As far as ageism in medicine, it is there, it does rear its ugly heads with some MD's and it should not mean we are entitled to less quality care because we are at the other end of the life spectrum. If anything, we should be exposed to the same care as a pediatric patient since we face similar medical issues due to decline in immune system, etc.
chisandy: As we age, we lose intracellular water supplies so the proportion of our body weight that was water, is no longer true. This shift means we need to replace it by drinking more but we also face the challenge that there is an age related defect in our "thirst" sensation. The medications we are on also contribute to water loss as does the change in kidney function. So if no medical restrictions on fluid intake, we do need to increase our fluid intake to counteract this fluid loss to prevent kidney issues (stones) and bowel issues such as constipation. The old adage I used to teach students about fluids and kidney function was "where the salt (sodium) goes, so goes the water". So if you control your salt intake, you will excrete water (urine); if you overdo, then you will have edema in your lower extremities. When the edema fluid returns to the heart at night, it taxes the heart and causes heart failure. Left sided heart failure usually precedes right heart failure and is referred to as "pump failure". So we pump less blood to the lower extremities. Right sided heart failure can occur later and I will explain more later.
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petite, I have had the same thing happen with one ear. I go to the ENT doc and he removes impacted ear wax. I have to have my ears cleaned out about once a year. It drives me crazy when this happens...the feeling of water in the ear and just being plugged up. Affects my balance too.
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My mom had right-sided heart failure caused by COPD ("cor pulmonale"). 20 years after quitting smoking her heart & lungs never fully recovered.
I know that our thirst sensations are impaired as we age, but nobody's been able to explain why we develop an increasing reluctance to drink sufficient water as we age. When I was younger, I never had a problem hydrating adequately even when I didn't feel thirsty--I knew I should drink a half-gallon of water a day no matter what, so I did, as naturally as brushing my teeth. Still frustrated that have no idea why elderly people don't like to drink water, especially now that I've joined their ranks.
My PCP wants to do a telehealth visit tomorrow afternoon to discuss what to do about my glucose and lipids now that I've ditched the letrozole. I notice that I don't seem to get chilled, but I do perspire more when it's hot or after exertion. He wants me to take my BP twice daily at home (to discount the "white-coat hypertension" effect). It's been dead-bang normal all week. I will also ask him why, even though he called in my alprazolam, he specified "0 refills." (My late PCP's NP--his daughter--always specified 3 refills). Now, a 30-day supply is actually 60, as I split the pills in half. (The 1mg. tabs are the same price as the 0.5s). But it's stlll a PITA to patient-portal message for refills.
Getting Bob to admit that there's anything wrong is like pulling teeth nanometer by nanometer, especially since his bloodwork turned out stellar--far better than mine. His knee and hip arthritis are brutal--watching him try to get up from his seat in a restaurant is agonizing. But he won't let me help him up, take anything for it, nor do anything other than wear a knee-sleeve for sleep. I asked him at bedtime yesterday whether his gut was okay (after the prescribed 3 days on the abx for the delayed bacterial diarrhea 7 yrs post-hemicolectomy) and he said "a little." (This is after a week of "fine"). The hospital where his gastro practices called today to preregister him for his (grossly overdue) colonoscopy, so I gather he'll be having it sooner than June. He wants to go away for Memorial Day weekend but I've been loath to book anything just in case he gets a dire diagnosis that pulls the rug out from under us again. (In 2015, I postponed booking a Mediterranean cruise till after he recovered from the colon & hernia surgery...only to get my BC dx a week after we booked it. Had I not had a low oncotype and not been eligible for the short radiation therapy, we wouldn't have been able to go).
We've had to postpone a freebie HGV weekend in NY five times since summer 2020 due to COVID (and with NYC now being "high risk" once again, we're not booking any place riskier than Chicago). Vegas (where our timeshare actually is) is low-risk, but to me that's no fun. I don't gamble, and the resort is at the quiet (as in "no attractions other than casinos") end of the Strip (It also has a rudimentary kitchen). He likes going to the RCI resort in the Berkshires, but for me that's utter torture: it's not walking distance to anywhere (including enjoyable hiking trails), good restaurants (where I can safely eat) are few & far between because the malls closed down even before COVID; and a week spent cooking Target groceries in a kitchenette while he sits around and watches TV or reads is not my idea of a vacation. We have only 4 days to spend (and he insists on working Thurs. night so airfare will be triple what it would be for a Tues or Thurs night stayover) so I want a bit of luxury in San Francisco, San Diego or Seattle. And I insist on at least business class when we fly, because coach seats have no knee room (he has to "manspread") and the cushions are so short that the edges hit his unusually long thighs right at the most sensitive spot on his hamstrings & sciatic nerve. (One of the reasons we haven't replaced our cars is that dealers don't have enough vehicles to test-drive--invariably, whenever he has to rent, the seat cushions turn out to be too short).
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Sandy, I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a testosterone-impaired husband. My husband has progressive dementia and Parkinson's. He refuses to take the medication for Parkinson's or to use a walker (which was highly recommended by his PT). I feel like I'm just waiting for him to fall down and break something or get a concussion. He won't use a mediset or let me help monitor his meds. I don't think he takes any of his meds, including for HBP, oftener than 2 x week. I'm going to need a therapist pretty soon if this keeps up. He's going to end up somewhere he doesn't want to be if this keeps up. We can't afford memory care, although I think he may need it soon. He was always our cook and now I'm doing it all. It's not something I have any talent for. I'm pretty sick of my own cooking. Supported living with a chef really looks good.
I have the opposite problem with short legs. When I was a travel agent we got to fly first class sometimes. I need something to put under my feet so they touch something in those huge seats. The only time I felt crowded in economy was on British Airways, which barely had room for my legs. I'm sure it was torture for anyone taller.
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My call to the Louisiana Department of Revenue took only about thirty minutes and my issue was resolved. I had to send off some documents to prove our payment of taxes. The whole problem arose because of my error. I put our tax withholding amount in the wrong place.
After going to my senior exercise class, I went to the Women's Pavilion and had a bone density test. My bones are still in the "normal" category and my likelihood of broken hip is very low. All that walking that gave me feet problems was good for my bones.
Today I'm playing golf, 9 holes or 18 holes to be determined once I'm on the course. Friday I quit after 9 holes because the pace of play was too slow. Our club has had a big increase in membership and I think most of those new members are slow men golfers.
I'm very fortunate in that my dh does what he can to look after his health. He has regular appointments, organizes his meds and takes them, goes to the gym and plays golf. He started wearing elastic socks on his own to help his leg circulation and just ordered a supplement recommended by one doctor. He is overweight, as am I.
Happy Wednesday to all.
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The Buddha spoke gently, "Once a person is caught by belief
in a doctrine, one loses all one's freedom. When one
becomes dogmatic, that person believes his or her doctrine
is the only truth and that all other doctrines are heresy.
Disputes and conflicts all arise from narrow views. They can
extend endlessly, wasting precious time and sometimes even
leading to war. Attachment to views is the greatest impediment
to the spiritual path. Bound to narrow views, one becomes
so entangled that it is no longer possible
to let the door of truth open."0 -
cowgirl, My niece said the same. She has to get wax removed by the doctor about once a year. DH is having a problem getting an appointment. We live in a rural area and there is only 1 ENT. He might just go to a clinic and have the doctor look in his ear.
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Going to be a pretty day here with the sun out bright. It will however, stay cooler than we like. As long as their is sun to take the brunt of the coolness off it will be okay. I can make almost anything okay if I have a sun to bloom in.
Nothing special today -- just some work to catch up on. There is always that and I have to start getting some bills together. Maybe a trip to the bank as well. At least most of my 'trips' to town are easy since it is such a small town.
Glad your 'revenue' call went well, Carole. Dealing with the IRS in any way is nerve-wracking in my view. We were audited once long ago and I've never forgotten it. Guess it traumatized me forever. Don't recall how it came out other than we had to pay at the time. I don't think we have ever been audited again. We, after that incident have always used TAX people to do our taxes feeling like they would have to handle any 'true' issues and that possibly the fact that we 'paid ' professionals would put us in a category where we would not fall heir to frequent auditing cycles. Don't know if it is/was true, but it seems that it did work out that way.
Also good news on your bones. Another aspect that can be troubling for the ahem' older generation. I hope not to have the issue myself but I do think there is something to having the problem turn up as part of the issues that run in families. Being active I do think is a big help and anyone who can exercise really should to try and alleviate ( stall off ) getting "bad" bones too soon. Easy for me to say since I don't have the problem which is my second thought. Also since I have stayed, save for the last few months, highly active.
So I hope you all have a great day with sunshine if possible. So great that Spring is here -- even if it means a lot of possible rain and in-consistent temps in the beginning.
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Dad was diagnosed with Covid this weekend, along with 19 other residents and 1 staff person. He's 95, has been vaccinated and boosted. So far he's hoarse, coughing and has a drippy nose. I called his doctor and he ordered the 5 days of antiviral pills which I picked up at the pharmacy and got permission to go into Dad's room to label and set them up for him (3 pills twice a day) as long as I put on all the isolation garb. I did the home Covid test and so far I'm negative, I went in and had the 72 hour test where they swabbed my throat, and in the mean time I'm wearing a mask if I'm out of my apartment.
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Puffin, Hoping your Dad has no additional symptoms and you don't catch it. Good for you making sure you're not passing it around if you are positive.
I'm just a hair above osteoporosis. I'm hoping it stays that way because I would be pretty nervous taking some of the meds. It runs in my family.
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Wow! Cruising! I got all caught up. Sandy, glad your a1c test is normal I had one several years ago, normal. My daughter developed hypoglycemia shortly after birth, and was fat taking into account slight prematurity. Don't know why......but.
I am busy making a kimono housecoat out of an almost sheer sari, I doubled it to make it less transparent. Very summery, compared to my red velvet winter one. I need to shorten the sleeves because the elbows are nearly breaking out. But I also have some purplish-black velvet-- just thought of that.
I ordered a trike, my brother again made the recommendation (I am too forgiving for my own good). A local bike mechanic (on disability-- does it as a community service) will take it to his place to put it together. I will have to wait to put a motor on it.
One year of Herceptin infusions is a piece of cake compared to AI's. Except for the possibility of heart damage.
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Add my name to Wren's hopes and wishes for you and your Dad, Puffin. I'm glad you took it in hand and got extra pharmaceutical assistance for him.
Wrenn -- I hope you are able to avoid osteoporosis as well. I'll never forget a friend's mother who had the issue -- even though she had been fairly active all her adult life. My friend used to go to Marco Island every Spring and drive with her Mom back here. The one yr. they drove straight on two more hours from here further, and she had her Mom admitted to the hospital there. Her mom's surgeon practiced at the hospital and Penny knew before she left the Island that her hip was broken again. Impressed me deeply and I still think about it.
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Covid at 95 is very scary, Puffin. Holding you close.
Mary, I agree. Herceptin was a piece of cake compared to the AI's. Unlike Sandy, I bailed at year 3. For me it was a QOL decision and I've not regretted it.
One of my golf friends has a lumpectomy Friday. Sounds like they found it very early but mother and sister are survivors.. Still waiting for HER2 results but has already been told to plan to 10 years for the AI's. When I was diagnosed, they were still saying 5-7. Of course, I was 15 years older when I was diagnosed too.
Happy Wednesday, everyone.
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Puffin, hope the Paxlovid works as well for your dad as it did for me--between it and my three previous shots, it knocked my COVID out by day 5 post-test! And I hope you can stay uninfected, too. (Worst comes to worst, you can get a Paxlovid 'script too).
Carole, I'd dust off my clubs and head to the nearby Park Dist. 9-hole course (where I used to X-C ski), but for my "3" handicap (2 big boobs and a bad back). Last time I played decades ago, the starter matched me with three of the most patient men on the face of the earth. Still & all, I wasn't doing too badly until I reached the 9th hole, a par 4. My tee shot went into the bunker next to the green. I've always been pretty good at getting out of the sand trap (I aim for the sand, not the ball), and I blasted right out. But my ball was nowhere to be seen. Just then one of the men pointed to a nearby tree--"that magenta ball yours?" Sure enough, there it was...in a nest...where it had been carried away by a starling. I bought the guys a sleeve of Titleists for their patience. Next day, I went to the driving range in Lincoln Park for a lesson...and promptly wrenched my back. (The driving range has since been replaced by a soccer pitch).
Had a telehealth visit with my PCP today. He had me resume the HCTZ component of my BP meds (Olmesartan is the other half--I used to take Benicar HCTZ & then its generic, but they stopped making the combo) and take my BP twice a day. He was impressed with the readings. He also urged me to hydrate better--as much water as I can stand (>40 oz./day) plus an extra daily ounce for every ounce of coffee or wine. As to the 138 glucose, he ordered another metabolic panel, an a1c & lipid panel (my last ones were in Sept.), and a complete anemia workup including ferritin, folate & B-12 levels. (My hemoglobin on the CBC panel 2 wks ago was 11.5, mildly anemic). I hadn't had those anemia tests since 2017, when my late PCP ordered them and a colonoscopy/EGD to determine if I had a GI bleed because my ferritin levels were low. Both 'scopes were negative, but the GI doc said that rather than swallow the camera pill I should just assume I have a "slow leak" small intestine bleed and take iron supplements. (I alternate Vitron-C and Feosol Complete with Bifera--both pills' forms of iron are better absorbed with less GI upset than ferrous sulfate and unlike therapeutic doses of ferrous gluconate are OTC).
As to my foot problem, he suggests applying a topical anesthetic on the toe callus & ingrown before putting on socks & gym shoes to exercise. He thinks it's high time I returned to the gym, despite COVID risks (I have no problem wearing a mask while working out, and I have "hybrid immunity" due to a second booster after an Omicron infection), because it has a rowing machine and recumbent bike which are easier on my feet. He also suggests that, rather than resume personal training (my trainer quit to become an O.T., and the ones currently there insist on locking you in to a 3x/wk multi-year contract) I should find my old logbook and start from scratch--using the apparatus & settings my old trainer had me use. All except, of course, those dreaded weighted "battle ropes." (I HATED them). In the meantime, he advises I start using hand weights & resistance bands. I'm paying for the LA Fitness membership anyway, so why not? My pre-workout warmup is the 2-block walk over there. (How I wish they had a NuStep seated elliptical like Athletico P.T.)! He says that working out will make me thirsty enough to crave water.
We finally got a stretch of dry (albeit ultra-chilly) weather--our landscaper/handyman applied the first coat of water-based deck stain today. It looks great and doesn't stink as badly as I remember the original (which IIRC was oil-based and required me to wear a mask for several days every time I walked past the deck). May or may not need a second coat tomorrow. It's 39F at 11 pm--which is as warm as tomorrow will get. UGH! Slight rain chance Thurs., but warming up to about 60. Then it's back to the warm rain-cold dry seesaw pattern. Ah, the Bipolar Vortex! (Last Sat.'s sunny 82F seems like it was a hallucination).
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Taco, a couple of weeks ago the NEJM published a study from the University of Vienna, where postmenopausal women who'd had 5 years of endocrine therapy (mostly AI but some had Tamoxifen) were split into two groups: one received an additional 5 years of AI (anastrazole) and the other only 2 more years. At the end of the 5 years, they found no difference in recurrence or disease-free survival, but the 10-year-total group had many more clinically significant fractures, osteoarthritis complaints, and slightly more cardiovascular events than the 7-year group. So your friend might want to ask her MO about that article if the MO suggests a decade of AI therapy. My own MO cited the article in approving my decision to quit Letrozole after 6-1/3 years. She said those 8 months would not make a difference.
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Jazzy - I stopped AIs after enduring side effect after side effect. Like you quality of life was more important. That was 12 years ago and I"m thankfully still living life NED.
Sandy - I was told last month that I'm mildly anemic by my hematologist and to have my pcp re-run the CMP and CBC at my annual. An my calcium is slightly elevated!!! Such is life.
The house is quiet - the girls are back in their respective cities. It was such a fun visit.
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My MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 64 (same as I). After Betty Ford revealed her diagnisis and the ACS had brought breast-self-examination to the nation's attention, she noticed one day that one of her nipples had inverted. She went straight to her GYN, who immediately admitted her to the hospital for biopsy the next morning,
Back then, the way breast biopsies worked was that the patient was given general anesthesia, under which the biopsy was performed and a "frozen section" sent to Pathology for evaluation. You didn't know until you woke up whether your lump or anomalous tissue was benign or malignant. (My mom awoke from her biopsy with just a gauze pad, so all was well for her). And the only way you learned it was malignant was that you awoke minus not just your breast but also all the axillary lymph nodes and even part of the upper arm muscle in a "modified radical" (& sometimes chest wall in a "full radical") mastectomy. That was that--no stage, no grade, no hormone-receptor nor HER-2 status--just "cancer." "Simple mastectomy" (just the breast, ma'am) was considered a reckless gamble. Lumpectomy was unheard-of for at least the next 10-20 years.
Everyone got radiation treatment of the remaining surrounding tissue. Chemo was routine below a certain age or if the mastectomy was anything less than a modified radical. My MIL didn't get chemo--and of course, no endocrine therapy because estrogen receptors were not yet a "thing." She lived to just three weeks shy of 96. (And what killed her was a series of strokes, not a recurrence).
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Wren, I started Fosamax , but it made my IBS unbearable coupled with indigestion. I stopped taking it. Immediately the indigestion stopped and the IBS is back to whatever normal is for me.
Puffin, Hope your dad recovers.
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Affliction comes to us not to make us sad, but sober; not to make us sorry, but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh us, as the night refreshes day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us, as the plough enriches the field; to multiply our joy, as the seed, by planting, is multiplied a thousand-fold. -Henry Ward Beecher
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Very weird. I wrote a post a few minutes ago but maybe I neglected to submit it. It's nowhere to be seen.
Puffin, I hope you remain healthy and your dad recovers without getting seriously ill.
Best wishes for your friend, Taco.
Our weather is perfect today for any outdoor activity. I plan to give the two large wisteria shrubs their final trimming before we depart on May 19. They will be wildly overgrown when we return.
Happy Wednesday to all.
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Sun is out today and that starts my day off just right. Sandy, I do recall those days of bc patients waking up from biopsies. Had a friend who had the experience. Sadly, her life was never the same. Her hubby placed a lot of stock in the upper anatomy and Maxine ended up feeling like half a woman that her husband didn't really want anymore. I won't go into all the sordid details, but they did stay together and several yrs. later when she got cancer in the remaining breast she just let it go. I'll never know quite why she chose to go that way, but her life was her choice and that is what she wanted.
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Yeah. I had a biopsy at eighteen, and that is the way it happened. On righty, the same that got replaced with a bag of water fifty years later.
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Another lovely spring morning here. By the weekend summer weather is supposed to return along with higher humidity. Lunch with 3 women friends is on my schedule. It promises to be enjoyable since we have a reservation on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking Lake Pontchartrain. Our common tie originally was golf. The youngest is probably 76 and the oldest 86 but you would never guess she was that age.
DH played golf two days in a row and this morning he is off to the gym. One day recently I said, "Say hello to your girlfriend at the gym." He came back with "Which one?" I admire him for doing what he can to keep exercising at age 82.
Wishing everyone a good day.
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Truth is like the stars; it does not appear except from behind obscurity of the night.
Truth is like all beautiful things in the world; it does not disclose its desirability except
to those who first feel the influence of falsehood. Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us
to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness.
Khalil Gibran0 -
Looking a bit cloudy this morning, but we are now due ( so it is said by weather people ) for rain until this evening. Sigh !! Not a lot on for today, but it will warm and be nice. I may go out in the yard and start some projects. It is the only way I know of to get the guys in the family to get started themselves.
I've been up to that for many yrs. already. Dh always has issues about getting up and out early. He only wants to eat breakfast and then have another nap afterwards. Then he likes to go to town for something -- anything. It is too early for him to work. He likes to start in late afternoon. You can quit earlier because its going to get dark. So, maybe I'll get the leaves out of the ground cover areas.
Good for the men who will keep up the exercise. Bodies were designed for movement and so keeping up as long as you can is definitely health promoting. I think that is true for everyone actually. Have to take some paperwork to Dr. Barrientos who will be I know, more than happy to set up another scope for me. This one is specifically to take out the lesion he found on the first scope. I certainly wish there had not been one, but I am happy there was only one -- although it is a big one. I think it was bigger since I missed having the scope done and it was 7 months late.
Hope you all have a really good day and some nice summer-like weather.0
