Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Dad is out of quarantine now, I went over yesterday to visit him (both of us wearing masks) and wiped down the things I touch too. I know the current thinking is that the virus doesn't last long on objects but I just felt better doing a little sanitizing. He can go and get his mail now as long as he wears a mask. The number of residents with covid there have dropped from 42 to 24, the number of staff with covid increased from 3 to 5. They have cancelled all activities and are still delivering 3 meals a day to all the resident's room.
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Want of love is a degree of callousness; for love is the perfection of consciousness. We do not love because we do not comprehend, or rather we do not comprehend because we do not love. For love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. It is not a mere sentiment; it is truth; it is the joy that is at the root of all creation.
--Rabindranath Tagore
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Another rainy day here in Virginia. Temperatures in the low 50s. At least the pollen count is low. I’m ready for warmer weather though. Enjoy the fair Illinoislady. It’s always fun to look through the crafts at the vendor tables.
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Puffin, I'm glad that your Dad is out of quarantine, but also that cautious behaviors are still in place. I hope that soon it will all be eradicated in residents and staff. Everywhere I go here in my hometown people are pretty much maskless. Even Dh tends ( even when starting out with one ) to take off his mask now. I'm just not ready to do that yet. I've made such great strides and I do not wish to do anything to upset that apple cart.
I'd love to think it safe to not use a mask, but covid isn't gone and I do worry that there is the possibility of other variants which have ben found. Seems to be covid is still fairly sneaky and I don't want to be caught.
The sun is out this morning and I do think it will be nice for the fair. If I do decide to go down -- going to wear my mask even though we will be outside. I think the worst will be walking past the food booths. I'll have to make sure not to be hungry. We have most of the time avoided purchases of food from the fairs or Balloon Fest. We think it is fun for some, but at our age, the food is not only too expensive but not too good for you either.
Hope you all have a great Sunday.
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Welcome, cardplayer. We're always glad to have new people join the discussion. Wren, fingers crossed that your daughter gets good news. Also, my sympathy for your burdens as a caregiver.
Puffin, glad your father is recovering. We will soon be back in MN. I need to check the Covid situation in Hubbard County.
DH and I haven't been wearing masks for a couple of months now and I seldom see anyone wearing a mask. I see on the New Orleans news that the Jazz Fest is drawing thousands. Everything is outdoors. So far the Covid news is not alarming for this area.
Nothing on my schedule today except housework. For those of you yearning for summer weather, I wish I could send you some of this summer heat that has arrived much too early. I'm hoping that we have a moderate summer in MN with no need of the a/c. Last summer we needed it too many days.
Happy Saturday.
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I forgot to say I wear Hoka shoes at the recommendation of my podiatrist. I'm on my fourth or fifth pair since I buy a new pair every year to wear at the gym. I demote the gym shoes to golf shoes and demote the golf shoes to yard shoes. I buy the shoes (Bondi 7 style) at a sports store and get a free tee shirt with a slogan on the back, Run Fast Live Easy. I've been asked in MN where I got the tee shirt. At this point I have the tee shirt in a variety of colors.
The casual shoes and sandals my podiatrist recommends are SAS, which makes very attractive (and pricey) sandals now.
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Thank you Carol. I’m also wearing Hoka Bondi 7. Just got my 2nd pair to wear around the house. Read about them in an article about neuropathy and my neighbor recommended them I’ll have to check out SAS. I have a pair of Rainbow sandals which bother my feet and Clark sandals which are ok. I’ve been buying my shoes online via Zappos. I have small feet 5.5 and the local runners store doesn’t carry my size. My neurologist isn’t much help when it comes to shoes. Maybe I should see my podiatrist?
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Cardplayer, welcome to the group! No hazing and no car wash, both made me laugh.
Wren, hoping your daughters procedure went well. My sister, whose husband has dementia, just lost her dog. Sadness abounds but she also fears her dh won’t remember the dog is gone. His short term memory is not good. She said there are days she could pull her hair out over him. I try to reinforce she also needs to take care of herself. Get out for a drive, or go putter in the yard. No easy answer.
Covid is back in upstate NY. My nieces daughter has been sick but keeps testing negative. Today dx w sinus infection and lots of fluid in her ears. Dr put her on an antibiotic.
Weather here feels like a hot house, humidity beyond what I like. We have a new plant to get in the dirt and I’m thinking after 7 pm to give it a try. It’s 84 now and feels 91, w 68% humidity.
Hope your day goes well
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Wren44, I meant to wish your daughter a speedy recovery. Dementia is a daily challenge which we experienced with my DFIL who actually had Alzheimer's and a wife who had very little patience with him. It was sad to see this once vibrant man become a shell of his former self. So you have my empathy for what you deal with on a daily basis and I admire your strength for providing his care. Please remember to care for yourself in those moments where he can self-care or find a diversion.
When we had patients with dementia on our unit sometimes gave them a task as simple as folding towels or wash cloths which kept them engaged and gave them a sense of purpose. We used the same towels for days and they were never shared with another patient. Do you have a small task he likes to do that could give you some free time?
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He spends most of the day reading the newspapers for the week. He can't remember so keeps reading them over and over. He used to read a book a week. It is sad to see him so unable to do things he used to do. He also has Parkinson's so his gait is very uncertain. He refuses to use the walker they say he needs. My book club is Tues and my niece is going to come over for lunch with him.
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I'm in a Bondi 7 too, but now my left toes are so bad that even the W width toe box is too cramped. (The 6 was a bit roomier--you can even see it). I can't wear any socks unless they are either open-toed or loose without toe seams; and when I walk sockless I get blisters. Even my sandals need strategic padding. I've taken to sticking foam separators between my big and second toes--otherwise, the overlap makes my big toenails throb and the edges of the second toenails "stab" my big toes, making it feel like I have staples coming up from the insoles. I am so distressed about being unable to excercise without pain. Bunion surgery wouldn't help--the "lite" kind that grinds off the protuberance doesn't separate the big from the hammer toe; and the classic kind (where the bone gets realigned and pinned into place) has a horrendously long and painful rehab--worse than my knee replacements, and non-weightbearing as well. (And I would never be able to wear anything other than clown shoes due to pressure over the hardware). I was going to get the ingrown toenail removal surgery (where the scrolled sides of the nail are trimmed away and the root cauterized chemically), but if what I'm feeling is from the combo of bunions & hammertoes it'd be futile. Then there's that third-toe-tip callus overlying a bone spur--making that toe as long as my big toe.
To make matters worse, my R leg is getting more and more troublesome. The outside of the calf aches intermittently, despite the venous Doppler showing no clots. It and the knee ache enough to wake me at night. And increasingly, around 6-7am, I get horrendous spasms in the muscle fascia over the tibial hardware (I've had ever since being hit by a car in 1996). My ankle & big toe dorsiflex and I can't manually stretch them back to neutral. I do take magnesium at bedtime but it doesn't seem to make a difference any more. I usually get some relief about 5 min. after spraying & massaging with TheraWorx--but as I was doing so this time, my adductor muscle (inner thigh) suddenly spasmed so hard that I screamed. I could even see and feel it ripple. I tried to stretch it and it took several minutes of walking it off to get it to stop. Meanwhile, from what I can read these spasms are "harmless" but untreatable--and the older I get, the more often it'll happen. The mechanism is random nerves firing for no apparent reason, crossed signals from deep in the brain's basal ganglion. (Too little exercise, too much exercise, possibly dehydration but that's controversial, Mercury retrograde...). The only possible cause on which scientists agree might be pharmaceutical (those "rare" side effects you see way down in the bottom of the fine print on package inserts or drug ads)--but just about everything I have to take lists them (and the alternatives I've tried are less effective for the ailments for which I take them).
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chisandy - Have you tried CBD cream for your leg pain and spasms? I use CBD cream on my feet for my neuropathy pain, usually in the evening when my feet are tired. I did discuss using the CBD cream with my PCP, just to make sure she didn’t have any concerns about interaction with other medications.
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I haven't tried the CBD topicals for the leg pain & spasms, but they are my go-to for back pain. (Receptra Targeted Topical stick, or ReLeaf CBD/menthol roll-on, alternating with a lidocaine roll-on or Voltaren gel). I do take a 25mg. gelcap of it an hour before bedtime and a 3mg. CBN cap just before lights out. (I used to take a Receptra or Wyld 25mg CBD/3mg. CBN gummy, but the CBN gives me the munchies before the CBD can kick in). What does seem to help my third toe temporarily is a lidocaine foot pain cream. I do have an MMJ card, but I find the Indica edibles too high in sugar--and I hate being high anyway. (No smoking or vaping, as I have asthma and I sing).
I am what used to be politically-incorrectly-called a "klutz." (The more accurate term for it is "dyspraxic," and it never ceases to amaze me that I still managed to become a halfway-decent musician). As a result, I've broken every toe except the big ones. That bone spur is probably a souvenir from a fracture.
You live in a beautiful and special part of the world. Years ago (before our son was born) we stayed at the lodge in Shenandoah Nat'l Park. I had just bought my first good dulcimer a few days earlier in Gatlinburg, TN, and the ranger saw me noodling on the veranda of our room and invited me to attend the park's music program & jam that night. He played some guitar and then introduced Maddie MacNeil, who blew me away with her playing, singing & voice. I immediately became a fan--IIRC, she was from Berryville, near Winchester. My dulcimer club had her as a special guest, too, but I lost touch with her. I was chagrined to learn recently she had died a couple of years ago after a fall in her home--she was 80.
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One of the worst features about worrying is that it destroys our ability to concentrate. When we worry, our minds jump here and there and everywhere, and we lose all power of decision. However, when we force ourselves to face the worst and accept it mentally, we then eliminate all these vague imaginings and put ourselves in a position in which we are able to concentrate on our problem. -Willis H. Carrier
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Going to be nice again today and likely warm as well. On Tues. we are due to go into the 90's and stay there for nearly a week. I'm hoping that is something of a fluke and we will revert again. It is early for temps. like that. I do recall one yr. it's getting into 3 digits in June and staying there the whole entire summer. So, hoping the weeks' temps. are in fact temporary.
Sandy, sorry to hear you are still having harsh issues with your feet. It is iffy getting older. Can't be for sure ( I can attest ) what will go on. I hope all of you stay as well as possible. Have to try and be successful no matter what age so onward and upward.
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Chisandy - we live in Winchester. We moved here 4 years ago June from Northern Virginia. We wanted to be somewhat close to where our adult children and family live and were looking for reasonably priced master on main level housing. Winchester also has a good size medical facility. I was mostly looking for a good GI doctor since I have GI issues. Didn’t know I’d be making use of the breast surgeon and oncology center when we moved here.
Our rain has finally stopped, but it’s still a bit chilly today. We get back to our spring weather, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s this week.
Enjoy your evening
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cardplayer, my sister lives in Rock Spring, on the border of Arlington & McLean. Housing prices are insane, but my BIL inherited the house (in which he grew up), and he's extremely handy--so their only recurring expenses are insurance and property tax.
Jackie, I'm going back to either my old podiatrist (if he's still practicing) or one of Bob's colleagues down at Advocate Christ, before my next mani-pedi. At the very least, I will have one of them grind down the "old-lady" toenail on my second (hammer) toe--it points upward and pokes the side of the big toe, which causes that "staple-sticking" sensation whenever I wear a sock or a closed shoe. A podiatrist can safely do that, but even the best nail tech (like my salon's owner) can't. Maybe he can trim the toe callus too (the salicylic-acid "remover" discs don't work for me) without drawing blood. I will ask whether the ingrown toenail surgery would avail, or I'd have to bite the bullet and get classic bunion surgery (the only kind that would keep the big toe from impinging on the second toe).
Bob's toes look SO much worse than mine, but he swears they don't bother him (his problem is his hip, knees and sciatic nerve impingement, especially when in a car or on a plane).
It never made it to 60 today on the north lakefront. And at 2pm it drizzled a little. This crap is getting very, very old. At least the deck-stain stink is fading to the point we can grill again...unless it's storming, which they put back in the forecast for Tues & Wed. Tomorrow, maybe 70 but wind gusts >30mph. Around here, when it comes to the weather there's always a catch.
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Wren, it doesn't need to be repeated that you need to take care of yourself. Call the local elderly help organization and get some respite services so you can go out and enjoy yourself on occasion, without worrying about him.
Welcome, card player.
I got my new trike Saturday. Yesterday I rode to church, took the long way, because it was mostly uphill the direct route. Sailed home. Putting a motor on it will cost $600, and my daughter agreed on that for a Mother's Day present*. I am going to have to get a larger tarp to cover it from the weather. I am really pleased with it also because I can get to places without pain. That kind of knee action does not bother me. I have an appointment with the Gynecology department NP pelvic floor specialist today and the ortho on Wednesday. If I need surgery both places they will probably schedule both at the same time.
My leg pain is more problematic for me atm, but mostly during the night. I might try using the Voltaren on my feet in the morning and on my leg at night and early in the morning. It is nasty on the lining of the digestive system when you use too much.
I was going to co-op with another person in the garden, but she is a control freak. She put a brick in it to mark off her section, so I lined up some bricks. I am going to re-do it today to make a wall. I can't cure her, all I can do is prevent difficult situations. Her original plan was to plant one row of flowers. I got okra, bibb lettuce, summer squash, pod-peas, and green beans. I got a tomatillo plant, two roma tomato plants, one sweet cherry yellow tomato plant, and two yellow pepper plants. They are in planters around my apartment.
*I have an unordered package arriving today. It is probably the electric kit.
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Mary, sounds like a very nice veggie garden.
Another hot day here. Our departure date is approaching. DH has the cargo trailer parked outside the house for easy loading.
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You become spiritually rich when you discover the riches of the kingdom within, when you have a consciousness of the oneness of all life; when you experience kinship with nature; when you are open to the buoyant spiritual lift of being in tune with the Infinite, when you know the power of meditation and prayer. -Wilferd A. Peterson
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MC, that trike sounds like a godsend for you. I agree that you have a nice selection of veggies in your garden patch -- and also your work around for your garden. The wall -- perfect. You really can't change people much and some storms are better just avoided.
Carole, I'm started ( early ) to enjoy the lead up and travel to MS. Just hearing the trailer is nearby and ready for packing up. I think it is also the tradition you started for yourselves. It just has a good feeling and makes me look forward to 'traveling' w/o actually going anywhere. Partly because I've never had much of anywhere to go and mostly because I devoted myself to feral animal ( usually cats ) care and very few are willing to take it on. Even for short periods. So, I still get to travel a bit.
Nice today, but I think cloudy a lot. It's okay, just hoping it doesn't 'accidentally rain'. Who knows here. We get what isn't predicted and vice versa. Just that we miss 'usually' the worst of the weather which is nice for us.
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Carole we leave in 2 days. I won’t miss the super high heat and humidity but I do dread the packing up. I’ve placed a pile on the dining room table - well, it’s turning into a pile. Odd ball things I don’t want left behind. I also have items I’ve purchased for others that need to go with us. We don’t take a trailer but stuff the Impalas trunk like hoarders would a house. Then the back seat gets 2 suitcases for clothing and necessities on the road. Also computers, foods, cooler, etc… We pack it all, and as high as the seat. Even with backup cameras, I want total vision out the rear window.
Mary so glad the trike is working out for you. And your garden sounds great, even with the OCD partner you’ll do fine. Sandy, sore feet ruin the most pleasant days. I live in my sneakers, especially if any real walking is involved. FL house full of tile requires I wear slippers, Sketcher Bobs with memory foam and a great hard sole. Otherwise I pay for it.
It should hit 92 today. I should put this phone down and get out on my bike. I love my bike rides but not in this heat. Even so I’ll miss it once I’m back in NY. Here is a true development to zoom around; back north I’m on a high traffic road without sidewalks. I’d have to get a hitch, and a bike rack to go to an area safe to ride. Kind of defeats the purpose and thespontaneous ride.
Hoping your weather is less hot & humid than mine! Enjoy your day ladies.
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Cindy and Carole - travel safely
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I rode over to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The person who has been delivering wanted to look at my trike.
The grocery store has a garden section this year, and they have quite a few varieties of mint. Since my mint garden is now dominated by chocolate mint, I decided to add some more varieties to it.
I went through downtown and bought a tarp for my trike and some twine for my garden. Planted the mint, built the wall, short three bricks that I am using to weigh down the tarp. The tarp and how I put it on will be tested tonight.
I am having a minor mechanical problem with the chain-guard getting bent by the pedal crank-arm when it goes backward. My mechanic says to spend time getting used to riding before putting a motor on it.
A 95 year old neighbor was just taken to the hospital.
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A couple of the ladies in the neighborhood have 3 wheelers, but only ride their in their cul-de-sacs. It’s kind of hilly in the neighborhood. My husband purchased several petunias earlier today. He plants lots of flowers on our deck for us to enjoy. Need to put out the hummingbird feeder.
I have REIKI therapy tomorrow afternoon. It’s been several weeks since I’ve been able to go, so I’m looking forward to my session tomorrow. Always feel less stressed and more energized.
Enjoy your evening.
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Yes, card-player. The favored motor for an adult trike is called a "Hill-topper" because they help you negotiate a hilly neighborhood. It is difficult to push a trike because your legs are in the way of the rear wheel and the pedal. If I choose my routes well, I can avoid the hills.
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Mary - your garden sounds lovely
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Mary, your garden does sound like you’ve put a lot of work into it. We planted one plant today, a Peter Pan agapanthus. So hard to dig a hole big enough. More rock or chunks of sandstone than dirt.
I’ve packed up a lot of odds and ends. Leave it, take it, or toss it. The plan tomorrow is to get to the pool for at least 2 hours. Get out for a “buy one get one” sandwich at Famous Dave’s. Then we can hustle as fast as we want to finish packing. I’d like to get in one last bike ride too.
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Mary, the garden sounds wonderful. I'd love a trike, but even a folding one is too big to put in the garage with two cars. If we tarped & chained it under our deck, it wouldn't last a week before getting stolen here in the city. I know, because I did the same thing with a mountain bike with adult training wheels, and it was stolen. (The U-lock was first super-frozen and then shattered, the way thieves have been doing with the steering wheel "The Club" locks). I have its replacement in my basement, but I would have to move cases of wine, Bob's bike and our golf clubs to get at it--and then try to haul it up a narrow set of basement stairs, the landing of which is occupied by our vacuum cleaner, mop & bucket, and X-C skis & poles. We also had a bike stolen out of our first garage--the thief kicked in the wooden side door. We then built a new garage (30 yrs ago!) and installed a steel door with deep long strike plate for the heavy-duty deadbolt. Last week, we had trouble inserting our keys...someone had tried to pick the lock and gave up after only being able to scratch it. Ah, life in the city. Don't wanna "give it a kinahurra," as my mom used to say, but it could be worse--we could live on a gang-controlled block with shootings.
Safe travels, Cindy & Carole.
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Cindy, the reason we have a cargo trailer is to transport the boxes of dh's bowls that he "turns" during the winter in his workshop, which is as large as our house. He has become quite an artist. We are vendors in the Saturday farmers market in Park Rapids, MN.
Is anyone else a Wordle puzzle solver? I have failed to solve one puzzle since I began. It was "hairy." I always start with the same word, PAUSE.
Today I have an appointment for a hair trim and color.
Safe travels to you, Cindy. You will be home and settled before we depart on the 19th.
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