Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Not sure where the day has gone. It’s been humid here, raining off and on. I saw my BS yesterday. Since I’m hitting my 2 year anniversary soon, I’ll be only seeing her yearly rather than every 6 months. I’ll still see my MO every 6 months, so I guess that’s ok. Still trying to navigate Medicare rules around GYN visits. Will probably download the Medicare handbook and do some searches this weekend. 😑
I spent this morning at Kohls trying on bras. I have an appointment next week at Nordstrom, but my PS and BS bit suggested looking at Kohls for mastectomy bras. I think I tried on 6 differed sizes and found nothing comfortable. Bra sizes are random by manufacture.
We use to see burrowing ground owls when we visited my in-laws (years ago) in Cape Coral FL. They would delay the housing development since they were endangered. Once they left their burrows, building would resume.
Enjoy your Friday.
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Bob's 'scope went well--one large-ish (1cm) polyp but it was pedunculated (on a stalk) and non-pigmented rather than sessile (flatter and non-mobile, which are likelier to be malignant). We'll get the path report Monday, but the gastro isn't worried.
I awoke at 7 am with an incipient tibial spasm--no matter when I go to bed, it always happens between 7-7:30. This time, before the muscle began rippling or the foot dorsiflexing, I felt the leg "stiffening," so I grabbed the bottle of TheraWorx, poured some into my hand and massaged like crazy (the spray nozzle clogs after a spritz or two), then rolled on the Balans Labs CBD-menthol lotion and stretched the muscle by grabbing my foot and forcing it to bend downward (hurt like hell, but not as bad as had I let the spasm take its course). After about 10 min. I was fine. Normally, when it happens I go back to bed but I had to drive Bob down to Evergreen Park for his 'scope. Maybe I'll take a brief nap before the kitties' next feeding.
The Ford dealership called Bob last night to let him know they still haven't even looked at his car and have no idea when they will--they are really backed up because people are trying to squeeze every last mile out of their cars by repairing them rather than trade them in for new ones. So heaven knows how long he'll be driving that rented Nissan Versa (econo-box) and how much the rental will cost. Meanwhile, he was extremely uncomfortable riding in my Outback's passenger seat--it just occurred to me that with his long thighs, any car's passenger seat is torture for him. When he drives, he moves his leg enough not to get the hamstring & sciatic nerve impingement (or pays attention to road & traffic conditions sufficiently to distract him from any discomfort). We will likely remain a two-car family, but with him doing most of the driving on trips longer than an hour. (In taxis or rideshares, he can sort of keep his legs sideways across the back seat, and the seat bottoms on public transit are short enough not to hit his nerve in the "un-sweet spot." On planes, the discomfort of inadequate knee room provides the distraction).
My Medicare supplement pays for a1c and even paid for my antibody-titer. (Bob forgot to ask the blood bank for his titer after he donated on Sunday--maybe because he donated packed red cells and got his plasma re-infused they didn't run a titer, which they do if they want to make "convalescent plasma"). Maybe the reason my a1c is covered is that it used to be over 6 when I was heavier, so they considered me pre-diabetic. (My last one was 5.4).
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Judy, is Pomeroy open Sundays? This is Bob's biweekly Hospital Hell Weekend, but he says he can make dinner out on Sunday. Regalia is now open every night, but seeing as how we're going there tonight...
Evanston is now in the COVID "high-transmission" category. (The rest of Chicagoland, south of the WI line and west of IN, remains "medium;" Kenosha County is "high" and NW IN is "low"). So we won't be going back to the Barn any time soon, nor will I be grocery-shopping in Evanston. Glad I have lots of KN95s and even more N95s.
I was only 64 at my lumpectomy, but the RO considered me a candidate for the 16-zap protocol. Luckily, I had clean margins, so no re-excision. Bethke is very, very good--he treated two of my friends/Bar Show castmates (one of whom is my now-retired orthopedic surgeon's wife). Dr. Yao, of course, is Dr. W's surgical partner. I suspect that in the not-too-distant future, the standard-of-care for ADH or Grade 1 or 2 monofocal DCIS in older women will be "active surveillance" (and AI therapy if ER+) rather than surgery. Dr. Elisa Port of Mt. Sinai (NY) advocated that as long ago as 2015.
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I lived in Oak Park during summer break from college. I was a nanny for my cousins who were 4 & 6. My uncle was traveling to Thailand for several weeks on business and my aunt worked as a psychiatrist. I had weekends off and use of a car. I had a good friend who lived in Evanston, so I saw her frequently. Didn't enjoy the nanny part of the job. Learned to enjoy Jack In The Box, saw Elton John that summer, and enjoyed going into Chicago on the weekends
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Sandy, As far as I know, Pomeroy is open on Sunday. We’ve been there a few months ago on a Sunday and I just checked the website. There is a front and a back patio, both, I believe, first come, first serve, though, perhaps, one can request one of them by phone if weather is suitable. I prefer the front patio. Restaurant itself is very noisy. Unlike Mon Ami Gabi, where we were last night, Pomeroy has small baguettes. I know you probably stay away from the carbs, but I could eat 10 of them, though usually only two. The menu seems similar to MAG - I,vegetarian, miss the,I’m told, superior onion soup, fish. And I don’t like risotto which Gil scarfed. Great tomato tart though.
As for Evanston being in high transmission, hate it so. Going to physical therapy by Evanston Athletic Club for tired, now strained calf, muscles, tendons, sore, though basically non- arthritic left leg and knee, 2x week. Went for first mani in about a year to place on Davis street yesterday It seemed clean and everyone was masked, but was very crowded. Eat frequently at Blind Faith. Going to Northwestern Olli classes. Like everyone, wish this would all just go away.
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It is a difficult lesson to learn today--to leave one's friends and family and deliberately practice the art of solitude for an hour or a day or a week. And yet, once it is done, I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before.
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We finally got some much-needed rain yesterday early evening but only a brief hard downpour. Somehow the rain has been skirting us the last few weeks. I have become skeptical when the weather forecasters warn of thunder storms.
I plan to pack some cold weather clothes in a storage bin today. I'll have to wait a few days to start hanging clothes on the clothes rod in dh's truck. Every year I seem to take too many clothes for fear I won't have article of clothing I will wish I had brought.
Being a Pisces and indecisive is not always fun!
Things I miss during the four months in MN are my dishwasher, my washer and dryer, my walk-in closet, my own toilet in the master bath. Also my senior exercise classes at the YMCA. I don't miss the heat and humidity and hurricanes. The three H's.
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Carole, it is advisable to go north. It seems that India is suffering more form global warming than any other country. But maybe that is because of their two-level economic system that they have been trying to overcome for years. Yesterday we had record warmth on this whole area, by something like five degrees. And I am almost as far north as you will be going.
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Should be nice here today -- some muted sun, but it will get hot again. My kids decided not to go to the ballgame. My daughter really doesn't like stadium sports and it seems their a/c in the car is on the fritz -- so driving to and back already sounded to them like major discomfort. I told them after they made their decision that I knew they would be sitting out in the sun all afternoon and spending any available ( maybe even some that shouldn't be ) money on cooling drinks. So they are home. Good for us. SIL can help with the bathrm. shower drain which is a bit full of my daughter's hair. She has long naturally curly hair and as they have been here over a yr. now -- it is about time to do a lot of drain cleaning -- something we have never really had to do before.
SIL and Dh 's birthdays are coming up -- this week, so we will have a cake and bit of a party. Something we haven't done for a long time. When Dh and I were alone -- we just went out to dinner or something. Now with salt restrictions, we will stay home so have to pep up the game a bit.
Hope you all have a good day.
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Busy morning. Did our grocery shopping today rather than Sunday as our daughter and SIL are coming for lunch tomorrow. It our daughters birthday today. She's 4.5 months pregnant with our first grandchild. We're very excited. They live about an hour away. So we're spending the day doing laundry, cleaning and making food for tomorrow. I hope get a walk in toda. It's sunny now but rain is a possibility. Enjoy your day.
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We'd wanted to move to Oak Park when we left Seattle so Bob could do his residency at UIC, but as luck would have it the waitress at the diner in Lincoln Village across from our motel (which wasn't yet ready) the morning we arrived in Chicago advised us to look in West Rogers Park--so our first apartment was there (now called "West Ridge"). We had a dear friend who lived in Oak Park, and my HK lives in Austin Village about a mile east of it.
Gordy went to school from grades 1-12 at Roycemore, studied drama at Piven Theatre Workshop and bass at Guitar Works, Ltd.--all in Evanston. We used to say we lived in Evanston but slept in Chicago. I suspect that since neighborhood lines blur, Rogers Park is probably as high-transmission as Evanston and we here in Edgewater, just south, are not far behind. Having hybrid immunity (3 shots, then Omicron, then a second booster) and KN95 masks are about as safe as it gets w/o being hermits, getting everything delivered like in the spring of 2020.
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We're hoping it really does get up to 60 today. Earlier in the week it was the coldest day ever recorded on that date. They're worried that it's been too cold for the bees to pollinate some of the tree fruit crops. It seems like everything everywhere is trying to cut down on the amount of food available. Kind of scary if you think about it.
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I agree. With the global changes in weather going on ( some farmers are finally out in the fileds the last couple of days ) crops don't plant when they should so the harvest is off too. We don't see bees like we use too and we don't get rain a lot of the times when we use too. A lot of changing and so not only maybe food shortages of different kinds, but the shortage increasing prices. It is going to be a different world. Hoping all the small farmers make it through.
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All worn a bit here this late afternoon. We had to go get Bill's medicine and so SIL wanted to take us to ??Yellin' Helen's which is in a small town on the way home. It just opened this year and there are always ALL kinds of cars, parked there and people using the picnic tables as well as a really busy drive-thru. I didn't go up and see the menu -- I knew most of what they had wouldn't work for me. So Dh got a chicken salad sandwich and which I took 3 healthy bites from. Then I proceeded to eat the big dish of ice cream I had. It was nearly salt free.
After we were done we drove the streets going to all the yard sales that were going on ( town wide this week-end.) Really enjoyed it and got to talk to lots of neat people. I got some super bargains. Things I didn't need but oh so hard to pass up. A set of Tupperware bowls and lids for $3.00. Who could pass it up at that price. It was not old -- so likely close to $100.00 or more if I had ordered it from a 'party'. Ladies T-shirts -- 50 cents. A glass ( heavy ) pitcher for the fridge which I did need. $1.00. We don't do this too often -- because there is Goodwill and it is air conditioned and while the prices are a bit higher you are not in and out of your car before you get all the way cooled off. Just fun for us since we stumbled into it.
SIL is washing my car. We came home on very dusty back roads and I could barely see out of the back window by the time we got home. I drove on past our turn to go straight to the car wash but SIL said he would do it instead. Okay by me.
Hope you all have a nice afternoon. I'm pooped but feeling great about having had a fun afternoon with my family.
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Glad you got out and about. Being cooped up in the house all the time is not good for any human being.
I rode my bicycle out to the post office today and realized that I did not have my coinpurse with me. So I couldn't pay postage for sending a completed order to one of my customers. So I rode all the way back, and found my coinpurse in my apartment. Tippy then wanted to go with me. So I put the cushions in the basket and rode back to the post office. Which by then was closed. I grabbed some mailing envelopes. We went to Ace Hardware to cool off. Then rode home. We got home, and I realized that I had picked up the wrong size of envelopes. That was six miles, and I sure wasn't going to do that again. I told my customer that I really tried but just couldn't get it in the mail. She doesn't know how hard I tried.
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We in the West don't think much in terms of balance, and obviously we should. Even the very thought of an exquisite union and balance of all our forces, both physical and mental, has a gentle, hopeful ring to it. . . . All of us must find a bridge between our physical and spiritual parts. When that balance is achieved, what a happy comfort for ourselves!
Edward J. Lavin0 -
Pretty out today as it has usually been -- even though pretty warm. We have catching works to do since we decided to play yesterday. I will have to do some things to get ready for birthdays tomorrow. Hmmm. Maybe a trip this afternoon for cards. Money will go in the cards. Daughter I think is getting a cake at one of the grocery stores. Don't have a menu yet -- but it will be an easy one.
We have heard the owls talking to each other now and then, but aren't seeing the baby anymore. Apparently -- he is through his flying lessons or if not they have moved to an area that is better. Here in our yard -- trees were close enough to reach another tree quickly and easily if not having met with success. I figure they may have moved onto an area where there is more open space, as maybe the next training phase ? might require it.
So, looking for a relaxed day pretty much. MC, your multiple trips to the post office do sound pretty tiring. MC, I'm not sure if I could have kept up with you even before I had my downfall. Pretty amazing.
Hope you all have a great Sunday.
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That quote certainly hits home to me. Thank you. I can cycle distances, but six blocks with hiking poles is about all I can walk. Walking a block without them would be difficult. I will start taking them with me. People look at me with a concerned expression on their faces when they see me wobbling.
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Mcbaker - sounds like you had an exhausting ride yesterday. Hopefully you’re taking it easier today. I thought today was yard sale day in our neighborhood, but didn’t see anything this morning during our walk.Maybe it’s all happening this afternoon. Glad we walked this morning. It’s very warm and humid this afternoon.
Our daughter and SIL were here for lunch to celebrate her birthday, which was yesterday. We got her an Amazon gift card and a few baby items. It was good to see them and catch up.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
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Summer definitely arrived on May 1 this year. All the talk on weather forecasts is about breaking heat records. I hope the trend doesn't follow us to MN.
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Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, "This is the real me," and when you have found that attitude, follow it. -William James
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Beautiful today here. Will be 76 -- possibly a couple of degrees cooler here which often happens. That will work for me. I have my jeans on again after wearing shorts the last few days. Most of my shorts are not fitting too well anymore. Not going to get rid of them too soon though. If I decide to get a smaller size I will put the largest prs. away and see if they might be needed later. So far, I tend to lose wt. rather than gain. I've lost enough though.
I hope you all have a good day.
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We’re expecting thunderstorms, hail and a possible tornado (or strong winds) between now and 1:30. It’s been sprinkling and light winds so we will see what develops. I had PT for my hip this morning. I have about 5 more session scheduled and hope to be discharged by PT after that. I go to our local BC support group this afternoon. They’ve been trying to increase attendance, so hopefully I won’t be the only one there. Enjoy your day.
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It seems like it takes me forever to catch up on the posts. Then I don't remember what happened to who.
Cardplayer, Medicare covers the special bras. I bought 2 after surgery. Then used support bras during radiation. Now I use a regular bra with an extra cup to make up the difference. (I was small even before surgery)
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petite1 - I’ve been getting my 3 Medicare paid for mastectomy bras, just having some issues with the bras that I’ve been wearing. My PS thinks I have a nerve issue in my on foob and that I need a different type of bra. Hopefully I’ll find something at Nordstrom. In the meantime, I’ve been using arnica cream to see if that helps.
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Petite, I feel the same as you! Catching up and not remembering what happened to who. You're not alone. Sometimes I write a cheat sheet of what I want to address to whom, but on the road and days behind, I didn't do that. Hoping everyone's health issues are going in the right direction Mary, you did more than your due diligence trying to get your clients item in the mail
We spent the weekend in Asheville, NC with step son and his partner. We had tickets to the Biltmore estate and the program Monet & Friends. The Biltmore was so beautiful, and enjoyable to see. We did walk about 13,000 steps during 8 hours, it's expansive. We ate a large lunch at the Stable Cafe and it was delicious. Afterwards we went into downtown Asheville to a brewery for drinks & light dinner. Walked around the neighborhoods, purchased desserts at a European bakery and chocolates at a chocolatier. Great place to visit.
Sunday afternoon we drove up into Virginia. This morning before we left we stopped at Black Dog Salvage. Some of you may know it from TV. It it a very cool place, but time and room left in my car (lack of room) dictated what I could buy. I ended up with a cast iron frog who will sit in my garden.
We drove up I-81 out of VA, briefly in West Virginia, and Maryland, arriving in Pennsylvania. We've been lucky with weather. A few stray rain showers but nothing bad. (Worse was in TN, up in the mountains, a downpour!)
SO my niece was going to my home to put all circuit breakers back on, and discovered my basement flooded. Guessing 6"-8" of clear water. It's a dirt floor basement but the boiler and water heater are in it and it appears a water line was 5" above where it is currently. Long story short, my cousin Jack of all trades (real name Billy) he stopped by and determined the overflow pressure valve on the boiler went and that's where the water is coming from. He turned off the whole house water and put a sump pump in. I'm hoping by the time I'm home tomorrow night we'll be back on track. Out of my control, I have to roll with it.
But while my niece stayed for two plus hours as the sump pump was going she couldn't watch tv. So I called Spectrum to see what's going on, it was on seasonal hold and should be back on. Turns out nope, they never put it on hold, they turned it off entirely and now I had to start over. Close to a full hour on my cell phone with Spectrum, they gave me a new package but still can't watch tv. When I get home to my flooded basement, unable to take a hot shower, I'll have to unhook the current cable “box" and go to a Spectrum store to trade it in for another box…if they're still open when I get home. I ate a lot of junk type foods tonight, not hungry just stressed. This too shall pass!
Hoping all your days were better than mine today.
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Still no word on Bob's car. Sat. night the dealership called to say they had finally begun to look at it but no diagnosis yet--they were "taking it" (not sure what the "it" is) "apart." Safe to say it's not the hybrid battery, which is in the trunk and easily tested. My guess is that it's the throttle body--a cheap part but which is buried deep behind the dash and not accessible through the engine compartment. When it sticks it can either cause sudden stall-outs or wild uncontrollable acceleration. The latter happened to my '02 Taurus back in 2011; the labor cost for dismantling the dash would have been prohibitive, more than the car's book value--and new cars were plentiful (I wanted a Fusion Hybrid and they had one). But any new car Bob would want (and he doesn't want my Outback) is backordered for months and way more than sticker price. We were thinking of a Tesla Model 3, but it'd be costly to install a charger (and 240V line) in our detached garage; and charging stations in the SW suburbs--where his hospitals & clinics are--are scarcer than Cubs bumper stickers. (They think EVs are for us snowflakes).
Bob's path report for the polyp came back benign. So we went ahead and booked our Memorial Day weekend getaway. We didn't want to kill too much time at the airport or in flight, so SF will have to wait. Nothing worth visiting around here in easy driving distance--we'd love to go to Toronto but it's a long drive, which would be even longer if we have to stop every hour for Bob to stretch his legs. Not to mention gas prices. Did the math, and decided flying to Toronto (on Porter Air) is doable--they fly out of Midway into Billy Bishop Airport--right across the water from downtown Toronto (part of the airport itself is a giant boxy ferry!). The flight is pretty short--just slightly longer than between here & Detroit. Their seats are first-class size (2 across), with a free drink. They have their own lounge in Toronto, which (as I recall) had free snacks, soft drinks and espresso drinks. And we found a DoubleTree which we were able to book with HiltonHonors points alone.
The kids leave for their delayed honeymoon in Spain the same day we leave for Canada.
Scanxiety tomorrow: my quarterly ocular-onc visit which includes an ultrasound of the tumor. Hoping for no worse than "stable" ("shrank" is too much to ask).
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Cindy- delighted to see about your visit to Asheville. We are going on June 6 for 8 days, meeting my San Francisco cousin and her guy there. We’re staying at the Village Hotel at the Biltmore, which is, I think, quite a few levels down from the posh Inn at the Biltmore. I’ve wanted to see Thomas Wolfe and Black Mountain College country. But I’ve been shocked googling to discover that Asheville is one of the ten most violent cities in the US- ore so than Chicago and that locals warn about the seediness and the danger of downtown. We want to see art galleries, creative stuff, do a little shopping, exploring. Maybe more by the Biltmore than downtown. Will check out the Stable Cafe. Thank you.
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Recertification day. Management is coming, she will review my expenses and income. We will discuss "issues." Looking forward to it, except I need to find the envelope of papers. I spent a good share of the day yesterday, other than going to the eye doctor, cleaning the apartment. When I am spending much of my time sewing and writing, housework is on hold. Sewing is a very messy business. Then I opened up the vacuum-- I shouldn't have. Ordered new filters, they are washable!! Banged the present filter against the outside bricks and cleaned it off somewhat.
My eye doctor was very apologetic. I will be getting a new lens in my new glasses, and I told him that the eye muscle imbalance is something I have always had, and that it is probably due to mild CP. He asked me if I have ever been medically diagnosed with it, and I said, "I don't know." I ran down the list of Mayo medical people plus the PT people at the local hospital who would probably agree, and he was confident enough to write it down. He made that mistake because I didn't want it written down, so I capitulated.
Our 95-year old resident's birthday is today. I offered to make her a long scarf or a square scarf out of my sari fabric, but she declined. She already has enough stuff. Best gift is to visit her.
My bike mechanic and I think someone has been committing minor sabotage on my trike. I bought a motion sensor which will tie into my phone, clock, and doorbell system. We have a good idea who, and I filed a police report. I understand the suspect has been complaining about my dog, and he almost ran over him the other day. He complains about the other dog, too. I guess he is afraid of canine warning systems. He has had a drug problem, and occasionally gets very difficult. I will bring up the possibility of cameras on the property to the maintenance man, but he said it wouldn't fly.
Anyway, I need to get ready to do everything I plan on doing today, including the post office.
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Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit, and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these. -Susan B. Anthony
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