Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I have been a squeaky wheel, making it known to my bc surgeon and my plastic surgeon that I want to get the implants replacement procedure done asap. Both surgeons are the original surgeons who did the mastectomies and immediate reconstruction fifteen years ago. They're also husband and wife and have an office together. She will be removing the implants and he will be placing the new ones. The procedure is set for next Tuesday. I'm nervous but relieved. If all goes well, I will have April and half of May to get back to normal.
I was grocery shopping today and the power went off. It came back on in about 5 minutes. In all these years, that's the first time that happened. I went next to Sam's Club and was surprised at all the available parking. A woman coming out of the store told me the power was off there so I came home.
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Good for you Carole. I do think we older people heal a bit differently and sometimes react slower to medications and other issues of health and surgeries. I bet you do just fine.
I hope the power in your area gets restored. A lot of things shut down here is the power is gone. Tech is wonderful but we are no longer set up to use old fashioned methods. Everything computerized so life has to stop until power is restored.
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Taco - what book are you reading with your book club?
Carole - glad you have a date set.
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Carole - happy to hear you have a surgery date. Will be thinking of you next Tuesday.
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The mere thought of walking outdoors on a brilliant golden-blue day
causes fire-works of delight to go off in most people’s psyche. It gives
one an instant feeling of happiness and that is meditation! We are not
only in touch, at that moment, with the physical splendour of nature,
but also with the beauty of merging our own spiritual nature with it.
Karen Zebroff0 -
Sun out bright this morning. It should warm past the 50's as well. Good. It was below freezing overnight. Had a furnace yesterday. We kept getting and feeling cooler and cooler in the house — finally got smart and checked the thermostat.
Couldn't reach our regular people, but did find someone local to come out. Had an occluded jet inside and once it was clean the furnace took off and has functioned just fine since. Gives meaning to that song "Little Things Mean A Lot". We hoped it would be a simple, quick fix but worried we'd find someone with the time to do it yesterday. Sure glad since our temps. went down so much overnight.
Washer and dryer working fine so far. The guys came out yesterday and changed the door opening since we now have the washer on the right side. Always on the left before. The door opening was awkward but should be quite comfy now.
It will be odds and ends day here again. Especially since we spent time with home repairs when un-expected. I think that makes everything normal.
Checking my calendar for the next couple of months and NO Dr. Appts. I love seeing an empty calendar. I hope we can maintain it for some time.
A brief note on walking. I sure hope to re-start (a bit later, of course) a little bit of a walking program. Dh and I use to walk a lot on a daily basis. He is no longer capable, but I have found it has a heathy, and freeing effect and actually giving me much more a sense of awareness. It tends to add perspective and problem solving is a lot more productive. I miss those aspects. I admire all of you who can get a good walk in most of the time.
Hope you all have a really good day.
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My single parakeet, Blue, was once my DS's so it is hard to put an age on him. Last night I noticed he had wedged himself into his one toy but when I removed him I noticed he was unable to stand. I had held him for about an hour and he was making those small chirpy noises they make when self-soothing. So he fluttered his wings for the last time and died shortly thereafter. He had stopped talking recently but used to say "Dirty Birdy", "Pretty Boy" and my favorite "Pretty Dirty". He was permitted to fly loose when we had the cats and dog corralled and loved landing on heads and shoulders. Yesterday, he greeted me as usual when I opened the drapes in the bay window. He would always jump to the front of the cage and I would talk to him.
I will miss him since the others have never been free to fly (tried but they weren't cooperative) and realized that the parents are now almost 9 and their daughter will be 4 this year. Both of their sons born during Covid have since died and they would have been 3. I cleaned the cage and all his toys to put into storage for the time being. Seems strange to see an empty cage after so many years.
Some sunlight today and picked some more daffodils to brighten my day. In the mid-40's and cool due to a good breeze. Hope everyone had a great day.
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Betrayal I'm so sorry about Blue. Hugs 🫂 I'm so glad you were with him.
Illinois I'm glad your calendar is Dr. Appt. Free for a while. A good feeling!
I have a friend in town and today we saw a rescued bald eagle (broken wing) at the outdoor area of the aquarium. Still majestic.
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“Listen to the inner light; it will guide you. Listen to the inner peace; it will feed you. Listen to the inner love; it will transform you.” – Sri Chinmoy
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Oh, I am so sorry to hear about Blue. I think he had a most cherished life with you though Betrayal and knew and felt lots of love. He sounds much like our cats and dogs. Knows what is at hand and accepts it with dignity. It is a bit harder for us. We always want more for the pets we love and cherish hoping that they will get that little extra. There is no way to tell that though. We just hope for them — much like we often hope for ourselves.
Reader, that is indeed a beautiful Eagle. We have Eagle watches around a big lake a few miles from us (Carlyle Lake) here in Illinois. There are also a couple who frequent our lake here which is called Raccoon Lake. Our first house had the lake behind it, but the house we are in now the lake is more to the side of us.
A great sun out again (grateful) but it will not warm up so much. Somewhere in the last part of the 50's I think. The rich green colors of Spring are making that a bit easier to take. I have to remember that once 'summer' is upon us I may be wishing for some of now's cooler weather.
The periwinkle out front has its beautifully colored little lavender flowers. Takes all yr. for them to come in Spring but such a treat when they do. I'm still waiting for that area to fill in a lot more. I'll have to remember to sprinkle some 'feed' on them before the next rain.
I hope you are all going to have a good day.
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The two front flower beds are now mulched with pine straw. Tomorrow I plan to spread straw around the base of the eight crepe myrtle trees. The brown straw looks pretty in contrast to all the green of spring. The two large wisteria shrubs on either side of the entrance to the driveway are lovely with purple blooms like clusters of grapes and the azaleas are blooming. It's definitely a colorful time of year.
We have eagles up in MN. When I'm sitting out on the deck, I often spot one or two soaring overhead. Most of the fishermen on our lake don't keep certain fish. When they hook one, they'll throw the fish out into the water and a watchful eagle just may swoop down and grab it.
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I am still alive!! Laptop has been in the shop for dead screen. Can happen somewhat erratically. I have not caught up yet, be patient! Tippy is whining at the window.
Finished!! Betrayal, I am so happy you got rid of that awful machine. Sad that you lost your blue 'keet. Sounds like he was a sweet companion.
Happy that everyone is doing well.
I am working on getting the bike put together. My brother is quite skilled with electric bikes, and can walk me through it. The local shop won't put together an electric bike bought elsewhere, so it is up to us. Text messages and pictures between here and California.
Got a cortisone shot in my left hand yesterday. It was hurting, and still a bit sore from the shot. Of course I woke up way early this morning, and couldn't get back to sleep.
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If things are tough, remember that every flower had to go through a whole lot
of dirt to get there. So do not grieve about a bitter experience. The present
is slipping by while you are regretting the past and worrying about the future.
Regret will not prevent tomorrow’s sorrows; it will only rob today of its strength.
Barbara Johnson1 -
Good morning. Chris good to hear from you. Frustrating to be plagued by computer woes. Don't know the problem but was just reading about the number of blue screens you can get. I've had a number of them but was able most of the time to fix them myself. Glad you are back.
Sorry your local bike shop won't work on your bike. I would be inclined in order to win further business. I presume they feel they have enough. Thank goodness, you are industrious, and you have your brother's help along with manufacturer's as well.
Hope the cortisone works out and will take care of your hand. Especially since you need it for bike assembly and typing as well.
Kisses and hugs to sweet Tippy. Did he see something outside or just want to get out for a stroll? We have yet to get another dog. So many things come up and some things just sort of get dropped because they are not essential, but I sure miss not seeing a tail wagging when I walk in the house.
Hope it gets a little warmer today. We are having some high clouds this morning and a bit of wind. That wind keeps us cooler along with the highly muted sun.
Nothing pressing today since I got all but one bill paid. Still working on that drat puzzle my daughter brought home for us. It is three fancy cars in a garage and all the signage that goes with an old garage. It has a thousand pieces to it. Dh and I have far different styles for it. He concentrates on one piece only while I find (after the edges are in place) something to build on and if I can start the building in three or four areas and hook up to the edge all the better. I sometimes get a whole segment while he is still working on one or two pieces.
We have two different eagles that come here. The Bald Eagle and the Golden Eagle. The difference in the two is the color of the head. The Gold Eagle has a brown shade of hair while the Bald Eagle is white on the head. The plumage is more colorful on the Gold Eagle. They appear in many places through our state although Carlyle Lake nor Raccoon Lake has ever been listed as places to go. It is mainly local people who come to our lakes here.
Hope your weather is nice for all the work of mulching you plan to do Carole. Your yard sounds so pretty. I'm very found of wisteria and something I miss is the old fashioned lilac bushes. That is what I'm reminded of by the wisteria.
Hope you all have a really good day. Continue healing Betrayal. Hoping it won't be long till you'll feel like you are ready to resume a lot more normalcy.
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I really missed crepe myrtles when we moved to Seattle. We did have a lilac though (they don't grow well in the south).
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Betrayal - sorry to hear about Blue’s passing (((hugs)))
Chris - always good to hear from you. I hope the bike is up and running soon so you can get in some riding.
Sheila -lovely picture - spring is in the air!
As for me, the news is not good. I have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The prophylactic BSO had cancer in both ovaries, both fallopian tubes and the pelvic fluid. At this point, I am stage 1C3. I will be having a CT scan followed by staging surgery and then chemo in the near future. The surgery will determine the final staging and chemo regimen. Both the GYN Onc and I are completely surprised by the findings as he didn’t see anything suspicious during the surgery. At this point, I’m numb but expect I’ll be having a pity party in the next few days. I believe time is of essence with this cancer so hopefully I can move through the process quickly.
Any tips or advice are welcome.3 -
Hi @harley07,
We are sorry to hear about your recent ovarian cancer diagnosis. It's always harder to emotionally process the news when it's unexpected. Sending you hugs! ❤️
Hoping others can chime in with advice.
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Oh Harley, I am sooo sorry! Sending you hugs and tons of healing vibes!!!!
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Harley - I am so sorry to hear your diagnosis. I expect you are correct and time is of the essence. Hoping you like all of your docs.
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Oh my Harley. I'm a bit speechless. I will have to look up your stage. I know nothing of ovarian cancer issues but have had several cancers and all but one of them were Stage 1 which essentially meant non-aggressive. Obviously, that is what I wish for you. I will be thinking of you and picturing often a successful outcome with the most positive thoughts I can while you go through the treatment and care plan for your dx. By the way, pity parties aren't really bad things. I think they build up good energy and resolve to climb the hills and mountains that pop up in front of us from time to time. Sending love and hugs.
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Wren, your yard pictures are delightful. Spring blooming and saying a big hello after the winter is such a fantastic treat.
Had forgotten to mention that I had been busy dumping things that I no longer wanted to come by email. There was really a lot that I no longer looked at as all the recipe sites were put on when I did not have to have a controlled diet. For well over a yr. I've not looked at them. There are a few more things and some of those pesky things that hide the un-subscribe on you. Windows 11 has two or three boxes to use for just those kind.
I also decided to change my avatar. Mistake. Somehow my pictures captured over a long time didn't seem to make it on this computer. Unfortunately, I didn't check before I erased the avatar I was using. I had to do a quick 'learn' cycle to get some JPG formatted pictures stashed so I could get another avatar on. Whew.
Then this afternoon late, rather than re-clean the cat boxes which I do twice a day, I took them out one at a time, dumped them, cleaned the box thoroughly with powdered Tide soap and water and dried and swept and mopped the floor under the box and the see through plexiglass that the box sits atop. Sort of exhausting but they were due yesterday and I needed to stop procrastinating.
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Harley, so sorry to hear of your new diagnosis. Have the pity party and then get mad. I find that I mostly cry when I am mad rather than sad (except for a soppy movie) but I made it through BC mostly by being mad about what was happening. It helped me.
I hope you can find some comfort in knowing that you have the biggest cheering squad on this thread and we will be there for you as you tackle this. ((HUGS)).
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Harley, awful news. Hoping for a healthy outcome.
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Always laugh when you can; it is cheap medicine. Merriment is a philosophy not well understood. It is the sunny side of existence.
Lord Byron
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Lovely sun today but temps in the 30's. Looks like it might reach the high 40's though.
Yesterday DH, DD and DSIL and I went to Lancaster, PA. we normally make a trek around President's Day but I was unable to go. DD and DSIL were on a staycation this week so I asked if they wanted to go. It was a cold but sunny day so we bundled up and went. We have favorite places we like to hit for baked goods and I was able to get the last special apple walnut cranberry pie and a peach crumble pie there plus some other goodies. They also carry the pickled beets I love (yes, I can make them but they don't taste the same). Next we hit Reading Glass and then the outlet stores. Rockvale Square at one time was a bustling outlet mall of more than 75 stores and now it is reduced to about 5. Some of the stores moved to Tanger outlet but many just disappeared including this small diner we loved. Rockvale is supposed to be repurposed as a hub for apartments and a smaller version of its former self. Not sure of the timeline for this but the whole area has had major transformations since out last trip there.
We did go to a few stores in Tanger but it has a weird layout and is not walkable like Rockvale had been. We found a new restaurant that specializes in Pennsylvania Dutch food (yum!) and I was able to get my ham loaf, homemade baked beans and carrots. DSIL doesn't much like vegetables so he passed his homemade coleslaw on to me. I brought most of it home because the portions were generous. We all had baked apples for dessert and they were delicious. We were stuffed.
Then we hit Stolzfus for our freezer run. It is a butcher/food items/cafe store though we mostly go for the butcher and freezer items. I got a frozen ham loaf, a beef chuck roast for Yankee pot roast and a stuffed pork roast that is covered with bacon plus my Easter ham. I did also buy some other things for the freezer that will be used for future meals. They also had some wonderful homemade pizzas that were cheaper than takeout or frozen; I got a 5 cheese for the freezer and a supreme pizza for tonight's dinner. DSIL got the Hawaiian one. They had a nice selection of other pizzas as well.
When we got home I used my meal saver to prepare the pork roast and the apple maple breakfast sausages for the freezer. So the freezer has a good supply of future meals now. The prices there are good and maybe a tad higher than a grocery store but this is fresh versus packaged meats. They have their own plant nearby so the meats are fresh. DD found some Delmonico steaks on sale and they were already freezer wrapped. We have been eating at home more since Covid so if a meat costs a tad more, it is still cheaper than what it would cost in a restaurant plus we cook it the way we want. They stocked up their freezer as well.
I walked so much my knees were killing me last night but it felt so good to finally have a day out that wasn't related to a doctor. It also pleases me that my DD and DSIL like to spend time with us.
Hope everyone has a great day.
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Sounds like a great day out, Betrayal. All your food purchases would seem to be good buys.
I have a question for those who have had breast reconstruction with implants. Was the placement of the implants subpectoral, or underneath the pectoral muscles? My plastic surgeon is insistent about placing my new implants on top of the pectoral muscles, something that was not being done 15 years ago when I had my reconstruction. I had the immediate reconstruction since I was a candidate for it, being small breasted and not wanting to go larger. I guess with the expanders, placement would have to be under the pecs. But what a painful way to go. The top placement involves less pain and quicker recovery. A downside is possible rippling. Fat grafting is the solution to that but I won't be opting for it.
We had rain during the night, which is great for packing down the straw mulch I finished distributing yesterday. I used 23 of the 30 bales. Apologies if I'm repeating myself. I post in several forums.
I'm staying home today and doing some housecleaning chores rather than going to the gym.
Happy Friday to all.
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{{{Harley}}} I am so sorry. Will be praying for you. You CAN beat this.
Betrayal, I have discovered that enough gets the knees moving nicely, too much causes pain. To generally stay within the range of comfort, I watch my Fitbit, now up to an average of 5800 steps a day. Trying to avoid the walk up the hill to downtown or church— seems to be a problem for me.
Monday (52 deg) will be my next day for working on the bike. Frustrating.
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Lots of hugs for you Harley. Even if somewhat wearing Betrayal you did something a little special and enjoyable to you and you did it with family you love and who love you. I think (hope) the knees clear up quickly and all the most pleasant memories of the day will linger behind to inspire continued delight. Always a great to do something totally un-related to the medical profession.
Carole, hope someone can give you the information you would like to have. I tend to think doing things differently is generally found to be better, but like you I'd want to have the answer in a definitive way. Life is better when you know what to really expect, pro and cons.
Sun is out today although we had a very light sprinkle this morning and may get more after dark. It is likely we will remain in this somewhat iffy stage of weather till Spring is much closer to being over. We often see a settling in May and June. Most of the flares-ups are past then.
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Carole - I sent you as PM about expanders.
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