Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Jo-5
Thanks for being so concerned. No, I have not been to the Dr. My daughter Debby, says if I'm not better by Wednesday, that I am going to the Dr. whether I like it or not. I feel a lot better, except for the cough. One of my neighbors said it took him six weeks to get over the cough.
I want all you that still have your Mothers to know just how lucky you are! I lost my Mother to liver cancer, May 5, 2006. I sure do miss her.
Thanks Jo for acting like a Mother hen.
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Jo-5
My cousin is 63 years old, I don't know if they checked his prostrate or not, Betty didn't say. She is just so worried maybe she forgot and I didn't think to ask.
This is her second husband, her first one was not good to her, he ran around on her, and didn't treat her very good. Junior has really treated Betty like a queen, and she loves him dearly. He told her not to worry that she would be pretty good off if anything happened to him. He loves to joke around with her and everyone else he meets. She told him he wasn't very funny right now and she didn't want him to joke about this.
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Ladies,
I am hoping some of you can help. I know this is totally OFF TOPIC!!!!
I was about to have my first colonoscopy when the BC was discovered last summer. So now I am through most of the treatment (chemo, surgery, radiation) and so it's time.
I have a fissure and Hemorrhoids. How does this work when you have the snake scope thing up your behind? Do they do anything about your Hemorrhoids or fissure?
Sorry if that is TMI (Too much Information!!!)
Springie...
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Spring,
I have the same anatomical problems you have at the end of my alimentary canal! I had a colonoscopy last year and, yes, they are very careful. The scope is small, and they give you something like Versed, which leaves you awake but is an amnesia drug. In other words, I don't remember anything from the time I turned over on my side...absolutely no pain. And when you come to, you're happy!--a little loopy, but happy. The worst thing about a colonoscopy is the night before when you have to drink the "cleanser." Hope this makes sense, I have a case of chemo brain from Friday's tx. ((((Hugs))). Helen
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Jo-5
I would drag my child to the DR. I guess I don't care for Dr.'s too much because when I was in fifth grade, I had rheumatic fever and my legs were paralyzed for about two months, and the pill they gave me to take was so big I couldn't swallow them, the Dr. told my Mother I had to have them, so she pushed them down my throat. I know she was only doing what the Dr. said. Then they put me on a diet. 1 slice of plain toast for breakfast with grape jelly, a glass of milk, and a baked apple. Breakfast wasn't so bad, but I had to have baby food for lunch and supper, mixed vegetables. Maybe miixed veggies aern't so bad, but that baby food was uch!
The weather here is great, not any mold but a lot of pollen.
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Helen,
I AM NOT ALONE on the tukus end!!!! Yes, I've heard about the "cleaning prep". Blech! At least you wake up happy. Loopy at this point sounds kind of nice, I've cut out all alchohol. WHen in chemo, I would say, "This Benedryl is the only "drunk" I get any more".
LOL. Spring....
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Springtime....can't help much as I had mine done by MRI. I was still in diagnostic mode trying to determine if my cancer was only in the breast however, I do think the cleanse is the worst. Most of that stuff has a delayed reaction on me so......thank goodness I had a towel or two covering my seat in the car....and yes......the test was done 70 miles from home and I got about half way home before disaster struck. At least though I was GOING home and could clean everything up immediately including myself. What a mess and though hubby and I had been together 33 years there is still a bit of embarrassment. I say this not to "scare" you as your reaction could be however your body reacts.......but just to make you feel better about speaking of delicate things.
Mother of 7.....I had rheumatic fever in the third grade. In this small town the Dr. was not completely sure how to treat it. I don't know what they all were but I had 12 pills I took every four hours, including through the night. My mom said I used to sit up, take the pills from her hand, put them all in my mouth at once, take a big swallow of water and then just hit the pillow out like a light again. My legs were never parlayed though the fever settled in my knees and I could not bend them. Trying to do so caused excruciating pain. I was kept in bed for nearly 8 months and the only time I was up was to go to the Dr. My parents were poor and don't know how they managed to care for me and pay for the medicine. Later my sister, older by 15 months ( knowing I'm sure how bad it would hurt me ) told me that she and my parents often had only tomato soup for supper while the Dr. said I needed lots of meat......so my meal always consisted of pork chop or hamburger which I adored. I cried for weeks thinking of the sacrifices that were made for me and actually I feel tears in my eyes now.
Sorry, I got so carried away.....I was just surprised that someone else had the malady. Back then....when I had such trouble with my legs....I was just getting over an ear ache and my parents were terrified that I had contracted polio......no vaccine for it since it was still the dark ages.
Jackie
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Spring - I'll be prepping for my third one in May. Yeah, the prep is icky. Polyps were found in my first, and I don't know if that's what they hit, but I do remember "OUCH"! The next thing I know, some nurse is praising me for passing gas!!
As I wake up, I realize that I'm not the only one ripping 'em!! I believe that there were three of us tooting away. Despite the anesthesia, I started chuckling - no one has ever encouraged me to faht before. So, they think I'm all awake and start getting me ready to leave. My daughter was with me, thank goodness, because I got up and walked right into the wall! Not quite ready.
My second was was much better! Pediatric scope, full anesthesia, and no chuckling!!
Good luck with yours. Hope they find nothing but a clean butt!
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Spring: I need to schedule one too. Have not had one yet but several family members have and they don't remember the actual procedure but they sure remember the night before. Best advice - don't make any plans and stay close to a bathroom!
Good luck.
Jo: I am so glad your test came back clean. I will join the big gust of wind of women letting go after holding their breath.
Motherof7: Why are you engaging in exercise when you are sick and good for your daughter (of course, I'm just like you - I make others go to the doctor but I don't want to go). And, I, too, will pray for your cousin's husband.
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Jackie: That made me cry, too, knowing what your parents did for you. Speaking of polio, when I was 5, I came home from school complaining my neck hurt and I couldn't move it. It was about the time polio was pretty common. My Mom said she prayed to God not to let me have polio and that if someone had to get it let it be her. My Mom had polio. Until the day she died many years later, she had one leg shorter than the other. I still remember standing outside the hospital with my Grandmother and waving to her. In those days polio victims were isolated and they didn't let children in hospitals anyway.
I also remember standing outside the hospital waving at my Grandmother when she was operated on for breast cancer. I was maybe 7 years old.
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Good morning everyone. I just noticed a glaring mistake in my last post. My spell checker changed a word on me and I didn't catch it...paralyzed....was the word. Think spell checker made it parlayed.
Interesting that several people ( young ) had rheumatic fever. Guess I am always looking for a connection for my cancer since to best of my knowledge no family members had it. I think we probably all do this to some extent. Jo, I also remember doing things back then that people would be terrified to have happen now-days. We got milk ( still quite warm ) delivered by a farmer and he would sit the bottles on our front porch.....and the cream would rise to the top. Only thing was in early Spring the cows grazing in the field would eat wild onions. Try putting onion flavored milk on your oatmeal or Cheerios....disgusting. Also people then routinely left condiments on pantry shelves....mustard, mayo, ketchup etc. As well, after the Sunday noon meal Mom always put a tablecloth over the food till supper time. She would re-heat anything that needed it and we would devour all left-overs with nary a thought. Also, meat was defrosted outside the fridge always and for long periods. Sure couldn't get away with that now.
See you all later. Have a beauty of a day.
Jackie
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Kathleen.....I am very touched about you and your mothers story. Hard to understand at times when you are the child, but once you are a parent yourself the picture just adjusts itself perfectly. Just as in my story your mother probably made what she did look rather easy and painless. I know my mother did. In all my life I never heard my mother complain of her lot in life as she found joy in so many things.....but the night before she passed on ( it's strange thing to feel comfort for ) she told me that she was ready and wanted to go.....that she had been suffering and was tired. As hard as it was to let her go.....never having heard her use a word like suffering to describe herself, I felt that she had been given the gift of seeing beforehand what came after and it was the only thing that could bring relief. How could I beg her to fight on....her quality of life was so diminished by then. What a woman....she showed me how to find joy in every trial I will ever face, and she showed me how to let go when the time came. My memories of her are the best. She was/is truly awesome.
Jackie
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Hey Jo: One of the greatest things about this "Older Women" forum is that we can say anything, anyway we want and no one thinks a thing about it--we've got the experience to back it up! Today it may be my alimentary canal, tomorrow it's my gut.
I've had an interesting experience with AC#2. Sailed through the infusion Friday, had a steroid explosion Saturday to where I cleaned house, cooked. Sunday I was tired. Went for Nuelasta yesterday morning and BAM. I am so impaired today that a friend is picking me up to take me to my class. No way I can drive--I was a cop for 15 years and I've stopped people who were in a heck of a lot better shape than I am today. Geeeeez. Hope this wears off soon. I think I remember this party from about 1971. Is it always like this??? Helen
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Jackie:
My Mom did everything early - even died too soon. She was only 57. That's younger than I am now. She was only 16 when I was born and I thought we would spend our old age together at the Old Folks Home. She would have been 79 years young this September. Her cancer hit her hard and quickly. She really did not have time to adjust to the idea of dying and wasn't ready.
I miss her.
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mzmiller99
Susan, Has Jade had the mamogram yet? Please let us all know how she is doing, and how soon they will know something. I am praying everything will be fine.
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All, thanks for the info on the colonoscopy. Garwsh, I hope there is only a "clean butt" up there and no "C". I used to never worry about tests like this. Ever since the BC, every test has a bit more anxiety associated. I remember leaving the skin Doctors after she told me I had no skin cancer and smiling ear to ear. That was during chemo. Nothing like getting a "no cancer" diagnosis after you've had one.
Alas.... !!!
Spring...
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Spring, just went through that yesterday, had to get a mole checked, it was black. And it had just popped up since chemo, really big too, found out it wasn't cancer, but he still cut it off....didn't hurt, but boy the numbing shot sure burned going in! LOL.... I was scared to death though, thought ok, 2 more chemos to go and now I have skin cancer!
Gramof3, if you will take a Claritan (Or like I took, a generic store brand of it) the day before, the day of and the day after the neulasta shot, they won't bother you..I did that all the way through my A/C, never had one bone pain! Believe me it really works! I told this to a younger woman at chemo today, the nurse heard me, so I told her also, she had never heard of it either...But she said it wouldn't hurt you and if it works, that's awesome!
Hugs
Deb
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Jo-5
I guess that several of us had rheumatic fever when we were young. I guess we have connections other than bc.
My daughter, Luci, was over today, and I wanted her to know how proud of her that I am. She married young, had four boys, got divorced, and her ex husband didn't help her. She lost a five year old to an aneursym. She raised those three boys all by herself. The baby boy will graduate this year. When I told her how proud of her I was, she said Momma I saw what a hard time you had raising us and that is how I knew I could make it. I just sat and cried, then I said, but I had your daddy to help me, you didn't have a man to help you. She said yes momma, but you were the one who let us know that no matter what, we would make it through.
By the way, my cough is so much better, it is just about gone. Thank the Lord!
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You guys are absolutely cracking me up with the Colonoscopy stories.....Ive had one of course but I also take care of people after they've had them from time to time and I just sort of sat here giggling .......Im trying to think of the top 3 worst things to have done or do on my list....I still think the Dentist reigns supreme.....bc tests are right up there, I would rather go through my surgery again than some of those freaky tests and the colonoscopy is way down at the bottom.
I had my Oncologist visit this morning so I can stop hibernating now.....I tend to shrink and be silent when Im stressed.....it was an A-OK visit.....there are breast issues as I am only 2+ months post op but they are surgery and rads issues not cancer issues, YEA !!!!
The Lecture Series Im going to that will include all kinds of good info for us starts Thursday evening and it will be about post radiation and Arimidex and the other drugs so I'll try to have some things to write about over the week end or Friday if Im organized
We have rain rain and more rain today.....good day to curl up with a book for a little while
Love to all
Jan
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I'm also an older woman with bc, and I too have noticed that most of the posters are younger, and many premenopausal, whereas I am 65, just had a mastectomy this week and have a few questions related to the hot flashes (I've had them since hysterectomy in 1987 and now it seems I'm destined to have them forever -- and yes, HRT was taken over a fairly long period of time. I hope the idea of a forum for older women goes ahead, mainly because our experiences and needs at this time in our life is so different from young mom's with children and those who have not yet entered menopause.
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I just found this forum and am so grateful; I truly understand the heartache of all the young women but my life experience and questions are so different from all the ones I've been reading about that after I originally joined in February I haven't bothered to come back. I'm 65, just had a mastectomy last week, and am doing fine, except for the horrible hot flashes which have plagued me since 1987 when I had a hysterectomy (not for cancer) I so hoped they'd ease up, but if anything they are worse. Of course I was one of the HRT women - too late to cry over that now. I'm wondering how soon after mast. most of you resumed your normal activities; I had the drains out yesterday, and except for being tired, I'm feeling better, no longer taking pain meds, and wondering about going to the grocery store and such; options are limited because I live in Canada where it seems the snow never ends (I'm a bit gripey about the weather this week, of course a chinook is due and next week I'll stop wishing so much that I was in Californa) I'm also wondering about work; my job is not hard, I work in a law firm and it is mental not physical, and I have the kind of boss that I could simply say I need to go home and call my husband to come get me; I'm hoping to go back in two weeks, does that sound unreasonable. I don't know what's ahead -- my surgeon said things look great, we'll talk more when the results are back -- the pathology on the one sentinel node is not back yet and there's no use worrying about that until the time to decide is here. I guess I'm just the type to fuss about more mundane things -- like the grocery store and work<G>. Its not that I have to go back, I'm on STD and my work is great about my needs, it's that I want to go back, I don't like just sitting at home; especially when I can't redecorate or move furniture or anything. Has anybody found anything that helps with the hot flashes? I'm also 35 pounds overweight -- I hate that and I work at it all the time -- my metabolism does not cooperate -- I envy so much the tall thin women that just keep striding forward -- then there's me, short and chubby and two of my lovely daughters are slim, athletic, runners, and totally right food conscious; here I am fighting the urge to eat a Nutty Buddy and wondering if I'll ever be able to get my food issues under control. Sorry for going on and on, this seems a bit cathartic, so thanks for listening.
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Jude....just wanted to say and welcome you here. Hope you will stay with all of us 'well seasoned' ladies. I have errands that can't really wait, but please keep coming back as I'm sure several of the ladies will have ways to address many of your issues. This is a very, very nice place with a good fit for those of us that have a few years behind us..........and God willing still have plenty in front of us too. See you Jude and everyone else a little later.
Jackie
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Two weeks sounds a little soon. My PS said I'll be out of wokr for 6 weeks.. I hoping for four.
I am going to have a bi-lateral MX. Judy0 -
Welcome Jude
I can't help you with the mascetomy, I had a lumpectomy. I started taking Arimidex yesterday, and I told my husband it sure was hot last night, he said I must be having hot flashes. My period stopped when I was 49. I never had any hot flashes, so I don't know if it is the medicine or not.
I am sure some of the ladies on here will be able to help you.
God Bless!
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Judy, I had bilateral mx, I was out 6 weeks, but was pretty good at 4. More tired still than anything else (coming off chemo, then surgery, was pooped!)
Spring.
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Jude: Welcome to the sorority you don't ever want to join, but now you're here, we're a pretty cool bunch of sisters. I don't know about the time on the mx--just work with your dr.--you'll have a good idea as to what your limitations are -you'll be able to balance staying busy with not overdoing it.
Jan: I think it's great that you'll share info with us. The more we know the better armed we are.
I'm coming back from my psychedelic "trip." I can't believe that in the 60's, kids were actually TRYING to bring on episodes like that. I did take the Clariton prior to and the day of the Neulasta--maybe the problem was the AC itself, just delayed?--don't know, but I won't be so surprised if it happens the next time! Take care everyone, spring is on the way--once I survive the time change, it's only a matter of a few weeks!
Helen
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I think I'll be somewhat tired for along time. I fight it, but may last chemo (hooray) is friday, then I have surgery and 6 weeks after surgery, rads all of it is just full of fatigue. I manage to fight it off, but I don't do very much at night except veg! Well, I guess I deserve to veg a little...
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Jo, I don't think I ever told you what a good idea you had when yiou started the thread to list surgeries and treatments. That's a good way for us to keep up with everyone. Those of you who have upcoming surgeries or treatments, please jot it down on this thread so we can keep it straight and send encouragement when it's needed.
Jan, glad that your issues are rad and surgery related. I have my oncologist appt. on Thursday and I'm always anxious before I go.
In days of "yore" my grandmother always kept leftovers on the enclosed back porch where it was cooler. This included the meat from dinner to the pies and desserts. We didn't think anything about it back then. Strange how things change! :-)
Jude, welcome to our little corner. Come back often!
Judy...I noticed that you are ER+ but PR-. I'm just the opposite. I'm ER- but PR +. Are you taking Arimidex or Femara? I'm doing the Arimidex. My onc feels that because I have some + showing, we should give it a shot. I don't think there have been many studies done on our situatins so we'll just hope for the best.
I hope everyone is doing well tonight. I do need to take notes when I read these posts. I forget what I want to say and my comments to many of yoiu when I actually get posting.
Have a great night.
Rita
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Hi, ladies - just a quick note...my daughter called this AM and said the tech told her the lump looked "good" and not to worry!! She'll follow up w/ her doctor later!! Woo Hoo!! But, this d*mned cancer makes us crazy when anything is out of the ordinary.
Just had another trans-vaginal US today for spotting. Of course, you know what I'm thinking. Looks like fibroids, though!! Another woo hoo!!
...and back to the dermatologists tomorrow, she took off three pre-cancerous spots last week and now she's going for a full body scan. Seems like my whole body has been scanned!
Now to bed to flip and flop like a beached whale.
Thanks for the thoughts. Hugs to you all!
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Happy, Happy for your daughter Susan....here comes another big round of sigh's of total relief. Sounds like you may be doctoring' for a while yourself though. Glad you only have fibroids and yes till I knew I would be thinking the worst....even if I never said it out loud.
Judy.....you have every right to veg when the evening comes....or whenever you feel exhausted no matter what time. Your body is telling you something and these treatments can be a big strain on your system. You don't have to be a hero....just get well and if that means a daytime nap ( I had my share ) that is what you should do.
Jude, I had HRT and weaned myself off of them....after my stroke which easily could have been cause by the HRT. My point is....did you slowly come off of them. I did so and had less and less hot flashes until there were none. I find on the Armidex ( 5 yr. cancer pill ) that I will get suddenly warm, but before I become very uncomfortable it is on it's way out again so the slight few times this happens....once or twice a week, I feel little need to bother with it. Sounds like you have had them so long. Hopefully there is something that can be done.
I am bushed---been a long day. Had to go see my PCP today and have been running ever since.
Hope you all have a wonderful evening.
Jackie
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