Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Betrayal; my prayers that you have a better new year. 🤝
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It's afternoon and I thank you Betrayal for your great entry although we all do CARE that the X-mas holiday became and remains so rough for you. As Chris said — hopefully the New Year will see things some to some fair outcomes for you. Sorry so many in your circle had negative events as well. I do think it is hard to stay in the spirit when these things happen.
I threw out breadcrumbs to the birds. Sure, hope they found them all. Yesterday seemed fine, no ice, or sleet and while not exactly pleasant you could drive and move about pretty much as you desired. Today was a bit different. I opened the door to let the cat out (he is hopeless as he doesn't care what it's doing outside, he wants to try going on) and I had to push again snow that sounded crunchy. Sleet was apparently inside, unlike yesterday's snowfall. Sure glad the factory decided to close. They texted today and said they would be open tomorrow. Likely all the surrounding communities workers drive from as well as here have the roads etc. under good control now. So back to work for everyone. Paychecks are better that way.
So it has been nice and quiet around here for us. I've not gotten a whole lot done, and really don't know how the time is managing to escape me. I think when things are more normal I may be able to get back to getting my extras list pared down.
Hope you all have stayed well and will continue that way.
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Betrayal - I’m sorry to hear you and your loved ones are having such a difficult time. I’ll be thinking of you with regard to the MRI and hope that 2025 will be kinder to you.
Jackie - I’ve been watching the weather in your area. Since you did not mention it, I presume you still have power which is a good thing.
We got together with college friends on Saturday night. It was good to see everyone and catch up. While the weather was cold there was no precipitation so it made for an easy 1.5 hour drive. It was a little awkward as no one else at the party has personal or close family experience with chemo. While most of them saw me in September while I was undergoing treatment, apparently they expected me to be undergoing treatment indefinitely. We have a mutual friend who passed away from ovarian cancer a few years ago. She was diagnosed at stage 3C and lived with it for over 10 years. It was a very tough time for her and it was her main topic of discussion when we were together since she was fighting for her life. I’m trying to get the point across that I have early stage OC and treatment protocols are different and have changed over the past 15 years.
We have another mutual friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 years ago (same as me) and talks about it nonstop and the difficulties of taking her ‘chemo pill’ (exemestane). She was not at the party on Saturday. The BC cancer friend’s husband has gone so far as to tell me I don’t really understand what it is like to have cancer 🙄. When we saw this couple in September and they found out I have OC, he told me his wife has to take a chemo pill for 5 years and I should be grateful I only have to have chemo for a few months. I quietly reminded him that I also had BC 4 years ago and have taken hormone therapy. This couple tells everyone she is taking chemo. Not sure if they really do t know the difference or if they are being disingenuous. I get the AI side effects are miserable (it’s why I stopped taking anastrozole) but I don’t get the need to constantly talk about it for several hours at a time. I generally don’t engage with him and have told the others that living a normal life is very important to me. This really bothers me because I feel like some people have been very dismissive of my cancer diagnoses. I guess I just need to ignore the ‘noise’.
Have a good week.
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harley, I do not face the health care challenges that you do and I apologize for harping about mine. Sometimes you just need to hear how others are faring to gain perspective.
I think I need to just lurk again. I will see my MO this week and hope she can offer some information that will make this waiting period not so scary.
Thanks to all of you who have offered comfort. I do appreciate that.
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I don't think you need to lurk Betrayal. You just gave a good explanation of how you got to your 'BLUE' month of December. I don't know about others, but I liked getting to read the details fully. I can read something several times in a row and see something I missed just about every time.
And Harley I likely don't fully get how you feel but other than in the beginning (it is really a heavy-duty learning period) other than a light recap I don't see the need to talk endlessly about medical issues too much of any kind. I guess I've seen my cancers as I had them, got over them, and time to move on but at times I tend to simplify heavily. Because this is a cancer blog I expect to hear mentions a-plenty and it doesn't bother me when they come, but I really do think it should NOT be the ONLY topic. We ladies (and the men who have had a go of it as well) did have life before, during and after and I also have this idea that when you put space in-between your illness - whatever it is - by involving yourself in other things which are hopefully positive you allow negative instances of life to fade and the more you do that the more you can give to others and receive from others. There is more to life than ill health — this is a blog meant for the comfort of sharing and that is be it illness or wellness. We chose to be a part of each other here and for the most part I feel like I hear nice conversations that consist in your letting me know if your not well right now or troubled by something along with your joys, successes and interesting things you are doing.
For instance, like the great pictures many of you share. Hope we all get well if ill, stay as well as we can, and enjoy ALL of our life.
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Betrayal - I look forward to reading your comments. Please continue to post. That’s the purpose of this thread and forum - we can vent to people who understand where we are coming from. I hope your MO can offer some comfort. Personally, I find the waiting and uncertainty to be much worse than the diagnosis and treatment.
My post above was just a vent. There is one couple in our group that gets under my skin and I need to learn to ignore them. Every visit starts and ends with them complaining about the side effects of AI’s before anyone can ask how they are. And they rarely ask how others are doing. Ignoring them and the general noise is something I will work on in 2025. 😄Jackie - thank you for the wise words.
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Fighting life only saps our energy, blocking us from the love, healing, and compassion available to us from our own hearts. Once we accept our given reality, our energy shifts. Release happens.
Susan Santucci
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Good morning. Haven't opened the kitchen door so no idea if we are soft or crunchy outside yet. No one bothered (at my age I'm not too concerned but it's not great to leave the wt. on the deck) to shovel the snow off. Maybe I'll give it a whirl. Dh has a balance issue so I'm the best candidate, I think. We were mainly making sure the snow was over.
Not letting the indoor/outdoor cat outside which he hates, but he doesn't go anywhere. Snow seems a bit much for him to. There is a place under the table where snow didn't collect as much and he sits there till boredom sits in.
Harley, wise words from you as well. I think we all have had people like you describe. I'm not sure how much they really have going on in their life save for their medical maladies. There is a quote I've put in here before and you certainly made me think of it:
“A friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”In life, everything changes — one way or the other. So, hopefully the focus will become being able to grow past things as they change — hopefully for the better. Sometimes we get stuck in things and the key to moving past hasn't shown up. This is a special place for us and I hope everyone will feel accepted as we grow.
Son-in-law came home from work. He got a wishy-washy stomach after getting a hot drink from a machine at work. Thinks maybe the machine was dirty. Maybe, but I also think if your system is a little off any ingredient in the drink could cause issue. Way too many chemicals in things is my view. Then again, lately I've read a lot of recalls in all sorts of things — even vegetables. I'm hoping this doesn't get worse. Hopefully Son-in-law will feel better soon.
Hope you all have a really good day.
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Harley, reading about that couple I wondered if her husband is paying her a lot of new attention and she’s working to keep it coming. I hope she never needs chemo, that would be a major whine. I can certainly see why she gets under your skin.
I’m experiencing my usual winter slump. Leaving the store in the drizzle I felt at the end of my rope. Wonder what a week in Mexico would cost. And there are months of this to go0 -
The temperature is staying in the 40's today for our high but it has been sunny most of the day. I ventured out to a couple of places, including a Walmart. Back home I put a big pot on the stove and started a beef and veggie soup for dinner. The ingredients added to the pot so far are simmering. It's definitely soup weather.
Happy Tuesday to all.
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