Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Marybe.....I got a big kick out of your description of your Dh. He could have been my first husband. So smart that the mundane things just confused and mystified him. I recall his dropping something --- bending over to pick it up and stepped on his own hand --- yet according to tests he was a genius. Do genius's do things like that. Well, I thought we'd have this wonderful life and want for nothing --- not so. We made it for ten years which was probably 7 too many. It is very difficult living with a man who is totally out of his league when it comes to common sense and daily survival. Sadly, he is with his 5th. wife. These types of men can be hard to live with because if you are not like them the your mutual wave lengths are just crashing all the time. My hubby now can fix just about anything and my biggest complaint is he is slow about some of it and tends to leave just one little part un-done. Oh well, we have made it 35 years this July so I'm not going to get too un-strung now. We are in it neck deep as they say.
Hi to all....I'm going to go find my favorite chair and let the fun begin of all the dogs having to pile in with me. Thank God they are all small.
See you all tomorrow.
Hugs, Jackie
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GOOD MORNING~
What an incredible bunch!
notself- yes after I got done laughing at myself I joined a group that care for the homeless and learned exactly what you wrote- we channel our energy collectively and do so much more than feeding (or not feeding) one person. I worked with a lady that had been homeless with her daughter and got a proper education.
Marybe and Isabella- if you two can't make a person laugh no one can- How do you do it??? An engineer Marybe, REALLY? WOW! Kinda of scarey as my engineer nephew is very much like your discription of DH. I have gift bags with Dail Evens holding a gub on a male cowboy that say "Men you can't live with them and you csn't shot them anymore" Pretty cute, yet I adore my DH.
Diana welcome- I hope you find friends and comfort here. Keep on, keeping on Girl- we will cheer you on.
Carole the GREEN MIST and the oil- no one deserves that! The green mist has hit me really hard for 4 days as we had gust of wind up to 60mph- no hope if you have allergies and that kind of wind. So sad for your area-We lived in LA and married at Jefferson Parish some 39 years ago.
The dogs are GROWING per DH- They are all in Missouri and I am in Las Vegas- I am fearfull that he is letting them have a little to much head if you know what I mean..........
Riatjean have you been busy- seems like I missed you for a coulpe of days,
has anyone heard from Kathleen? Hope shje is well.
Have a great day all- I am going to enjoy the day.
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The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make
a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not
scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.
- Samuel Butler.0 -
Hi gals! I miss a couple of days and it takes me forever to get caught up! (Thanks for missing me, Melissa!)
I've had a crazy week. I read scholastic bowl questions for the state regional tournament this past week, golfed with some friends and we had a birthday dinner for one of them, escaped with Dave to the riverboat casino and a dinner out by ourselves yesterday, and have played in the dirt today....weeding my blooming iris and working in some flower beds. Whew! Now I'm off to stick in a ham and some scalloped potatoes for dinner tonight.
Oh Diana........welcome to our thread. It's a great place to hang out with great caring ladies for comedy, advice, and support. I am so sorry that you are now facing mets. I hope the arimidex and zometa keep working for you. Hugs to you!
I'll be back tomorrow and will probably have more contribute! I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!
Rita
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Welcome, Diana, what a blow it must have been for you to find out you have mets. Hope the chemo-combo kicks that cancer right out of your body. So sorry, we just never know if bc will rear its ugly head again, do we?
SV Melissa, so glad you are back, was afraid we wouldn't hear from you again and was worried. Thought alot about you especially last Thursday.
Again, didn't get much done today....just no nrg. DH has been working on his projects and like some of the other gals on here he has an amazing ability to screw things up!! The air gets blue around here at times. But I still love him.
Got the meatloaf ready to put in the microwave and the salad rinsed. Just waiting for it to be closer to dinner time.
Gentle hugs....
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I go for my 6 month MRI Tomorrow- it is strange I am confident about the out come yet I wish I were going to a different setting that the same place that originally DX'ed me------------OH WELL, MAKE THE BEST OF IT RIGHT??
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Melissa,
Bet everyone at home is missing you. How long will you stay in Las Vegas? Is it a bit of a shock to be there again? Are you close to good medical care in your new home? So hard to switch drs. Wishing you good results.
pam
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Marybe...he he he ...DH has a brother !! Oh, its just soooooo good to know I am not alone in my trials !!!! I have wet myself laughing at your poor garden...I can just imagine it. Well I can't . but WHAT a shock to come home to a decimated garden, I think that would finish me off! My garden is my escape !
We've only been married for coming up 6 years, we lived together for about 26 years before that, I think, can't remember, it all becomes a blur !!! But I really find it such hard work, DH is a man who will NEVER say sorry, or take one iota of blame for absolutely anything, even when the evidence stacks up against him, he just cannot find the humility to hold his hand up and say 'OK, it was me, sorry' I would see him as a much bigger man would he just do this once....either that, or drop down stone dead with shock !! It is just so damned frustrating, I really can almost feel my body boiling up with rage, but know to rise to whatever is going on around me would cause a nuclear explosion from DH. Our nearest neighbour is 1 mile away, across fields, and he met DD in the village, and said he could hear her step-father raging from his farmyard. !!! I was actually mortified, but then thought why?? It wasn't me losing control. It wasn't me shouting so loud that I could be heard a mile away, so went and told DH, and made him feel bad !!!! he he he. Of course he doesn't believe me, NO-ONE could possibly hear him, he doen't shout !!! He USED to be sweetness and light, but as he aged he's got more an more angry, mainly at the frustration of getting older, and realising he's just the same as everyone else, slowly dropping to bits ! He was quite a big wrestler when I first met him, doing lots of shows, generally basking in everyones attention, always at the gym, NEVER, EVER going to let himself go 'like everyone else' always going to keep lithe and fit, then old age crept slowly on, and he had 2 bouts of illness needing hospitalisation, has, dare I say, high blood presure' AND a pot belly. Has to take PILLS daily aaarrgghh, he would NEVER take pills 'like everyone else' so things never sit easy with him...I have to admit I have just given up on trying to help him accept that he is getting old....my god... he is talking of a return to the wrestling ring this summer, when his siatica is gone, his torn rotator cuff is repaired, his carpal tunnel op. is done, his narrow nasal passages are bored out !!!!!Summer will be here in a couple of months, and non of these procedures are scheduled yet...so he is asking for a miracle.
He fell over today. He runs everywhere, it is so funny to see, whatever he is doing it is at the double, I mean whoever heard of running carrying big baskets of eggs?? Well, he does, and today he went flat on his face, eggs all over the place, the cats thought it was Christmas. About 3 weeks ago he did the self same thing , but with TWO baskets OMG then he wonders why we all find humour in his goings on, its the only coping stategy I can find that doesn't give me a heart attack every hour.
I have said before on here if I had 3 wishes they would be peace, peace and more peace...an uneventful life, just being able to settle down without DH coming bursting in on me, with yet something else being broken, or some, well almost all, of the things he sets out to do going wrong, and the air turning dark blue yet again.
DH has just come lolloping in to bother me yet again, and its 1.30am. I am quietly sat at my pc, and he's come into the kitchen, to take his pills, he's dropped one of them out of his hand, its rolled under the fridge. He's lost the top off the milk bottle, that also joined his pill on the floor, BUT, silly me, that was MY fault. I yelled at him, YET again, to stop drinking milk straight from the bottle, others have to use it, and its damned well not hygenic. This is a 3 or 4 times a day regular yell at him, I'm sure he does it much more regularly than this, but I don't see it !!! Then he went off, I had to call him back to go and switch off the heating. I am melting sat here and reminded him at 11.30, and 12.30, so what does he do....forget. And what does he do about the heating ? moan like hell because its costing so much to run, and tells me to not switch it on so early....but its OK to leave it running at this hour, when the house is like a sauna !!!
I have an appointment with my neurosurgeon on Wednesday, to see about surgery for my 4 slipped discs, I am dreading it wondering how DH will cope with all my dogs and cats...he says he doesn't want DD or G/sons to come help....I can see myself having to cancel as I won't be able to do much for around 2 weeks, supposedly won't be let out of hospital until I can get up stairs, I say supposedly, because I intend to get out and live in the sitting room, and sleep on the sofa. The toilet, and anything else I need will all be on one level, but, and its a big but, should I need to get into the kitchen its up 4 stone steps....I am used to crawling up them as it is on an evening, but whether I shall be able to do the crawl after an op remains to be seen.
Isabella.
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Melissa.......sending good vibes your way for a clean MRI tomorrow!
It's funny how our minds work about revisiting unpleasant places from the past. I understand how you feel about having the MRI in the same place where you were originally diagnosed. Hey, I even had problems walking into the chemo room when a friend was doing chemo after my treatments were done. I never celebrate my cancer anniversary until after all the routine tests, etc. are done. Strange, eh????
Let's us know as soon as you get your results! Hugs!
Rita
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Thanks Pam and Rita- They were nice-the place is clean but darnitall- I just don't want to go and may cry a bit to night and I am damn sure not wearing that lousy flimsy gown that is cut open all the way done the front and sit around with a bunch of other tourchered soles! I intend to wear my button down the front shirt and they will just have to deal with it!
Isabella and Pam- you girls make me scream and I am wondering how you put up with all of the shenanigans! The garden to the ground is the worse!- But the broken eggs! How funny hehehehe.
Love you girls M
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Marybe, your post about your DH was as funny as Isabella's stories about her DH! I can't believe anyone would load furniture into a pick-up and not close the tailgate! My DH drives a large pick-up, 1 one-ton truck, because we tow a 38 ft. 5th wheel camper on our summer trips north. He's very handy. Just installed a camera that allows him to see behind the camper. It worries him when autos come us close behind us on the highway and he can't see them. The camera will also be helpful when he's backing into a campsite at rv parks. He's very good at doing repairs around the house. Last year he ordered a repair kit and replaced the broken ice-maker in our refrigerator.
Isabella, I've been urging my ancient washing machine to break so I could buy one of those nice new front loaders. This old Maytag is 25 yrs old! DH has repaired it a few times. So maybe a handyman isn't always a good thing! DH worked for the Corps of Engineers, too, but he was a merchant mariner and worked on a dredge ship.
I read a post by Kathleen on another thread so she's ok. Maybe she will check in here.
Nothing but depressing reports on the oil spill on our local news. And the national news as well. I hope somebody can figure out how to stop the gushing from the broken pipe. That's the only solution. Otherwise the jet stream along with varied weather conditions will carry oil everywhere until the well runs dry.
Such a cute story about the Maypole. I've only read about dancing around a Maypole.
Hope everyone has a good week.
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Thinking about you today Melissa. After this it will basically be back home to Missouri...right??? Hope all goes well.
Carole -- Good to hear someone has a handy-man but you are right...it tends to keep you from getting caught up with the newer innovations that always come along. My Dh still works at Sears and though he thinks the front loaders are great -- he is not crazy about the "steam" machines. He sells them and feels they are not worth it. Having said that....I'm sure there are people who have them and love them -- I think he is basing it on price and practicality. I would probably go for the top loader that spins at such high rpm's that your clothes are half dry when they come out of the washer. A lot of the front loaders are easy on water consumption. The set-up I think helps them somehow get the clothes cleaner. I rely heavily on what dh tells me in this department.
Will see you all later. Hi to everyone....Hoping you all have a really good, sunny if possible, day. Talk to you later.
Hugs, Jackie
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Oh my gosh! I'd forgotten all about dancing around the Maypole until you mentioned it. We did that when I was a kid. I don't know what your pole and dances were like but our pole was tall and positioned on a heavy woodedn base. Brightly colored crepe paper streamers were attached to the top and hung down. Everyone grabbed a streamer and wove in and out around the other dancers to music. At the conclusion, we had a lovely colorful braid around the pole. We also delivered May basket each May 1st. We decorated paper cups with crepe paper or whatever we had, put on some pipe cleaner handles and filled them with popcorn, candy, flowers or other treats. Then we delivered them to family and friends. I don't' think anyone's done that for years and it was so much fun!
Well I'm off to read scholastic bowl questions at a tournament this afternoon. Thinking of you Melissa as you go through your MRI and will be anxiously awaiting to hear results when you get them.
Hugs to all of you! The sun is shining here! Enjoy your day!
Rita
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I was completely unaware of "steam" washing machines.
Rita, that sounds like fun reading questions in a scholastic bowl. DH and I watched a high school competition a few weeks ago and were so impressed by how information the students have stored in their brains.
I'm off to do some shopping.
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Ok, I don't know what to think. I just got back from having my bone scan and when I was finished they asked me if I was having my CT done since I often do them on the same day and I said no I had it done Friday at their outpatient imaging center and was told that maybe the results would be back by Mon afternoon. So the tech said oh, I am sure they are, let me check and she did and they had them so she told them to print them and even walked over to the imaging records dept with me. I got the report and went into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet to read it because I wanted to be by myself and was actually afraid to read it. Well, it said impression stable on just about everything except for the one lesion in my liver and on it they wrote slight increase from my scan Dec. 30, SLIGHT!! Not significant or substantial , BUT slight! So I was elated and calling my closest friends on the way home telling them maybe things are OK and maybe I will be staying on the megace, in which case I am more than happy to get fat since that is a petty complaint compared to the SEs I had with chemo. Well then I got home and got out my last scan report and it said this lesion which is now 2.3 cm was 1.3 cm in Dec. I am no math whiz, but I think one centimeter is quite a bit of an increase and I am afraid my onco will agree with me. I guess they are able to see bone mets on a CT scan also, even though it is not as specific as a bone scan, but they wrote stable bony metastasis. I don't worry about the bone too much, but do worry about my liver. I guess I will get the verdict on Wed. AM when I see my oncologist. Do you think a centimeter increase is a big deal?....it been just a little over 4 months. It's insane how my life seems to hinge on these scans....I feel good and don't really even have an aches to complain about, but if I think things are going the wrong way, I immediately think the worst.
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Hi all
That was a lot of reading and I have only been gone four days I think. Body clock is beginning to sort itself out.
i hope everyone id doing well and coping with results. Big hugs to Mary and Dianne, and hope you are feeling OK SV.
I certainly cannot compete with Isabella and husband stories.though this morning DH was convinced that we could walk through certain streets and get back to the centre of town - oh boy you should have seen where we went. Telling my aunt later she nearley had a fit as it was the worst part of town and not a all safe. Talk about innocents abroad.
We are in PA at present. Saw a chipmunk which was rather cute , never seenone before. DH wants to use this computer, a little note book which we have with us.
Alyson
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Marybe try not to obsess to much says the woman (me) who did not even want to enter the building where she was dx'ed!- You get your results on WED andf I am praying hard for good news! I get mine next week.............we need ro push the little black cloud fruther way, lets just try.
Carole and Jackie it is good to have a handy man- mine is with some things- the BEST painter in the country, but when it comes to plumbing----well lets just pay out the nose if you get my drift.
Alyson- PA! Excellant- when you get a minute tell us what you saw and where you visited.
Hi Jo, have missed you.
My MRI went well after I taught then where on my ankle to start the IV. I have LE in the right arm and chest with nodes removed on each side- knock on wood- no problems on the left and did not want tochance it. Worked out fine.
Have a great night- will check in tomorrow, SV where are you?
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Marybe, Good luck with the oncologists interpretation. You know I never worry in between but the scans, mammos and ultrasounds for 6 month checkups make me a nervous wreck. I make the CA seem real all over instead of a conquered condition. Do any of you others get really nuts waiting for those results?
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Flyingdutch.............I'm with you. I always worry, even over the most routine check-ups. I tell myself that there's nothing I can do to change things or change the results so there's no need to worry! HA! That seems to go in one ear and out the other. I really try to take things in stride but it's tough for me.
Marybe, my thoughts will be with you as you wait for your oncologist's opinion. Please let us know what he/she says as soon as you can. Hugs to you. We all know how hard the waiting can be and how stressful this entire journey is!
Count me in as another gal who "has a handyman." My guy can fix anything. The only problem is getting him to do it! A friend can call and ask him to come over and fix something and he jumps out of the chair and goes. My list just keep getting longer. I just don't have that magic button, I guess! LOL
Well, I'm off to the stores this morning to do errands and then hopefully to the golf course this afternoon.
Catch you all later. Have a good day!
Rita
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Marybe, my thoughts are with you. I empathize with your worry. Hoping your consultation with the onc eases the anxiety.
Alyson, I hope your trip is lots of fun. Stay out of unsafe neighborhoods!
I'm looking forward to playing a round of golf today. Tomorrow is the Member-Guest tournament so this is a practice round.
Everyone have a great day!
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Marybe, so sorry you are having to deal with another scare and have to wait to see the doc to see what comes next. Hugs to you, Babe
Alyson, welcome the the U.S.!! Please stay for awhile and drink it all in.
Have to set up an emergency dentist appt today....another tooth crumbled and I look real cute as a snaggle tooth!
Back to work for me, all take care and good luck on the links, you golfers!
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Saying hi this morning and hoping all have a good day too. Marybe...can't add a thing -- everyone said it so well. The pits to have to wait for any test result. Alyson....I too am glad you got back to "town" without incident. I think God just put a white light around you both which kept everything bad away. Whew !!! Sigh of relief from me.
Have a fantastic day -- hi to everyone else.
Hugs, Jackie
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I have had to wait three times for test result; the first was the diagnosis for BC, the other two for biopsies.
I was afraid each time. Each time I examined what exactly I was afraid of. At first it was death and later I found that I was afraid of treatments for recurrence. I am still working through this last one but I know I am not afraid of death. Don't get me wrong---I want death to be many years away.
I suggest that one use this time of waiting for results to examine fear very closely. See what happens.
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Thank you for all the good wishes and prayers. The tech who read my scan is not very good at her job....she said slight increase and it was a one centimeter increase in the tumor in my liver. The onco at MDA said he would call that significant and given my CA27/29 increase has recommended going off the megace and suggested I ask my onco about Xoleda. Then tonight I picked up the bone scan....even worse than the CT, although it 's really the liver I worry about. The impression they wrote at the bottom of the report is Numerous worsened and new foci of abnormal radioactivity as described, most compatible with worsening skeletal metastatic disease. There are 5 new areas in my ribs, now both shoulders are involved and it was only the left. There is a new area in my femur, the entire vertebral body is now involved in L2, there is a new metastasis in my rt sacrum and the list goes on and on. I expected things were going the wrong way because of the tumor markers which have always been accurate on me, but certainly didn't expect things to have gotten this much worse since the end of Dec. So tomorrow I will see what my onco has to offer as treatments and just hope he doesn't say I told you so since he had no faith in the suggestions offered by MDAnderson anyway. How is it I can feel so good and have all this stuff going on? Hope you other gals waiting for reports get good results.
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Marybe,I am sorry that you are having to deal with this. I know it is difficult to wait for answers but maybe it would be a little better if the techs didn't play Dr. and end up giving you what seems to have amounted to in-accurate a results. I hope you Dr. tomorrow will be able to give you a full and total understanding of what your reports say and most assuredly that he will be able to find a chemo combo that will shrink your spots into non-existence.
notself-great point you have made -- rather than just be afraid ( even though we may be in ways afraid of all of it ) better to work at identifying the fear as it may be something that we could handle -- or at least just fear one thing instead of the nameless all of it. I know I do not fear death either ( and I'm so thankful for that as I see it as a gift ) but I am in no hurry to go, don't want too, and don't believe I will until I am in my mid 90's. That being said....I hope I have lots of quality to my life. I feel a need to continue in my spiritual studies and to continue trying to help wildlife and those who need a helping hand.
Hope you all have a great day. Mine has been long and I need to go relax. Lost my first post as well due to losing our whole Internet connection.....had to call our company and get a re- connect. Will see you all then tomorrow.
Sweet Dreams,
Hugs, Jackie
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Marybe I am speachless, I am so sorry you have gotten this news and hope the onc will brighten your (and our) out look. Please know that I am praying for you, in your corner and will do anything I can for you.
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Marybe,
You are a shining example of how we should all handle news we did not want to hear. All of us are hoping your doctors will find the right combination to get things under control. Sending healing vibes to you!
pam
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{{{{Marybe}}}}
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that Rocks JO
- except that you had to go throug the biopsy 
----good luck and healing vibes to you while you are at the therapist- they helped me quite a lot, but I don't think I will be able to lift more than about 20-25 lbs as my rt sided LE returns. Ladies you are in my prayers.
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Marybe, I'm thinking of you and conjuring up all my positive, healing vibes. I can't fault you for going to MDAnderson. That's where Phil Mickelson's wife and mother are being treated, and I tend to think of it as on the forefront of cancer treatment. I hope your onc has a revised treatment program that will reverse what's happened since Dec.
Jo, I'm happy to hear your news.
Best wishes to everyone else.
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