Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
-
Hello and welcome to the newbies. Not a lot going on here. Tai Chi class today and then a stop at Walmart. Yes, it is 5 am - car alarm across the way went off at 4 am and police finally towed the car away since no one came out to claim it or turn off. Too early to do much of anything as it is still dark outside.
Welcome again for the newbies. Join us at all hours of the day and night for a place to vent, celebrate, discuss and whatever you want to talk about. Enjoy the day, once it gets here...
Hugs and Blessings, Nancy
0 -
Hi fellow drip, congratulations to you too. What a great sendoff they gave you. Sounds like perhaps there are some humans running the show there. I'm blessed in that my nurses have been exceptional...professional and compassionate, I admire them greatly in such a difficult profession. Not to mention so alert and able to pull me back from the brink on two occassions. Continued success and I hope you have a great trip with the family.
Hope you have a great day Jackie, you amaze me with the extent of your kind service to so many. And that has to be the ultimate compliment for me...that I have a touch of the funny, how sweet you are. I try to be, I remember fondly the last time it happened ...it was at the lunch counter with my buddies in 1970. If anyone wants to know, I'll post why Dr. Oz soaks his nuts.
Welcome youngsta, Kay. Good on you for going after and earning an advanced degree and doing such good and difficult work. Good health and all the best.
0 -
OK Julia it is 3 AM in Arizona and I can't sleep. So I'll play straight man "why does Dr Oz soak his nuts?" only guess I have is that he prefers baths over showers!
Kat
0 -
KAT!!!!!!
My DH soaks his nuts to reduce his salt consumption.... and he showers!
pam
0 -
I would have guessed Kat, that you would have been THE one to immediately respond to such a weighty and profound question. Yes why indeed would Dr. Oz soak his nuts? Is it for the same reason as Pam's DH?...logical...but that's a negative. My BF suggested to remove bitterness from the casing...no way. Well here it is...and in fact I find it quite hard to believe. I think we might all agree that a major part of enjoying the nut is for the crunch...you would think Dr. Oz would concur. I bet he has trouble with his teeth and this preference for the soggy is a big cover up. So here it is folks, have you all logged off already?...he claims they taste better when soaked. What!!!
0 -
Julia,
Then he should love boiled peanuts... a staple of southern roadside stands, along with peanut brittle. The boiled peanuts (often spelled p'nuts) are boiled in salty water and are mushy. Ugh! Now, the p'nut brittle is usually great. For me a nut is just a means of delivering salt to the taste buds... love salt!
Wonder what Dr.Oz would say about Kat's explanation?
pam
0 -
I guess Dr Oz's response to my reply would put me in hot water
0 -
Hi Kay. Reading your story supports my theory that bad things seem to cluster together in life. When I was first diagnosed, my sister and teenage niece moved in with us (not that this was a bad thing, just very different for us), my step MIL, who was a dear friend, suddenly died, and my dh got laid off from his job of 32 years. Whew, it was stressful. At the time it seemed like I'd never be able to cope but several good things came from all this. My husband decided he was chucking our life plan and retiring ten years before we'd planned so he could take care of me. Now I'm so happy he got to retire young so he could enjoy life without having to work. My sister and I became very close. My dh and I affirmed we made the right decision to be child free, after dealing with a 16 year old niece for several months. We inherited my MIL's min poodle who is a dear, loving creature. And, I discovered that I'm a pretty strong broad after all. Seems like you are starting to crawl out from under your load, as well. May you know joyful times.
0 -
I just lost the message I was sending...This takes me a long time as I type with two fingers. OH BOY! I am too old to learn this I think!
WELCOME all of the newbies. This is such a wonderful group of women all eager to help and support you.
OKAY I need some answers and some help on these....To everyone who has had any lymph nodes removed.
Can we still use a deodorant? Is this safe? What about antiperspirant?
What about eating soy products? I am told that soy may help to grow cancer cells...Did anyone here stop eating soy? Most Japanese food has soy.
I also was thinking of going on a Vegetarian diet.....Do any of you eat a VEGAN or VEGETARIAN DIET...Supposedly this is the BEST for prevention of Cancer.
BUT most of these diets eat a lot of SOY...
I need some feedback and advice here...HELP! All comments are welcomed.
Anne
0 -
Hi Anne,
I don't check all my food for soy as I think most in the food would be fairly minimal anyway. I do use Silk Soy milk, but other than maybe half a cup or a wee bit less, I don't use it but on my breakfast oatmeal. I also only use steel cut oats for hot cereal, Uncle Sams or Kashi for cold and when I have eggs they are brown ones. I will fill in ( sometimes it is harder to find brown eggs ) with Egglands' Best. I'm not a big meat eater so I don't worry too much about that but my viewpoint is that most of the concern would be from red meat. Also, I as well think char broiled is not good either. Grilled lightly or baked is better.
I also watch salt and sugar content in foods as well as the types of oils -- the longer the list of ingredients....the less likely I am to go for it. As far as vegetables....fresh is best, and the darker the color the better. I love green yellow and red peppers and wash, slice and just munch on them. You'd think I would not be over wt.....sadly I have a raging sweet tooth, but it has been a lot less active since I did chemo --- now there was something it was definitely good for.
Have to admit, I've never questioned deodorants. I'm somewhat sparing with these things but do look for ones that do not have the aluminum in them.
I try to adopt the approach of moderation in most things, but do avoid alcohol and only now and then indulge. I try not to do too much in the sweets department but I am a push-over for desserts and don't tell hubby but I have had a love affair going most of my life for cheesecake and cream horns. He thinks I'm over that but I'm not. Cream horns come in a pkg. of four and I have been known to have them all gone in a day ---- without sharing.
Well, I'm off of here. See you soon.
Hugs, Jackie
0 -
Oh what a world what a world-I cannot believe that Lee won American Idol. Good Lord, this is what my life has been reduced too!!! I had a "mild heart event" yesterday and was hauled off with sirens blazing and lights on-CRAP-if that was MILD i don't want to know what the real thing is!!! Crikey that hurt. i came home to head out fishing and my heart went ka-flooey-I couldn't get a BP and my chest was screaming at me. So i call 911 and it takes them a very long time to stabilize me for transport-sh#t! They pumped so many meds in me that I am sick as a rat today. But back to the 'event' I have never had so many men in my bed cince the 1960's. It was quite a treat for an old lady!! They were so cute but i was slammed with o2 mask and more wires than i thought possible-they could not get a BP on me so all convinced i am dying-but i am still talking!! My chest really hurt and i am told that i did not have a heart attack but sort of a 'precurser' (damage from chemo). so they send me home with another ton of meds to take which i am not taking!! I refuse. And today I get my mammo done and there are strange things in them boobs. Ya' know, if my original surgeon had actually shown me my first mammo, i would have had a double mastectomy on the spot-but NOOOO I am just a stupid women!! They are the gods. i am furious-the tech showed me my old films and showed me the actual tentacles of the cancer-if only i had seen that or known or had any idea that it looked like a baby octypuss (the tumor) i would have taken drastic measures. There is no way that this cancer has not spread or will not pop up somewhere else. so i am spitting mad. feel like crap and need a nap now-again. xxoooooo love to all in a better or worse place than me right now-SV
0 -
Hi Anne, here's my diet regimen. I eat anything I want in moderation. I never eat fast food and very little processed food. If I want a steak, I have half and save the other half for another time or my dh eats it. If I want a drink, I'll enjoy that martini, just not every day. Same for my red wine. Same for raw oysters which I love. I decided after my 4th bout with cancer that I will enjoy whatever time I have left. If that includes butter on my corn, I'm gonna have it! I don't care what they say, nothin' tastes as good as butter. I watch my salt intake but could do better with the sugar cause I love to bake. I do use Tom's Natural Deodorant cause what's in most deodorants is not "natural". I floss my teeth every single night and I take my blood pressure meds. I don't want to live my life in fear of cancer coming back. My exercise is getting better as my pain subsides but I don't go crazy. I'm perhaps a few pounds overweight and that's ok by me. Shoot, I'm 65! Tonight I'm eating the first hamburger I've had in MONTHS. My husband's grilling and we use a charcoal grill. I made tabouli to go with it--healthy and I found some delicious black cherries for dessert. Yummy! Remember that old song that went "I'm gonna live live live till I die." That's me! At least I'm trying to be that way.
SV, dear, so sorry about your "event". You are having quite a time of it. At least you could appreciate the men in your bed. Please find out what's going on with your body before you go completely, utterly, mad.
0 -
Hi again...welcome kay..
Insurance issues...I was turned down for long term care insurance...so I guess we
self insure...and keep our fingers crossed..
I forgot to get my mammo and was scolded by my PCP, rightfully so
yesterday I did have it on my remaining breast and it was ok according to the radiologist
so I treated myself to a couple hours by myself at the zoo...noone to push me along...so
I only visited the giraffes and the birds...
0 -
SoCalLisa, love your photographs, particularly the eye close up of the giraffe. Gorgeous!
0 -
SV:
I am so sorry for what you have just gone through. A precursor? WOW! That's a new one.
I wonder why you had chemo when your lymph nodes were clean?
I had two with cancer yet will only have radiation and the pill Arimidex for 5 years.
I sure hope all these doctors know what they are doing.!!!!! I really have never quite trusted them.
Keep your spirits up and I hope all is well tomorrow.
Anne
0 -
Gorgeous photos.
Anne
0 -
I haven't been here for quite awhile, so just wanted to check in and say hello.
Lisa -- your photos are beautiful. What kind of camera do you use?
StillVertical -- what an awful "event" -- can't believe it was just a precursor! Hope you feel better when all those drugs get out of your system.
As for diet and exercise, I'm working on these things but obviously not as hard as some of you. I eat a fairly well balanced diet, but sweets are my downfall. I crave sugar and have been working to ignore or replace the cravings. A daily walk is my exercise for now, but that is difficult some days because I have chronic pain from low back and neck problems.
I took Arimidex for just over a year and my onc took me off early this month because of SEs. It's been just over 3 weeks and I feel so much better. He'll put me on Femara (I think) next week and, hopefully, the SEs will be less severe.
-bonnie
0 -
Yah know Kane, I am and never was healthy enough to get cancer. It was bad from the get go-my body is just failing me-first with pneumonia and infection in the surgical wounds to the chemo that went horribly bad. i try to kid about things but i simply don't know what to do anymore. My body is collapsing under the weight of trying to recover (really have had no recovery) from the chemo. And i do not know how much damage was done to me by the Taxotere-what is permanent, what is not. In the end, it doesn't really matter, bec the issues are still there. i am eating as organic as i can and doing all of the high protein stuff-shakes, etc and most days, i can barely get down to the beach. before cancer i was on the beach probably 12 hours a day - a full tide change- i just loved to watch the cycle of life of every single day during the tide changes. i don't care anymore. I so want to move back out west to Kanab, Utah and i don't know how I am going to do that. my dearest max (my oldest dog) is getting old and i want him comfortable when he passes but i do not want to die here. I really want to be back out in the desert. i am this ocean girl who doesn't fit on the ocean anymore. i loved searching areas around kanab and lake powell for artifacts. i found the most amazing 'prehistoric hunting' tool kit one time-it was buried deep in the sediments and had been exposed. it had everything a hunter would need including the most beautiful pink chert piece of rock carved into a delicate 'comb' with teeth used for cutting hide and other animal stuff. i reburied it. the desert is amazing when one realizes that i am actually walking on the floor of the ocean and everything that was underwater a gazillion years ago, is exposed. i am such an old rock hound. but so very worried-my best friend of 30 years has ovarian cancer-i want to be in kanab with her and with another friend who has developed BC there. if i head out, it will be in third gear bec that is the only gear that Moby can get going in and lordy if i do pack a bag, i hope she makes it to utah with me and my pups. And sorry to be a 'downer' as i don't seem to hit the right notes often on this thread-i do with the women I love and email all of the time-but here-out in the open? i guess as a read this there really is no point to it-no pretty pictures or recipes-just more griping from me and one more attempt to shout that i am not and never will be the 'pink ribbon poster child". I am too damned busy to have cancer frankly! ERRGH-sorry-maybe I should just keep a diary. ((((BIG HUGS))))) SV
0 -
Hi Ladies,
Hope you are all well. Another long day today. Maggie gets to come home from the hospital tomorrow so I will be able to slow things down a little. I'll still have to clean daily, but hopefully Maggie will regain some strength and be able to go to the store and do some minor things around the house.
Lisa, I liked that gorgeous giraffe too. They have the most beautiful eyelashes and don't know it. Your pictures are always stunning.
Kane & Anne, I do think the biggest key to our food really is moderation. Kane, I don't eat much of anything ( but cereal ) out of a box. The list of ingredients is scary and I've long felt the majority of it is made up to seem like food but only approximates it. I'm not a great cook, far from it, but only on rare occasion do I eat boxes of food with a shelf life. I had this type of behavior before I had cancer and choose to continue because it makes sense to me.
In general ( always seems an exception to the rule somewhere ) there is somewhat of a standard protocol to cancer txs --- and they are used as it has been proved that those who follow the protocol have the highest chance of not having recurrences.
My Dad used to say -- you are going to live until you die -- and he did not worry and I think that is something of a key. There is a time and a season to everything and to us as well. We can worry and fret, and question, and fight it all --- and a lot of that will waste much of our precious life. Like my Dad --- I'm trying to learn to accept what is, do the best with it I can today, sleep soundly, and get up refreshed ready to start all over in acceptance mode tomorrow -- the life we have is a precious gift. It was given us to use anyway we want to -- but I don't want to waste much worrying about too many what if's or being agitated about things. It probably sounds just a little corny, but I would like to think I tried to do good things and help as many others live a good life too.
Well, it's quite late and any time now I might lose it a bit so I'm going to go climb in my chair. I'll see you all tomorrow.
Warm hugs, Jackie
P.S. Hi Bonnie. Nice to see you here again. Glad not to be alone with my sweets too.
0 -
SV, I am with you, split between the ocean and the desert...the ocean won..for now anyhow
hard choice for you now..
Bonnie, I used a Cannon SX20IS..glad you like the pix.
one more
0 -
I forgot who asked about the soy, But here is my answer. My Dr. told me not soy products and it has hormones and if you are ER or Pr Positive, now hormones as the cancer feeds on them. And my chemo was because I had 2 Positive nodes out of 17 and they want to kill any floaters in the blood stream, as the lymph system is your garbage can to catch the garbage, but eventually they will let something get by. No radiation for me as I had clean lines on my mastectomy. Hope this helps. Lisa I always love yout pics. with I was as good . I just always seem to miss that wonderful shot.
0 -
Hi Anne, I see you are ER+ and I am too. I was advised to stay away from all soy products and I have to tell you, it's a chore and a half to find anything that's processed without soy. With very few exceptions cereals, breads, nutrition bars, candy, cakes, chocolate, even Ensure, Boost and rice milk have some sort of soy derivative. I have been a vegetarian for 40 years and ate soy in every way, shape and form daily. So when I got the warning to stay away from it, I packed box loads (I like to stock up when there's a sale), practically emptying out my larder and brought it to the local food pantry. I do eat whole wheat pasta, brown rice, eggs, all beans, nuts, seeds, all fruits (also dried) and vegetables (also sea), almond milk, Greek yogurt, cheese, and all the spices especially turmeric. There's plenty of good healthy food to enjoy. It's a matter of resisting processed foods, unfortunately reading the labels, and sticking to the outer aisles, produce and dairy.
Lisa, gorgeous pictures as usual. I hope you don't mind, I've confiscated Mr. Bluebird.
SV, so sorry about your latest revolting development on top of all the others. Leave it to you to appreciate beafcake at such a precarious moment. I hope it turns around in a big way for you and whether at the ocean or desert, you will soon recover your good health.
Have a great weekend everyone!
0 -
Hey Bonnie...........good to see you back! I've missed you! I am anxious to see how you tolerate the Femara and if it has fewer side effects for you. I am on Arimidex. It is tolerable but I've been having some joint problems this year and have been wondering if the Femara might be a better fit for me, too. Please keep us informed. It is good to know that you're feeling better so soon after you've gotten off the Arimidex.
YEAH LISA on the clean mammo! I'm doing the happy dance for you!!!! I'm so glad you treated yourself with a trip to the zoo because we got treated also with those neat pictures!
Well, Bonnie has motivated me to get my bottom off this chair and go for an early morning walk! I'll catch you all later.
Who has fun holiday plans???
Rita
0 -
Lisa, what a nice way to wake up. I love birds. My whole house is decorated with bird music boxes, bird pictures, bird mugs, bird pictures, Now I wake up to a bird computer monitor. You made my day and I don't even have to clean the cages!
Kat
0 -
Good morning,
SoCal,your bird now rests among my pictures too -- along with several others you have put on here. I am shameless where the beauty you share with us is concerned.
Going to be a good day here and the humidity will be down. Seems like starting with Sunday we can expect more rain -- exactly what I don't want. Well, I'll have to just buck up I guess. I was not put in charge of rain this life -- so I'll have to let that go.
Hope you are all going to have a wonderful healing day. I'll see you all later. Not sure, but I think Maggie will be home when I get off work. Her Dr. is putting her on 24 hr. oxygen at home so that should help her quite a bit. It will put a crimp in her style, but I'm sure it is the best thing for her. Hope he will give her an disabled sticker for her car too. She needs to ( she walks slow of course ) be able to park much closer at the stores.
See you all later.
Hugs, Jackie
0 -
The real winners are not those at the top but those who have come the farthest over the toughest roads. Your victory may never make the headlines. But you will know about it, and that's what counts.
-- Ernest A. Fitzgerald0 -
Good Morning Bonnie:
I am new to this board so...what is SE's?
I will start on Arimidex so am curious. I was given a prescription for Tamoxifren but after some reading on the side affects such as stroke and blood clots I asked for Arimidex as it seemed it had less side affects. I have not yet started on anything. Will go for radiation today to start that and then I guess also start on the pill. So now you are going to something else?
I hope the new pill is better for you.
Anne
0 -
Hi Anne,
I hope you and Bonnie won't mind if I jump in here. SE stands for side effects. All medications, even herbal have some side effects. One of the many reasons why you should not only tell your Dr. all your prescribed just for you medicines, but also anything herbal as well as OTC which is over the counter medications.
Your Dr. would be looking at several issues -- for instance some herbal remedies cancel out some of the effects your Dr. may be trying to achieve with some of your meds.
The side effects, ( se's ) of Tamoxifen only happen to a very small percentage of people. Still, that is not a whole heck of a lot of consolation if you happen to be one of the small percentage.
Years ago, our Dr.'s worried about those sorts of things for the most part --- now, even on t.v. they are saying you should not take this medication if: and there follows what seems to be a stunningly long list of reasons. It is hard to be comfortable knowing what COULD happen. They keep bringing new drugs out --- and we become guinea pigs for them. Remember Vioxx and Celebrex. I had occasion to take them both at one time. I never hear of them anymore.
We do need this type of intervention -- drug therapies, and I'd never dream of going without but our world and life has more complications and things to watch for now. All you can do is try with your Dr's help to make the best choice for yourself. I have to say for the most part....my health has improved since I started going to the V.A. for my medical care --- they put me on some older ( tried and true ) drugs and they are old enough that there are basically no surprises.
Hope you all have a wonderful, fulfilling day.
Hugs, Jackie
0 -
Here is something I came across that I thought you all might like:
Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
0 -
I've always liked "kill them with kindness." :-)
0
