Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Wow, Marybe! Terrific news! Do these nurses like to torture us or do they just like to be intentionally obtuse? Hope your knee feels okay - I'm bad with steps, too.
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Isabella - I love your posts! I feel like I'm sitting right there with you, enjoying a spot of tea! That's hilarious about your daughter putting her husband's suit in the washing machine - wow. Apparently, she doesn't have your knack for fabrics.
I don't sew very well, but I love to buy pretty fabrics. Sometimes, I hire someone to make something I have in mind, but the rest of the time I just look at the pretty stuff. I know! I can actually use them after all - when I start my new hobby of scrapbooking!....just as soon as I learn how to do that...
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OMG ((((((happy dance happy dance happy dance]}}}}} for MB. WOW, I can breathe now! And as to old issues (baggage) thank the Lord for good therapy!!! GD lots o prayers being sent your way!! I think you are next on our list of 'waiters.' Short note-very emotional day spent with the women who just lost her husband-so I is tired and need ZZZ'S. Love to all my girls. SV0
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Good Evening all. I eagerly read how each of you are doing and want to respond to each but I begin to think a truck route must run right past us here.
DH took me in for rads this a.m., took a nap when I got home. Ate some cold left overs and went in to Senior Center to get out meat to thaw for Thursday lunch. Came home and naped. Microwaved and ate ear of corn. Exhausted, naped. Now checking BCO. Still need to finish dinner. Will do it in stages, checking my other favorites in between. Or maybe naping.
Hugs to all and have a good evening.
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Once again a detour in the road to intelligence ... Judge Lamberth on Monday issued a temporary blocking injunction on the NIH to stop federal funding for stem cell research. He will probably issue a final ruling that will bring the issue back 14 years when Congress issued the ban. President Obama soon after the election thankfully had an executive order in place to counter this. The Justice Department said there will be an appeal.
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I found this piece and felt I should share it. It says so many of the things I feel.
This is the joy of life
Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one
Being a force of nature
Instead of a ferverish, selfish, little clod of ailments and grievances
Complaining that the world will not devote itself
To making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community
And as long as I live, it is my privilege
To do for it what ever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die
For the harder I work, the more I live.
I rejoince in life for its own sake.
Life is no brief candle to me,
It is a sort of splendid torch
Which I've got a hold of for a moment.
And I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on
To future generations.
- George Bernard ShawThings are about the same for me -- taking care of my animals and doing my best daily to catch up with my life. Lots of work to do here still, but I am peaceful about it. I think often of all the wonderful four letter words I know --- work and word being just a couple -- love, care, glee, elan, life, like etc. They seem to turn up so often in my life themes.
I hope you all have a great day and everything you do turns out well. I think of all of you often even if I am writing a lot less.
Hugs, Jackie
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Jackie, beautiful sentiment-thank you! And chabba, lots of prayers your way. I have a friend going thru rads and these are (were) healthy active women, now laid low with pretty extreme fatigue after each treatment. Again blessings-where are you in the cycle? I am really nervous because I meet with surgeon today to discuss the idea of a double mastectomy (only option left for me). i fear I will simply dissolve into a puddle of tears during the entire visit! I feel like just handing him a leaflet and sitting in the waiting room until he has read it so I don't have to talk to him. I SO hate this disease. Lots of love, SV0
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Jackie,
YES, YES, YES. A positive attitude and an ability to find joy, love, content et al. My personal torch burns brightest when I serve others and I will continue to do that in whatever way I can.
I think it was the flame of people helping each other that attracted me to BCO. Thank you everyone.
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This is truly a lovely thread and I enjoy your posts so much, even though I don't post very often. Last weekend I attended my former boss's memorial service -- he was diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma a couple of months ago and now he's gone at 58 years old. The service was SO sad. Next we went to our grandson's 9th birthday party, which was a nice balance except that his divorced parents can't seem to be nice to each other. Monday I saw my PS and he confirmed that my implant has developed severe contracture and needs to go. This is the second time, so I'm having it removed, but not replaced because I don't want to go through a lat flap procedure. Today I see the onc for a routine 3 month appointment to tell him that femara gives me lots of SEs, but I prefer to keep taking it. I'll let you know what he says.
Take care....
Bonnie
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SV, I'll be thinking of you. Hoping for the best.
Jackie, thanks for the good quote. Nice way to begin today's work. I am, though, realizing that not all community work is created equal - having "political differences" with the County Fire Safe Council, which we are a chapter of. Ugh.
Chabba: where are you in the rads cycle? I am three weeks out from completion now, and beginning to recover energy, and lose some of the soreness. Make sure you drink lots of water, stay hydrated, and use good skin care. Emu oil works great; I also liked Miaderm, and mixed the two together, but also ended up with a prescription cream, Biafine, at the end of tx. My skin never broke, but I shed & peeled several times. I craved protein, probably because of the body trying to repair and replace... I didn't have nearly the commitments you have, so I rested when I felt like it, or went half-topless as needed to keep air on the burn and keep clothing from chafing. Hopefully you can rest as you need, get reinforcements if you need, and get through what turns out to be "only a few weeks" for many. Good Luck!
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StillVerticle,
I go for 13 of 35 today. Pretty pink and flaking skin this morning but the swelling and heat from the infection is down a bit more.
I will hold you in my prayers today, would that I could be there to lend you a strong arm. Well, right now the arm isn't very strong but at least it can bring comfort. Please take the thought for the deed.
I know I've just embarked on the journey we are all share, but I do have some understanding of the "what next, why me, when will this all stop" feelings you must be having. Ten years ago I was just out out of the nursing home after surviving acute pancreatitis, struggling to find out why I could not regain the weight or the strength I had lost. (at 5' 10" I went from 180 to 108 lbs) when I got shingles. I know the when will it end and when will I be normal.
Bless you my friend and may you continue to find strength. Hugs
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Hi Bobby,
I was extremely fatigued going through rads. I agree with the other comments about breast/body care. I was told only to use Glaxol cream two x/day and air my breast for AT LEAST an hour/day; wear only cotton bras with no underwire; only warm showers. I had no skin breakdown at all until the second week after rads were finished, when I had a bit of under-boob redness and irritation. I was lucky!
SV - will be thinking of you today - all kinds of positive energy and prayers from Western Canada
GD - the waiting will hopefully soon be over!!!
Cheers to you all,
C
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Hi Girls! So fun to read about all of you!
Marybe.....GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!! Such great news! But you FELL? Man, you don't want to do that very often! I'm sorry you got hurt!!!!! How IS your knee?
I fell this morning, leaning over a tiny fence piece, to grab a ripe tomato that was 1/2 eaten...(damn squirrels) and I got top heavy, & my back foot caught on the fence, & I fell ontop of the tomato cage, and over into the fence! Ha! Man, I really could have been hurt. Glad no-one saw me! I came in & whined that my sore knee REALLY hurts now!
So I wrapped this thing around it with one of those Salonpas patches! I don't know if it is arthritis or bursitis. But it comes & goes.... Wish it would mostly "go!"Isabella....You sound so responsible! And keep your private life to yourself....I mean your private time. Sometimes we just don't want to talk.
Love what you post Jackie! As always....AND SV......You just keep on "keepin-on".....I can tell when you post, if you are having a good day....or not. I sent you a bunch of funny "red-neck" things! Let us know what your surgeon tells you, Okay? I still don't understand why they would order a double Mastectomy if you don't have cancer anywhere. Is that normal procedure? I would ask a LOT of questions about that one. That doesn't mean that we won't get cancer anywhere else...We just have "less parts".....
I've been soooooo busy cleaning "stuff" out....At 73, I know I'm not going to do 1/2 the crafts I used to, nor sew those little purses I used to make...Or make ANY more quilts with photos that I printed on paper, ironed onto cloth, & made those patchwork quilts for my GrandSons! And I'm giving away all the stuff I used to make those cute little note cards with...I just have too much "stuff"....My Daughter can take what she wants, & the rest will go to a neighbor, or the battered womens shelter. I'm just "down-sizing"....It's too hard to climb all those steps to our spare room, all the time....& it holds mostly stuff we don't use!
I remember when my little Grandmother was trying to get rid of her stuff....and it was so sad for me....I guess we always think that we will stay young, and never lose interest in the things that make us happy when we are young! But I still CAN'T part with my special things that I have kept, that have so many memories tied to them....like 2 of my Mom's dresses, that are still in a plastic bag, & STILL smell like ....."her"....I know I keep too much, but some things you have to keep forever, because that's what made me ...:"Me". But I'm finally going to give away all of those table scarves my Dad cross-stiched, & the doilies my Mom made, that need a box of starch to make them stand up!
(Well, most of them.) And her aprons that she made....If I keep thinking about this, I'll run upstairs, & put it all back in drawers....Ha! Okay, that's enough.....love you gals! xoxoxoxo
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you girls are the best.and how you remember everything.i didnt even have rads or chemo and i dont remember a damn thing.my granddaughter who was just (friday) in a bad car accident.THANK GOD SHE WALKED AWAY WITH MINOR INJURIES BUT A TOTALLED CAR) came to help me today.
the surgery is sept 20th but i need to do pre op and the all clear from my internist and this poor 27 yr.old does everything for me.God watched over her in this acccident.
i read all your posts.I love reading them but sometimes they upset me sooo much especially the fact i dont want to do rads and deff not chemo.
my sistas make me laugh one min.and then cry the next minute.how real is that????
I love each and every one of you.Thanks for all your prayers.GOD bless
hugggggggggggs
K
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Hi GD,
when the time comes, you'll do what is right for you to do. I think now you just need to focus on the first thing and take good care of yourself! I think we write on here for common support...and we are SO individual in our BC, treatment, SEs.....results
Yes, God does work in mysterious ways and obviously kept your GD safe - you need each other. Too bad about the car....
Gorgeous here today. Off to see SALT tonight ;-)))
C
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Just posting quickly before I crash...SV, how did it go today? Hope you are okay - personally I want to say "no" to all of their so-called options. But whatever happens, you are a tough broad and no one or nothing can keep a good woman down!
Chevyboy - you are doing what I want to do only I don't have the courage. It's hard to part with things you love, but I am drowning in "stuff". Good for you - I hope to follow your example over the next few months. I have a friend that's a cleaning nut, and she's offered to help me and I think I am finally going to take her up on it. It's hard to do, but at the same time so liberating!
Jackie - I love the quote! I know a few people I should send that first verse to...
I just found out today that I have developed shingles! What a pleasant excursion from the chemo SE's. Oh...it hurts and it's itchy!
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SV, I hope you'll be bringing good news from the surgeon's office, good luck!
Heartnsoul, so sorry to hear about the shingles. It was very painful for my mother and Bobby, a few posts back, mentioned that she lost all that weight when she had it. I hope it's very mild for you and that it retreats swiftly.
It's taking forever for my hair to grow, now just a little bit longer stubble than when I embarrassed myself a few weeks ago sending that stupid poem to the world. Lassie, we haven't heard from you in a while, you had mentioned that your hair is now curly on one side. I would be happy with 1 curl anywhere! I noticed that on one side the hair is growing straight up and on the other side straight down. My nurse said yesterday that the slow growth means that the chemo worked. Well I hope so but I'm not so sure, tumor markers up, the reason I went in for a repeat blood test. I'm also waiting for over 3 weeks for a second opinion on the slide from the Lmx carcinoma and whether or not it's invasive. I asked my gynecologist to arrange the second opinion. When she called on Monday she said they have forwarded the slides to "expert eyes". So this tells me that they're not sure. Does this business have to be a full time job forever?
Take care, have a great day!
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SV....how did it go today..or yesterday now! Let us know.
Isabella.
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heartnsoul,
My heart goes out to you. On the scale of one to ten shingles can be the ten. To call it intense is an understatement. I was still recovering from pancreatitis when I got them. I had only gained back ten of the 70+ pounds I had lost and was still extremely weak. Pancreatitis is such a painful decease that they kept me on a morphine drip for over a week. Believe me, if you have the feeling "haven't I suffered enough, what more can happen" I can understand.
What do you have for the pain. I took neurontin when I had them. It was nearly two years before I could go off it without the pain coming back. Ten years later I still get flashbacks.
My prayers are with you.
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I had shingles in they eyes.in the hospital for 7 days.a long time ago.i heard there are a lot of new stuff out there now for the pain and the itching.my friend just got over it.if you need info i can find out for you.on a 1-10 to me the pain was an 11.lol
SV how are you?
Julia good luck
And all the rest of my sistas.God bless.if i forgot anyone who is going through a rough spot(we all are) remember i pray every day for all of you.God bless
huggggggggggggs
K
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Bobby - I had no idea shingles could be so bad! I absolutely was thinking, "how much worse can it get?", but I guess I better refrain from that kind of thinking because I KNOW how much worse it can get. My onco just told me to use the Darvocet I currently have for pain, but that won't work in the long run. I read women are particularly susceptible to pain years after shingles. My brother said his still itches occasionally, but that's a man for you. Women get the pain, he gets an itch. I guess it's a good thing God made women the stronger sex.
I'm praying for an end to all this pain we all suffer. I truly believe in my heart things will get better and I try to go forward with that attitude everyday - although sometimes I do slip up and let the worrying get ahold of me. The only thing worrying has done for me is give me shingles! (Although I know it was mainly the chemo)
My onco gave me an anti-viral drug and a steroid to take for the shingles. I haven't had a look at my back yet today, but my son says it looks a lot better. She said I may not be able to do my 3rd TC infusion next Tuesday. I don't know if I hope I can or not, because the last thing I want is for it to inflame the shingles again, but at the same time I really want to get it over with! Well, she's the boss - I'll just wait and see what happens. There's that word again - WAIT.
Take good care of yourself while going through the rads. I hear they just wear you out. That's coming up next for me, sometime around the beginning of November. All I can say is on New Year's Eve I'm going to toast to a strong, healthy 2011 for all of us!
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GD - not the eyes! I heard that was the worst of the worst! Yeah, that would be an 11!
I guess the steroids are helping with the itching, and all the dopey drugs from all these biopsies and surgery are helping with the pain, so for now I'm doing okay. However, I'll be sure to let you know if this doesn't get better!
(((HUGS))) to you and everyone here!
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heartnsoul,
Shingles suck. I had a bout after abdominal surgery, and loved the combination or surgical and shingles pain (please excuse the sarcasm.) One thing that was so helpful for me was I already connected with pain management, and they got me in and did a block (my shingles were below breastbone, around to upper back. ) My pain was reduced by 80%. This also helped me to escape the pain syndrome that can happen along the nerve track after a shingles attack. They used used a numbing agent (in the family of lidocaine) and steroids. I was not a cancer patient at the time, so I share this only in the hopes of increasing your options. Be super good to yourself...and I hope you get better soon!
traci
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Hey Gals, well, I came out of the surgeons's office after along talk yesterday more scared than ever and feeling like I simply do not have a good grasp of all of the info i need to recover from cancer. My sugeon did not get the stuff he needed from Chapel Hill and from my OBGYN (i thought he had gotten it months ago and was ready to discuss it-but no). Surgeon wants to try "Avista?" to reduce progesteron and estrogen but my obgyn says I cannot get off Prempro period-my OBGYN's only recomendation is the BMX! So surgeon needs that in writing from him!! I had to say "no" right now to double mastectomy given that my living (housing) circumstances are so poor. I have bleeding ulcer and IBS (stress) that is laying me flat with pain. My surgeon very upset with me (out of concern) and explained over & over that taking away breast tissue means no more breast cancer-period. He was nearly in tears trying to explain tha tthis needed to be done ASAP. But my living situation so poor, it is just not a good place to recover from something so drastic as a BMX. I have no kitchen and barely a bathroom and my apartment is in the bottom half of the garage. My Dad refuses to provide any help-he and my lunatic brother live upstairs and continue to drink. Despite arguement to my Dad last night that unless he halps me financially (which he can but won't) I cannot get to move to a safe place where I can truly treat and recover from cancer-This was the last round in MANY talks to him-he really does not give a shit and I find that so incredibly bizarre-but I have to remember that i am 'talking to the disease of alcoholism' instead of my father. So, I continue to look very hard several hours a day for a place to live but with my poor credit rating and fixed income, in NC I am so limited in what I can do. The gov't closed down subsidized housing due to lack of funds and a five year wait list. As to preventive cancer treatment and "what do i look for' for and stop potential recurrance-my surgeon says 'extended headache' and/or bone pain will be the symptoms. ugh, i have that all of the time so thanks! My surgeon has scheduled next visit and mammo for next year!! So, I remain terrified and not sure what the heck to do about any of it. And MB, I did not catch that you took a fall-honey are you ok?? And CB, when you start doing faceplants in your tomato garden-hmmm. Good grief, we are all falling over and what is up with that? And yes GD, I have had herpes zoster on the eyeball and it hurts like h%ll. Under extensive treatment for that one event for quite awhile. SO much of this is stress!!!! And yeah, i get shingles too! Like we do not have enough to deal with. I am looking for lease option (rare) and I will so a BMX when i am living in a place where i can take care of myself appropriately-like having a kitchen is pretty critical! All I have in my apartment is a hotplate and Dad won't allow a kitchen to be built bec it is against zoning laws-yeah right. Why do we have relatives-I think we are delusional in believing that love lies with blood and kin! In many cases, strangers and certainly my friends treat me like gold,so i am sure it is not me. And since I am truly feeling awful again, labs drawn again for iron, vit d and all-with two blown veins after and that was a good day! Love to all, SV0
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A retest of my Ca 27-29 showed that this marker is up from 37.4 in February to 46.9 now. These two values, one before chemo the other after and on Arimidex 2 1/2 months. Nurse said we should check it again in October, onc doesn't seem to be involved. Any advice? Thank you.
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Hi squidwitch!
Thanks for the pointers! So, shingles came to you after abdominal surgery, Bobby after pancreatitis, grannydukes with a vengeance, and me during chemo! What a stinkin' little vicious bastard it is!
What is a block? Plus I'm going to ask about that numbing agent, too! I don't see the point of taking an all-over pain reliever and I want something to relieve the pain specifically along that nerve, but I am on steroids. It still itches, too, so I'm afraid it's not through coming out.
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Julia,
I'm still in chemo so I haven't gotten that far along, but I heard that there is some kind of a test to see which AI is the most effective for you. I asked my onco about it, and she didn't seem to understand my question so I will need to get more info, print it off and show it to her. Please look into that, because it seems to me the Arimidex is not doing it's job. Then again, maybe it hasn't had enough time to work, and that's what your nurse has in mind. I don't know, but I'm praying you get the right answer to this as soon as possible!
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I've had shingles three times since tangling with bc.
My Gp says its because your immune system is low....how much more low can it go????!!! I would think shingles in the eyes is about as bad as it gets.
Very lazy day today...long leisurely bath, hair do, nails...and a pointless scrape with my razor on my legs!! Since bc I have no hair under my arms at all ( even tho' I only had rads to RHS ) and the hair on my legs came out in sympathy. I have an appointment with my heart doc tomorrow, so want to be squeaky clean, as no doubt I will have to strip off....well the top half anyway. Oh, its so embarrassing stripping off when you have no boobs ! And the docs always seem to be young handsome Mc Dreamys. BC certainly is the gift that goes on giving. I had a woman undertaker sorted out for when the time comes...I wrote it down and gave it to DH to sort out, now I shall have to make a fool of myself and pass on info. to DD. We had, not that long ago, a case of a young male undertaker messing about with bodies....that prompted me to do a search to find a female. There is one all female set-up in UK, but it is hundreds of miles away, but I managed to find one woman working in a firm of undertakers not too far from where I live.
Just asked my vet to let me have some liquid antibiotics for my cats, and what does he send, 3 boxes of tablets. I have 20 cats living outside, only 6 of which will let me pick them up, the rest are flighty, and will never be caught. I explained this to vet, why I waste my breath I wonder sometimes. Most of the cats have got cat-flu, its caught a hold in less than a week. They look thin, scruffy, and snotty-nosed....but tablets are totally useless unless you can catch the cat first. I have bottles of antibiotics which I WOULD use if I could catch the damned things ! I'm going to have a shot at grinding tablets up, and putting in a milky cereal. They all come up for some food on a morning, so maybe this will work. G/son discovered 2 litters of kittens in the farm buildings last week, JUST what I need 7 more cats !!!! The kittens I will be able to jab easily, they haven't got cat-flu yet, but it'll get to them for sure. I haven't had cat-flu here for near on 25 years, so where its come from I don't know.
Right, I am off to waste away the rest of my day with my feet up, the papers and some TV., plus some plums I've picked from my garden....I just love plums. I am going to have a go at making sloe gin this weekend. I have 2 sloe (damson) trees absolutely groaning. They've not fruited since the goats massacred them, about 5 years ago. My G/mother always used to make sloe gin, so thought I'd have a go myself, I hate to see them go to waste. It seems to have been a good year for fruit this year, my plum tree has had 3 branches arch over and break off with the weight of the plums this year. I send everyone who calls off into the garden to pick themselves some plums, it'll be apples in another 2/3 weeks...there are tons to pick there. If I had an ounce of energy I would have a marathon apple pie baking session and freeze them all, but I can't be bothered !!
My 2 yr old G/daughter is bringing her tiny Shetland pony over this w/end...Goodness knows how a 2 yr old can want a pony, but this spoilt little madam has one, parents now realising the cost of keeping it, winter is coming and it will cost a lot more in a private stables....so...will G/ma have it !!?? G/ma does it for free !!!!!! So it will fall to me to be sorting it out in the snow and rain !!!!! Its not very big, but still has to be looked after, and I discovered years and years ago horses mean work. I had 5...well DD an I had 5 between us, but I sold mine, they were work I didn't want....its is years since I have had a horse here.
Isabella.
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SV,
I'm so worried about you waiting to get the BMX, especially if it upset the surgeon so much. I know it's not easy to ask friends if you could stay with them for a while, but I'm afraid it will take even longer than you think to find another place to live. You probably wouldn't have to stay with somebody that long, and you could use the help initially anyway. And one thing that we never seem to really know, is that our friends WANT to do something to help us.
I'm a realtor, and I can imagine what it's like in NC in general. That's just a lot of time to let go by - real estate things never (even on a good day) move very fast.
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Oh HNS and Squid, I am rereading posts and had no idea so much trouble with shingles. i am SO sorry as it is one of the most painful conditions I have or have run across. AS a geriatric caregiver, it was a huge concern with skin thinning and skin breakdown in the elderly and immune suppressed and we all carry forms of the virus-but in a compromised person, a single drop of sweat from a caregiver dropped onto an elder can transfer the disease. I am immediately put on Acyclovar and zovarax cream when I have attacks. Nowdays, they seem to hit my face, and chest-especially after being in the sun and I have to get on it quickly to keep it from spreading. But the pain can travel from the site down long nerve to the nerve endings far from the actual abrasion site. I SO hope you can get immediate help!! I had 'candida' infection form in my surgical wounds and yikes-I was retching in pain. My prayers for you both and definately google to find out what to eat and what to do to reduce flair-up. My singles only go into remission and i have to keep them that way if I can. My prayers are with you, SV
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