Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I have been thinking about Uncle Bill's cabin. Where is it located? I really would love to come. Darla
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Darla, that would be great!! It is in Missouri. I can't wait!
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OMG Ginger....I shalln't get any work done today. I just love men with long hair !!
Isabella.
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Yes, I'm awake. Thanks to DH undergoing a colonscopy cleanse and a new puppy, I got very little sleep last night. It's just after 4 here and I'm having a cup of tea before I hit the shower. Sus
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SUS, puppy pix!!!
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Yes, that is the same George, but a long time ago. He was here for several weeks working on a movie Ides of March and one of my friends' husband was an extra. KK loves him.
McBird, The cabin ( house actually, it's an octagon shape) is in a little burb called Shell Knob, MO. It's on Table Rock Lake which is a beautiful lake. There is not a lot in Shell Knob, but it's got the lake, the scenery and all you need....grocery store, a really good restaurant called The Steak Inn (owner's husband has one callled the Steak Out), gas stations, several fast food places, a Dollar General, some very nice antique shops, a library and a Pizza Hut that has a dock with the Pizza Hut Red roof that you can pull up to by boat. It's a great place for a get away. The closest airports are Branson or Springfield. You would be coming from NM? I think my cousin said AirTran had taken over SouthWest...does it fly from there?....that goes to Branson. There would be plenty of day trips to do....Branson, Eureka Springs, AK and there is this huge animal sanctuary I have always wanted to go visit called Haven of the Ozarks that Uncle Bill's neighbor works at. Uncle Bill himself lives in Springfield in a retirement home. I talked to my cousin last night and he is now official owner and said the end of Sept or early Oct or whenever is fine for us to invade the lake house....we will let ChrissyB get her flight and time frame in order and then lock in a date. 3jays....so far it is you, AmyJo, ChrissyB, BarbA and me...are you in McBird? Anyone other takers? We have 6 months to plan.
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Just a question everyone, has anyone heard from Rae? she last logged in on the 2/26 and it's not like her to not pop in. Just checking. I've pm'd her so hopefuly I'll get and answer or she'll post.
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Oop I posted in the wrong thread I think. It was for Konakat to think about during her rads.
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Susgal, now you have plenty of time to put up puppy pictures, right?
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my oldest son remains firm in his long hair..he is now 42 and still
has his pony tail..I just hate it ..and now his son has long hair too
and he looks like a girl..my son has no clue how handsome he was and would
be if he cut it..I really have to bite my tongue
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For a brief period of time, one of my daughters had purple streaks in her hair. I really liked it but my hubby was apoplectic. Still, I managed to get him to say nothing. Like most things, she did it once and that was it. I always thought our lack of reaction and my enthusiasm for the streaks were part of why she never did it again. Lisa, does your son's long hair in any way affect his work? If not, I would continue to "bite my tongue" because there is no way to better guarantee that he will grow his hair even longer than criticizing it. By the way, I agree and I am not that crazy about long hair on men either.
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Hi Mandy..I was hoping that after he turned 40, he would
have it cut off..I think it is way past rebelllion and actually
he is not the rebellious type and he is a great Dad to our two
grandkids, can't do better than that..(my tongue is purple)
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I guess his pony tail is here to stay. The principal oboist in the Philadelphia Orchestra is way older than your son, partially bald, and for years had a grey pony tail.
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Well, my husband is 62 and he has a pony tail....think since it is partially gone on top, he is compensating. When it is pulled back and in a ponytail, it isn't so bad, but when he just lets it hang down, OMG, it is scary. He looks like Ben Franklin after the electricity ran through the kite string or maybe Ebenezer Scrooge....am not sure which.
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thank goodness it is my son, not my DH marybe..I really would
have a hard time with that..
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Marybe you have me laughing out loud. You are right about the Ben Franklin look. I guess it is the style for men these days!
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I grew my DSs hair long when he was young, it really suited him. But he lopped the lot off when he hit 13...I was sad to see it go.
He got nits, along with all the girls at school, and the school 'suggested' I cut it. That just made me dig my heels in more and keep it long !
What a day I have had. Not a good one..As requested by DH I drove him to hospital for carpal tunnel surgery at 1pm . Saw him up onto his ward, and needed to know what time to come back and collect him. I was expecting coming back to pick him up in about 2 hours. Oh, no, they decided to give him a general anaesthetic. 'Will you wait 'til I go to theatre ?' a scarey DH asked. One and a half hours later they came for him. 'Will you be here when I get back ?' (DH) As they'd said it would all be over in 15 mins I agreed again. I was waiting 75 mins. They then had him waiting 2 hours, standard after a full anaesthetic, before they would release him ' You're not in a rush, are you?' (DH) I waited. I was at that flaming hospital five and a half hours.
When I had set out I expected to be back in the house in half an hour at the most, so I left the dogs loose. I got back into the house and all hell had broken out. The very old dog, my oldest one, the one that I had resurrected about 6 weeks ago, force feeding her sardines, and jabbing twice daily with penicillin to keep her alive had been attacked, by my Sausage dogs, I presume, and was in the same bitten up state she was in when they last did it. How on earth I had left her out, and then got talked into not coming straight back home I do not know. I just completely forgotten that she was not in her bed, and I am beating myself up tonight that she has had to get bitten again thru' my forgetfulness.
I set straight back out again for the vet, had to wait there an hour to be seen, just got another bottle of antibiotic, something a bit stronger than penicillin, and told I would be lucky if she survives. I finished up getting back here at 9.30 to clear up the rest of the mess the dogs had made. 2 soft beds had been ripped apart, it was like snow all over the kitchen. Somehow they had pulled out a child safety gate I have at one end of the kitchen to keep them away from my computer and what seem like the miles of electric cables all under my desk. How they managed to shift the safety gate I don't know, but tomorrow I'm having it screwed in to the gap its across, its only held there now by what I thought were strong rubber spring hinges.
The Sausage dogs all ran for cover as soon as I started blasting in the kitchen, trying to get under a chest with 4" legs on, so they were as guilty as hell. They knew just what they'd done, and what I was shouting at !! It was quite comical to see 5 behinds sticking out from under the chest, all in a row, their back legs skidding away pushing like mad to get under the chest. They'd got their heads under so I presume they thought I couldn't see them !!!! I just walked along the row and gave each bottom a sharp slap !! and they were off to bed so quick they hardly knew. They get really hurt feelings when I have to bellow at them, which is quite regularly, and will look at me all hangdog for a day or two before they come round. I give them the silent treatment and they are just soooo upset, but, then they go do something else ! Never learn. They rocked the household when I decided to keep this breed. Always had Cavalier King Charles', for well over 40 years, all nice and sedate, very soft and loving. I didn't know what had hit me when I got these girls. I expected them to be all quiet and sedate, but no chance. They are VERY loving and really loyal, and very attatched to me, but are hell on legs for most of the time !!! I have 2 girls who are 12 and 13, and they are just as much trouble as the younger ones. separately they never do a thing, but they work as a pack, as is natural for them, and that's where the trouble is. I daren't show affection to one or the rest will come prancing up, hackles up, spoiling for a fight. Very, very jealous dogs.....but funnily enough never show jealousy to any of the Cavaliers, just accept I will often just scoop up a Cavalier and make stupid noises in her ear, they just sit and watch. But, pick up one of them and the rest are at my heels baying for blood !! I have to admit the Sausage dogs I keep outside in kennels are much easier to manage, no jealousy problems at all, probably not so attatched to me...but the 'house' Sausages would be destroyed if I threw them out...tho' I am threatening them with just that most every week.
I am sitting now on my second white wine and lemonade, trying to come down off the wall...these dogs will be the death of me ! I think a nice warm shower and some rubbish tv in bed should cool me down ! Goodness knows what will happen tomorrow here, I shall be force feeding sardines again, in a mad bid to keep my dog alive, ignoring the Sausages...that is if I actually don't leave them in their beds for the day tomorrow...that really pi$$es them off. They know they're in the doghouse when I don't bring them into the kitchen on a morning.
Isabella.
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Oh, Isabella. I am praying for your poor dog. And you! You need to have another wine and lemonade. And maybe another!
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OMG Isabella! We had doxies when I was a girl. They can be very sweet, but look out if things don't go their way. I hope your old girl survives. Better stock in more wine and lemonade.
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Oh Isabella, they attacked the old dog?...that is terrible. Harley is actually the mean one of my group, althugh he is the smallest....he is especially bad after I have taken just him with me to my Dad's and when we come back he is growling as soon as he comes through the front door at the other dogs and shows his teeth, but I honestly do not think he would bite or attack them. He would be much happier being the only dog. I am praying your dog survives the attack. Will they do that again? That was very sweet of you to wait with DH at the hospital even if it did pretty much shoot your day....hope he doesn't expect you to come around and wait on him while his he is recovering from surgery.
I had a good day other than the fact one of the onco nurses comes over to me after I was almost done with the premeds and says Marybe, we had a problem with the delivery today, they called and are going to be an hour late so that usually means two hours on getting treatment. We don't have enough of the gemzar and we want you to have full amount so we can't get you started on it til the Fed Ex arrives. Well, I had a book and I was chatting with the woman next to me, but after about an hour I asked if it would be Ok for me to go home and get dressed for work, that it's only a 15 min drive to my house and they said sure, just to let them cap off the tube. So the nurse did and I was on my way out the door when this guy comes in with a bunch of boxes on a dolly and I said Oh well, guess I will stay. I told the woman next to me, Sometimes I hate this place. My appt was at 9:20, they weren't busy at all today because Dr.Cody and another onco were out and it was 12:30 when I got out of there, which gave me time to get home and into my scrubs, but still I was not a happy camper. But the rest of the day went well....I think they may have finally hit on the right steroid dosage in the premeds.....I don't feel jittery, but still have energy and best of all am not starving. Work went fine and I was finding lots of things to laugh about for some reason and love it when I feel good and am exceptionally chatty with my patients....had one today who had been on a trip to Ober Armrgau, Munich, Vienna and Salsburg,enjoyed hearing about this and then I had this little girl who is now in the 6th grade who has always been way beyond her years in vocabulary and I get a kick out of her....they have adopted a shelter dog so I got to hear about him. And then Kelly had a woman who was doing chemo....I told her to be sure to find out if her onco Oked it and she had and she had taken an antibiotic before coming in. After her appt I went over and asked her what he treatments are and she said she was doing ABC and and had just finished the A & the B and I said well I think Adriamycin is the A and Cytoxin the C, but I don't know the B...she said the B was the cytoxin so then I asked are you doing taxol or taxotere and she said she is doing taxotere and I said Oh, I bet it is ACT. She's doing surgery next and then rads. I told her the only reason I was interested is that I had cancer and she asked what kind and I said Breast and she said Oh, so you know about chemo and I said Oh yeh, I have done a bunch of it and am on it now. She said Really and I said yes, I am Stage lV and she again went Really, and I said yep, have been for 13 years now and she got this great big smile and gave me a hug and said Oh, I am so happy to have met you. After she left I told Kelly, see I truly believe this is why I am here, just to give people hope. I truly do believe that....we all have a purpose and that is mine.
You got that right, Lisa, it is hard to handle. When we got married he had almost no hair because he had cut it really short, shaved it with some clippers actually....then he let it grow and I got him to go to the gal who does my hair trying to get it into a style of some sort . Then one day I came home from work and he had shaved it all off and I asked Why did you do that? and he says Oh, I dunno, I just felt like it. And that was the last time it was even cut so it's been growing now for about three years. It would be different if he washed it or took care of it....well, not really as it is a bit extreme I think. Although I see old guys with long pony tails and usuallly they are musicians or professors or something who grew up in the hippie era. I don't try to understand him...it's impossible. Like his eating habits....he just doesn't eat....tells me he really likes something and I fix it and he doesn't eat it. He would eat out three meals a day if I wasn't here to say We've got plenty of food in the fridge or I made meatloaf or there's chili I fixed. As it is he eats out two, breakfast and lunch and he's always got a leftover box in the fridge...which I either end up eating myself or throwing out.
Oh great....Harley is trying to hump Hope so I have to go break this up fast....he's fixed and so is she, but this is a new development. This is not going to last, believe me.....Later
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Isabella - Hope your older dog survives. I had a gentle giant of a dog (part Afghan hound, Great Dane, Greyhound, Lab mix) that would go lock herself in her crate when my friend came over with her miniture longhaired dashhound! That little dog was a holy terror. Finally had to tell my friend not to ever bring that dog back to my house.
Mandy - My GS has long hair and he loves it. Everyone says that he looks like Sean White, the snowboard kid. GS has a ton of dark red curly hair that makes him easily idenitfiable in a crowd.
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Isabella, I do hope your older dog is going to be all right, and what a shame that she's been attacked again! At any time, but especially when you were off doing good for DH. I'm just so sorry it happened and hope she recovers without incident.
Marybe, have you ever heard of ACT all being given at the same time? I can research it if you or anybody else doesn't know, but that's what my niece (yes, THAT niece) swears my sister was given the only time she had chemo. I didn't have chemo (oncotype score 11) so I have little knowledge of it.
Amyjo, lovely picture and lovely hair on your GS! I love red hair and have none in my family. I thought briefly that our DS might have red hair, but when he finally got hair it was platinum blonde, now brown. His son is getting hair very slowly but has a good start now at almost 2 years old and is blond also. DH would love now to just have hair, period! Who cares what color!
Kathy
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Kathy, I just tried sending this and lost it....Grrrrrr. Anyway in answer to your question, No, I do not know of anyone who has done all three at the same time. It seems to be the standard treatment when lst diagnosed and the only difference is that after the initial AC, then some get taxol and some taxotere....what determines this, I don't know...maybe the onco's preference. Sorry I don't know more....why not start a thread with your question. Does your niece have your sister's papework to verify this....you know how they always give you those papers listing SEs. I just found out this past weekend my mom had cytoxin and adriamycin when my Dad showed me old papers he was going through......really old like from 92. Sorry I dont know more
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Thanks, Marybe. I'll ask her when she's speaking to me again! For now she's dropped both me and her paternal aunt off her list after she found out we don't share her internet diagnosis of my BIL's "dementia".
Kathy
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I think I'm in. I want to be. Will have to save and not let family know I'm going but I plan on working it out. Darla
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Just got a pm back from Rae. She is fine but has been really busy so by the end of the day is too tired to read and post. She says she will pop in soon.
Hugs all. Chrissy
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I am so glad so many of you kind ladies responded to my pleas. I will say that what my husband saw of older people having a hard time as they progressed with their radiation, is not a careless guess; he is a keen observer and does not part with many words. In addition, when my father got cancer, they did not do radiation on him because he was around 75 when he had cancer, the same kind as my husband had in his early 40s.
I found the comments about lowering dose promising, I will tell the doc assistant next time. And while at first I also felt I could manage chemo, mainly because a few days before the second round I began to feel better, I need to emphasize just how draining and painful it has been, and when I say I thought I'd died a few days out from my first chemo, I am not kidding, and I am stuck with that sensation again even further days out from the second chemo. Doc did give me some pain medicine, which helps some. I'm a week out from second chemo, nightmares, one-degree fever, couldn't sleep, lotsa body pain. Takes two degrees to go into hospital.
MANDY, you asked how I ended up with the ACT protocol, and you know, I've noticed many IDC people have those letters you mentioned, CMF, or perhaps another group of letters too, but despite my cancer being IDC, I have been on more of an IBC (inflammatory) type treatment or at least a large cancer trtmnt, I guess since I presented with inflammatory features (swollen breast, hardened tissue on end, big red mark on skin). The drugs I'm on right now are: Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), which are both together every two weeks, and then after four times, I'll do Taxol (paclitaxel) once a week for twelve times. This is called the ACT kind of chemo, and many of the girls in Feb 2011 chemo, before, during, after, are right in the middle of AC or ACT, depending on reasons I do not know.
See, the thing about my cancer is I have been told SO LITTLE about it, I am not even sure of the size of the growth, just guessing from what I saw on the mammo, altho the doc said he wouldn't get good margins unless chemo shrunk the size, and the way the doc refers to it is: a very agressive and inflammatory type Invasive Ductal Carcinoma associated with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, and some enlargement of some of my lymphs. Another interesting thing is, NOT ONE PERSON has discussed with me how I have never wanted to save my breast, and this is because I do not want to have to keep going back into the hospital to get it rebuilt, put up with expanders, and all that stuff. I was just hoping that instead of 12 Taxols, why not 8 or less? And I was hoping once they did a simple mastectomy, I would rather they leave me alone, but I suppose if I have inflammatory aspects of cancer that may remain in my skin, that despite removing breast tissue, I'd still have enuff skin left to close the wound, and so perhaps SOME rads would be okay, but when I hear how many some go thru, once again I am afraid.
My whole thought process on this is oriented around how hard this has been on me, that I wish they could revamp their ideas of just putting me in the assembly line and following average protocol, because I am NOT average; I am a very sick woman right now, was weak and banged up to begin with, and the fear factor is very high in me. I just feel so vulnerable. Sure, I want to cure this, but I am not sure the survival percentages really support nearly killing me in the process. The one thing I would give in on is I do not want recurrence, but my understanding is that usually happens to people who just get lumpectomies, rather than the mastectomy I want. Obviously I will settle all this with my doc towards the end of the AC treatment, but I just wanted to hear if there was a saner way to deal with this very sick girl here.
I'm big on dogs, too, folks, got two big ones and could not manage without them, they are both 14 years old, the husky mix has one blue eye, thus my user name dogeyed that one of you liked is backwards of blue-eyed-dog without the "blue." Am loving the beautiful color pics SoCalLisa has been putting in here. And alll, thanks again for feedback, encouragement, and such, even tho I am arguing my position. I keep trying but sometimes I just don't know why. GG
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Dogeyed (((((hugs))))). I know everything you are going through right now is hard and very frightening, but you need to discuss what you feel with your docs. If you don't know about your cancer, again you need to ask and make sure you get some answers from your docs. I understand that all things seem very overwhelming but always remember, there is always someone here to talk to.
Love and hugs. Chrissyb
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