Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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I know....It's so hard WITH them, AND without them! Nothing is better than our own natural hearing. But I thank God, it is not my eyes. What did you say your hearing loss was caused by?
One day, I just couldn't hear....but I kept taking Tamoxifen, because I never thought that would have caused it. So about a week later, my other ear just plugged up. So now it is 100% word recognition loss in my left, but only 50% in my right..... Two months later I stopped Tamoxifen, no matter WHAT 2 Oncologists said..... I found out it was all over the Internet.
Merilee on these boards also stopped Tamoxifen because the same thing happened to her....
Sorry about your "feed-back" from your hearing aids.... And mostly sorry about your little Grand-daughter.... that would break my heart..... Take good care.
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My hearing loss was just "old age".....................I am not horrible, but if someone speaks low, I get part of what they are saying...................also if they have their back to me regardless of how low they talk................I have problems with some TV shows,...............................I love Criminal MInds, but have a horrible time hearing what they are saying...............sometimes it all runs together......................I have had cataracts, and glaucoma, so I know what it is to have vision problems too, but that has all been corrected........................I do have very early stages of macular degeneration which showed up after I had the cataracts removed........................I have blue eyes, and never wore sunglasses........hated them...............the Dr. said that attributed to the problems I had................I also have had a "pool" at my summer home for the past 24 years, and he said the reflection of the sun on the water didn't help either......................oh well.........................how about just plain getting older.........................can't remember at what age I began to fall apart.....hahahahaha
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Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.
Samuel Smiles0 -
Good Evening,
Saw my ONC today and he told me not to take any more of the Anastrazole. He said if it is the med making feel the way I do the side effects should clear up in about a week. If I feel better after not taking the med then he wants me to try another med starting on Jan. 16th. If I do not feel better I need to call him, because he said it could be something else and he will need to see me and see what and get to the bottom of it. He feels it is the med and so do I, but we shall see.
ONC said I may be one of the few that can not tolerate the hormone blocking meds.
Daughter had her PET scan today, she goes back for the results on Jan. 16th. Was a busy day.
Take care
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Marcha.....thank goodness you will be able to stop the Arimidex and see how things go. I had a friend down the street from me who could not tolerate the hormones.....she tired all three so does not use anything. She has a great Dr. who keeps a pretty good check going on with her so she does not feel un-protected as it were.
You may do really well on something else as there are many who do. It is all strong medicine, but it is a pretty strong disease too. Hope you will be able to get to the bottom of things now. Hope all comes out ok with your daughter too.
I will catch you all in the morning....I'm starting to wind down pretty quicly here.
Hugs, Jackie
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Winter has turned into summer again. Yesterday and today the temperature rose to 70 and above. I'm feeling better but still not "normal good." I drove my mother to her hair appointment today.
I'm cooking meatloaf and baked potatoes tonight for dinner. Eating is a slow process.
Mardi Gras season has started here in the New Orleans area. All the grocery stores will be selling king cakes up through Mardi Gras day in late Feb. Another high calorie temptation.
Hope everyone had a good day.
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Hi Carole,
You make me hungry thinking about a king cake. That yeasty sweet concoction, YUM, Southern Living published a recipe some years ago but I have never made one. Is this the year? My step daughter went to Sophie Newcombe and Tulane so she would love it if I would make the effort. Have you ever made one? We ordered one thru the mail one year but it was less than great. I'm just afraid it's not a home cooking project. Kind of like trying to make doughnuts that compare with Dunkin' Donuts.
When my DD got married her husband, who is Danish, wanted a kranskage for the groom's cake. I said I would make one. !!! I met a Norwegian woman on line who gave me lots of advice and sent me the ring shaped pans you need so that was a big help. It is an almond based macaroon like dough and you bake individual rings decreasing in size that are stacked in a pyramid and decorated with a powdered sugar and egg white glaze. The cake stands about 18 to 20 inches tall. So... The afternoon before the wedding I was in my kitchen assembling this structure and my son was watching. I thought it was going pretty well and feeling confident I announced "this isn't so hard, I can do this." just about then my son said, "Mom, something on this side is sliding." The top third began to collapse onto itself and I barely rescued the whole thing from a total meltdown! I hid the disaster until after the rehearsal dinner and everyone had gone to bed. Stayed up most of the night baking new rings but by dawn I had a real kranskage decorated with miniature Danish flags. It was hit at the reception and I got extra MIL points. Happy memory since it turned out well.
Anyway, my mouth is watering for a King's cake.0 -
Well, ALLELUIAH! My grasp of the Kindle/Nook business is so fragile that I was beginning to whimper as I read your conversations. I got a deal wtih my Kindle so it is 3G (for a little over $100. It is disappointing how expensive the ebooks can be so I too am reading the nearly free classics. The Count of Monte Cristo was incredibly good. I grieved when it was over. Someone said The Brother's Karamazov is great. Christmas was so much cooking, that I am weary of it. GUESS WHAT??? My PT said my arm has returned to normal!!! It is all the exercise. Isn't that amazing. I guess I'm stuck exercising for life. Really!
Right now I am flat on my back with sciatica. It is almist gone but disableing! I walked like Amos McCoy and yelping all the way.
ta ta for now sweet ladies.
xoxo, nancy
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The Jane Austin novels are all in the public domain and they are wonderful! I've also read all the Sherlock Holmes which are free. Couldn't believe I had never read them before. I am trying to read Middlemarch but I am bogged down and don't know if i will finish it. I bought (!) Death Comes To Pemberly by P D James, a modern sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It was just "ok".
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Okay, I just bought the Complete Sherlock Holmes...for Nook. It has 1,755 pages, and a LOT of his stories! It was just $2.99....So I thought it was worth it.
I had also downloaded Welcome to Redemption...There are 6 books in the series, and all fun short stories! I like to read the reviews and the star ratings, then decide.
I do have Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre....but haven't looked into the rest yet by Jane Austin yet.....they were also free! So far I have 44 books on my Nook> .... I had better hold off awhile.
I'm sending back my router, because I can do all the downloading on my desk-top computer, then transfer them to my Nook....
Hey Nancy! Good to hear from you again! Sounds like you are doing great!
I loved reading about the cakes you guys make! Just made me laugh, because I tried to make a fruit-cake once, that turned out to be more of a pudding! It just never BAKED!!! All I could do was throw it all away....Glad no-one was around to see THAT one! It just poured itself out of the pan!
I tried so hard to make it extra special with my own stupid recipe, with fresh fruits, nuts, coconut, & on paper, it really sounds good, but should have just put it all in a bowl, without the flour and eggs, & just ate it with a spoon...Ha!
Best to try something "new" like that when no one can watch you and hear the actual words that flow forth from this MOUTH when it turns itself into the perfect storm of disasters!
Okay...gonna go bake a fruit cake!
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Hi chevyboy,
Les Miserables by victor Hugo is also great. Long, but I prefer long novels to short stories... Hate to see a book end.
Jane Eyre and all the bronte' sisters books are good but pretty grim. I read a biography of them, strange family.
Mommarch, I "share your pain" regarding anastrazole. I stayed on it 15 months but finally cried uncle and changed to Tamoxifen. I felt like such a failure.
Took all the supplements, diet, exercise but just could not handle some of the SEs. I finally ran my stats on Adjuvant Online and changing drugs only affected my risk by about two per cent. I have done very well on tamoxifen and am confident I will be able to finish out five years. I'm almost at three now! Of course tamoxifen is not without its dangers (right, chevyboy?)
An orange marmalade that never set up became the inspiration for my favorite salmon recipe. So there is often serendipity in those kitchen disasters. My DH will eat anything and never complains but once in a while he will ask "what happened?" Never a good sign.0 -
"A hug is like a boomerang -- you get it back right away."
-- Bil Keane0 -
The Dr. is putting me on Exemestane the generic for aromasin if these other side effects clear up by Jan. 16th. We shall see. I think I feel a little better today. Well need to go help my Grandaughter make a pot of stew for dinner. Have a good day.
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Good early afternoon everyone. Just got back from taking a truck-load to our Clean & Green Local recycle center.....and then on to a late, but huge breakfast. Then as I need to rework some things on here I decided to check if anyone had been here.....too funny about the kitchen disasters. Guess everyone has a few --- even if it is just that something tastes awful when you thought it would be good. PJ....you have a polite hubby if that is all he says WHAT HAPPENED. Much nicer than carrying your plate back to the kitchen saying you aren't really hungry. I'm with Chevy though.....I'd rather "mess" up alone......At least that way you can throw it out and start over before anyone is the wiser.
Marcha....hopefully, you will get a lot of relief now and I do hope everything gets better and better for you. It has just got to be the pits to get so far and then have the 5 yr. pill kick you in the backside.
Nancy.....great to see you here. Just when I think we said something wrong and you are finished with us.....thank goodness you are not.
I'll be checking in with all of you later. Got to finish my work cycle here.
Hugs, Jackie
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Hello ladies! I'm baack....cruise was wonderful and relaxing, weather was perfect, entertainment was the best I've ever seen on a cruise ship..Las Vegas style. Even the food choices were good and had lots of veggies and fruit, and the nicest salad greens to choose from. We cheated and had some desserts and a little bread at dinner, but mostly we stuck to our plan. I just plowed through a mountain of clothes in the suitcases...why do I pack so much!
Monday I start my rounds with the doctors about doing radiation, so it's going to be a busy week for me as reality sets in. By the time I meet with the onco, my oncotype score should be in and I will know what my chances are for mets. I'm also seeing my PCP about the heart issues that came up in my pre op screening. I had a day of bad heart palpitations on the cruise...probably set off by the strong coffee that could stand on it's own! I've given up everything else, but I do love my cup of coffee in the morning. It can be scary when those things start out in the middle of the ocean with no emergency room in sight. I didn't want to go to the ship doctor because they probably would have kept me in the infirmary, so I just took it easy that day, and I didn't drink any more coffee!
It's going to take me a while to catch up on all the news here on BCO, but hopefully everyone had a nice New Year and looking forward to 2012.
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Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.
~Dr Hans Selye0 -
Good morning everyone, and I hope you are having a nice sunshiny day. Kaara, your cruise just sounds like it was so relaxing and so helped to un-stress you. I think it really did its job. Now you can sort things out through a fresher and hopefully a much more relaxed way. We have all had to make our choices about **what to do** but it always feels better when you are actually doing something -- that helps you get to a more seemingly 'positive' space' where you are in challenge and defeat mode.
I am sorry to hear that you had the palpitations on your cruise. I have had that and it is not pleasant at all. For a few yrs. I had to drink nothing but decaf coffee, but then whatever triggered it in the first place changed.....and I was able to go back to the caffeinated ok.
The news always seems to change.....a little more coffee...like three cups a day or so is, so they say beneficial. Desirable -- I don't count, but I don't sip coffee all day like I used to. It is my morning beverage of choice but later maybe one cup in the afternoon.....or tea on occasion.
I do hope Sunday (today) is your perfect day. I'll be hoping it is that way for all of us.
Hugs, Jackie
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Momarch, Hope the Aromasin works for you. I started it four days ago so we can compare notes. So far so good. I take it in the evening after dinner. Read that in another post and it seems to work. I have some muscle aches while in bed but who knows that may be the strange position I find myself in trying to sleep. Was always a side sleeper on my BC side and since that is out now I try to sleep on my back. No fun.
Kaara, Your cruise sounds like it was fun. I love cruising and can hardly wait to plan one.
Have a nice finish to the weekend. The sun is finally shining out here in the NW.
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Hi dreamers! I just read some of your bio....glad to have you here, you are kind of a new gal, so welcome to our thread!
You finished rads....Good girl! That's sometimes rough to go through! Glad you are finished, and onto Aromasin.... Is that like Tamoxifen or Arimidex? I don't know the differences in them.
I read where you are concerned about your other breast, but are going back for a checkup the last of this month.... I would be worried also...can you get in sooner? At least that would help you not thinking about it for so long....
Welcome Back kaara....glad you had a fun trip....It was so darned cold here, at least in Denver. We are getting more snow here than in the high country, so they are worried about the water situation....again.
I can't have regular coffee after noon! If I do, my heart starts pounding, and I get light-headed. That includes hot chocolate, and anything with a lot of caffiene... I just stick with de-caf in the mornings, or maybe 1/2 caf. It all tastes the same to me, because I use flavored creamer & sweetener anyway.
Jackie....I've been cleaning out "stuff"....Ha! Just trying to put everything together, that belongs together...and making it easier to remember or see where I PUT it! In other words, I am into organizing....again.
So cold out again today....but supposed to warm up to 38..
The sun is shining, but it's not warming up. The National Western Stock Show is getting ready now, so it's almost always cold this time in January. Okay gals....gotta go find something else to do....take good care....xoxo
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Hi everyone. Yes...that cleaning out.....I keep wondering....why do I think I need so much stuff. My life was so much easier and simpler when I had next to nothing. Well, little by little, I hope to weed out as much as I can make myself part with.
I will probably let go of some things I shouldn't and have to get them back but if I can finally get my house to minimums on things I will be happy. I want to be able to go through and clean easily and efficiently. I haven't been able to do that for some time.
Good thing there is herbal tea and decaf for those who have problems. We used Sanka but I don't see it in the stores anymore. It was in ground coffee and even Dh liked it. I looked for it once or twice.....thought I'd use it on occasion at night, but didn't find it.
Welcome to our house ptdreamers. Glad you found your way here. Our little group is a small one, but we work hard to support each other and share together. I too had heard that the AI pills seem to do better for people if they are taken at night. I use Arimidex and haven't had much for problems ( knock on wood ) as I have until 2013 until I quit or whatever will be recommended to me when I hit the 5 yr. mark. I just took them along with my other mainly daytime meds so haven't changed anything since it all seems to go ok.
You may when you are farther out be able to sleep on your side again. I do....I have always been a side sleeper. I thought about getting one of those really long pillows and curling up on it....but never got around to it. I think I did use my extra regular bed pillow a few times.....but it was several months after my lumpectomy. There is hope....but some of it will be delayed.
Well, a few more things to do here....then I need to get to bed. Another work day tomorrow.
See you all later. Hope you had a wonderful, peaceful Sunday.
Hugs, Jackie
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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha
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Afternoon everyone! It seems I'm being challenged health wise this year. After visiting my PCP this morning, I am scheduled for a heart echo and then app't with cardiologist, all in next two weeks. Also had elevated liver enzymes, so must run those tests again! Don't know when I'm going to fit rads into this schedule, but don't think I would do them until I know outcome of the heart issues anyway.
Jackie...Buddha was right...health is our greatest gift, and to think, I took it for granted all these years. What a wake up call!
It's cloudy and rainy looking here today and still a little cool. I finally got the decorations put away, and the clothes from the trip unpacked so that is some progress made.
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Hi Kaara,
It does seem like often we get a breast cancer DX that is soon followed by other health issues. Is it just because our doctors start looking at us more closely? Or is it that the stress of the BC DX opens the door for other problems to slip in? No matter what, I just hate it!
Anyway, I don't mean to raise concerns just to worry you AND you are probably well read in this area but just wanted to mention...
If your breast cancer and radiation therapy are in the left breast there are some reasons to worry. Right now there is a featured article on BC.com about "Irradiation Tied To Coronary Stenosis." There are radiation techniques (IMRT with gating or positioning the patient face down) to avoid hitting the heart and or vessels with radiation.
Also, arimidex (anastrazole) has had questions raised raised regarding women with heart disease.
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In one study comparing Arimidex with tamoxifen, some women who took Arimidex had a higher risk for heart attack (or other similar cardiac "events") or angina. In particular, the risk was increased in women who already had heart disease. An increased risk (compared to tamoxifen) was not seen for other women.
Arimidex may cause high cholesterol (see Arimidex and High Cholesterol).
These are just things you might want to discuss as your treatment plan moves forward.
Wishing you great, good luck!
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pj123: Thanks for the advice. I'm aware of the heart issues with rads and I'm not going to do them unless I can get a guarantee that my heart will not be involved in any way, and certainly not until after I have a clearance from my cardiologist. As for the anti hormonals, they have not come up as a treatment option for me, so I will cross that bridge when and if I come to it.
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PJ, I have never made a king cake. Nobody does here in the New Orleans area because they are available everywhere. People have their favorite bakeries. All the supermarket bakeries make them. I never particularly liked the traditional king cakes which are coffee cakes with cinnamon and sugary icing colored in mardi gras colors, green, gold and purple. THEN a few years ago the filled king cakes came on the market and I love the ones with cream cheese filling. You can also get raspberry, blueberry, strawberry in combination with the cream cheese.
Your Danish baking project sounds very formidable. I have never been fond of making dessert foods. I like to cook main dishes and side dishes and I like to bake bread but not desserts. Probably because I try to avoid eating sugary foods.
I'm not a big college football fan, but we're watching the LSU/Alabama game and LSU is getting stomped. There will be a lot of disappointed LA fans. I am a Saints fan and was happy to see the Saints beat Detroit on Sat. It would be a thrill to see the Saints play in another Superbowl, but I'm not counting on it.
The weather forecast calls for thunderstorms tonight but so far all is calm.
Hope everyone is having a good evening.
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With gentleness overcome anger.
With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit.
Buddha0 -
Hi Everyone,
This is my 5th day off of the Anastrazole. Think I feel a little better. Am sleeping better. No more leg pain or cramps, arm biceps still painful from time to time. Think depression is better also. Weather has been very cold here, they predicted up to 5 inches of snow for us on Monday but just got a little. We sure could have used the moisture. Getting real tierd of this drought. I stayed home from work yesteday, did not feel real great and cold was awful. This driving 45 miles one way to work with gas prices at $3.21 and higher is for the birds. I have to do it for my insurance. Hope everyone has a great day.
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mommarch: Glad you are feeling better. Hopefully you will continue to improve.
It's a beautiful day here in S. Florida...I'm getting ready to put on my bathing suit and go down to our community pool for some vit D-3! Went to the gym this morning, did 30 minutes on the eliptical and then some weight training. I'm feeling a lot better today. Last two days were not good...no energy and still having heart palpitations. Today everything is normal again...go figure!
Girls night out tonight...looking forward to that! Have a great day everyone!
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Morning gals.... I just de-activated my FB account! I never used the darn thing, & my Brother said his was hacked, so I can't figure out why I would need that, along with email, or the phone! I think it's mostly for the younger folks, that have something to talk about or promote...
I never used it anyway, & didn't know 1/2 the people that popped up on there!
Mommarch....glad you are getting over the awfule side-effects! We have been having snow-storm after snow-storm lately, but we REALLY needed the moisture also. Supposed to snow again tomorrow. It's just that it gets so COLD here, and stays that way....
Our gas prices just dropped below $3 for a change! Couldn't believe it! Man, does any one remember when we used to go to a gas pump, the ones with the glass tops? And you could put in a quarter for a gallon of gas??? And watch it bubble up in the top?
That's about all the money we had when we were teen-agers! Of course we had to save enough to go to the drive-in for a chocolate coke!
How FUN that was! Such an easy care-free time, in the 50's! Okay....talk to you later! xoxoxo
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