Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Hi Ladies,
I haven't been around because I am busy studying. Two classes instead of one and I am not use to the work load yet. The Zometa infusion was easier this time, I didn' t have the blahs for quite so long. They are almost gone and I still have three days to go to match the last time. I am still getting funny headaches but that is a SE. I just have to watch, at about three I have to take three ibuprofen or by four the whole sinus area of my face is in pain. I was warned by the nurse that headaches are a possibility. They do taper off by the time the next infusion rolls around.
Allison, yippee, see I knew you could do it girl. It really does become fun after the hard part is over with. I was happy to toss out so much useless "stuff." Jackie when did I miss you are moving? I must have been in never never land.
Nancy, we are displaying our flag on our new flag post every day now and probably will through the 4th. I think it's like any new toy, we will probably loose interest after that. It's nice to let the world know that we are flag wavers though. Robert and I agree, when your brought up a Camp Fire Girl and a Boy Scout, then your in the Army, all the flag stuff comes with lots of internal rules; don't let it touch the ground, has to come down at sunset,don't leave it out in the rain. All those rules that we both know and respect. Doesn't really matter what party you belong to, when your brought up with the lessons the lessons stay with you. ;-)
A question ladies, "Do any of the drugs we are given cause our livers to send a message to the brain that it has a fever and therefore it will make us delirious? Have any of you heard anything like that before? I know so little about these drug reactions. It is not happening to me but someone was talking about it and I wondered if that is a common occurrence. I would hate to loose touch with reality. Scary.
Does anyone like Historical movies? I have just seen "The Other Boleyn Girl." It was an interesting take on Mary Boleyn, so I googled her and most of the movie is factual. Interesting. I am such an Anglophile that I enjoy any history about England and Henry VIII is just a fascination. So the next movie we are planning on see in my old peoples movie group is "The Proposal." I have always liked Sandra Bullock, biker husband and all. It looks good. Has anyone seen it yet?
OK, that is my catch up post. I am back to studying. I am reading and keeping up with you all just not posting as often, I will talk to you ladies again in a couple of days.
Have a great one,
Hugs, PamW
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Pam...you are not losing it. I'm not moving....just getting rid of my **warehouse home** with way too many un-used things. They are too good ( some are brand new and never used ) for a yard sale though I would not do it here anyway. We live out in the woods by the lake and it is a little one lane road, and we enjoy the anonymity of our location. Also in a yard sale as you know they try to talk your rock bottom price down....if I take it to the auction house...he talks it up and it all goes. No trips afterward to donate to GoodWill...though I generally never minded that too much. For two people it's just about the right size house -- little over 1556 Sq. ft sq or will be when all the excess is out of here. We have been here at the lake for 11 years now.....this spot being our second location. My BIL bought our first house from us....after it was all fixed up, of course.
Hope you all have a good evening. Beautiful pictures.
Hugs,
Jackie
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Hi Ladies,
Yesterday I had the sentinel node biopsy...and it was found NEGATIVE...also 2 additional nodes were removed just to make sure that everything is clear.The surgeon also had to do additional cut to clear 1 of the margins and to get some calcifications out that they saw was left over on the mammogram after the first lumpectomy.
On vicodin now...and needed it last night as the pain was sharp...and spent most of the day yesterday at the outpatient surgical facility at Sloan Kettering in NYC .They did the wire localization for the leftover calcification then the maping for the sentinel node biopsy then i had to wait few hours and surgeon was late due to the surgery complications of another patient right before me so i ended up to be called in at 3pm and leaving the hospital at 8pm.
very tired and in pain arrived and after a huge portion of home made chicken soup with the traditional matzo balls and my vicodin went to sleep ...more vicodin was needed at 3am...and now taking another with breakfast as the pain is coming back again...sharper and sharper and it feels very raw.
Warm wishes to all and thank you for the advice and support.
Lizzy
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Hi everyone, we are finally home...I realized yesterday driving after 65 is more work than it used to be..so much construction and traffic in Utah, Az, Nev and California all day yesterday..but it feels so good to be in my own bed and shower...and kitchen..I have loads of wash to do today.
Oh, Fleece, no I am not a pro photographer..just a snapshot taker... the scenery makes the picture not me...
Hugs all around..
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Lizzy....so glad you are thru your surgery and sounds like it went pretty well and good news on the nodes. You can feel much safer now that your cancer stayed local. Seems I have heard a lot of ladies say --- when they had to go back to get a clearer margin that the pain seems worse. Glad you have something for that. Time to rest and heal.
SoCalLisa....you may not be a pro photographer now.....bet you were in another life. I do think it's a gift to look through a camera lens and help others see the beauty you find and are so willing to share. We are all better off today and inspired by so many beautiful sights. I will miss them but you find them where ever you are. Glad you are home. A trip is a real joy but there really is **no place like home** and the comforts of all you are used to living with every day. Welcome home.
Hugs,
Jackie
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Lizzy - that's good news about the SNB. My prayers going up for you that your pain will begin to subside and you will get your strength back.
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Hello Ladies,
Thank you for all the prayers..it makes live worth living having such a kind sisterhood.I am coming here daily and read about others and pray for them...then post about myself and I hope that as the days,months,years go by we all have something to look forward to and that some kind of real cure will be found soon because as I found out on my journey relating to breast cancer that ...i am not alone and this seems like more of an epidemic..and something has to be done...some are genetic i know but i believe some enviromental.
Warm wishes to all
Lizzy
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Hi Gramof3
The last two Sunday's at the park have been busy, we have 93 vehicle parks and 93 boat parks, and they have been packed and people waiting in line to get in. They are going to celebrate the 4th on Friday the 3rd, and I look for us to be very busy that day.
i had to come and get an echo of my heart since the Herceptin can mess your heart up, they have also scheduled test for my liver, complete bone scan, and the Dr. said he wanted to have my breast checked and make sure nothing was hiding in there, all those test will be in July, and then I see the Dr. on the 29th to see what the results are. If it's not one thing it's another. Pray all the test turn out good.
Hope you're doing o.k. I will be praying for you, and the rest of the wonderful ladies on this thread.
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Hello Chooks, Hope you are having a pleasant evening. It's been beautiful today and I'm hoping it stays moderate through the coming weekend. My younger son and his family are coming down Friday and we're going to go to Silver Dollar City at Branson on Saturday. Not sure it's a real good move on my part (I'm having an outpatient port "revision" on Thursday), but I think I'm much more aware of time, family, and "making today count" that I was before dx. So, I'm going to take some of JO's recommended 80 SPF sunscreen, plenty of water, and just go. (BTW, JO, where are you?)
Motherof7: I imagine you'll have very busy days on the 3rd AND the 4th! Good luck on the July tests--am praying for excellent results.
Lizzy Jackie's advice is spot on--rest and heal. You are so right about how many of us there are. I have two close friends and co-workers who are fighting bc--we call ourselves Chemo Babe 1, Chemo Babe 2 and Chemo Babe 3--in order of dx.
PamW Gotta hand it to ya gal! There is no way I could study right now. In fact, I have given up on reading anything but magazines for a while. I try to read a chapter and find myself just staring at a page with no recollection of what I've just read and no way to connect anything. Some times I can't process numbers. To those of you who are further out from chemo, do we recover from whatever is happening to our brain cells, or is just the way it will always be???
Take care, Chooks! Helen
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Hi everyone. Hugs and smilies. Gram, I play bridge at least twice a week, so if my brain has gotten befuddled, no one has mentioned it. Last week I had the second highest score for the day, but I was on a run for a couple of times with the lowest score...
Sleep as much as you can. Both the body AND mind heal while sleeping. Thanks to all of you for being YOU.
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Gramof3 - I wish I could blame it on chemo but I didn't have it. As a matter of fact I think my staring at pages and not remembering what I just read predates BC. << sigh >>
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Hi everyone..I just had to share one photo I took of the Valley of Lake Louise in Canada..
we were atop a mountain looking down...truely awesome
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LeftyAKANancy- thanks for your input. I couldn't find the blessing scarf thread, and didn't catch it when you bumped it up- but will try again.
RitaJean- thanks also for the info- I will see what worked well for LauraGTO- to get it going
Lizzy- you're in my prayers for quick healing and long,peaceful sleep- its a tough time to go thru but great news on the nodes.
SoCallLisa- are you using a digital camera? what megapixels? Alot of your photos would be great blown up and hanging on the wall.
Susan
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Jo, good to see you and so happy you posted. I found it so interesting that you have the nausea problem going on just the same as the experience of 20 years previous. Having said that....sure hope it is short-lived. I feel a little foolish ( you'd think one would know since we all have unique differences ) that I never realized menopause for some could be more than hot flashes and night sweats and some grumpy moods.
I too struggle with forgetfulness and sometimes totally miss-interpret what I am reading. I think it's a combination of thyroid, brain stoke and cancer and maybe I need to learn to "give up" like you Jo and avoid the embarrassment of being a little "goofy" with what I've written sometimes. Guess I also sometimes don't realize that I'm not too sharp. Guess that just gives me something else to work toward to be a little more well-rounded.
Another beaut of a picture Lisa. You really do have a gift as I could almost imagine myself climbing one of those mountains and I can barely walk uphill w/o losing my balance.
Hope you all have a wonderful, rewarding day.
Hugs,
Jackie
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YEA! Lisa's home! I hope you get through your laundry faster than I did. It seemed to take forever!
Hey Lizzy...that's great news on the nodes! WONDERFUL! Now you just have to have a little patience and rest so you regain your strength and energy.
Jo, it will be interesting to see if the forgetfulness improves once you've been off the Arimidex for several months. I'm hoping that it does! I need some help somewhere with it! LOL
Hope all of you are doing well today!
Rita
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Jackie...I did fall down up on one of those mountains...I caught myself with my hands and a pine tree..now my hands are full of sores, but I didn't break any bones...that was all I thought about as I was actually falling in space..but I got this picture..
My DH was up at the car with a group of people watching grizzly bears and wondered what had happened..note he didn't investigate...typical...
Jo, no I didn 't have any nausea when I finished with arimidex...I just thought the side effects would go away faster than they did...never totally, but just soooo much better..
I am thinking that being five years older after the tamox/arimidex regimen might be a factor..
lol...
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Nancy, I didn't learn to play bridge before chemo--probably too late to start now! Old Maid I might be able to handle. Patoo--If I were completely honest, I'd say that I did notice some of the reading difficulities pre BC, too!
LIsa, Glad you weren't seriously hurt--look like some very serious mountains to me.
JO Hope the nausea is better--maybe it improves one day at a time??
I went for my three month bi-lateral mammogram this morning. Didn't realize just how anxious I have been over the last 3 weeks. The report was good, so that certainly made me feel better. Now on to the port surgery to either replace it or stretch the kink out. I'm guessing I'll come home with a new piece of hardware...am going to ask if I can keep the old one.
When I went in for my Taxol last Friday, after struggling with the non-working port, I didn't get the infustion until almost 11:30 (had been there since 7:30). When they start the pre-meds, it begins with the benedryl and that really hits me fast and hard. I've noticed that within a minute or so, my eyes lose focus, and I just curl up with my pillow and go to sleep. Anyway, the room I go to has 10 chemo chairs, which were all full Friday, and several patients had family sitting with them, eating lunch. So, the nurse began my IV, the benedryl hit, and I closed my eyes. I woke up to a loud noise and realized I had been snoring...so embarrassing. I tried to "recover" and cough a little so maybe folks would think I had something in my throat. Got settled again, tried to fight off sleep, but woke up to a loud snoring snort. I looked around and everyone in the room was looking at me and the chemo nurses were cracking up. Not really much one can say--red-faced, but that could also have been a hot flash!!
Take care, Chooks! Helen
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God bless all of you wonderful ladies, Keep up the fight and never give up.
Ritajean, It was a long day at the cancer Dr today, I will tell everyone tomorrow.
Jo, I hope you get feeling better. Helen, I had a hot flash today and everyone said
why are you so hot? Patoo, Missed you on prayer. Jackie, I have chemo brain
To everyone else hang in there, Debbie
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I am going to check out a free Tai Chi class at the rec center this afternoon. Before BC I did it and enjoyed it. Years ago I learned bridge at the swimming pool when I was preggo. Sat around the baby pool and someone was always watching the kiddos. I took lessons a couple of times after my husband died to refresh my "skills" and when I moved here, found 2 groups that play for fun, not for master points. I am not into that kind of competition. They are called "sanctioned games" with a director and "official rules" and such. Too complicated for my frazzled brain.
I too have trouble reading books, can't remember from one day to the next what I read. There is a time travel romance I began at my first chemo over a year ago and still have not finished it. In the past I had inhaled romance novels, would stay up late to finish them.
Tomorrow I will get some roses to take to Arlington Cemetery where my DH ashes are. One of my chemo buddies is going with me after we have Italian food for lunch on Saturday. She has never seen the changing of the guard, which it totally awesome. I pick the petals off, saying " I miss you, I love you".
As far as housework goes, Some winter clothes are in my car, ready to go to the cleaners. It is only June 18 and maybe won't need them again for a few months !!! Have a good day, rest, relax and little if any housework. HUGS, Nancy
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Good morning everyone! We have had a pretty good storm go through during the early morning hours and it still doesn't look too good out there. It looks like it's messing with my golf game! LOL That leaves the housework that Nancy says we should do "little of!" Hmmm.............
Helen, so glad that the bi-lateral mammo came out good. I go for mine the 28th of the month and I'm getting worried about it already. I always thought the worry would become less with time, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I do pretty well functioning now on a daily basis but when the tests roll around, I am forced to face the "what ifs" again. It sure isn't any fun, is it?
Well, I suppose I should move and try to get something accomplished today. Hugs to all of you in treatment and to all the others who are just working through this journey one day at a time!
Rita
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well, I am almost 58. Am I old enough? We do have have many of the same issues as the young girls, but certainly we are in such different places even without BC. I would love an ongoing correspondeence with us "seniors". I look forward to hearing from you all.
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I went and got my blood test from the Cancer Dr (the one that doesn't have bedside manners)
I found out I am low on alot blood counts and other things. He told me the only thing he is seeing me for in 2 weeks is my quick weight loss. God bless you all for caring. Hugs Debbie
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Do any of you remember Pam saying that she didn't have to do much about her move because she must have looked really sick? I think I topped her! After the movers had gotten all the furniture out of our house I was standing at the front door giving the head guy directions to the new house when I suddenly felt really dizzy. The next thing I knew I was lying flat on my back on the floor surrounded by coke and ice cubes and my DD and 4 movers standing over me with their mouths wide open! I immediately felt fine, but of course my DD insisted I go to the emergency room. I told her that there was no way I was spending 5 hours and thousands of $$ to find out I fainted! I had a huge knot on my head where I hit the hardwood floor but ice quickly took care of that. Needless to say I spent the rest of the day in a lawn chair giving directions. Unfortunately, the novelty wore off and I had to get back to work! My onc had told me that one of the side effects of the diuretic I was on was sudden bp drop and I'm sure that's what happened. So that is my funny moving day story! Welcome to all the newcomers. You'll love it here. BTW - Pam, I am so proud to know you! I can't imagine going back to school. I admire you tremendously. Huge hugs and much love to all of you! Bye!
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May not be the right thread, but how are you all doing in the teeth department? Mine seem to be going downhill. Gums are not bleeding or tender, but lots of food gets stuck and I am using a water pick after every meal. Dentist says I need 7 teeth crowned because of the large fillings and the 2 remaining wisdom teeth should come out. I already have 6 crowns. And I am 63. If these teeth wont survive another 10-15 yrs, I am thinking of having them all pulled - 7 crowns would cost a lot more than having false teeth. Any thoughts? Thanks, Nancy
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Nancy,
I know what you mean about dental costs. We could be living a much finer retirement if we didn't have constant dental in the thousands every year since we turned 60. That being said, I would hold on to my real teeth as long as possible. Fake parts are never as good as real ones. Yes, false teeth are better than no teeth, but I know many people who have been miserable with the new teeth.
Of course maybe you should have a serious consult with your dentist or a second opinion. If false teeth are in the near future, then maybe the time is now. Just do your research, because like a mastectomy, once it is done there is no turning back. So just be sure and comfortable with your personal decision.
Caren
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Thanks, Caren. I understand that once done, there is no undoing it. I never had pearly whites and I grind my teeth, even with a night guard, so they are worn down in several places. There is a crack in my upper front tooth and the edge is jagged from grinding. My dentist told me she never worked on a chemo or cancer patient before and says I am too obsessed with getting an infection or exposure to germs. I asked her to put on new gloves when she came in to exam me and she got pretty pissy about it.
Initially she tried to get me to do Lumineers on my front teeth - which would have been at least $ 12 K, for 12 teeth... This one seems to be money hungry. I have asked around and most others are not happy with their dentists either.
My old dentist told me that he could get me to an old age with decent teeth and conservative treatment, but I might end up with dentures eventually. I moved 3 years ago and am not able to get back to him - close to 300 miles away.
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Nancy...I am off to work but will talk about teeth later and about Allison the shirker----just kiddding Allison.
Hugs, Jackie
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Hi Ladies,
I haven't been here for a while. I had to deal with dropping one of my classes. It was math, it was not the math that was getting to me it was the amount of computer work I had to do. Overwhelming especially the week after the Zometa infusion. I definitely have a week of the blah's and some headache problems from the Zometa.
I think my ability to do school work is a lot like -- whoever it was that plays bridge all the time. I have been going to college for years so I am just used to studying. I also took an "old people's class" (Gerontology) a couple of years back and they were really stressing the "Use it or Loose it" philosophy for older people and their brain functions so I intend to keep pushing myself until the very end. I have some memory loss, I can't really blame it on the Arimidex, I had it before the cancer or the drugs. It was the result of menopause as near as I can figure. I noticed my mom had some memory loss after she went through menopause also.
Allison, hey, I think fainting counts as a perfectly sound reason to take the afternoon off. I used BC on a car financial adviser this morning. I am not ashamed of having a disease I can do nothing about so I guess you might say I am "out there" (honest) about it. I was frank with the guy, I told him how much I could afford in monthly payments for a new car -- period -- as I have BC and money was flying out the window and into the pockets of the docs. He quickly told me they couldn't help me but he also didn't try to sell me a pig in a poke. I am grateful for that. I wish they could be that ethical without being told a person has BC but --- well, what else do I need to say. :-( I can use the car I have, it just needs some work.
My flowers are growing the Coleus needs to be watered everyday but otherwise good.
Teeth, --- my onco just did the test for ONJ on me, I will let you know how it went when I go back in two weeks. My teeth have been bad since the day I was born so I live with the nine I have left. False teeth aren't bad on the top. Oddly they stay attached much better then the bottoms do. I am hanging on to my bottom teeth even though they are bad because I have been warned not to loose them until necessary. I did find a dentist who understands BC, Zometa and the problems involved. I just called until I found one that could assure me he knew what I was talking about.
Good luck with the teeth probs ladies and have a good afternoon.
Hugs,Pam
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I know that the chemo did an act on my teeth. It took several trips to get them back in shape and more money than I wish to think about. How well I understand what you are saying!
Hang in there Debbie. We DO care!
OMG Allison, I think you have us all beat with your "getting out of work" technique. How are you feeling now?
Hugs to all of you. I have lots to do and little time to get it all accomplished. I'll check back in tomorrow.
Rita
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