Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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OK HUBBA BUBBA --where the hell have u been forever--I had to laugh at that one. Cute
An Chevy u made a long story even longer, but I am sorry that happened to you, That's got to be a pain.
Attention this is shower day--only cuz I have a test this afternoon, otherwise I'd wait til tomorrow AND I cut my toe nails last night--Oh what a job, they're like steel placements on my toes
OK maybe I'll get started, maybe
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One time I was sawing.... I mean cutting my toe nails, and that thing went flying into the window, I thought I BROKE it!
Me too.... I'm also taking a shower... I feel we must broadcast this event in it's totality... so we do!
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Chevy I don't know why I have the need to announce it, but I do all the time, well not always but most of the time--It's a big event for me and again I don't know why.LOL
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Good Morning Ladies,
Welcome Magdelene, glad you found us.I stayed home today, need to get some things done. Sunday morning we will be going to Odessa to buy some supplies for the broom shop and spending the night at the hope house, then Monday morning I see my ONC and have my mammo in the afternoon. It was 27 degrees here this morning.
Talked to DGD yesterday and she was better. They have not had school since Tuesday due to all the flooding.
My Grandmother that lived in town had a milk man, however since we lived on a farm we were the milk man.
Thanks for all your support and concern. You are a great bunch.
Need to get my rats killed.
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Morning all ... just checking in. I need to start walking in the mornings because the afternoon may be too warm, so I am off to the shower too. No more lazy, lazy mornings until next winter if I want to do a daily walk.
Cami, hope your test goes well. Chevy, enjoy your lunch.
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If we want to direct
our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions.
It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives,
but what we do consistently.
- Anthony Robbins0 -
Anneb....I LOVE the new hair! I think it looks quite charming and so natural. I say "go for it!" :-)
Welcome magdalene. I am glad that you found us and hope you'll continue to post. This is a fantastic group of ladies who will help you through your journey, encourage, and cheer you up when needed!
Sandra...Thanks for the May Basket picture. Those are much fancier than the ones I made. We were on a much more limited budget, I think! The pictures did bring back more good memories of them, though.
Hope your test goes well today, cami!!!
Mimi...so nice that they advertise for you! Gosh, we have a public "star" on our thread! Your job sounds like so much fun!
Well, I am hosting the golf group for BBQ sandwiches tonight. I have made up some cheesy potatoes and a "fluffy" peach salad using Eagle Brand and everyone is bringing a dish or appetizer to share. I need to get off here and go into town and get buns and some ice.
Talk to you later. Everyone have a good day!
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Ritajean, your menu sounds yummy. I have never heard of a fluffy peach salad.
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Morning ladies,
Magdalene, hoping you choose to stay with these crazy ladies, even if it's lurking and occasional visits. They will lift your spirits!
Anneb, yes the wig is great, looks so natural. Go ahead , get brave and wear it out, we all approve.
Cami and Chevy, I tell people our feet get further away from us, the older we get. I finally decided to do a pedi when I need a trim. Let the young lady deal with those nalis, besides they look so pretty when they are done!
Highlight of my day, getting the back-up system installed for our B-dry basement sump system. The old unit and pumps lasted 10 years and it's great not to have to worry about having an indoor swimming pool , when it rains like it did for the past few days. Fun for the over 60 set!
Have a good day. Jean
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thanks for all the positive feedback on the hair. My DS and SIL don't like it. As I told them I bought it for fun, just to see what hair like that would look like on me. My DS#2's response was that she liked it, and wishes she had the patience to grow her hair out-- I said that's exactly why I bought it- if I waited 150 years, my hair would still never look that good. Hers would and has. When I went to get my hair done for my wedding (1970), the stylist said it was such a shame I didn't have hair like my sister - not what you want to hear that day, so I told him Margie may have gotten the hair, but I got the beauty and the brains. ( the brains is true, not the beauty so much) Mimi, the bangs are part of the wig. My own hair is pure white and only about a half inch long now.
What a busy couple of months coming up for me. You already know that I am trying to get to Fl the day I finish Rads or the next day to be there for my grand children's special school events that week. Then I need to fly back to Atlanta to meet with both my surgeon and oncologists for check ups. The following week, my DDIL has asked me to drive down to Fl with her and the baby ( my son will already be there, working the camp). After the baby's first birthday party, my DD#2 wants me to drive back to Atlanta with her and our neighbors for the Fourth of July, which fits right in with my once every three week herceptin infusion, then go back to Fl a week later for the rest of the summer. I'm tired just writing it down! But it will definitely get me back into real life with a bang.
Carole- enjoy your visit wih your sister.
Camille and Chevy- thanks for posting that showers are a major event for you. I thought I was the only one who thought that.
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Anne who are u getting u'r energy from? Sounds like a great summer.
Rita sounds yummy oops a customer BBL
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Anne, I am sure I could not do all that. Just as daunting as the physical part......I surely would have to have a qualified person to keep an itinerary with explicit directions on each part of the summer trips from beginning to end and notes of how to collect my wits when all of these things were done. You are amazing. Of course you are indeed talking to someone who has managed about two vacations in the last 36 years......................so I really don't go much.
Good for you to have that much drive and determination.
Blessings
Jackie
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Ritajean - Would you mind sharing the recipe for the fluffy peach salad?
Anne - I agree, where are you getting your energy? I need something magic to jump start mine. Just found out yesterday that I'm still really anemic - worse than 3 weeks ago. Don't know what the doc will suggest but whatever it is will certainly help my energy level.
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Minus Two, hope the doc will find something good for your anemia.
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Thanks Sally. Probably iron pills, and we all know what that stops up!!!
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Yes friends - my life is fun. But I definitely work hard to make it so. And it seems you all have found places to have fun too. We can't just sit around and wait for others to entertain us and make us happy. I"m a little bummed tonight. I was looking forward to seeing my DD and grandsons Sunday. She "texted" to tell me she is soooo busy and tired. Easier if I don't come. So glad I have worked hard at keeping in touch with friends. You can't expect the kids to be your total source of love.
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Miminiemi, so sorry that your plans for Sunday are changed. Your bounce back attitude is a good reminder that I have to be my own life planner ... as much as possible. I am in a real hermit phase and know that I am responsible for it. It feels comfortable at the moment, but I better call some friends soon or they might forget who I am.
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Minus, many people have stomach issues while they are taking oral iron supplements which is a shame because they can work. If you are prescribed iron, there is lots of info out there about the kind of iron you should take (carbonyl iron tablets) and the brands that are the most gentle, like Feosol. That brand has a maximum amount of elemental iron. Unfortunately iron supplements are not all alike, which I found out the hard way.
After several years of oral supplements at escalating dosages, my iron levels were circling the drain. I finally persuaded my primary care doc to give me a consult to a Hematologist. Now I get iron infusions every three months. It takes about 1/2 day, is painless, and there is no gastro upset. I go to the chemo clinic.
I also found out I have something called Thallesemia, which is a blood disorder. Fortunately I have a mild case that only causes me to have very small red blood cells and have a harder time getting oxygen to all parts of my body. The odd thing is that most people who have this are middle eastern Jews, Chinese, Phillipino, and African. I'm Dutch, German, Irish and Scottish. Sickle cell anemia is another type of Thallesemia. I never would have known about this if I hadn't seen a Hematologist.
I hope you get to the bottom of your anemia puzzle.
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Sandra - thanks for your thoughtful, detailed information about iron.
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Joy is what we are, not what we must get.
Joy is the realization that all we want or need in life has been etched into
our souls. Joy helps us see not what we are "going through,"
but what we are "growing to"--a greater sense of understanding,
accomplishment, and enlightenment. Joy reveals to us the calm at the end
of the storm, the peace that surpasses the momentary happiness of
pleasure. If we keep our minds centered on joy, joy becomes a state of
mind.
Iyanla Vanzant0 -
Sandra,
That was very interesting about the blood and related disease problems. I have to admit, usually when I think of blood.....I, if I think anything, just think leukemia or anemia. Some of the best things about being here is that someone has had an experience or knows someone close to them that has, that will help us learn new things or see things with a "fresh" set of eyes.
It also sounds like iron infusions could almost be easier on a person, but that part is up to the Dr. as well I'm sure. The down side I'd think may be that having to wait three months you might be a sluggish waiting to get that infusion.
We are starting back into our warmer weather today finally. Not a lot of sun maybe, but warmth will come back. I'm really ready. We did turn on our little I-heater fireplace again these past four days or so. The coolish weather started with rain and the dampness made the house have a real chill......so one day of that and we turned the fireplace back to crackling. It really does resemble a fireplace and in back are some lights.....and when you turn that part on.....flames shoot up here and there and it does look like an actual fire going on. I love that kind of wood fire....no smoke, no wood soot....no dust fireplace residue. The best of all worlds.
Mini....so true. Sometimes our kids just flake out a bit. I think being a parent in this day and age sounds so difficult and competitive. Having to work and then take the kids to different kinds of practices and school functions, and often even the church is having 'events' of some kind. Glad you have some people you can depend on to share some time with that is satisfying. I guess that is why God made good friends for us.
Blessings
Jackie
Rita.....I'm eagerly awaiting your recipe too.
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I too am anemic....but not ferrtin anemic although I do take RX: 2 Tri Gel F forte /day and before that RX: 2 ferrogel forte for 12 years.....but I am anemic with MDS (myelodysplastic sydrome) a still a mild case had blood checked yeserday, I have clumpy funky red blood cells, my blood cell factory is "on strike" and my bone marrow doesn't make enough RBC.
I did not have chemo but they do see a relationship with chemo produced MDS also.
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Sandra......golden princess along with a holland ship arrived in seattle this AM......kicking off the cruise season.....Smith cove will be busy as the both dock on both sides of the dock......and all summer long
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my avatar was a pic of a watermelon head carved by staff on the GOLDEN (not my head) a few years ago
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Isn't it "fun" to find out you have something wrong with your blood and there is nothing you can do about it? I guess that's what you get when you go to a hematologist. They are going to find things because they are looking for them as opposed to a general practioner who is just looking for the most common things. Years ago my dad's brother had to get a liver transplant because of hemochromatosis. It's an overload of iron and destroys your liver. The doctor's missed it until it was too late. None of us had ever heard of it before. It runs in families, they say, but his brothers, parents, none of my cousins or other extended family had it. So strange.
My hematologist says it's common for people with what I have, thallesemia, to be misdiagnosed because some labs test iron by counting the number of red blood cells in a sample. People with my kind of thallesemia have very small red blood cells so there can be more or less in a given sample which skews the results. If the lab does more than one test relating to iron levels it will be obvious but apparently those extra tests aren't ordered or the insurance company won't pay for them so people are misdiagnosed and not properly treated. How the heck are we supposed to have peace of mind when we get a "good" test result?
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Good Saturday morning to all
Yes, my travel plans are extensive, and somewhat overwhelming for me too. But, I do not have to do anything myself, except be where they tell me to be, when they tell me to be here. My brain right now tells me to curl up in bed wih a good book for at least a month just to get my energy back. Most of my days are spent reading(in my recliner, not bed), and chatting with you guys or playing word games. My responsibilities are making my bed, emptying the dishwasher and switching the laundry from the washer to the dryer. I feel like a school child with a chore list. I do also make dinner 3-4 nights a week. And, of course, getting to radiation every day. My girls have made these plans and I am happy to let them do so. I actually feel better when I have a busy day then I do just sitting around, so I hope this travel will kick me back into gear. It will just be so good to have plans that do not revolve around cancer, and that the "cancer stuff" will just be part of my schedule, not the only or top priority.
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Anne, YES, you described it well. Having plans takes your mind off of bc. The first three months was a whirlwind of tests, surgery, infection complications, more surgery, doctor's appointments, and trying to adjust to this new reality. It was BC 24 hours a day. I'm sure I was insufferable to everyone around me. Then it was time for my exchange surgery, which I was looking forward to, but in the pre-op area of the hospital I fell apart. What a blubbering mess! My surgeon said I'd obviously had enough stress and worry and ordered me to go on a vacation. I started researching and planning, getting away from BC more and more as our plans firmed up. At six weeks post-op we went on a cruise and had a grand time. A month later it was time for surgery #4, which I sailed through. Having the right mindset makes a difference, doesn't it? Two weeks after that we were in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, and another two weeks found us on our way to Chicago for a week. I had so much fun planning the week and it turned out fun, fun, fun! Coming back to reality and home was nice but a visit two days later to my PS started me back on BC worry because surgery #5 was scheduled for early June. What to do? Go on another trip!! We leave Wednesday for a grand driving adventure to Florida (home) so once again I have lots of plans for things to see and do along the way and back two weeks later. I realize this can't go on forever, but it's sure been nice. We will have one more big treat for the year, going to Seattle in late August and seeing Alaska in early September. After that, we're "in" for the fall and winter. All my BC surgeries will be behind me and I can really settle into the new normal.
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All of u are amazing --I love to hear u'r plans with all kinds of things to do and u enjoy them. It's such a good medicine to relax and enjoy and be around people who love u.
My kids are out for the afternoon, a Communion party--restaurant of course (now a days) so I'm alone and it's quiet, altho no one every bothers me unless I go out in the living room, well Joey always around but u all know he's my love so he can come in whenever he wants. So can anyone else they just know I like to be alone a lot.
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All the plans I have are for now thru July. My younger brother seems to have decided that since I no longer have a spouse to travel with, he will take over. He is planning for us to drive thru New England in the fall- I am trying to convince him a cruise would be better- then he wants to rent a house in a Myrtle Beach and have a family reunion early Sept. He also wants me to visit him in Virginia Beach. Plus I always go to NY in Oct - all my birth family except my brother still live there. It all sounds great to me if I can schedule my very 3 week infusion into the plans. Have a great night
Anne
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Right now I know that I am standing on the threshold of a breakthrough--
a spiritual journey that will take me further along in my growth than
I could ever possibly imagine. This is a journey on which I will be filled
with a peace that far surpasses anything I have ever experienced,
and I begin it by knowing and living the truth of my divine potential.
I am on a journey of positive thinking, praying, and living. If ever I find myself
falling into a rut of negative thinking, I can't break down--I break through!
I break through the barriers of those negative thoughts and that
less-than-positive attitude. I break through and discover that
I am a spiritual being on a divine journey.
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