Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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OKbecca, you are most welcome to join us whenever you can...daily, monthly...we don't judge but we might worry about you a little if it's been too long. This is a good place to vent. I've done that myself a lot lately. We are allowed to throw pity parties here, brag or complain about our kids & grandkids, make everyone jealous with our travels, share fun experiences, hobbies, photos...there are no rules. (Except no politics or religion.) So stop in for a virtual cup of coffee or tea with us anytime you are "in the neighborhood."
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Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted--a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.
Rabbi Harold Kushner0 -
Sandra, so good to see you here --- though knowing you really have had some recent difficult times. I feel blessed to be a part of your life and hope to continue holding you up, and any others when they need it knowing that I'll be accorded the same if and when needed. So, you have been thought about often and always prayers for whatever you are going through --- even if some good times for you to have extra comfort and enjoyment of them.
A little sun today and some much warmer temps. We are getting Spring teasing. Ok with me.
I heard from Joan and she is fine. A little behind on reading and response here but wonderful to know she is ok and thinking of us here and hoping to soon get right back on the page with us.
Blessings
Jackie
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Okbecca, welcome to this chat group. The ladies here are great
Sandra and Mike, Sending prayers and hugs
Linda, that's a lovely bracelet. Keep your chin up and don't let work get you down
Puffin, beautiful puzzle. Your trip sounds great
It is getting close for all my yearly appt. and the 6 month ct scan on my lungs. Its good I have this move to keep my mind off of that. We have picked out the couch, loveseat and recliner style now just the fabric remains. I am torn between two different colors but basically the same designs. The solid color would be the couch, loveseat and recliner. The pattern would be for the throw pillows.The first one is Sing Turquoise the second is Avis Aqua. Sorry I could not make them smaller. Not sure if I would want another chair in the pattern material or in a complimentary green color. Any ideas would be great.
Sorry this is so long. Hope everyone is having a good day!
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Termite, Both are good choices. I think the aqua on the bottom might show dirt sooner. I would lean toward matching a green for for the chair. Perhaps someone could photo shop the pattern on a chair so you can see how it would work. I think the pattern would be ok on a small chair, but a bit much on a large one. There - you have my opinion. Never took decorating classes or anything similar, so don't take my word.
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They’re saying 60 degrees for tomorrow, but very windy (and possibly rainy). My R hand has been driving me nuts all day--very sore on the back when I flex my wrist (the skin feels extremely sensitive), and at the base of my palm between the thumb and lifeline, it’s sore but not to the touch. My LE therapist thinks I might have been gripping the exercise bands too tightly and irritated tendons--and she also told me to stop using a laptop on my lap, move it to a table, take off my bracelet when typing (the charms and chain leave marks despite the bracelet having more than an inch of slack) and try not to be online so much. Can’t help it--I'm a natural multitasker and it drives me crazy for my hands not to have something useful to do. My cording has gotten worse too. And this is mild lymphedema!
At least I got a compliment from my dermatologist this morning. The seborrheic psoriasis that caused me to make the appointment isn’t flaring up; the moles I was worried about are harmless and one of them’s just a “seborrheic keratosis.” She is concerned, though, about the redness of the skin on the irradiated part of my breast and the fibrosis over the seroma (my LE therapist laughed and said “she should have seen it a month ago”) and prescribed a steroid ointment to ease it. But when I asked her what I should be doing about anti-aging skin care beyond cleansing, moisturizer and sunscreen, she remarked that my complexion looks great and that I should just keep on doing what I have been doing. (She did recommend ROC’s sensitive-skin retinol line, but that I should NOT exfoliate, at least not on my face). Delighted that she didn’t mention Botox or fillers.
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ChiSandy, what a nice compliment about your skin! Sorry you're having so much discomfort with the LE.
Termite, I like the print. The design and the colors. I think it would perk up a room.
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ChiSandy - you said: "pain at the base of my palm between the thumb and lifeline". You might consider the possibility of Trigger Thumb. That's exactly where I hurt. I've been getting sporadic cortisone shots since I'm not ready to address even the easy surgery that my orthopedic hand specialist is recommending.
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Minus, I had trigger thumb in my L (non-LE) hand in 2004 and again in 2010. Symptoms were different--no pain, just popping-locking of the distal thumb joint. First time, I had a cortisone shot (the hand plastic surgeon suggested I try that rather than the infinitely more expensive surgery). When the soreness from the shot wore off, I was fine for six full years, almost to the day. But in 2010, I awoke one morning to find that my thumb had locked so hard I needed to use my right hand to unlock it. Unfortunately, I was about to leave on a tour that included playing 17 nursing-home shows in 5 days, followed by a folk music conference. So the surgeon gave me another shot--warning that it could thin the tendon too much if it stayed in too long--and the day after I returned from my tour, he flushed out the remaining cortisone and did the tendon-release surgery. But this time I’m not getting locking, and the soreness spread across my palm later this evening. The LE therapist thinks it’s probably tendinitis or even arthritis (I’ve been on letrozole a month & a half, and maybe the effects of estrogen withdrawal are kicking in) and wants me wearing a thumb splint at night if it helps. She also had me discontinue the rubber band resistance exercises until it clears up.
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Our God is not made of stone. His heart is the most sensitive and tender of all. No act goes unnoticed, no matter how insignificant or small. A cup of cold water is enough to put tears in the eyes of God. Like the proud mother who is thrilled to receive a wilted bouquet of dandelions from her child, so God celebrates our expressions of gratitude. -Richard Foster
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A wonderful day here today. It's sunny and the temp. is in the 70's. Perfect temperature. I don't like warmer (or hotter) than 70's.
I finally got back out on the golf course today and enjoyed the round. Also enjoyed having lunch afterwards with five of the other six women. DH is out playing now so I'm having a quiet afternoon. There are things that I could do but I might just be lazy.
Happy Friday to all.
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Well, we had a little excitement just past noon. Good news is that it's in the low 60s here by the lake. Bad news is that we've been getting wind gusts...in the low 60s too (MPH). About 12:30 we lost power...not just our block but most of the N. Side to a couple of miles west. Heard a crash in front and there on the grassy “parkway" between the street & sidewalk lay about a third of our big-leaf maple tree. Fortunately, nobody was parked there! My housekeeper (because I’m not supposed to lift stuff) wrestled with the garage door and managed to get my car out and parked outside so in case my cell phones ran out of juice (our landline is hooked to a battery-op modem from the cable company) I could charge them--my car doesn't power the ports unless the engine is running, and you don't want to do that in a closed garage. Bob made a room res at the Oak Lawn Hilton in case the power didn't come back, but we have a fridge repair guy coming tomorrow--there was a slow leak around where the icemaker/water dispenser is set into the door, though it's dry now (just like when your toothache goes away when you walk into the dentist's office or your car stops making that unnerving noise just before you drive into the repair shop). Power finally came back about 2:30. Sky is really cloudy, though--saw ominous-looking cumulonimbus rolling in. Hope we don't get tornadoes.
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My Mom and brother lived in Oak Lawn , before moving here , NEW YORK STATE!. Hope the weather calms down there. Had a fridge door repair a few weeks ago and the durn repair policy didn't cover it. Cost enough for the repair, next one we get a new fridge! Guess the warranty extension thing has to be an electrical problem for coverage.
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Good afternoon,
It has been pretty gusty/windy too here in Illinois. Nice and warm though and a fair amt. of sun. I don't think I'm going to work tonight as I haven't gotten a call. In a way nice, but I was hoping to listen to how the S. Carolina caucus comes out tomorrow night. Otherwise, just relaxing this afternoon. I'm getting good at that.
Dh is enjoying getting more work now that he has been hired on at the new Sears hometown store in Mt. Vernon. Just wasn't getting enough work at the hometown store here. I think the new store will use him quite a bit as he is pretty experienced. He has about 13 or so yrs. in all-together. I'm not liking the fact that he is now having the 43 mile round trip again. That is not near what some people drive, but our vehicles are old and so are we so I really did appreciate Dh just working here in town. Well, I think I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed on that.
Aside from the wind I'm sure enjoying our taste of Spring. Sure hope we don't hear anything like you did ChiSandy. We are surrounded by trees here and though I've learned a degree of comfort, a lot of wind is always scary. We also have a high water table and though most trees seem ok, I think some with roots not down too far on occasion just loosen in the wet ground and go over.
Laughed about the description of what happens when you need something fixed. Murphy's Law to a tee.
Hope you all have a great afternoon.
Jackie
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Bonnets, our fridge is long out of warranty (2011) but is a top-of-the-line LG French-door one that would cost much, much more to replace than repair. (Probably just a worn gasket or seal that needs replacing, but not a DIY job).
So windy out there now that I can hardly tell whether that freight-train rumble is the CTA elevated train (“the L”) a block away or a gale. Wanted to go out and take advantage of the warm weather and rack up some Fitbit steps, but that doesn’t look like a good idea. No grilling tonight either--would never be able to get the grill to light, and the food might blow away when the lid is up (if it doesn’t get blown out of my hands first)!
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Finally, getting caught up. It's been a long time. Heart issues and a broken foot that needed surgery and pins really got to me. Having to roll around for months took me down. I just got released and am on two feet again. I still limp but will get stronger now.
I loved the puzzles. I do a small one on line every day. The hats were beautiful. I make hats for a group, Pass the Hat. They all go to cancer patients. I haven't tried coloring but was just given a book and pencils, so will give it a go.
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Teacher, it is so good to see you. I am sorry to hear about the heart issues and your foot. It sounds like you are looking forward to mending truly well and that you have some strong drive going in order to help/make it happen. You know everyone here will be pulling for that too. Will be looking forward to keeping up with your progress.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Welcome back, Teacher! Glad you're walking again.
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Teacher, welcome back. Glad to hear you are up and about again.
Wren44, thanks for you input about the material. I am not good at making up my mind unless I can see the finished project somehow. I am not good at decorating a room so I do not enjoy this part of the move at all. I saw a picture of a room similar so now will have to decide which color I want.
The winds were so strong here yesterday but it was a nice temperature out. Today is a little windy but beautiful out. We have a party to go to this afternoon for my aunt which is 94. It seems strange on a Saturday afternoon since so many people still work but it should be fun to see everyone.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
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You are goodness and mercy, and compassion and understanding. You are peace and joy and light. You are forgiveness and patience, strength and courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a leader in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion.
You are the deepest wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love. You are these things. And in moments of your life you have known yourself as these things. Choose now to know yourself as these things always.
Neale Donald Walsh
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Good morning,
Great morning here -- a little catch but I'm not actually minding. It is warm with great sunshine and weatherman says 75 today. This has in the past come in Februarys past. Later, it might help usher in some night time rain, but how can I care with such a glorious day --- our BIG, big taste of Spring.
I didn't chime in for Wren since I'm not much of a decorator either. My style is -- doesn't much matter if I can afford it. That said, I do think getting the extra chair in green is likely what I'd do. I do feel like some contrast that pulls in with the other 'like' room pieces would be nice. I watch HGTV and always wish the Property Brothers would find their way to my house and just "do it all over" the right way. Keep look out the window but no ones shows.
Got to run for now and do kitties, but hopefully will get back here.
Jackie
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Good morning, all. I think the best rule for decoration is to pick out colors and designs that you can live with. I might enjoy looking at a room with dramatic reds and blacks and whites but I know I wouldn't want a room like that in my home. I tend to like sea colors, greens and blues and aquas but I also like earth colors. Two houses ago I worked with a decorator when we were building our dream house and I learned some things from her. She advised choosing neutrals for permanent things like bathroom fixtures and flooring and getting in the color and design with things that can be changed like paint and wall paper, which was "in" at that time. Wall paper goes "in" and "out."
I want to re-paint our master bathroom when I work up the initiative. It's cranberry red and I will probably go with a blue-green sea color. The fixtures and floor tile are pearl gray so the walls need some color. I wish I had gone with ivory fixtures in this house when we were renovating 20 plus years ago but I was fixated on pearl gray. At least I didn't pick a dark color like my SIL did when they were building their house. She picked hunter green and they eventually had all those fixtures replaced when they were sick of the color.
Back to work cleaning house. :-(
Happy Saturday to all.
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Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift) - A cover by Nathan & Eva These young people are a link I have and I so enjoyed listening to them Refreshing after some of hat we hear and see the younger crowd doing.
Jackie
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Nice music duo Jackie.
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Welcome back Teacher. I am so sorry to hear about your health issues but am glad that you are recovering.
It's good to hear that Illinois is getting some warm temps...even if you have to cope with the acccompanying winds.
We had a great day today. We took the boat over to Cayo Costa island and went shelling on a part of the beach that is more isolated. We found a lot of shells and then sat for awhile with the waves coming in from the Gulf and just read. We tried some saltwater fishing on the way back in. Dave caught a couple of hammerhead sharks and I caught a grouper but we threw them back in. We love grouper but this one wasn't quite large enough to keep and I think they are out of season here. We need to do a little more research about that before we go out again on the Gulf.
Carole...I love the blue-green colors also when decorating. They are so peaceful and calming.
We have kept busy with the socials, golfing, fishing and our boating excursions. It is hard to believe that we are on the downward slide of our Florida stay.
Hope everyone is doing well!
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I vote for the first one, the turquoise. I would do the sofa in a solid color but two nice club chairs in the print. Too much of a solid color looks dated. But what do I know? I'm not a decorator and even when I watch the shows on TV, I have a hard time appreciating some of the choices made by the professional decorators.
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Miracles are instantaneous, they cannot be summoned, but come of themeselves, usually at unlikely moments and to those who least expect them.
- Katherine Anne Porter0 -
Several friends that we haven't seen in years have suddenly found a reason to come to San Antonio. Of course Mike knows the real reason is they are coming to see him because he could die soon, but we are enjoying the reunions just the same. Yesterday we had a visit from a delightful young couple we met on a cruise a few years ago. Even though they are younger than our kids, we just "clicked." They live about 6 hours away in the Dallas area, so even though this IS Texas and we are used to driving long distances, it's a little too far for a quick visit. We've settled for frequent contact with Sarah and Brandon via Facebook mostly and enjoyed watching their two boys grow. It was great to see them again in person! My heart was overflowing and I realized they are more like family now. They understand grief in ways most people never do. After years of infertility, they had Abby. When she was a toddler they hired a babysitter and went to dinner, only to come home and find the babysitter asleep and Abby floating face down in the pool. How can you survive such a horrible tragedy? Infertility prevented another pregnancy. After several years they were thrilled to adopt Aaron. Five years later they were shocked to discover Sarah was pregnant with Quentin...a red haired ball of fire! Late last year Sarah got pregnant again but it was a complicated, dangerous high risk pregnancy due to a rare blood incompatibility that prevented nutrients from getting to the baby and the fact that the placenta was directly on her cervix. The docs gave Sarah no chance of delivering and urged them to abort. They looked far and wide to find a high risk OB who would accept Sarah as a patient and give her the daily injections required to give the baby a chance. Finally they found one in Houston, traveled there, began the medication, made plans to move to Houston and found out they were having a baby girl. So bittersweet after losing their little Abby. Just as things were coming together, two weeks ago Sarah miscarried in her fourth month. Such pain in their hearts! But somehow they have survived another tragedy and are still a strong couple. We had a long talk about faith - my lack of it and how their journey through grief changed them. I learned it's ok to be angry with God and perfectly understandable. They've found their way back ...it took a long time, but it happened. I don't know if I'll be that lucky. I'm already so MAD at what we've already gone through the last three and a half years, and overwhelmed by the fact that although I fought through three life-threatening diagnoses, my never-been-sick-before husband is now the target of some weird vendetta. (yes, that's what it feels like) Guess I'll have to wait and see how the bone marrow transplant goes. Eleven days to go. God, if you are there, this is your last chance. I'm not as good a person as Sarah or Brandon.
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Sandra, hearing you speak about your friends was so touching, so REAL. I'll be praying that the equilibrium they seem to have will continue to grace them. It seems they were "placed" in your life to fill a need. People come into our lives for so many reasons. Maybe, just maybe to help us realize that in our lifetimes we may be asked to carry some really heavy burdens. We can be mad, full of grief, beat up or beat down. But do we keep going???? The desert of pain, fear, anger, depressions, helplessness is huge and majorly un-comfortable. Somewhere in our future is a door -- the way out back into the light. Everyone has their desert periods, but I think it is true. What doesn't kill us eventually makes us stronger. I think ( though I haven't seen it for a long time now ) I had a quote that said something like: I didn't say it would be easy, I said it would be worth it !!!! So, while angry frustration and a sense of why me interspersed with some futility lurks around and seems to want to park next to you forever, little by little, and with and by grace, cracks of light at some point will appear and when they do they will turn into he widest expanse you've ever seen.
I sympathize totally with you in the desert and I am willing to wait with you so I can hear you rejoice when the light returns. Tough times don't last, tough people do.
Jackie
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Our previous house had a sea foam green bathroom. I loved it. There was a huge window that left in lots of light, so every morning felt cheerful. Now we have white walls and multi hued neutral range tiles. It is kind of blah and needs some color.
Today was my stepson's birthday. The grandgirls were allowed to ride with Nana and Papa to the restaurant and we enjoyed the non-stop 7 year old conversation, which continued through lunch. They are so,amusing
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