Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Now this one reminds me of my younger Daughter....she is 55... And we have the most FUN together. You know what sounds FUN? Some rainy day, in the Summer, going for a little run or a skip, with her out on the grassy parking, holding hands, and laughing with each other !
Yes, I know about breaking my hip, but it's FINE now....... and by holding her hand, we could hold each other up.... possibly....
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Chevy, welcome back! We missed your sunny humor.
I've been working on a new hand needle work project. I'm making placemats for our camper. I had not done applique before and wanted to give it a try. I could have used my zigzag stitch on the sewing machine but I chose to do the applique the old-fashioned way. Aside from the applique, I will do the sewing on my little sewing machine. I'll post some pictures when the placemats are finished.
Thinking about Puffin's Lew and Sandra and Mike. Hope both men are healing.
Hi to everyone.
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Sometimes a poem is every bit as good as a quote. I love this little poem that says so much to me.
I do not ask to walk smooth paths
Nor bear an easy load.
I pray for strength and fortitude
To climb the rock-strewn road.
Give me such courage I can scale
The hardest peaks alone,
And transform every stumbling block
Into a steppingstone.
Gail Brook Burket0 -
Cactus pear -- I so hope you will come and spend time with us. By the way, I love your "name". My mother ( deceased since 1998 ) loved cactus. Coming from Illinois originally ( relocating when I was an adult ) and moving to southern California, my Mom spent lots of time in the desert and ultimately made herself a huge cactus garden with a small pond ( oasis watering hole ) in one section of it. Loved spending time at her house and watching the many cactus come into bloom. Always a complete delight.
Carole, and everyone --- we are so glad that Chevy ( sweet Sunny to me ) has decided that she missed us enough to "come home" and post with us again. I really love the first good friends graphic as we do I think, help each other find our courage, hope, sense and deep connection to life and living and sharing it with others. We were yanked from a certain kind of life --- un-concerned for the most part with a cancer dx ---because it is not something you ever think will happen to you. We relied on each other and became caring, sharing friends. One of the high points of my day is getting on here to find out how all of you are.
As for me --- I'm fine today, as I am most days. I have rocks in my path now and then, but they don't seem to stay very long and I am truly grateful for that. I feel blessed with that -- and ready to help anyone else that I can.
You all are my peace and contentment.
Blessings
Jackie
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Chevy!!! You little devil. Where have you been? Nevermind, we don't care. We're just glad you are back. Missed you bunches.
Puffin, how is Lew today? Life-threatening situations for our spouses are certainly nightmare fodder. The "not knowing" part is the worst. For me, information is power and it gives me some control over my emotions by knowing exactly what is going on, what is the worst that can happen and how can it be fixed or helped. When I am surprised by something I didn't expect, I feel out of control and frantic. Hope you get some answers today. Please keep us posted.
Today is called Day plus one (Day + 1.) The bone marrow stem cell transplant was yesterday. It went fine. Those people really know what they are doing. It was like a choreographed dance. There were 2 doctors, 2 RN's, and 2 med techs surrounding his bed. Each had their own particular job to do. The med techs brought in a huge mushroom shaped canister on wheels that contained his sister Lisa's stem cells. (Go Lisa Go) They were collected last March and frozen. (Good for 10 years and enough for 2 transplants in case this one fails.) The doc took out one of the "pouches" and read off the identifying info on it for double checking with the nurses. (There was a mound of paperwork to be done at each stage and stickers to be peeled off one thing and put on another.) The med techs had a cooler full of bags of warm saline. They filled a sterile metal basin with the saline and the doc, who had taken the stem cells out of two protective covers with surgical precision, put the little bag in to thaw. He handed it off to the nurses who prepared it for infusion into Mike's PICC line. All the while, the med techs were checking Mike's vitals and the nurses were busy with other meds hanging on the IV pole. He got drugs to prevent seizures and and allergic reactions. One RN administered the stem cells while the other watched monitors. At first Mike said his face was hot, then his ears were burning and he was having some labored breathing. The doc said to slow down the infusion, the bed was adjusted so his feet were higher than his head, and the reaction faded away. Apparently this is common when the cells are infused faster than the patient can deal with it. Once the cells were in, the med techs began the same procedure again with the next bag of stem cells. There were 5 bags in total and it took 2 hours. As the cells were going in, I visualized them as a band of little yellow Minions, rushing in to save the day. (Go Lisa Go!) Mike's vitals were checked every 15 minutes for 4 hours, then every half hour for another few hours. No problems! He feels great. Today he went down the hall to the gym to work out for awhile. Somebody tell this guy he is sick! The doctors and nurses are amazed that he got through the heavy chemo preparation over the past week with no side effects. Most people can't get out of bed.
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Sandra, what an amazing post from you! I've been so nervous about hearing from you. It's wonderful that the procedure went well and Mike is doing fine.
Now we need to hear from Puffin about Lew.
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Whew !!!!!! and just for good measure, Whew !!!!! Sandra, you are incredible and I am so very, very happy for what seems to have been a well handled and executed procedure. I am also very happy for Mike. It is hard for those who wait --- because there is absolutely nothing to do but fret and worry, but it is also not a great time for a patient in many ways either --- as they must worry a bit too.
Big sigh of relief and continued prayers that the excellent beginning become a fantastic result.
Love and blessings,
Jackie
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Well I had my pre-op work up done today for Monday's surgical excisional biopsy on my left breast. (Basically a lumpectomy) then within a week or two I should find out if the atypical Ductal hyperplasia there has any cancer cells mixed in. Then my treatment plan can be finalized and I can get my IDC taken care of in my right breast. I am getting a little further down my road now. Wish me well!
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Sharon, you are wished well. It is always so much better when you know what you are dealing with in total and can get a plan of action that is pretty much all encompassing. It always feels better to be doing something --- rather than the waiting. You feel a bit more in charge whenever there is "some" plan with a good start date. Then day by day, tx. by tx. --- no matter what the tx. may be, you are working toward regaining health.
I always found it to be the strangest thing ( and not to upset ) but usually when you are diagnosed, for the most part, you may have never felt better. I was, or so it felt, really at a great point. Of course, with my dx. there was a lot I needed to do -- including 6 months of chemo and 7 full weeks of rads. The lumpectomy was a cake walk, but some of the rest gave me some issues. They passed, but it took me a while to "feel" truly well again. All's well that ends well though -- so one day a time, one foot in front of the other --- and all the hopes, prayers, well wishes, great care and encouragement from all your sisters here because there is life after tx. and it can be a new normal and another chance at a do-over that is wonderful. In your corner.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Jackie thanks and I know what you mean about the feeling after DX. I felt the same like the sky was bluer and everything seemed more real and alive. I think it's adrenalin or something. But as I have had to wait for so many test results that has worn off and depression set in I think because I wanted to just get on with it. One doctor has given me an RX for Xanax because I'm not sleeping well and lost my appetite. Don't know if it's nerves or the cancer
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Oh Sandra...so good to get your wonderful report on Mike. He is such a trooper! Continue to keep us informed and I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I found the process very interesting. I really had no idea what was actually involved in the procedure. Thanks for posting the pictures and describing the procedure. Just amazing!!!!
Seedsally.....I wish you all the luck I can send. Sometimes I think that all the tests, waiting, and decision makings are almost worst than the treatment.. We will be your cheerleaders!
Carole, I look forward to seeing the pictures of your placemats and totally admire you gals who are so creative!
Loved the poem, Jackie! You're right. It speaks as soundly as a quote!
Chevy.....So glad you are back! We've all missed you!
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Thanks Rita for being my cheerleader. And you may be right about the waiting and tests being worse than the treatments. But I might feel differently when I'm going through them Ha!
Jackie I love the poetry you posted. I write poetry sometimes. I may see if I have something appropriate that others might enjoy and post it.
Sandra your pics were wonderful!
Chevy I have been reading all your posts that I find and they are so helpful
Carole I really want to see your placemats too. My favorite needlework is knitting. I have many many projects going. I love knitting and all things yarn but don't mind if I don't finish a project. I just like the knitting. Here is a pic of some warm comfy knock about the house socks I made .
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Sally, the socks are really cute. How did you do the fuzzy tops?
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Thanks Carole
The pattern called for picking up stitches and knitting a few rows. That's all. The trick is the fuzzy yarn
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Sally, rockin’ socks! I didn’t necessarily feel more alive when I got my dx (just felt more urgency to pay attention to living). But at the time I got that annual screening mammo right up till surgery, I felt stronger and in better shape (especially my knees) than I had in at least 20 years. How surreal is it to feel healthier than ever yet simultaneously be the sickest you’ve ever been? At this point, except for having to watch my weight more, getting night sweats (not really hot flashes, but as my PCP calls it “my own personal summer”) and take LE precautions I feel more like myself again than at any point since surgery. I didn’t have any problems other than breast enlargement and painless redness during radiation. And since the cancer center is only 20 min. away, it was no big deal going there every M-F. (The little detours to Hoosier Mama Pie Co. en route home are another story, however).
Sandra, you and Mike are amazing! Those little “minions” are getting right to work as we speak, rebuilding his bone marrow and strength. Working out right after the transplant? Wow!
Puffin, continuing to send good thoughts of healing energy to Lew. Any more news?
Bob has suggested I occasionally pop a Xanax at bedtime if I know I’ll have pressure to get up early the next day (that always weighs on my mind and keeps me from falling asleep). He has a stash of them (and Norco) he stockpiled from his surgical adventures of last summer. (He never likes to take anything stronger than Aleve and his blood pressure meds & statin--I have to nag him to take a probiotic if he hasn’t had yogurt. I usually take half a Norco if I need it for sleep, but the Xanax does help. He had suggested trazodone (Desyrel, which was the antidepressant that got me through my PPD 31 years ago), but I looked it up in the PDR and found a “major interaction” warning with Bupropion (my maintenance SDRI since 1999)--the combo can cause seizures. Thanks, but no thanks.The Bupropion keeps me from downing a pint of ice cream and half a buttered baguette at a time--just the guilt of cheating to that extent would keep me so awake at night that no amount of trazodone could knock me out. My safety valve when I start on a diet, BTW, is the “cheat dream.” I wake up in the morning, horrified that I ate an entire pie or sundae or whatever, until I realize it was only a dream. Far easier to recover from than an actual “cheat day.”
Carole, hope you & yours are still high & dry down there in LA!
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Seedsally...love the socks! I have a friend who uses the fuzzy yarn to make head covers for golf clubs. They are like a knited sock at the bottom and then have the fuzzy tops! Everybody loves them! I haven't put any pictures on this site for a couple of years so I've forgotten how to do it. When I get home in a few weeks and have more time, I will see if I can accomplish it and post a picture of them.
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Morning gals........ I'm just so glad it is SPRING, and warmer days, and I can fool-around outdoors again! I mean once it gets light out!
Hi Cactus! My folks in Richmond California had this HUGE Cactus, that only once in awhile would bloom, this beautiful big white flower...sometimes a couple... I had taken my little Grandson, about 10 at the time... out there after my Mom passed away....
And Dad's cactus BLOOMED the night before we left! Chase knew it was going to bloom... So from then on, it was Dad's "Chase" cactus... Ha! I still don't the name of it... Maybe I can hunt for one of those pictures, and one of you will know the name of it?
Jackie, you were talking about the Dollar store....(email)... And THAT is one of my favorite stores.... THAT and Super Walmart AND ROSS! Yesterday I bought a LITTLE bottle of vegetable oil, instead of like that 2 liter size I usually get! And I found $17 more treasures at that Dollar store! So it is more like a $20-30 dollar store.... Hah!
I also like their little "reading glasses"... diabetic socks, make-up, and their fragrance's.... I use them for bathroom spray.
SANDRA! OMG what are you guys still doing?? I read your post, (like I understand it) and can't beLIEVE how they are taking care of Mike! ... I am just not familiar with that procedure... probably most of us aren't.... but WOW, thank God for technology...right?
Morning Carole... How is your foot? And your Mom doing okay?
Seedly, Monday will be here and over and done with... You can probably watch what they are doing, on that screen... And they might leave little "clips" in there, to mark the spot.. It's like they are making their map... and then their plan after they analyze your tissue... Yes, like Jackie says, there is some point when you feel relieved... that this is all being taken care of!
Hi Rita! My favorite poem was "Foot-prints in the Sand"... My Mom had little quotes and poems saved all over their house... But when she passed away, that is the one that brought me closer to her.... I brought home, so many of her "special little things".... even 5 of her little diaries... She started them before she met Dad... And kept them up, every day, until my Brother and I got older... Then she had her hands full... Ha! But reading about her when SHE was very young, and going with Dad was magical.
Seedsally... Okay if I just call you Sally? I LOVE your little socks! I crochet... It's an obsession... a habit.... a something that I can't shake. But I AM slowing down... Hah! I don't do anything fancy, just plain old crochet, but it's relaxing...I have made a LOT of those ruffled scarves, and given a lot away to the gals at Assisted Living where my friend lives... I've given a lot of little blankets away to those ladies, and they get SO happy! Some of them have NO-one to come visit them... So when we go, I take chicken-pieces for little Abby... ("Wilma's little poodle") and scarves or blankets for the other gals...
ChiSandy! I love your name and Avatar... Chicago, eh? See how swift I am? I KNEW it, then I looked, and sure'nuff... Chicago! I see you are on Femara? How is that treating you? The Onco wanted me to try that, after I quit Tamoxifen, but I declined her ever so generous offer... and haven't taken anything else.
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Good morning everyone! Cloudy and looks rainy here. But still a good day.
Chevy you can call me anything you like. My name is Sharon. I will be put out for the procedure I am having Monday or at least the actual surgery. I will be awake for the first part where the wire is placed to mark the track. I already have titanium markers in both breasts. This is the 3rd BX.
I hope all you ladies had a good nights rest. I couldn't so I was writing poetry at midnight. Even started a new topic "Poetry for the Soul" on one of the forums and posted it there. Muuuusshhy.🙄
Well I better get up and get started on my busy day. It's the only day of the weekI get to clean house. Yuck!
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Looking for and enjoying beauty is another way to nourish
the soul. The universe is in the habit of making beauty.
There are flowers and songs, snowflakes and smiles, acts
of great courage, laughter between friends, a job well done,
the smell of fresh-baked bread. Beauty is everywhere, ready
to nourish the soul. It must only be seen to begin helping us.
Matthew Fox0 -
Beautiful thought for today. Thanks IllinoisLady.
Teka thanks for making me smile.
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So here's my corny poem about the path ahead for me:
The Decision
By me (Sharon
In the midst of my turmoil, In the blackness of fear
I searched all around me, For a choice that was clear
In panic I stumbled, Then fell to my knees
And there in the stillness, I cried "Help me please"
A peace came upon me, And steadied my soul
For I knew from then onward, Which way I should go
The darkness had vanished, In that moment of time
You see the choice that I made, Never really was mine!
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Aw GEEZ! That wire! That wire that was a block long, and curled around the whole room! You would THINK all this was from the 1800's !!! I remember what they did, but not in the proper sequence... OBviously...
Morning Teka.... cute picture!
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ChiSandy, I've been taking trazodone and bupropion together for years without any problems. So I don't think it's as dire as it sounds. Perhaps there's something else with sleepy side effects.
SeedSally, At least you'll have some answers soon. That will feel better, I think.
Teka, Sure hope that cat was photoshoped. We've had a few that size at the shelter, but it's so unhealthy.
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Sharon, you are a poet! How wonderful!
Teka, I look just like that cat. I'm a stress eater and, goodness knows, have had a lot to stress over these last couple of years. Up until 3 years ago I was a fitness instructor and ballroom dance instructor. After a brain stem stroke, 6 breast cancer surgeries, and now, worst of all, Mike's illness, I've blown up! As the stress fades, so does my weight so I'm looking forward to being smaller soon.
Chevy, I liked your cactus story. Reminds me of this.
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I like that Sandra --- a whole lot. There are so many neat cacti. I planted some but always so wary of the kind that was named ( I'm sure there was a real name ) jumping Cholla. It has so many, many needles. They were long enough as such, but were thin and a bit hard to see. Guess the name came as you didn't seem to have to get nearly as close to them to get some of the thorns/needles into you. I hated that part but still found something ( not the needles or course ) irrestible about them. Then the rather large ( at least if you kept it long enough ) and usually three or so arms on it, one that was called a night bloomer. The flower on it opened at dusk and tended to look closed ( very un-energetic ) during the day.
Lots of different habits -- these gorgeous desert plants
Jackie
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Read up on this --- I had forgotten that it is only open on one night.
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Jumping Cholla:
Sandra, I think the ones in your picture may be Arizona Barrel Cactus, but not sure.
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Sharon, I haven't been too talkative today. I love your poem too. I wrote a lot of poetry when I was much, much younger. My first husband thought it amusing and one day out of total frustration I threw it all out ( what in the world was I thinking ) and later my Mom --- loving most of everything that I ever did, was distraught when she found out it was all gone. She thought I should have tried to have it published.
Dreary here today, but no rain. I think it rained during the night. Sometimes it does that here --- holds off all day long and rains while we sleep. I'm ok with that though not a fan of any gray days.
I will work tonight though I don't have any idea how long. Didn't sleep too well last night --- not sure why, but likely will do well tonight. I sleep soundly almost all the time so a restlessness night is an odd thing.
Hope you all have a great Saturday.
Blessings
Jackie
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How absolutely breathtaking. I think that bloom is as close to what I imagine an angel looks like as it gets. Be-a-u-tiful
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Sharon, I love the poem! How thought-provoking, true and creative!
Love the fat cat, Teka. Ha! Reminds me of myself this winter. Although I have been more active, I have eaten everything in sight. I need to get back into my exercise program when I get home and back on my gluten-free diet. Hopefully I will lose these winter pounds and feel much better when I eat better.
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