Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Sandy, he got up twice last night, still had some problems.Seems to be OK so far this morning. He takes Norvasc 5mg in the morning. His glucose was 268, when they did the blood work yesterday morning, he had eaten cheerios and OJ for breakfast . This keeps up we will go tot he ER , since they cudn't figure it out yesterday. Can't keep up this way. You are an appreciated resource, my nursing background is ancient!
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One of my patients who survived three major surgeries in five weeks
described himself as "born again." When I asked him about this, he
told me that his experience had challenged all of his ideas about life.
Everything he had thought true had turned out to be merely belief and
had not withstood the terrible events of recent weeks. He was stripped
of all he knew and left only with the unshakable conviction that life
itself was holy. This insight in its singularity and simplicity had
sustained him better than the multiple, complex system of beliefs and
values that had been the foundation of his life up until this time. It
upheld him like stone and upholds him still because it has been tested
by fire. At the depths of the most unimaginable vulnerability he has
discovered that we live not by choice but by grace.
And that life itself is a blessing.0 -
Sandy,
Decided to go to the ER and get another opinion. The dr. there thinks it is vertigo and is going to try a medication. hopfully this will work, he's afraid to drive and I can't pick him up off the floor!
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Fingers crossed bonnets that you get somewhere with this and sure glad you chose to get/try second opinion. It is a 'pain' getting old but the alternative is pretty un-pleasant too. Hoping you and Dh get your life back and working all right. New problems all the time so you have to be really ready for them, eh !!!!
Jackie
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Pretty day here by the way with almost no humidity so I'm trying to enjoy. Just one day and then we go back to a bit on the humid side with slightly higher temps again. I'll be happy for today though. First of the week is when we get our rain -- and it may be a small one. Whew !!!! That will bring out the humidness good and proper. So, I'll just enjoy now.
Jackie
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Hi. Haven't been on for a couple of days. I had my lumpectomy on Thursday with 3 sentinel nodes removed. All seemed to go very well. Surgeon removed a bit more that originally planned so she could get clean margins by tumor. Was released the same night and am really doing well. The bardes part is the incision by the armpit for the nodes. Feel so adorable sitting with bags of peas under my arm! I'm just so relieved to have this first part behind me and feeling like I'm on the road to get back to normal. We're having terrible heat here in So CA so am just trying to stay in and relaxing. Can't believe they are calling for 110 by about Monday. My daughter is in Carlsbad and even beaches are expecting heat. At least we have air conditioning so it's tolerable.
Now the wait for the pathology to plan next steps. Nice to be looking forward!
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Dara, glad you are through your lumpectomy and recovering. I hope it continues to go as good as your current description. Will be good to get your pathology report though and move onto into whatever tx. plan comes next. I think it sounded like ( I'm so lousy at recalling things ) like it would be fairly light on that end and so just pamper yourself and definitely take it easy with the heat.
Listening to the west coast weather report just sounded extremely un-pleasant. Hoping fire dangers are handled where there are fires and that no new ones erupt. We lived yrs. ago in Santa Barbara and Ventura so got used to some brushes with inclement weather where fires or earthquakes were concerned.
We had only been back home here for a few years when an early ( still dark ) morning earthquake woke us up. I knew from the feel that I needn't worry so just rolled over and went back to sleep. It is an extremely rare occurrence here and is the only one we have felt in our almost 20 yrs. of being home.
Jackie
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Postprandial glucose of 268 is high, but considering he had pure carbs for breakfast I’m surprised it wasn’t higher.
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Knowledge is of the mind, wisdom is of the soul.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
Happy Father's Day to all.
Teka, what fun those kites look to be. That is a good ole' American past-time. I remember my mother ( patience un-limited ) helping my sister and I make kites out of old newspaper, string and fabric for a tail. Such fun. Often these yrs. kids don't get to have so many of the fun experiences that were had in my day --- realizing that was just after the discovery of dirt, or so it sometimes seems. Glad to see kids having old fashioned fun and away from computers and other inside-type devices.
Toasty and a mite humid here but tolerable. We could get a bit of a rain squall but nothing to be proud about and only create a bit more humidity if it comes at all.
Jackie
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Just lost my first message right before sending it.
Jean, hope your dh is doing better
DaraB, glad to hear you are through with the lumpectomy. Just rest and relax. I had a lumpectomy in 2010 then did the mammosite for radiation. My oncotype test was low so I chose not to do chemo. Took Femara for 5 years. So far so good.
DS that hadn't answered phone or messages finally answered a text today. He also called dh for fathers day. He also told us dil has to have a biopsy on her thyroid next week. They found 2 cysts on her thyroid. Hopefully, it will be fine.
We have two grandchildren here with us for this month. We took them to the pool earlier and now time for lunch. It has been fun having them here and very interesting trying to keep them busy. So far to the beach, shopping, the pool, sightseeing. Hopefully, next week to go try a ride on the airboats in the everglades, and to the nature park and shell factory if the weather isn't rainy.
Have a great day!
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Bonnets, your dh's health issues are worrisome. Hope he gets a good diagnosis of the problem and then a cure.
Dara, glad you are doing well after surgery. Your mental state is great.
We are having a warm, humid day here in northern MN. So far I'm comfortable enough with fans going inside the camper. But we may have to turn on a/c. Tonight we're supposed to have thunderstorms as cool air from a front and hot air collide.
Things are quiet here in the resort as weekenders head home.
Best wishes to everyone.
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Back to the ER this morning, as he had trouble walking and blood pressure was very low. Called 911 and went by ambulance, keeping him in, hopefully find out whats going on! Not the way to spend Fathers Day!
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Bonnets, sorry that Father's Day will be in the hospital this yr. for you and Dh. Hopefully, they will be able to REALLY trace this issue and get a successful handle going on it. This just seems to be carrying on to long. So here's hoping that losing out spending Father's Day at home will result in good findings that will enable both of you to get answers and be able to move on together.
Jackie
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Thank you all for the good thoughts. Termite, your treatment is what I'm anticipating but I guess pathology will confirm or change when it comes back. Today is a nice Fathers Day. It's also my 45th wedding anniversary! Gosh, where has the time gone??? My husband has said his gift is that the surgery is behind us. He's been awesome through all this as has my son, daughter, and their families. I have 5 grandkids, ages 8yrs-20mo. The two older ones have been over and it's great because it makes life normal! My range of motion is a lot better than I expected. I'm hoping it means getting back to art and pottery sooner rather than later.
Bonnets, I really hope things get straightened out soon. It's just so hard to have the worry and not know what is going on. BP can be so challenging. I'll be sending good thoughts your way!
Happy Fathers' Day everyone. It's great to be on this side of surgery! Surgery area by lymph nodes swelled a bit today so just kicking back.
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Hey, Dara, mazel tov! Our 45th is a week from tomorrow.
Jean, it sure sounds like something may be going on with his electrolytes.
When Gordy was 3 and we took our first PNW vacation since moving away from there, we stayed in a B&B in Long Beach, WA. Turns out it was the weekend of the Kite Fest, so we bought Gordy a kite and showed him how to fly it. He loved it! When we headed north to the Inn at Semi-Ah-Moo just south of the BC border, he flew it on the beach, off the deck of the whale-watching boat and off the balcony of our room. When the crosspieces snapped during a particularly nasty gust off Foster Beach once we got home, he was devastated and refused our offer to buy him a new one. It had a big eye printed on it, and he named it “My Eye in the Sky."
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They feel he may have a kidney problem, are doing a sono tomorrow. Also the diastolic is still low and his resting heart rate is very slow too, usually in the 50s but is in the 40s! They kept saying dehydration, but his eating and drinking has been the same for 30 years!
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Hoping they get to the bottom of things for your DH, Jean--and that they can correct it soon.
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Haven't been here for a few days, have been helping Lew's son clean and move into an old farmhouse 35" from Fargo. We went out to eat for Father's Day and then he came over and cleaned out more of Lew's stuff from the garage. Slowly getting the garage shaped up.
Dara, good idea with the peas. Be prepared for that sentinel node incision to be uncomfortable for quite awhile, develops lots of weird lumps as it heals which Dr said were totally normal. Experiment with heat and cold, when it got to that painful lumpy stage I found if felt good to put one of those microwavable bean socks on it that you use for a sore neck.
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The wealth of the soul is the only true wealth.
Lucian0 -
Mornin All,
Jean- I used to have the same issue with my husband. For some reason, dialysis made his blood pressure drop. And his sugar levels were always all over the place because he thought he could eat whatever he wanted and adjust his insulin each time. Didn't work real well for him.
More drama with DIL. I texted my son Sat afternoon to see if he wanted to come with me to take Lu somewhere special on Sun. He didn't catch my asking him, so he told his wife I wanted to take Lu out on my own. They had a massive fight over her not letting anyone other than the two of them drive with Lu in the car. She called me, and was crying so hard, I thought something had happened to my son or one of the girls. I couldn't even breath until she said it was about the driving thing and why won't I just understand it ( I don't and neither does anyone else) and not upset her days after she gave birth and is all hormonal? Whoa, I said. I asked Rob if we (him and I) could take Lu- I never suggested me taking her on my own. I said if I wanted to take her on my own, I would have asked on a wEekday, not Sun when they are busier. She cried hysterically for over half an hour. I tried my best to calm her down, without calling her out on it. I did mention though, that while she is uncomfortable driving in this area, her mom and I are not- we drive here very day.
Then I was with her Fri afternoon, and for dinner, she and Lu had bowtie pasta with peas and a little olive oil. That is not giving her the nutrients needed for the baby. Meanwhile, the baby had lost a whole pound since birth - I know most babies lose a couple of ounces after birth- but a whole pound? Plus the Dr had said she should be having 8-12 wet diapers a day. That day, she hadn't had a wet diaper all day. For some reason, Anna cannot connect her eating having a direct effect on the babies health. We went through the same issue when Lu was born. So Sat morning, Tracy and I went to whole foods. I had already found five vegan acceptable meals. We bought all the ingredients for those dinners (all organic and gmo free) plus several canned soups that again were vegan, organic and gmofree. Then there was a fresh soup bar, so I got her two soups and a vegan chili. We took all the stuff that was just warm up stuff to her. Yesterday, I made one of the dinners which I will take over today. I asked her yesterday afternoon if she had tried any of it and she said no, her mom had made a stir fry Sat night and she had opted for a nap instead of lunch yesterday.
That's it for now- on my way over to help Anna with the girls while everyone else is at work.
Anne
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Anne,
As sweet as she may otherwise be, I sure wish there were someone that your DIL trusted enough so that she could GET it that babies need mothers who can provide certain nutrients to the baby. It is such a shame that in this day and age when so much is possible -- that a baby would not be able to thrive due to how a parents eats. It is hard to criticize someone you don't know --- but I'd like to think this new baby will do well and it looks a bit iffy already. Yikes !!
Jackie
p.s. You sure are doing what you can and that is a blessing.
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Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches,
letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.
- Pauline R. Kezer0 -
The heat continues on here. I'm actually hoping for rain -- but only after I've fed the feral cats. We could get some. Off and on it has gotten a bit cloudy ( so far not too dark yet ) so there is some rain up there somewhere. I just hope if it happens we get enough. Could be pretty toasty/humid afterwards. Sigh !!!! Otherwise, all is the same. I got my letter back from last mammogram and all is well there. I thought it would be, but I think after having undergone a cancer dx. I don't see me never not having a tiny dread until someone else tells me everything is as clear as it seemed to me when I had the Mammogram done.
Jackie
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Jackie, Glad to hear all clear on the mammo. Now you can breathe again! We are all anxious when those times come up.
DH labs seem better, now they think it may be a tick born infection. He has not been aware of a bite, but I got the target a few years ago and never knew I had been bitten. Got bit again this spring, on antibiotics both times. Also caught 2 deer ticks before they bit me. We have so many deer on our property. When my kids were young it was "Oh, a tick", now its Yikes, oh no, a tick! DH may get moved to a different floor today, birthday present?
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Hi everyone
I am back to a full house. Jamie and her 3 kids will be here for several days-they are installing indoor sprinklers in all the warehouses, and of course, no one can know they are living there,so here they are. Not a problem for a few days, we have two empty bedrooms and everything the kids need. Theolder two are totally comfortable here and I am getting plenty of cuddling with the baby. Then about 8:30, in walks my son, with all his computer stuff for camp, obviously planning to spend the night. Wasn't able to talk to him with his two sisters here, but with a slight change in sleeping arrangements, he was in his usual summer bedroom. I am assuming he and his wife are still fighting, but it had to be really bad for him to leave his daughters. Hopefully, it was only exhaustion that brought him here, but I don't think so.
His wife, along with her unrealistic fears, is afraid to gain a pound. I have no problem with her being vegan, but she takes it so much further, not eating anything that has fat in it. Everything she eats, she scrutinizes the ingredients, and will not eat it if it has any form of fat in it. Add to that, she doesn't really cook, except for boiling pasta, and you've got a very unbalanced, unhealthy diet. With Lu, at 6 mos old the Dr told Anna to feed Lu peanut butter so she would get some fat. Even if I cook her a separate meal from the one I do for my son and I, if I forget and stir her meal with the same spoon, it goes in the garbage. And if Lu want to taste a veggie from our plates, she can only have one that has not come in contact with the meat.
She can be a very nice person, and we usually get along fine, but her fears and need to control everything is killing their marriage. One day, Rob got a cup out of the cabinet and she wanted to know why he chose that cup. She was furious when he couldn't come up with a better answer than it was the first one his hand touched.
I have a 3 1/2 mo old baby asleep on my chest, which makes typing very tough, so I'll check in later
Anne
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Jackie, congratulations! I hope I'm able to get to the point where I feel relief when the all clear letter arrives. I had a mammogram in February 2016 that was clear, and then found my lump the first of May. I know sometimes, the density of tissue precludes finding something, but my sister had the exact same experience, clear mammogram in Feb, stage 4 by October. I think we all just need to be so diligent about self checks, even when the tests come back clear.
It's been brutally hot here in SoCal as well. Father's Day was 112 degrees. Finally cooling off to the high 90's today! Good time to just find inside projects, watch movies, and read. I'm feeling so good ager the surgery last week that I have to remind myself not to do too much. Will see my surgeon tomorrow so hope I get the clear to drive etc.
Anne, I can relate to the eating issues with your DIL. My younger sister and her two daughters are all organic vegetarians and vegans. I believe in being as healthy as possible, especially now, but it's hard when it's taken to extremes. The body needs some good fats, and I've seen cases when vegans and vegetarians think they are doing what's best, but actually are starving the body of vital nutrients.
Has anyone been inundated with suggestions for "complimentary" items (Essiac tea, quabana fruit, turmeric) that are supposed to help fight cancer? I'm completely in agreement with Western medicine, but others are suggesting many natural items as well. I know just because they are natural and non-precriptive doesn't mean they are safe or won't interfere with other therapies. I have the book Whole Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors, and am working through that. Any other suggestions or information out there?
Hope the weather is good wherever you are!
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DaraB, Check out all the supplements with your MO. You don't want to take a supplement that blocks something you're supposed to be on. Also, there are some that mimic estrogen and those are not considered safe for ER+ women. Glad your weather is going down to the 90's. SIL lives in Claremont and used to teach at UC Riverside. I'm sure her weather is just as hot. We're supposed to get up to 69 here today.
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Thanks, Wren, two years ago this time, we were vacationing on Whidbey Island. I was in love with the weather and area. I've cut out all supplements until I meet with oncologist. Just trying to stick with mostly fruits and veggies.
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All clear on the “front front,” ladies! Mammo showed nothing on the L that hasn’t been there since 2008, and only the tumor-cavity seroma (much reduced since the rads-planning CT in Oct) on the R. But for that seroma, I’d have been told to come back in a year, but the BS wants a 6-mo “short-interval” followup to see how the seroma is doing--and whether I will need some kind of oncoplasty for symmetry (or want bilateral reduction).
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