MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
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I used to volunteer as an ushers for the Nutcracker. I got to see it for free! DH and I did it for years, now he's not interested in seeing it anymore.
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Hey Middies. Just popping thru.
Offering encouragement to anyone in need...... energy to anyone realizing they've run a little short and hugs to any who find themselves wanting one.
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elimar, I've noticed the changing pictures in the welcome area. Thanks, they've been lovely.
Came home from work today and my DD spent ALL day baking & making a humungus mess! She's 15 and fancies herself a chef/baker that is already famous and therefore doesn't have to do her own kitchen clean-up. It's a real dilemma because when she does do it, she doesn't do it "good" enough for me, so it's just easier for me to do it most of the time. I know, I know, I hear you all yelling! What should I do? Banish her from the kitchen? Then we'd NEVER have goodies-hey-maybe that's the ticket!!!
Y'all have a very Merry Christmas. I can not believe that we are this close!
Joni
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Elimar, Thank you for the nutcrackers! I love them!!!
Meece, My hubby would never be caught at a ballet!
Faith, I'll take all the hugs I can get TY!
Joni, My 19 year old loves to cook and hates to clean!
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DH has a history of family members being part of the performance. I don't know if he really enjoys it though. For two years I've been trying to talk him into taking me to Wicked, and I still haven't seen it.
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i can relate so much of them cooking and me cleaning that scary looking kitchen. The floor used to look like a colorful garden. I can joke about it now but then it was a terrifying not to be able to see the floor and the counters.
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Hey, just want to wish you all a very blessed holiday, may there be thousands more to celebrate. God bless you, all. Kathy P.
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Eph3_12, we haven't had a hair update from you. I am getting chilly looking at your shaved head. Please tell me you've grown out a little insulation since that pic was taken. I'm impressed that you have a teen baker in the family, the cleaning skills do seem to lag a few years behind!0
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I don't even invite my DS to bake. He will make brownies or something while I am at work, and there is no mistake what has been made, or who made it, when I get home.
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Good Morning Middles ! I've been away for awhile, getting ready for Christmas. We usually start Celebrating Dec. 23rd, I have my family here for my 85 and 87 yo parents. It has gotten to be to much for them to do at their house and the family has gotten bigger. We have moved it up a day because of the big storm heading our way ! My kids and Grandkids are currently on their way from Texas, they moved up their trip a day earlier also. I talked to them 30 minutes ago and they were 100 miles from the KS border. They should be here by 2:30 or 3 pm.
Just wanted to stop by and say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ! Prayers to everyone....
I'll be checking in with you all in a week or so............
Blessings,
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Have a wonderful time, Nebraska. I wish I had my boys all home for Christmas. DS#2 will be opening his box of gifts by himself overseas. Makes me sad. DS#1 will have a nice Christmas with his wife in another state. They always have friends over. Being in a military area, they open their home for those who can't go home for the holidays.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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Elimar: Thanks for the advice on the B12 - I have been taking all of the B vitamins and they do help. I think I'm just expecting more of myself than is realistic given the past few months of chemo and radiation. I'm glad your cough is better. Mine is better but turns out it was from the heart medicine I had to begin after a little damage from chemo. BTW, love the changing pictures.
Meece: Great idea about the gift bags - just have to let go of the idea that the kids gifts must be wrapped. I'll save the wrapping for the grandkids' gifts. I'm sorry you won't be with your boys for Christmas, I'll be thinking of you and your family.
Nebraskagrandma - enjoy your family, it's great you can all be together.
I can't even begin to comment on kitchen messes!! I love my family but I do believe I'm the only one, other than my DIL that knows what a clean kitchen is - their kitchens are clean but when they are at my house they all think mom will do it!
My prayers are with everyone, Merry Christmas.
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Nebraskagrandma, Enjoy your family. I understand the aging parent thing. My dad is 84 and my mom is 78. They rarely travel so we all are the ones to visit them.My youngest son is stationed at Camp Pendleton so he and his family will spend their holidays there with friends. The military is a huge family. He spent two Christmas' in Iraq so being 14 hours away is so much better than him being a world away.
To all my fellow middies and to all those who stumble upon this fabulous thread....I wish you the brightest holiday season and a health filled New Year.
Linda
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Caption #1 -- Look what just came down the chimney. Ho-Ho-Ho.
Caption #2 -- You woke me up from my nap for this?
Caption #3 -- I don't do antlers! <Help Me>
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Yeah it sucks. I just turned 50 and yesterday diagnosed w/IDC in left breat. My mammogram/ultrasound says 2.8 cm at 2 oclock and second 1cm at 1 oclock. Not sure any more information have appt to see surgeon on 12/28/09. I can't believe it since I feel so good! Can it be true? I guess I'll know more after seeing specialist. So far right breast is clean! What a way to start a new year! UGH!
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Welcome, jrlegal. I am so sorry that this is the surprise you have received. I know that I didn't feel bad at all before I was officially dx'd. Even when I knew what I had, I ddin't feel bad. Good luck with your dr. appt.
Meece
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When my grandmother's arthritis in her hands made it impossible for her to wrap Christmas gifts one of my Aunts found plastic zip-lock bags in vrious sizes with Christmas decorations. The gift bags are solid white and have become a bit of a tradition in the family--only Grammy's gifts can be in these bags, and once you open the gift you have to give the bag back! So, Suzwes, don't be so hard on your self about wrapping gifts--kids and grandkids (and great grand kids and great-great-grandkids in my family's case) are surprisingly adaptable! The wrapping is not the point. One year my mother wrapped everything in colored comics pages from the newspaper and NO ONE NOTICED. Really, not until she said something! The kids are more interested in visiting with mom/grandmom than in how fancy the gift wrapping is.
elimar, I look forward to seing what new picture you've posted--they are always beautiful and fun to see.
jerlegal & meece, I too felt fine unitl I started getting treatment for the beast. It's been almost 3 years and I'm just starting to feel like I have enough energy to live a life. So what do I do? I plan reconstruction surgery next summer! Oh, well, hopefully I'll be able to build myself up so I can bounce back from this surgery in a reasonable amount of time.
Finally getting snow here again, wrapping around from the back side of the big storm that whallopped lower New England/DC area. Supposed to get about 6 inches, maybe more tonight into tomorrow. So I'm holed up at home, packing up some boxes to ship out the next day driving is reasonable.
I got a nice little Christmas present today--the agency that I do some per diem work for sent me a $200 "Appreciation Gift"! I've got a call out to the local massage therapy place, going to schedule a treat for myself!
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jrlegal - That's one of the worst things about the breast cancer diagnosis, to me - the thing where you're feeling just fine. I think if I'd been experiencing a stabbing pain in my left breast accompanied by sudden bouts of unconsciousness, it would've seemed more like surgery, etc., was necessary. But nooooo. And I know so many people schedule mammograms around their birthdays so they don't forget them, but if you think it through, you could end up giving yourself a crappy birthday present (my initial scary ultrasound of a spot not within the field of the mammogram was two days after my birthday). I suppose one could look at it in a positive light and say, "Oh, for my birthday, I saved myself by finding cancer so it could be treated." But I'm not really feeling that as a "gift" just yet...
Elimar - I don't like testosterone or body hair in my chocolate. So aside from the occasional "Creme de Cocoa Body Liquor," I keep my man and my chocolate separate...
Suzwes - Fatigue related to breast cancer treatment (this year: Tamoxifen) has really worked wonders for tempering my control freak tendencies. Things just aren't going to get done the way I previously NEEDED for them to get done. I'm trying to match my holiday paradigms to the possible reality, and it's actually going better this year than last year (last year: radiation).
My almost-13 year old and her 14 year old sister destroyed the kitchen multiple times last week, with my help, making fudge and some meringe mint cookies for school and music teachers. It's still pretty scary - counters are clean and most of the evidence has been eliminated, but I'm thinking that if CPS took a swab of my kitchen floor, my operation would be immediately shut down...
And Elimar - I've reported you to the ASPCA, as you're in violation of their "Animal Respect Law, Subcategory 32: Costuming." Just kidding. I'm going to go put a santa hat on our guinea pig. He LOVES that (not).
Coleen
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How much is that doggy in the window?
The one with the waggly tail-
How much is that doggy in the window?
I sure how he doesn't get hat hair!
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I love all the pics on this thread- Its alot of fun - thanks!
(I cant figure out how to do it but I like it!)
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Heidi Ho there neighbors! I drop in from time to time and see what's happening and thought I'd join this lovely group. Here's the low-down.......diagnosed at 44, lumpectomy, chemo then rads. Cancer free as of 5/20/08 so will celebrate that day as my anniversary. I guess that makes me on the young side of middle age but while my head would agree my body is totally in the middle ages! Glad to have ths group here for encouragement, laughs, etc.
My two cents is that we should all live life to the fullest every moment we have. Time is all we have and one day we may find that we have less of it than we think.
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ok, my gift wrapping skills are preposterously awful, but I have decided I am going to celebrate everything I can!!!!
Oh and the famous Hope ornament has been crazy glued and is gingerly hanging on a low branch with soft stuff underneath!
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My supervisor called me into her office yesterday morning. She asked me what my work load was like for the day. I told her not bad, I was pushing to get the priorities done by noon. She then asked if I could wrap gifts for my bosses wife. She had taken some names off a "Wish tree" for a group she belonged to. The other women in the group bowed out so she went and bought 40 childrens gifts, but didn't want to wrap them. So I spent the afternoon wrapping toys. Funny thing is that toys very rarely have regular shaped boxes. I am totally wrapped out now!
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Elimar, I just told my photographer (the teen baker) that a new avatar picture is needed. Currently she is frosting the cookies that were the results of the wild day of baking yesterday, but she promises to help me get a new pic posted in the next day or 2. My hair is very soft, about 3/4 inch long and white, for the most part; it was BHL (before hair loss) also, but where before there was some darker color swirled in, there's not much dark now (some in the back) more so than the front. I've been going topless at home forever, now doing so at work, but do wear head covering while out in the elements, which fortunately isn't too rough right now. Joni
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Thanks for all the feedback ladies. I'm glad I joined this forum. I want so to wake up and hope this is a bad dream, but I know unfortunately won't be true. Trying to be upbeat for my children who I haven't told anything to yet. I'm going to wait til I have more information from the surgeon on Monday. Does it have to be an oncologist specialist or is a general surgeon just as good. My OBGYN referred me to 2 different doctors. I'm going to try the local doctor first. I guess if I like him that is half the battle. I wish all of you a very merry holiday and better times ahead!
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Wow couldn't believe all the cheeto fun while I was away.Incase I don't get back to this thread Merry xmas or Happy holidays to all my middleaged buddies.0 -
jrlegal, I went to the surgeon that my GP suggested. In fact, to this day, I have never checked out his credentials. I guess I was just walking around numb at that time. I was going through a divorce, and my parents were in another state caring for my nephew and brother as my SIL was passing away. I was alone and had no one to ask any questions of. My surgeon was great, the results seemed to show he knew what he was doing. You seem to be aware enough that you can ask questions. Ask him how many BC surgeries he does monthly or annually. If you go for a Mx ask if he has a PS that he works with. I really think a General Surgeon will be skilled. My surgeon was the one who referred me to my first onc.
Good luck,
Meece
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Jrlegal: My OBGYN initially referred me to a general surgeon. At that time, we did not know that the lump that I had found was cancer. After the general surgeon did the excisional biopsy and cancer was confirmed, I decided that I wanted to go to a breast surgeon(who specializes in breast cancer) and chose to get a second opinion and went to the large cancer center near where I live. I am SO happy with my decision. The Cancer center coordinates all my care with the different specialties-surgical oncologist(breast surgeon), medical oncologist, genetics, radiation oncology, etc. All these doctors have a conference each week where they all meet to determine the best recommended plan of care. I know that with the original general surgeon I did not feel that the referrals and communication were that great--I really feel that communication and working together is vital in this process. I feel that at the large cancer center that I am getting the most "current" care available because they are aware of all the research that is being done too. I personally feel that a specialist is the way to go but you have to decide what works best for you. Good luck in your decision. TCK
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JR: I think that making all of those initial "decisions" is the most un-nerving part of the journey. Who do you entrust your life to?
Just want you to know that we are all here for you, as you cross each milestone -- we'll be cheering and holding your hand.
I ended up choosing a BC specialist/surgeon to perform my surgery. He was my 'second opinion' and this is an amazing story, but I ended up in his office as a result of a woman here, who I met here at BCO who received the same dx as mine, within an hour of each other..... She lives less than five miles from my house. Small world. We were both in the 'chat' function of this site at the time of our mutual dx's. At the time we didn't realize we were in the same state, let alone the same town. One thing lead to another. She had done all of the research on area surgeons.
Just how many angels were involved in that amazing set of circumstances??
The very best to all of the middles as we journey forward this week.
xx00xx00xx00xx
edited, because we're at the top of a page and I have this thing about liking to have a picture in the top of the page. I posted this over on the Stage IV thread. It's an ornament hanging on my tree. We are all women of courage, strength and grace. May we always celebrate that fact.
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jrlegal, it might seem like the replies so far conflict since one went with a GP and one with a surgical oncologist (BS) but I think they both mentioned the important factors: The doctor's experience at doing your particular surgery, plus your comfort level with that doctor and your satisfaction that information will be shared without a lot of trouble during your ongoing treatment. So sorry that you have this hanging over your head at this time of year, but it's difficult whenever they drop the bomb on us. I feel like I lost a whole summer.
Hannahbearsmom, welcome into this group; and to answer your question posted elsewhere: My rum cake LOOKS very good, but they are supposed to sit and soak in the syrupy sauce for at least a few days. I am feeling some success that it actually came out of the bundt pan in one piece.
Mumayan, long time, no see. Happy Holidays!
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