thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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hi all...can't say much because I am kind of out of it. I am still having an allergic reaction to something. They doubled my benadryl dose and I still have hives. My husband did come home to help but he has to head back up to his job for the day on Friday. Would love prayer for the hives to go away and the swelling in my throat to leave...this too will pass!
Thinking and praying for you all as I read...0 -
GardenGal, please don't go, I enjoy reading everybody's posts on this thread, all their thoughts and plans, ups and downs, and all of the prayers that are continually lifted to Heaven. I don't often get the time to submit a post, but I love reading about everything that is happening. I feel that we are all part of a great whole, and we would be much worse off if someone dropped out.
Cynthia, I am single and am going through cancer for the second time. I remember when I got it the first time around I wondered how I would manage on my own. Well, the Lord seemed to arrange for everything to just work out fine for me. At one time I should have had my salary cut by 50% after I had been off work for 6 months, the Lord arranged for my employer to discretely put the equivalent of 3 months salary in my account to cover for the shortfall over the following 6 months. One of the side effects of Herceptin is serious heart problems, yet I have had a number of ECGs and each time the operator has looked at my notes and said it appears as if I have never had Herceptin. At one time I felt incredible pain at night on my back on the right hand side when I lay down, yet when I sat up there was no pain whatsoever. It turned out that I had blood clots on my right lung at the back, so only felt them when I lay down on my back in bed. It was discovered in time thanks to the Lord. I now have the cancer back and am learning how to adapt my life to living with it, and accepting that it will always be there. I am certain that the Lord has again stepped in and helped me to accept this situation, and enjoy living my life through his kindness. I think that He is going to really look after you in this illness in a way that will amaze you.
Mankatostate, I am praying that those hives disappear and your throat will get better soon.
To all of you, I am getting very forgetful so now resort to doing "corporate" prayers for you. Please forgive me for not writing down all of your names and what I am praying for, but be assured that I will lift all the ladies on this thread up to the Lord.0 -
Cynthia: I am so glad that you have a good support network through your church. I was wondering if there would be a Christian support group that you could work with but I certainly understand your thoughts about being in a group. I am like you, in that I dread the colder weather and even more so the shorter daylight hours. I honestly think it does have a big influence on how we feel. I know it does with my dad. I really would like to talk him into coming over to our house more during these coming months and spend some time here.
Ironically, my husband came home yesterday with news from his specialist that he has a 40% tear in his rotator cuff. He has not really had a good night of sleep since July and went through the cortisone shot and waiting to see if it would get better. After his MRI, the only way for improvement is surgery. He will most likely be off of work which is his own electrical business for a couple months. It is just so interesting how God can deliver me from my issue and then address his immediately after. He has perfect timing and He knows just how much one can handle and never gives us any more. We are much stronger then we give ourselves credit for and many of you probably would agree that if you were asked months or years ago if you would be able to handle so much of what you are going through you might have had your doubts. I truly believe God is building each of you into strong vessels that will help to serve Him and to help reach others with hope.
Kate: I have been thinking about you a lot lately and the situation you are in with the number of treatments you are receiving. Can you question your doctor as to why he feels that this is all you need? Maybe talking about his rationalization behind his thoughts and supporting evidence would shed more light on it and give you a clearer picture of this decision. Do you think he feels it will create a higher rate of toxicity? Your body and your choice as far as I see it. If he feels 4 may be enough and 6 to much, what about 5 rounds?I think I would feel that you need to give this a good fight because you are triple negative. I tried to look a ton of studies on the types of chemo treatments/how they responded/and improvement of survival rate and I could not find too much information
currently addressing this. Most was a bit too long ago. For most part they still supported more treatments as opposed to less. If nothing else, would you consider a second or third opinion? Just some questions to think about. In the meantime, I am praying for you to have clarity in this situation.
It has been a rather exhilarating, yet exhausting week. My body is feeling lots of aches from not being on my advil regiment for the past two weeks. I had hoped to start again when I had my surgery but was told that I have to stay off it and use only Tylenol for another week or the painkillers they gave me. I also need to get off the Tylenol because it elevates my liver counts and I have been on a seizure medication for controlled undiagnosed cause of seisures since my mid 20's. Another reason for wanting to go off my seizure medication. That is prayer for thought for a future day.
KTF: Have a wonderful mini vacation! You so deserve it.
Lovewins: All I can say is yippee and praise the Lord about your mother's results. God is so Good! He's got your mother right in the palm of His hand.
Thank you for all your love and support and for allowing me to be a part of this group. You mean more to me then you realize. Remember that His eye is on the sparrow and He watches over you.0 -
Kate, I have triple negative too and had a very small .6 mm tumor removed. My surgeon said I only had to have radiation, but I made an appointment with an oncologist on my own because I read from so many places that no matter the size of tumor, triple negative patients need chemotherapy and radiation because that's all we have to go on. No targeted treatment for the next five years. I am having my last of four T/C on Monday and my tumor was way less than yours. Unless your Onc thinks more would be harmful, then I would insist on more treatments. I supposedly had no node involvement but no nodes were in the tissue taken at surgery. We don't know if cancer is in the deeper nodes but probably not. I had clear margins too. If I need Four treatments, then why wouldn't you need more. I started with an intermediate strength and it is increased at each treatment. Maybe your chemo has always been full strength. I'm no Onc, so find out the reasoning so I don't steer you wrong. I'm praying for God to give you a clear knowledge and assurance of what is best for you.0 -
Hi again ladies - Kate, we're sure praying for you and your doctors - wisdom and clarity in communicating what is the best treatment for you. I told Sharon/Sewstrong (who's also TNBC) so I'll let you all know since it's great news - I live in the Houston area where MD Anderson is located. They announced this week that a Japanese man gave a $50 million gift because his grandfather was treated here. That will be added to an earlier $50 million gift this year so the total is $139 million - they're targeting eight serious/rare cancers, including TNBC. Sharon and I are praying for advances in treating TNBC - so God sure is setting the stage for it! In case anybody wants to check it out, they're calling the program "Moonshots" - they're actually using the supercomputer Watson (from Jeopardy fame) to assist in the research. Just google Moonshots and MD Anderson and you'll get lots of information.
Fridaygirl, so good to hear from you. I know what you mean sometimes about praying - I'll remember that somebody is having surgery or chemo or needs guidance and pray for her.....knowing that God knows who needs what even if I can't keep it all straight.
Gardengal - so glad again that you're sticking around. I think it just shows that God brought us all together in our little family here. Otherwise, after your good news this week, you might just figure it's time to move on and leave the whole BC scare/situation behind you. That's not what family does, though, right?
Mankato - sure hope and pray that the allergic reaction and problems will soon be over. Last chemo, though - so lots of light at the end of the tunnel!
Blessings to you all - SaltyJack/Bev0 -
Hi everyone! I have to share the wonderful blessing received today! So I signed my lease for the townhome... of course, I needed to turn on electricity. The company I'm with now is a pay-as-you-go deal, because a few years ago, after some hard financial times, the regular electric company said I needed a $300 deposit. Uh...NO! A few weeks ago I received a solicitation letter in the mail from regular electric, (TXU for those of us in Texas) saying they were offering service with no deposit. I thought "yeah, sure..." but called anyway. And lo and behold, no deposit! And about 6 cents cheaper per kilowatt hour as well! YAY!!! HUGE worry taken off my mind....
Mankato - what are you allergic to, I didn't see if you posted that.... I sure pray those hives go away!
Salty, AWESOME news for MD Anderson!
Gardengal, I don't dread winter, in fact I love the colder weather! Predictions are for a mild first part of winter here, and I'm not happy about that! When I went to Colorado in February, it was so wonderfully cold... love it! And prayers for your DH... I know several who have had rotator cuff surgery, and are doing great!
Fridaygirl.... you know then, it's not easy going through this by yourself, and you are proof that the Lord does provide in so many ways! I pray He continues to provide strength, healing, and comfort as you go through this second bout.
Oh my, it's late... time to hit the sack, my dogs have already been snoring away! Keeping all y'all covered in prayer!0 -
Manka I am sorry you are not feeling well. Must be very hard, I am glad your husband made it back for a short time. I pray you are already feeling better by the time you read this. Breathing well and hives gone in the name of Jesus we asked and pray.0 -
Gardengal/Char - Praise God for the good news! Thank you, for encouraging me with your kind words and for keeping me in your prayers. God has placed us all together for our good, stay with us, we need you just as you need us.0 -
Thank you for your prayers and suggestions! I was feeling really good when I wrote on Wednesday so I worked at my flexible job for a lot of hours, then yesterday I wasn’t doing as well. Today is better than yesterday. However, it seems that just when I'm starting to feel really well, I have a set back. Even though it's disappointing, it's temporary for there are better days ahead and even now I'm blessed beyond what I deserve. We can all rest knowing that God is faithful. His grace, mercy, loving kindness, and provision never ever ceases. "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
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Deborahanne, your words show how much God is working through you - and giving you His strength, peace and calm through this journey. We're all strongest when we're weakest!
I was just checking my upcoming appointments and see I'm scheduled for the new drug, perjeta (for Her2+) - an answer to prayer! The MO said she was going to request insurance approval so the bureaucracy must have slogged its way through whatever was necessary. I was afraid maybe the paperwork might delay the first treatment (which isn't scheduled till 11/22 so there's plenty of time anyway). Last A/C chemo next Friday - yay!
Cynthia - so glad for the kiss from God about your electric provider. Isn't deregulation wonderful? I remember how confusing it was when I moved from PA and was told I had to figure out (before closing so the utilities could be switched) who I wanted to use. The differences in kwh make no sense to me - but glad it worked in your favor.
Sharon, praying for a good weekend for you before last chemo on Monday - and easy time with SE next week!0 -
I am in shock as I type this, my friend who had uterine cancer never woke up after her surgery yesterday, I dropped her off in the am and I had to go do a blood draw. Her daughter was with her for the surgery. It was a routine operation but she had a brain aneurism and it exploded either during or after surgery. 3 Dr's have checked her out and they say that she is brain dead. They believe she is gone and she cannot breath on her own. I just got home from the hospital and said my good byes to her. Please pray for her and her family during this difficult time. I just can't believe it.0 -
Salty - I'm doing pretty well. Aesthetically speaking it's a big improvement. Physically everything is healing well. I still have some bruising and soreness at the incision sites, but I have my full range of motion and I'm not too uncomfortable. If you want to PM me anytime about it, feel free to message me.
I hope all of you lovely ladies have a great weekend.
Blessings0 -
love wins, I am so sorry for you and your friends family! Such a shock! I am praying for the family and for you!0 -
love wins: that made me cry. I know how you feel and it's devastating. My best buddy in the world died before she was 50 of a brain aneurism. When I saw her, all of the air was sucked out of me with the groan I made. It's horrific to lose a friend. The shock is overwhelming. It's very easy to console others during things like this and neglecting yourself. You need to take care of yourself. Well be praying for you and her family. It brings back sad, sad memories for me. God bless you and watch over you as you say goodby to your friend.
I'm so slow Saltyjack. The new drug replaces herceptin for Her2 +. I get it now. I thought you had to take both.
Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
Matt. 10:30. God knows the number of hairs on your head. (How fitting is that for us bald-headed sisters?).
Psalm56:8. God knows when you're crying, and puts your tears in a bottle.
Hebrews 12:5-11..the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son he receives. ...for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.0 -
Thank you jlow and sewstrong. I am sorry for your loss sewstrong today at the hospital I could not stop the tears. She was/is my best friend, the kindest, sweetest soul who never wanted to trouble anyone for anything. The Dr said her uterine cancer was fully contained and she would not have had to go through chemo or radiation. The truth is you never know...even though we may have bc anything can happen. We just have to live in the moment. Once again thank you for your prayers.0 -
love wins, my friend sounds much like mine. I have her picture in my jewelry box so I can keep her image in my head. We told each other everything. It was almost 18 years ago but seems like yesterday. I still miss her. The tears will fade but you'll think of her forever. My friend told me 3 days before she died that she felt better than she ever had in her life and felt like she was right in the place God wanted her to be.0 -
Lovewins: I just gasped. I am so deeply saddened to hear about your friend. I had her in my prayers. I lost my aunt in a similar situation. She had a hip replacement from a fall and was doing therapy and about to be released. She had a blood clot release and she died. We were shocked as we had just visited her and then she was gone. You are so right, we have no guarantees...but nether the less it is so tragic and sad. My prayers are with you and her family.0 -
lovewins- I am so sorry! I will be praying for you and her family!!!0 -
yes, lovewins, me too. We trust our doctors and figure they'll (with God's help, of course) make us well without any bad surprises or unexpected results. We're back again to just having to trust God that nothing happens without His permission and knowing that He'll give us the grace and strength to get through the hardest times.
God bless you -
SaltyJack/Bev0 -
Cynthia: I don't think I dread winter...in fact I like running during the winter because I feel like I can breath better with less humidity. I think my issues are more with the lack of daylight. I am always coming out of work and it is getting dark. I have been in a gym all day and I usually don't see the sun after I start teaching and then when I leave work. One of the reasons I took bus duty was to get out side in the morning and the late afternoon.
Mankato: I hope you are having a bit of relief in your pain, hives and breathing. Not sure when you said your hubby would be back but I hope soon so you feel a little at peace knowing he is there for you.
FridayGirl: Hope you are doing okay on the other side of the pond. I am glad that you are handling things so well on your own. You seem to be a woman of great faith. It is truly incredible how God provided for you through your work. You must have a pretty amazing boss too. My husband's daughter just was cleared of Hodgkins in late spring. She is in her thirty's and she worked at a hospital 12 years as a lab technician. During the past several years she decided she wanted to be an RN and started going to school at night to become one. She had not been feeling well and kept going to her doctor to complain and he told her she was burning the candle at both ends because of her work load and school load at night. She needed rest. She insisted she was not well and told him that she knew her body well. One day a lymph node swelled up on her shoulder chest area and she asked some of the nurses and doctors at work what they thought and all of them insisted she get it checked immediately. They ran tests and found out she had Hodgkins. She was one month of finishing her courses and they were insisting she could not do the last part because she would get ill in the hospital being exposed to sick people. They apparently allowed her to finish but the new HR person fired her after 12 years of never missing a day of work. She had no job and no money. My husband and I kept sending money that we would have used to put toward extra principal on our mortgage. The doctors and nurses went to bat for her and she got her sick days so they used it toward insurance or she would have been without any. She did graduate this past spring and has a new job now as a nurse. She could not apply for a nursing position in her hospital because of their policies of moving up positions within the hospital. My point is that your boss showed lots of compassion. Mere never got that from her boss even after never missing work the entire time she was there. She is doing better and is running in the Philadelphia Marathon in Nov. with some others as a team to raise money for cancer but her lungs are seriously compromised and they are worried she will be asked off the course because she can't keep to the max time limit per mile.
I will check in later. Heading to visit my father for a few hours.
In Christ,
Char0 -
I just found a free ap for my I-Phone called Prayer Notes. It has a place for listing prayer requests, notes about each of you so I can remember details before getting to know you better, and other things i haven't explored yet, but just that much thrilled me. If you want it, click on your aps icon and then the search button at the bottom and type in free Bible study. Scroll through until you find it. I'm not sure but you might be able to just type in free prayer notes ap.
I just left the thread and explored it a little. It's Mormon. I don't think you have to be a Mormon to use the ap though. It is mostly for recording prayer requests and answers. It had a scrolling screen at the bottom that presents a topic and if you click it, it takes you to an answer. I'm sure it gives answers from the Norman bible. I use the Holy Bible myself. Anyway, we can just ignore that part if not interested.0 -
Lovewins - Oh my goodness... I'm so sorry. Prayers for comfort to you and your friend's family0 -
Lovewins, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. I can only imagine what you and your friend's family are going through. As Sewstrong says, please look after yourself. I will keep you and your friend's family in prayer,
GardenGal, I get angry when I hear of what your friend had to go through. Employers show great stupidity at times, if only they realised that something which is quite a small issue to them in the great scheme of things has a life changing effect on some of their workers. I feel such loyalty to my employer now because of the way they have acted towards me, far more than any pay rise would have done.0 -
Hiya all! I am 49 almost 50 years old and a Christian, I hope I am not to young for this group.
When I got the diagnosis of breast cancer I was numb with fear. After I recovered my senses I turned to God and said I put this in your hands God teach me something as I go through this. From that point on I was not afraid as I knew God had it covered. My surgeon said he had never had a patient sit across his desk and smile at him and say I put myself in your capable hands.
The only real fear I had was what was my breast going to look like after the surgery is done? I went to the Plastic surgeon and he said My3Ksmom I am going to tell this to you straight. And you can either be mad at me and yell or you can learn from what I say and do something about it. He then went on to tell me that being that my BMI is 45 he would not do the surgery as it wasn't going to work with my comorbidities. He then said my weight/BMI and diabetes were the cormorbidities that would keep him from doing the surgery. He wants me to lose 105 pounds before he will do the surgery.
At first I was mad, then I realized that here was Gods lesson. I needed to focus on my health and prioritize it and loose the weight which would do quite a few things, it would lower my blood sugar levels and I would be healthier and I would be able to get the surgery done. Another thing it would do is make it possible for my son not to be ashamed or uncomfortable with my body and breast size when he goes into High School.
I have more motivation now than I have ever had before to lose the weight and get myself healthy. I don't want to walk around with 3/4 of a left breast for the rest of my life. I am also smiling a lot more and being more open with others and the difference is noticable, even to my Pastor!
God has done his part. I will do mine with his help.0 -
Howdy, My3Ksmom! You're more than welcome here - glad you found us so soon in your BC journey. Lots of us wandered around other threads before finding our little family here - hopefully you'll be blessed and encouraged by the great ladies here. Your attitude is great and so inspiring. I think we all keep hoping that God will shine through us so that our doctors, nurses, friends and family will know He's in charge.
When I was first diagnosed, a friend gave me a great book (The Red Sea Rules) and one of the principles in it is - don't ask "why is this happening?; instead ask "how can God be glorified?" Sounds like you're already doing that with God's help - good for you!
I see from the national weather map that most of the northern ladies are having their first taste of really chilly weather. Here in Texas, the afternoons are just perfect so my husband and I are heading to the local bluegrass festival and then old car show this afternoon.
Have a great weekend and blessed Sunday!
SaltyJack/Bev0 -
I deleted that ap. it was too hard to use or I was impatient learning how. The latter is probably the most likely.
It's nice to lie on my couch and watch the leaves fall; not so nice to get them off the patio, but it reminds me of the blessings falling on all of us through this common trial in mour lives. There shall be showers of blessings...
Ok Bev! Don't rub it in. Just send us a care package of sunshine. We're freezing in N. Ky.
My3Ks mom: I was just thinking before I saw your post about the definition of middle age. At 40, were middle aged if we live to be 80. By that definition, everyone is welcome here. I'm turning 69 in a week or so, so that's middle age for a lifespan of 138! I think that makes me fall more into the " older Christian women". I love your attitude. I am still heavier than I need to be but I'm not supposed to lose while in radiation. I've read that we'll do better if we remain the same for those weeks. I lost 20 pounds this way. I ate only the foods I saw on the suggested food list from breast cancer sites and from Jennifer Griffins blog in which she listed foods to eat and not to eat. I did not get hungry because I bought cancer cookbooks that call for only healthy ingredients. It was when I added bread and pasta toy diet that I quickly regained 10 of the pounds. I'm still working on them now. Rivate message me if I can give you any help thinking of things good to eat but will still allow weight loss.
The family is callings. Gotta' go for now. God bless us all. God is performing mighty miracles for this world to see through our faith in him. We may never know until eternity what those things are; we just know that it is through trials and hard times that we finally give God what he wants-- out undivided attention.0 -
Thanks for the prayers! I am almost a week out of last chemo but it's been a yucky hard week! I think I am finally done with the benadryl yay! But once again I have thrush/ nausea. I am counting the days for the meds to work and my taste buds to come back. I realize what a precious gift from God they are!
Sharon are you having your last chemo this week? Bev yours is on next Friday too isn't it? Anybody else I am afraid I've been a little out of it this past week.0 -
Happy Saturday, everyone! My3kids...welcome! We're a good bunch here. Make yourself at home. I just finished week 3 of radiation treatment, and am trying really hard to lose a few pounds, mostly by cutting carbs and sugar - although I do have some hot cocoa before bed every so often!
Packing is almost all done! A few more little things, like the last of the kitchen, still needs to be done, but otherwise, just about everything else is either in a well-marked box, or thrown in the trash! Feels good to know that the JUNK that's been taking up so much room is gone.
Early morning tomorrow for singing... keeping all y'all covered in prayer!0 -
Mankato, yes, Monday. Tomorrow I start steroids and clean every house in the neighborhood. If I were there where in Minnesota, besides being cold, I would clean yours because you've been so sick, I'm guessing you could use the help. A few things that helped me with the mouth is magic mouthwash. Bev was able to get it from her Onc in Texas and I got it here in N. Ky, so maybe your Onc knows about it. It cleared mine in 3 days. Also, I only had nausea once... The first chemo because I ate fat. Now I don't eat it for about 3 days. No fat at all. I also literally drink at least 3/4 gallon of liquid 2 days before chemo, the day of and 4-5 after. Lemon in it helps the taste and I put sweetener or make lemonade from whole lemons. You might be doing all of these things and still getting sick, but just in case, I hope this helps. I have to set the gallon of water where I can see it a lot so it will remind me to pour a glass. If I drink a 32 oz bottle of sparkling water, I pour 32 pz out of the container. It helps me measure how much I've had. I'm praying for you and have thought of you often.0 -
Love Wins - I so sorry for your loss. I lost two friends unexpectedly and it was just so incredibly sad. I pray that God will give you peace and comfort.0
