thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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Thank you Esther. YOU are an encouragement to all of us. Praying your treatment goes well today.
I save Sunday afternoons for naps but usually don't on other days unless I am dead on my feet. I have a cleaning agenda today and I'm sticking with that no matter how awful I feel ! It is hotter than blazes here so I will probably be staying inside as much as possible and walking laps around my house. The scenic view around my kitchen, dining room, living room and hallway is breath taking. LOL
Shannon, I meant to mention this to you and forgot. My cancer clinic has an on staff social worker which is a free service for cancer patients. I was not aware of her services until long after I had my treatments. A couple of years ago it looked like my cancer might have come back. I had a gruelingly long wait for some odd reason from mammogram to ultrasound to biopsy. Anyway long story short when I finally heard that the biopsy was normal and their "finding" was only scar tissue emotionally I fell down a rabbit hole. For someone who is usually in control I felt like I woke up to who is this person living in my head now. I ended up seeing this social worker for around six months. I thought it was going to be a one and done deal. LOL Silly me. Anyway it would be worth checking out.
Have a good day everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Oh Nancy, smoke alarms in the middle of the night are the worst! Especially when you struggle to sleep.
Esther, I am praying for you today.
I am especially tired today for no obvious reason, but I don't have anything pressing to do today so I will be ok. I have never napped well but I may try it today...I still haven't heard from my oncologist about her response to my MRI. I don't see her until October so if she doesn't call soon I may send her an email. She is usually so prompt but maybe she is on vacation...
In the meantime, stay cool and safe.
Love, Chris
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Chris, I had to call the fire dept two different times because of my smoke alarm going off in the night and I couldn't get it off the ceiling. The first time I didn't know if there was a fire in my attic and it did scare me a lot the first time. It was condensation leaking into the alarm and setting it off. I had that problem fixed in April so this is a mystery.
I thought for sure you would have talked to your oncologist by now. That has to be so very difficult. I bet she is on vacation. I would go ahead and sent her an email. Is there a way to call her office and see if she is even in the office? Try to take a nap. Is your granddaughter back in school now? I know last year was so tough being her zoom Mom and teacher.
I am so excited. I have USPS informed delivery and I see a card coming from Ellen and hopefully I will get it today. I hope it is from her but it is printed and my last card from her was in her beautiful handwriting so I am anxiously waiting. We don't get our mail until the end of the day. I'll let you know. I hope she saw all of your beautiful birthday greetings which has been some time ago.
Love,
Nancy
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Just got a txt from my sister Dottie. The doctor doesn't think she has Multiple Myeloma. She does have a treatable rare disease called Myasthenia Gravis which is not cancer.
What a relief! Thanks for praying. Jean
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Jean, great news!
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That is good news!!! My dad who is 83 has MG and has for years. He takes prednisone in a very very low dose occasionally. Not even all the time and he has mestanon that is takes sometimes. But there are months at a time that he goes into remission and does not need anything. MG is not horrible. Thank God.
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Thanks Jean for letting us know. That is great news and I imagine a huge relief for Dottie and for you.
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I wanted to share that I did get a card from Ellen. I want to thank you for your birthday wishes for her. Unfortunately I don't think she will possibly ever see them. Her communication was very brief and she said it is one day at a time. They have had to close their email accounts and I imagine that is because of the financial burden they are under now. So snail mail looks like the only way I can communicate with her. I have so many questions and no answers unfortunately but I am SO grateful to know she is still among the living. I feel so badly for her and her family. I am sure she would appreciate your prayers.
I was doing some cleaning today and decided to take a short break before continuing. Thankfully I checked my email as I got legal documents for the closing of my Mom's house which will take place on Friday at 11 am. They were not even sent until 4 pm. I printed them asap and tried to make heads or tails of what I was supposed to do with all of these papers. I quickly changed clothes flew over to the UPS store in time to get them notarized and overnighted. Unfortunately I had questions and there was no time to get anything answered at this point. These documents had to be overnighted and had to be received by closing time. If I had not seen these documents in time there was a good possibility that I would not have had time to get them there by closing. Someone dropped the ball at some point but hopefully it will get there by morning tomorrow. I am still in awe of what God did in the sale of this house. This has been heavy on my sister and my mind for several years knowing that getting 70yrs worth of stuff out of the house and ready to sell was going to be monumental. God works all things in such a way to weave His perfect plan. We had a cash buyer the day after we had it listed. I cannot tell you what a miracle this is for so many reasons.
Also the vet called and Cammie (my cats) bloodwork that was sent to TX for her chronic pancreatitis came back and her numbers were greatly improved. They are not normal and the vet wants a repeat in 4-6 mos but it was good news in a day that has been trying which I won't go into all of it. I have not had a chance to call the vet back and talk in person. This morning Cammie had taken one of her play mice and carried it upstairs by her food bowl. This is something she used to do and would put balls right in her food bowl. This to me is a great sign that she is doing so much better and put a smile on my face this morning. I am very thankful for that.
I have prayed for all of you and hope that you are feeling the love and prayers.
Love,
Nancy
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Jean, so happy for your sister that it is MG and not cancer. I know this is a tremendous relief to your heart. What a small world too that Shannon's dad has this condition and for her sharing the ways he has managed it. God is so amazing the way He connects his children for encouragement and sharing of resources.
Chris, I am praying for you daily and that your doctor responds more promptly. You are never far from my thoughts and always in my prayers.
Nancy, I'm glad Cammie brought up her play mouse next to her food bowl as in the past. Such a good sign. I know you must have been so happy to see that. The "mad dash" to sign and notarize escrow papers is sadly the norm. It creates so much stress, and they unleash these documents on us at the very last moment, so it is hard to address questions and fix errors. I am always frustrated with that part of escrow. I'm glad you made it through and that the Lord helped you through this whole process with your Mom's home.
I am devouring two books on the metabolic understanding of cancer. I am keeping the book by Dr.s Stengler and Anderson near me in case I need these treatments they are using with their patients. I am going to be in San Diego in October and am now thinking of reaching out to Dr. Stengler's Center for Integrative Medicine because I haven't found a place nearer to me for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
We may have one less "August" bug/Japanese beetle buzzing me in the mornings. I found him yesterday on his back in the side yard, but alive. Beautiful green on his belly and back. Despite all the mornings he has made me spill my coffee on the mad dash back into the house, I felt sorry for him and turned him over (before running away)
Thinking of you all today - praying for strength - for breakthroughs - for miracles - and to keep my eyes on God and keep looking for opportunities where we can share Him with others.
Love,
Esther
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Esther, which books by Dr Stengler and Dr Anderson do you recommend? There are several and I don't know which one to read. I have not pursued natural remedies yet, and I could probably use some help. I live in San Diego but have not visited the centers either. Since I am Stage IV I have been focusing on learning to manage my cancer and so far have done well with five plus years since Dx.
My DD takes her NCLEX (nursing) test in a couple of hours. She could use your prayers that she is not too nervous as this is the culmination of all her hard work. I know she is ready and has studied hard.
Our cruise was cancelled by the company so we have rebooked for a month later. Their explanation was "deployment schedule" and the alternate one is a different ship, which is fine. We have been on both ships before. We have no idea what that means. I know it is still a little scary to cruise but the precautions they have in place are huge. Everything from required 100% vaccinations for everyone, pre-Covid tests, masks required inside, HEPA filters in each room and throughout, no smoking allowed except for one spot at the back of the ship, etc. We won't leave the ship when in port as I don't trust Mexico yet. I don't want to put it off much longer as I do not know what my next treatment will be or how I will feel. I do know I feel worse than before. I feel this vacation is important. for my DH and I. My new sisters may join us which is a plus!
Thanks for caring. Chris
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Esther, I am amazed at all the things you have on your plate and you still have time to read medical books on cancer and to post encouragement to everyone here. You are a gem. To have sympathy for a Japanese Beetle.............you are a better women than I on that front! I do battle with them when I find them in my roses!!! I do hope that you can find just the right treatment that will help you and possibly hundreds of others going through cancer. How are your rads going?
Chris, I was wondering if you were going to be able to do your cruise. Maybe this will be good for you postponing for a month. Hopefully by then you will be on a treatment plan. For your new sisters to join you would be awesome. I will be praying for your daughter as I am about to leave the house again so I am glad I saw this. I can imagine her nerves at this point.
This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. On Monday I found out that I have the beginning of Macular Degeneration. I guess I was so much in a state of shock that I was not even thinking straight. I was also addressing the insomnia issue with my new eye doctor and we discussed that more than the other issue. I have had a really difficult time processing this. Photography was given to me as a gift and one that I have tried to use to His glory since my bc treatments and obviously I need good eyes for photography. I get my new lens tomorrow and they have booked me for a time to ask the doctor questions. I have already started on a supplement which he prescribed as the only one that is effective for this. My brother in law has this as well and is struggling. My Dad's Mom lived well into her 90's and she had it too. So if there is a heredity factor which I believe there is I am very concerned.
I saw my neurologist today to discuss my brain tumor and MRI. For the very first time she said my balance issues are probably caused by the tumor since it is near the cerebellum which is the balance part of the brain. She was not concerned with the ischemia disease as she said that is normal for my age. She checked some of my blood work and really thinks that as I control blood pressure, and cholesterol and blood sugar I should not worry. Actually my good cholesterol is off the charts at anywhere from 100-120 which is a comfort at this point.
I have to run. Have a good night dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Chris, praying today for your daughter's nursing exam. When will she know the results? I'm sorry your cruise is postponed for a month but glad that you are still planning on it. They really do have so many precautions now, and cruising brings such joy. It can be a much needed getaway. We don't get off the ship sometimes in Mexico even when there isn't a pandemic
But that's just because we've been to the beaches and shops and these days we like to enjoy the ship while everyone is not onboard. We do, however, like to stand at the rail to watch people run back to the ship when it's time to sail. Fortunately, we've never seen anyone miss the ship.Yes! I'll screenshot these two books. My favorite is "Cancer Outside the Box." It is choc full of therapies, how each works, how it is administered, at what dosage, and with which types of cancer they have found it has worked best. I consider these doctors heros for sharing such valuable information. I can see they have much experience creating individualized therapies for all stages of breast cancer. I'm reading the second book concurrently; it has been highly recommended to me by a sweet stage IV friend. I pray these are a special blessing to you and to all who are interested in them.
Nancy, I am so glad you heard from Ellen. Sending a card these days takes more effort than email, so I know that was a special blessing to receive. I am sorry to hear about your eyesight. That news must have been a blow especially with your love of photography. I pray that you receive only the very best and safest novel therapies, and that God would supernaturally preserve your eyesight for as long as possible. I am glad that you were able to visit with your neurologist and that she was able to provide some comfort. That's an incredible HDL level.
I see much mentioned of EDTA chelation therapy for treating macular degeneration. Fridays are my chelation day so I will ask the nurse if they have many patients who are being chelated for macular degeneration and if it seems to help. I'm glad your eye doctor seems quite knowledgeable about it. I know it is a concern due to being inherited. There is a sweet sister in Christ I have met there who just had serious eye surgery for bad glaucoma and is now undergoing weekly chelation therapy. She always has an encouraging Scripture to read out loud to me while we're there. She loves Jesus so much.
Thinking fondly of each of you, and praying with you for each other -
Much love,
Esther
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Esther, thank you for the screen shots. I will look into them. My DH and I rarely get off the ship and like you, enjoy watching the last minute rush. We did have a couple of people miss the ship once. They ate at our table so a couple of nights later they shared their adventure. Fortunately for them they only missed that launch and made it by plane to the next port the next day. But it was expensive as they had to pay for flights and a hotel with not having any luggage, etc. Apparently large cruise ship companies have people at each port to help--if you can find them. We have also taken this same cruise a couple of times and are not interested in the ports this time. We just need the time together away from home. Our cruise will now happen the week after our termite tenting and the week before having all our windows replaced. I have no idea what I will be doing medically at that time, but right now nothing is scheduled.
My daughter just got home and has no idea how she did. She should hear within 48 hours so I will let you all know. She and my DGD just left for a walk along the beach to help her calm down and wear off extra stress energy. I wish I could walk the beach more, but I would just hold them back today. Perhaps now that she isn't in classes we can go more and I can take my time. Usually she runs the beach in the morning when she can and I sit and worship God amongst the waves. The ocean is my peace spot perhaps one reason I enjoy cruising.
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Esther, I would be interested in seeing how effective the chelation therapy is for macular degeneration. I was doing some research on that today and there are some places near me that offer that. My alt doctor had an infrared sauna which I only used once. I can't quite remember what the deal was but I could not tolerate it. I think that was similar to what chelation therapy does. Yes, it was so good to hear from Ellen. She is obviously struggling and I don't think she is thinking clearly either. I am sure it was a monumental effort for her to send me that card. I make photo cards and thought of addressing some to me and giving her self addressed stamped envelopes so that it would be easier for her to write me. I thought of many things to help her but I haven't decided just which route I will go. I even had dream that my Mom and I were trying to find her to visit. It was truly a crazy dream and obviously thinking about both of them a lot.
I hope you are finding some good info with your books you are reading. I hope you can take some time to relax as I know you are really pushing yourself.
Chris, I am praying for a great result for your daughter on her test. Have you heard anything for your MO yet? I am like you. Water is very soothing for me and even though we have no oceans I have a little lake that I go to often. It serves the same purpose and I do walk around this lake for exercise as well. Praying for you in this limbo state that you are in. I know this must be so very difficult. I continue to pray for you.
Carol, I hope you are still enjoying the desert with your sister.
Wheatfield, how are you. Haven't heard from you in a while.
GB, how are you doing? I am glad that place on your eye was hopefully nothing serious and I hope you don't have to have it biopsied. If I am correct you have one more of the treatments you are currently on and I am guessing will transition to another chemo. Things will get better. I know it may not seem like it now.
Shannon, how are you doing? How is your daughter doing on the dance team?
Bookpusher and Elizabett. Wondering how you are both doing. I hope you can drop by and let us know how you are recuperating.
Faith, I am still praying for you and I hope that you are doing better. I imagine you are like me with this awfully hot and humid weather..........staying inside as much as possible.
Ade, how are you doing? I still have to rewrite a PM I sent you. My computer has issues that may only be served by me throwing it out the window!!!!!
Hershey, I do hope your Mom stays safe. I think of you now whenever I hear any news on assisted living facilities. I do pray for both of you.
Jean, thanks for the walking indoors link. I haven't had time to see what that is yet.
Joanne, I know you are probably up to your eyeballs in pricing for your garage sale. I hope it will be better weather by the time you have it. Someone near me had a garage sale today and I wonder how many people they got in this hot weather.
I hope I didn't leave anyone out and if I did I apologize.
My sister and I have closed the chapter on our house that we grew up in. The closing was this morning and my sister was there and I sent papers from long distance. The guy who bought the house is going to gut the whole house and add a bedroom in the unfinished attic and do some new technique to help the water coming in the basement. I think she said this was rental #30 for him. He is planning on opening up a bar in the town. I told my sister maybe I will rent the house. (only kidding) Both my neurologist and my eye doctor tried to reassure me that I should not worry about both of these situations that have been bothering me. Living for each day is what we all need to do and not stress about our future which none of us knows if we will have a tomorrow anyway. May God help us to appreciate what we have in this day.
Have a great weekend dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I am glad your mom's house has closed and you can put that behind you. I know this was a great burden. I went to the butterfly pavillion today with my DD and DGD, and thought of you. I will add a picture but know I just took it with my phone and I am far from good at it. Still haven't heard from my oncologist. I did feel ok walking around, but the pavillion was very small and not at all as good as the one in Denver. Still, it was peaceful and Bria loved running around identifying all the different kinds. Now I am on my recliner fighting back pain, but it was worth it. I did have a few good couple of hours. My DD won't hear about her test until tomorrow so we are still waiting. Here are a few pics although there were many more different kinds of butterflies.
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Chris, I LOVE your collection of butterflies. You did great!!!! Thank you for posting those. I had to check my butterfly book to ID the first one and never found it. I have never taken a pic of that one before so now I am curious. I know the other ones but the blue one could be a few different things. When I am photographing inside one of these places and just need to sit down I love watching the little kids running around trying to ID them. There are some kids that are afraid of them and the poor things are terrified when they fly near them. I am glad you had a couple of good hours. I usually have back pain after I am out shooting with my camera so I completely understand. Mine is due to my fibromyalgia and I know yours is totally different and probably much worse. I haven't been to the Chicago Botanic Garden this summer where they have a nice butterfly exhibit. We have had a bunch of crazy shootings on the tollways and I am not going to take a chance. I was the victim of a gang while a passenger in a car and it took me years to get over that and I wouldn't go into the city by myself for a very long time. I faced my fears just a couple years ago because I was bound and determined I was going to go to the butterfly exhibit and I went with a fellow photographer friend but I drove. Then I managed a couple of times by myself and I don't want anything to goof those victories up. I really am praying for your daughter as I know this is a huge deal for her to pass this test. Praying for a good result. My first college roommate was a nursing major and I know how hard it was for her. I am so sorry you have not heard from your MO. That has to be so, so difficult. I hope your back pain has lessened. I hope you have a good weekend and that it will be a celebration for your daughter.
My sister said we should have met someplace half way to have a celebration on the sale of the house. Maybe we can do that some day in the future.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, the first butterfly is called a Mourning Cloak and I believe the blue one is a Pipevine Swallowtail but I am not sure. I will ask my DD when she gets up if she took a better picture.
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Nancy, yes, the blue one is the Pipevine Swallowtail. I believe they are pretty rare and there are butterfly groups who are trying to reestablish them. The Mourning Cloak is a California butterfly who likes Willow, Poplar, Cottonwood and Elm trees. Hope this helps!
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My daughter is now an RN. Yay! We will celebrate tonight!!!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO DD OF CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
This was supposed to be animated. Use your imagination!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Nancy, I'm ok. I have my last AC on Thursday, then onto Taxol. Dealing with ongoing (mild) nausea that makes it hard to drink. Eating is ok, it's kind of like mild morning sickness. Not bad enough to medicate, and eating bland things like pretzels and oyster crackers helps. But drinking fluids...yuck. All of them. I'm probably getting 64 oz a day but it's a struggle. Nothing sounds good and just looking at a glass of something makes me queasy.
Ongoing mild folliculitis too. The antibiotic gel I have seems to help, but I hope it goes away completely on Taxol. Last week the NP said it was from the cytoxan. She said maybe doxycycline at some point but I'm hoping not. I'm prone to reflux and doxy plus the steroids just sounds awful.
I'm relieved about the spot near my eye too. Derm was right, definitely a thrombosed angioma. It has since shrunken back down to a tiny red spot. I think all that throwing up caused it to swell.
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GB, I am glad you only have one more AC. I hope you find Taxol easier on your whole system. I am glad your eye situation didn't turn into another big issue. I have had people tell me when I have been going through tough times that this will not be like this forever. I have always found those words to be comforting and hopeful. One of these days you will see all of this in your rearview mirror and say God got me through this and He will. Hang on to Him.
Love
Nancy
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Morning ladies,
Wow, those beautiful butterflies! I hardly ever see them close up but on the same day Chris went to the butterfly pavilion, I watched a monarch emerge from its cocoon underneath our windowsill. We never knew the cocoon was there. What beauty.
The butterfly is such a vivid reminder that though we go through difficult seasons where we are uncomfortable and struggle in our cocoons, God has a plan for us to be beautifully transformed and emerge triumphantly, just like that gorgeous butterfly.
Chris, we just decided to tent for termites, too! That and your cruise and then the window replacement is a lot all at once. I pray that it all goes very well with good result. We have been putting this off for several years. I had hoped to spot treat again but noticed the price of lumber is up 60-80% so we decided to go for broke. We decided to termite in October while we are down in Coronado. I don't know if I mentioned to you but our neighbor just bought a new RV to replace their old one, and we're really happy for them to enjoy it. They are both real estate agents and in their early 70s, and he is a military veteran. They are the kindest, most thoughtful neighbors. He is the one who always drags my trash bins to the curb in case I'm tired from radiation. We are happy today because they are coming home from their first trip in the new RV. We just adore them. It's always comforting to know they are right next door.
Ugh, someone please remind me not to try heavy cream in my coffee again. I tested it this morning to see if I could gain a little weight back but am not fond of that taste. I'm bracing myself to try bulletproof coffee with MCT oil next... the nurse at the IV lab yesterday said to try just one teaspoon first to avoid digestive upset. Not sure how all that tastes. Hope I can add a ton of stevia
Have a beautiful Sunday,
Love,
Esther0 -
Esther, I've done the bulletproof coffee with the MCT oil. I found a powdered MCT oil at Lazy Acres, (similar to Whole Foods) if you have something like that around you. The powder did not seem to cause any digestive issues. However, it DID serve to reduce my appetite - although it may have been the ghee and the collagen powder. I was actually trying to lose a few pounds with that formula. I'd have it in the morning, then wouldn't eat until around 2:00 PM.
Just my two cents worth of advice!
Carol
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Thank you, Carol,
That's so helpful! I'd seen ghee for years at Trader Joes and didn't know what it was for. I am so new to the keto diet lifestyle that I feel like it's such a learning curve.
Love,
Esther
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Chris, did you all get to celebrate your daughter's great accomplishment last night? I know you must be so proud of her becoming an RN now. That is so awesome. Thank you for IDing the Mourning Cloak. I'll have to look that one up again. The Pipevine was my first guess on your pictures but there are others that appear blue on the outer wings as well. Actually those are in Illinois and I was reading a bit about them and how in CA their population started to diminish. I'm glad there are groups to try to turn that trend around.
Esther, that is amazing that you were able to see a Monarch emerge out of it's chrysalis. People buy kits to see that whole process and you got to see it in nature and for free. The Monarch story is truly fascinating how they migrate to Mexico and how it takes several generations to accomplish their migration. I watched this Netflix documentary on them and it brought me to tears how beautiful it was for the scientist who started banding them and realizing his hunch of the Mexico migration actually was the truth.
I won't weigh in on the bulletproof coffee. It sounds lethal. LOL I am curious now. Esther, I can't drink coffee without cream but obviously that is not your cup of tea.......or coffee I mean.
Carol, how are you doing? Are you still at your sister's enjoying the desert?
Termites. I hope you all can get rid of them. I am not familiar with tenting. I know that was what kept my sister and I on pins and needles as the only thing that would cancel our contract on my Mom's house with this buyer and thankfully the house passed the inspection and the house is now sold and we had our closing on Friday. PTL
Have a great week everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Hi Nancy, yes, I'm enjoying my time with my sister. My husband drives out on the weekends and one of his friends (his Best Man at our wedding 33 years ago) stayed over on Saturday night. We're getting lots of "Sister-time" in and are having a blast. Our latest thing is to watch a Columbo episode at night (or a Hallmark movies).
(((hugs))) Carol
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Good morning sisters,
I'm so happy that Chris's daughter passed her exams. PTL. I'm sure she put so much hard work into it that it was not even close.
Sitting in the radiation waiting room. Carol, we love Columbo and Hallmark movies. I love the beautiful old 70s sets and stately old homes from the Columbo mysteries. It's like watching a time capsule. I also liked that they cast Peter Falk's wife in a lot of the episodes.
Ok, I think they're coming to bring me back
Love, Esther
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