thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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Chris, yes, God is good. I am so happy for you that you will be able to get your eye surgery in before you leave. Praying you will feel really good and completely over your cold and regaining strength day by day.
Carol, I'm glad you got to visit with your Dad in his temporary home. I have not heard of that video. You have peeked my curiosity. I will have to check into that.
Hershey, how is your Mom doing? I have been praying for her regularly along with you and your family.
Have a good day everyone. Thank you all for your prayers for my Detox too.
Love,
Nancy
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Hi Teka,
I know what you mean. My sense of time and year has been challenged for sure. The last I "talked" with Ade she and James had been pretty sick and they weren't quite over it then. That has been a while ago.
I hope you are doing well. I imagine you have had a lot of snow. We have had very little but very cold weather for most of January.
Take care.
Love,
Nancy
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I had my surgery. I could tell anesthesia didn't want me to have it because I'm post covid but the surgeon said I needed the surgery and that it wasn't elective.
I'm in a little bit of pain and took a tramadol a little while ago. I might flip to Tylenol though, soon. I don't like the GI side effects of the narcotics, and with my history of issues I don't want to aggravate anything. She did the reverse mapping despite insurance denial, we'll see what happens with that.
I decided I'm going to leave the dressing as is and not bother with a shower until tomorrow. They poked a hole in the gauze and tegaderm for the drain tube. Not sure how I will get that all off...
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GB, I am glad you finally had this surgery. Are you home now? We'll continue to pray for you and your recovery with no infections or complications. I pray you can manage your pain without narcotics soon. You job now is to rest and let God heal you.
Love
Nancy
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I'm home. I was home a little before dinner last night!
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GB, thank you for taking the time and effort to update us. I'm glad you're back home and hope that the pain and any nausea you might be having are well controlled.
Nancy, the video of The Pineapple Story may be hard to find. I do see it on Amazon, but they want a lot of money for it. You might have better luck contacting the publisher directly
It's put out by
Institute in Basic Life Principles
P.O. Box One
Oak Brook, IL 60522-3001
www.iblp.com
This is the info from the back of the DVD.(I think I got that right. The font is really tiny for these eye! Is Oak Brook anywhere near you?)
Like I said, this was a life changing video for us. He talks about giving things up to God - things that are already His, but we're hanging onto them. The biggest one he talked about was giving God his reputation. Wow! That's a big one.
His approach feels a little dry in the beginning, but he's actually really funny. Even if you were just able to listen to it, I think you'd like it. He only has one visual aid and that's when he shows on a map the location of Dutch New Guinea.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble.
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gb I had a lymph node dissection also. The drain was annoying but got thru it. If they gave you exercises to help lift your arm above your head please do them as soon as you're able. Easier to avoid scar tissue than break it up later. PM me if you like.
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Jean, it is good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well.
Carol, thanks for the info. I think I got the video on YouTube last night. I didn't have time to watch all of it. Was this the missionary who had a time with the natives stealing everything from them? I found one where you could see him talking and he was pretty humorous. I also saw one where you could not see anyone which sounds like I do have the right one. Yes, I live pretty close to Oak Brook. Oak Brook is a very nice suburb and has a nice mall but a few weeks ago they were in the news nonstop because there was a situation with gun shots fired inside the mall and all the workers and customers were locked in the building and hiding for quite some time. It was quite the deal. Then later we found out it was two guys in line at the Pretzel store and they got in a fight. Really!!!!!!!!! I am not venturing out anyplace these days except the grocery stores and Home Depot. Exciting eh???
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go, I am glad to read you are home and that your surgeon advocated for you. You are in good hands. I will send continued prayers for your recovery. Rest and trust today
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Zjrosenthal--not sure about the exercises. I have the booklet they gave me for the mastectomy. I think I waited until the drain was out before I started those--so a week and a few days. They didn't say anything about it this time. I definitely have some pain and it's been just 24 hours...my instinct is to wait a little bit, but not too long.
The tramadol didn't do much for me. I think I'll try Tylenol next. I keep tensing up my upper body--then I realize it and relax. But then a few minutes later, I realize I'm tensing again.
Dreading the shower tomorrow. But at least I don't really have hair to wash...lol! I get very anxious every time I need to take a bandage off initially...I get really worried it's going to look awful. The incisions are covered by steri strips, and they look ok, but they put this huge bandage over the drain, and it's so taped up I fear it might be difficult to remove. My skin likes to hold onto adhesive.
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Nancy, yes, that is the one. I love the part (I hope this isn't a spoiler) when the natives tell him, "You've become a Christian!" That broke his heart. I'm glad you found it on You Tube. I'll have to look for it there so that we can watch it with my dad.
EDITED TO ADD:
I've just started my first blog. Am asking God to use it and teach me how to use it to spread a little sunshine. I think that some people, including some of my neighbors don't understand how I can be "happy" when I have Stage IV breast cancer. We love these people dearly and they love us. Please pray for me that I will hear and heed God's voice and the Spirit's voice and will write with courage and compassion.
I put a link in my signature line. There's only one post so far, but I have list of ideas and have started several drafts which I will continue to develop.
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GB, praying you have a good night and that you can stay ahead of the pain. I understand your fear of looking at the incision. When I had my abdominal hysterectomy a year ago I was the same way. You will get through this as you have all through this journey as tough as it has been.
Chris, praying you are feeling better each day as you prepare for your eye surgery.
Carol, I did listen to the whole video today. I caught myself falling asleep and went back to be sure I didn't miss much of it. It is a great story and a powerful testimony. BTW I wasn't falling asleep out of boredom. My new Detox plan has made it so that I have to get up quite a bit earlier than I am used to.
I hope your blog goes well. I'll check it out.
I have extended my 10 day Detox to five weeks. I would appreciate your prayers. This is going to be a long process but I do feel very positive that the rewards in the end will really be worth it.
Have a good night all.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I'll be praying for you as you extend your detox to five weeks.
GB and Chris, I am praying for each of you today.
Have a blessed Thursday, everyone.
Carol
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Having a stressful day. :-(
I hate drains, showering with drains and steri strips. I'm tired of all of it. Started bleeding under one of the strips (where the port was removed), called surgeon and they said it was ok. It's making me nervous though.
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I'm sorry, gb. Drains are a pain (no pun intended). It is hard to shower, hard to get comfortable and is just an overall pain. I "leaked" around mine, too. I learned, either on this site or a hysterectomy site, to use hydrogen peroxide and OxyClean to get blood out of clothing or your sheets. I use it a lot, especially when my husband comes home from rock climbing all banged up (and totally happy) and then bleeds on the bed sheets. It truly works!
Carol
EDITED TO ADD: Nancy, thank you SO much for telling about watching the Pineapple Story on You Tube. That will be a perfect way to watch it with my dad when we're out there next weekend. I just checked it out and it works perfectly.
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GB, I hope your pain is under control. I had bleeding after coming home after my hysterectomy and my surgeon was out for the week but I had to have an office visit with his associate. So I completely understand your concern. I do hope that the surgeon put your mind at ease and that this bleeding will stop.
Carol, thanks for praying for my detox going for five weeks. Today was the first day I didn't feel well but they say that is to be expected. I'm glad you found the Pineapple Story on YouTube. It is a great true story. I also checked out your blog yesterday. I didn't leave any comments as I figured I could do that here. You are off to a great start and I hope many who need it will find it. I have continued to have email issues again today and this time I called for tech support and he did get me up and running again.
Chris, praying you are getting stronger each day and feeling better each day as well.
I have prayed for all of you today. Have a great night.
Love,
Nancy
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I'm ok pain wise. It hurts still but a little better every day. I'm anxious about seeing her next week though...every time I'm given results so far we are somehow blindsided. I'm tired of it all.
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gb, I glad you're doing better pain wise. I'll pray for peace for you in the coming week, I have a funny story about my drains. Don't continue reading if it hurts to laugh.
When I went in to have my drains removed, I saw the NP. She told me to take a deep breath, like I was going to blow out the candles on my birthday cake. I did, and she said, "Oh come on. You're older than that!" Of course I started laughing, and she pulled out the drains. She probably does that with everyone, but it certainly worked.
Nancy, I will continue to pray for you especially during your detox. I hear that it can be unpleasant in the beginning. Thank you for your comment about the blog. I truly want it to reflect my faith in God without sounding religious or sanctimonious. I don't want to preach - I want to live.
Teka, -23??? That's cold! When I lived in Maine, the coldest I remember it getting was -18F. I remember breathing in through my nose and my nostrils would stick together. It was quite a change for this California girl.
Chris, thinking of you today.
Love to all,
Carol
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gb, I will pray for a restful day for you today. May the God of miracles hold you close, remove your pain, and bless you with good news. He loves you and wants to dry your tears and heal your hurts.
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Teka LOL on Maxine's diet plan. Unfortunately on this diet plan everything is MORE expensive even after the inflated prices. I need a night job!!!!!!! I was out late last night (don't ask me why) filling my birdbath and cleaning it. My paper towel that I put on my patio wall stuck to it and it is still partly there as it froze immediately so I can't even imagine -25. Our wind chills have come close to that but real temps not yet and hopefully never. My advice. Stay inside and come out when spring arrives. LOL
GB, I can so relate to what you just said. I just know that when all of my surprises that surfaced on scans and tests etc. God got me through all that I had to go through. He will do that for you as well but of course we are all praying for the best outcome. You will get through this and you are not alone.
Chris, how is your cough? How are you feeling? Still praying.
Carol, I hope your blog goes really well. It is a great way to express your own emotions too so it is hopefully a win win situation for those who read it and for you. Your doctor taking out the drain was very smart. Sounds like my podiatrist before she starting cutting on me! She gave me the remote to her satelight TV and with no directions on how to use it. It worked. Sort of.
I do have a prayer request. I started having difficulty with my detox yesterday and today. Thankfully the health coach emailed me and suggested drinking some unsweetened coconut water as it has electrolytes in it. I became very internally shaky and today was worse. I had to reach out to one of my doctors because it has been almost impossible for me to schedule my thyroid meds apart from my supplements and now from the breakfast smoothies we drink for breakfast with this plan. I want to be healthy but it can be more of a challenge in the little details. I have lost 2lbs already since I started on Monday. It would usually take me month so this is encouraging even though I know it is water weight but that has been a big part of my problem.
Have a good day everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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brrrrr, cold! I will miss the warmth of San Diego. It is snowing in Colorado Springs and should continue most of the night. I am glad to be retired and wont have to drive in it, and the bus drops my granddaughter right at her driveway. Finally, something positive!
Nancy, I am feeling much better with only an occasional lingering cough. I actually slept all night last night for the first time in a long time. Thank you for your prayers.
I know I have lost a lot of weight since I got home from the hospital---at least one maybe two sizes. I am on a very low carb, no sugar food-monitored diabetis diet because of the steroid-induced diabetis which hopefully will resolve once I an off the steroids. Most of our kitchen is packed and in Colorado so we eat very simple foods eating down the vegetables, chicken and fish that were still in the freezer. We only buy bread, milk, yoghurt, etc.and I don't add any sauces, and only use onion, garlic, salt and pepper which is all i have. It is not the fun way to diet, but it is working. I won't get weighed for one more week. I could easily go to the store or even out, but we have decided this is good for both of us. I have never tried a detox and am interested to hear how you are doing. What I have to do now is add walking more.
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GB, I hope you are resting well tonight. Praying for you.
Chris, I can imagine that the weather will be an adjustment when you move, but since you have lived there before you at least have an idea what it will be like. Wow, you must have lost a lot of weight. Sounds like you both are eating well and making good choices so good for you.
I am doing pretty well on the Detox. I had a couple of scary days when I was wondering if I would be able to continue but after taking the health coaches advice I bought some water with electrolytes and that really did help. The unsweetened coconut water she had suggested was an outrageous price. On sale it was on bottle for over $8. I knew that wasn't going to be a viable option. I drank the two big bottles of electrolyte water already and forgot I was going to run to my local grocery to see if they had any. We are supposed to drink half of our weight in ounces. I drink a lot but I am not sure I am reaching that goal yet. I am not keeping track though. This is a very nutritionally sound program and I feel like it will be able to sustain this for another month. However this week was called the preloading week and the detox starts next week. So this week was one smoothie for breakfast with their supplement powder. I add either kale or spinach, organic mix berries, almond butter and almond milk. Two approved meals. Next week graduates to two smoothies and only one approved meal. So this may be a challenge. I really enjoy the smoothies and they are quite healthy. This program will actually take a very long time as we introduced foods one by one that we have been avoiding for five weeks. It is much more involved than I ever imagined but the goal is to reset your way of thinking about food and to eat healthy and a variety. The main thing is figuring out which are your foods that cause you issues. Time will tell. It has been quite time consuming so far but I think that will get easier. I had fried cod for the first time tonighti. We aren't allowed to eat eggs so I coated it with avocado and almond flour. I am using their suggested Himalayan salt which comes in a grinder and I can't see how much is coming out. I put way too much salt on the fish and I did that a few nights ago as well so I am learning by my mistakes. I usually use Celtic Sea Salt which apparently is not as salty tasting as the other one.
Chris I do hope you your diabetes will be reversed once you can get off of the steroids. I would love to lose two sizes in my cloths. I am glad your cold and cough are getting better. Continued prayers for you.
Well I hope you all have a good night.
Love
Nancy
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Thank you Nancy. I'm physically ok but worried about many things. I wish I could conquer the worry. I probably need to be medicated for my anxiety.
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GB I would reach out to your doctor and tell them just what you said. I am sure they have heard this many, many times before. I am sure they could give you some meds to relax if you think and they think that would be the best thing for you now. You have been through a lot and this has been a long journey of a lot of stress. There is no shame in taking some meds to help you now.
We are all praying for you.
Love,
Nancy
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I saw the pathology report. It posted to the hospital portal. I see the surgeon on Wednesday. So... she did the reverse mapping. And then took out tissue that had one lymph node. Sigh. It was negative (yay!), but whether anyone will consider that sufficient for ALND, I just don't know. She told my husband after, because I'm so tiny there wasn't much tissue to take. I imagine she'll explain this more on Wednesday but I'm braced for a whole lot of I don't know what. I was on board with the mapping but thought more nodes would be removed. Although, I did read in a BCO article that women have anywhere between 5 and 30 nodes, and I already had 5 removed between two SLNB, so maybe there just wasn't much left. I hope the surgeon has all sorts of things to say to ease my concerns.
I'm also pretty worried about the insurance component but it's a wait and see on that.
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GB, I hope that all goes well with your surgeon tomorrow. I have been praying regularly for you and for any insurance issues that may crop up since they denied this procedure. I would think less lymph nodes out in the long run is a good thing. I had LE therapy and they never could determine whether I actually had it or not. If you talk to any women who have it that is not something you want. Hopefully you have had instruction on getting a compression sleeve and glove to prevent lymphedema. That is important to have one and use it especially when flying or doing heavy exercise or lifting.
Have a good night everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, I agree I don't want lymphedema. That risk (and the risk of brachial plexopathy) is why my radiation oncologist recommended no further treatment to the nodes despite positive nodes. She said the area had enough damage to it already from the full radiation I already received, plus two SLNB, and I would be risking significant complications. Surgeon and MO didn't agree which is why we went forward with surgery, but now here we are. I wonder what the surgeon will say today. I hope they don't pile all decisions on me. I hate it when they do that.
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She said she took what she could and without a doubt we made the best choices. I feel better after talking with her. The drain removal hurt because the stitches were really stuck on there. They also did my left mammogram today. Hope it all turns out ok with that.
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GB, prayers have been answered for you today. I am glad you are feeling better after seeing the surgeon. Now praying your mammogram will be fine.
Love,
Nancy
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Hello guys. Asking for prayers today! I have lost a friend that passed recently, and I have another friend that her mom’s lymphoma came back after 14 years and is considered terminal. I think this set a whole anxiety attack in motion for me. I am not only struggling with those things now my brain has gone to what if I am not cancer free, and all the what ifs. Ugh. I need prayer for God’s peave
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