thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
-
Nancy, I don’t believe in Karma or “luck” but you’ve been through so much, I’d be looking over my shoulder to see what’s coming next. Or, I’d be down on my knees talking to God, saying, “Really???” I’m so thankful for the peace and calm you are experiencing. It’s an amazing thing when that happens in the midst of the storm and we know that it can come only from on high. Funny story about Cammie and the other cat.
I hope everyone is doing OK despite all of our “issues.” Our desert house is on the cold side as something is wrong with the heater. Thermostat says 64 degrees. Waiting for a part. At least there is a fireplace in the living room. And coffee…
Love to all,
Carol
PS: Spoke with my dad last night. He’s loving his new place. He’s meeting interesting people, enjoying eating in the restaurants and cafes in his building and said he took a walk yesterday. I’m so thankful!
0 -
Carol, we are praying for you a complete sense of a peace that passes all understanding. I know He will walk beside you each step of the way. Praying that the radiation goes smoothly and several treatments can be before Christmas. Also, that you will be feeling good at Christmas time. So good to hear that your Dad likes his new place.
Nancy, how scary about your online account! So thankful you feel a peace from all the prayers surrounding that issue. We are praying that the bank is gracious about straightening it all out! I loved the story about Cammie and the other cat!
Chris, I'm praying that your stomach issues are resolving. And that you are feeling good and relaxing in your cozy chair!
I have been able to talk to my sister most nights, it'll be 2 weeks tomorrow since she moved in. My nephew was calling me and letting her talk the first week, then my BIL was calling each night when he went to visit. However, last night she was upset with him and he felt he should leave before it escalated. A friend of hers was there and was good at calming her. She has been thinking the last couple days that it's time for her to go home. So last night I tried the number my nephew gave me. It connects with the nurses station and they take her the phone and she can talk, not face time, but we were able to visit. I'm anxious to go there, (I plan on January 16-24), and see how their schedule is there, and the best time to call, etc, and if they mind one calling each evening. It is really hard on my BIL, he called me last night and said it's just heartbreaking, because she wants to come home and he doesn't know what to do. But the staff there says that she is very involved in the activities and is doing better than they had expected.
My nurse friend, is feeling somewhat better, but there is still the issue of not sleeping real well because of having to get up and go to the bathroom. The med she is trying for that now is Gemtesa, which says it may help in 2-12 weeks and this is only week three. She tries to limit fluids in the afternoons and evenings.
I got some occupational therapy going for my hand, since it wasn't healing as fast as the left hand did, and I really like it, she did ultrasound on it and massaged the scar tissue. I also, have a bone density test on Friday and appointment with the MO, I should have been praying more that my bones are holding up with the arimidex, because I already have osteoporosis.
GB, I think your massage sounds great, and pray that it helps you immensely! Praying for all of you, Hershey and Teka too!
Love, Wheatfields
0 -
Carol, I have accepted that I seem to have more challenges than most people. It is what it is but yes, sometimes I really find myself in that mode of Lord can I just have a few months of peace. In this particular situation I am definitely waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was texting my neighbor today about looking in on Cammie while I am away for a couple of days at Christmas. I told her about my bank issue. In a few mintues they were both on the line. He gave me some good advice which was to go online and freeze my socical security number. I may wait till tomorrow as I want to freeze everything with the credit bureaus. I have a fraud alert on them already but that doesn't protect your existing accounts. I want to ask them the proper number before going online and giving a scammer my SS#.
I'm sorry you are having heater problems. I am glad you have the fireplace. It is so good to hear how well your Dad seems to be doing. I am sure that is a great relief for you. Praying you find out results of your scans very soon.
Teka, this morning when I was in the bathtub with both doors closed Cammie was outside the door meowing VERY loudly. I don't know if the black cat showed up again and she just wanted some protection from me. It could be a long winter!!! Yes, those cat calls can be really annoying.
Wheatfields, I am so glad you have been able to talk with your sister. I really prayed alot for your BIL because I figured this was going to be especially hard on him. I pray that God will smooth out this transition for all of you. I'm sorry your hand isn't healing like you would like but glad you are getting some therapy. I had hand therapy many years ago after breaking my wrist and it did feel really good. I pray that your bone density will be good results.
I had the priviledge of a friend giving me two free tickets to see a men's glee club which her husband is in. I asked another friend to go and we had the concert this afternoon. It was a really fun Christmas concert with just enough "funny " things thrown in to hit a great balance.
I pray that this week will start on a good note for all of us.
Love,
Nancy
Here is the culprit!!! I wish I had got a pic of Cammie looking like she was boxing. LOL
0 -
Nancy, is Cammie a Himalayan? Nice photo of her and her "friend."
Thank you for all of the prayers. DH and I have been having some heart-to-heart talks lately. And I'm working on my next blog post. It's on the lighter side. I read a draft of it to DH last night on our ride home from the desert. He laughed, which was exactly what I wanted.
He also told me that my BIL (his sister's husband) printed out my latest blog and read it out loud to the family. Wow! I'm beyond thankful and humbled (almost embarrassed) that people say I have a talent for writing. It's only by the grace of God and I'm well aware of that. Trust me, I'm not that talented!
I'm off to mail a check to my sister. We're helping them get their kids out for Christmas. I've gotta get busy on the hats I'm making for everyone! I'm afraid they're not good enough, but that's a topic for my next blog. Stay tuned!
Love to all,
Carol
0 -
Nancy, Mr. Black seems to be missing a collar. He may be an indoor neighbor and has escaped into the great outdoors. I hope he finds his way home soon before the weather turns much colder.
Carol, your father sounds like a very nice gentleman. I'm glad that he is meeting and making new friends.
Wheatfields, my mom's assisted living facility provided families with a monthly schedule of activities and events. It was very helpful; families had a good idea of the best times to call residents. Perhaps your sister's facility provides or posts something similar.
Chris, I hope you are feeling better. A cozy, comfortable chair sounds wonderful. Has Colorado Springs received much snow so far?
0 -
Teka, in this case I don't think Cammie is going to be sad if the black cat never comes back again. I have two bird feeders which for a muscular cat could probably catch one of the birds which are mainly finches and smaller birds in most cases.
Carol, Cammie is a Ragdoll. My cat before Cammie was a Himilayan and when I look through pictures from the back it is hard to tell them apart. My Himilayan had more of a pushed in face and she came from an impressive line of show cats. Cammie doesn't display most of the normal characteristics of Ragdolls behavior wise. She is extremely smart and understands many words and in her old age is now very affectionate.
I'm glad that you and your DH are getting the chance to have heart to heart talks. I don't really know if my parents had those talks. My Dad had cancer and was in the hospital. He died while in the hospital and totally shocked everyone including his oncologist. I was so grateful that I was in town and my whole family got to be there when he passed. He was unconscious by the time my Mom and I got to the hospital and that part was sad because we didn't get to say our good byes. My Dad knew he was loved so that was comforting.
I bet your hats you are making will be beautiful and much appreciated.
Hershey, we have a leash law for dogs and cats in Naperville so there really shouldn't be any strays but of course there are. On Nextdoor many people post pics of their missing pets. I have not checked if there have been any black cats posted. Since I have only seen the cat once that probably wouldn't be very helpful. My neighbor said it was annoying her dog too.
Some people let their cats out to run and it could be this might be one of them since it didn't seem scared of me. We have had some cold nights so I hope it's owner finds it.
I spent a good part of the afternoon and into the evening on the phone freezing my credit with all three credit bureaus and extending the fraud alert. I will make a police report. I called and they told me I need to go in person or file one onine. I may go in person. If I would have had that in place I could have had a fraud alert that would last 7 yrs but too late now for that. I called Social Security and the phone wait time was over an hour so I hung up.
My bank has officially closed my account as of Saturday so I need to call them and see if I will still get my money back in 5-10 days. I sure hope there will not be a hitch.
I would appreciate your prayers for this situation. I know some of you have been praying and that is more than likely the reason I have remained calm these last few days.
Chris, how are you feeling? How is your stomach doing? Praying you feel much better.
Have a good night dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
I thought I would try to get us in the Christmas spirit. I know for myself I want to lay all of my burdens at Jesus feet because that is where real peace and freedom come. I pray that each of us can experience His peace today.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Oh, Nancy, that makes me happy! I love Christmas scenes!
0 -
😍😍😍🎄🎄🎄
0 -
Such a peaceful winter scene, Nancy. Yesterday was sunny and 70 degrees. I spread compost in the garden. Not very wintery at all. :-(
0 -
Love all the pictures of cats and Christmas! It helps with the joy.
Wheatfields, I have been praying for your family. There is no good situation when a loved one needs extra care somewhere other than home.
Carol, I may have missed your scan news, but I pray they get you a good plan that is manageable throughthe holidays.
Nancy, yes I am praying for a good solution to your banking woes. It is so scary anymore. My DH handles all our finances of which I am thankful because he is gifted this way. It scares me that if anything happens to him I would not know what to do. We do have a good financial manager so I am sure he would help.
You have all been so sweet to ask about my stomach woes, so here it goes. I thought it was all just part of the side effects of Verzenio which is known for this, but I saw my oncologist today and she says that would be unusual the way I also pee a lot also…sorry for the tmi… Anyways, after labs it looks like I may have yet another UTI. I get them so often it may be chronic for me as I have no pain and no fever. All I know is I haven't felt well in a few weeks. I am waiting on a call back to see if there is another antibiotic I can take to get me through the holidays, and she is getting me an additional prescription that I can take to help. I hate taking so much medication but I have resolved to feel as well as possible for as long as possible. This is why I set up Christmas decorations etc., so early. Every single year I get sick before Christmas. I stopped singing in the Christmas choir because after all the practice I would end up sick anyways. I started turning down solos, etc., until I just stopped altogether. I do miss it!
I have another non-related prayer. We have a new good friend of my DH, the family we cruised with in October. He suddenly disappeared yesterday. His dear wife came by today to share it with us and solicit our help. This is not normal but he does have severe depression at times. We were all so scared. Just a few minutes ago he suddenly appeared and went straight to bed with no explanation. I covet your prayers for this dear, sweet man who we know would give anything for a friend. I pray he will seek help. We are also his only Christian influence and I pray my DH can help with spiritual counselling too. Thank you. I know this is beyond the scope of this website, but you are friends and I know I can share this burden.
Thank you for your presence. You all mean more than I could ever express.
Love, Chris
0 -
Chris, I am so sorry you are dealing with another UTI. At least that explained your stomach issues and it is not caused by your chemo meds but that is probably not much comfort at this point.
What an awful thing regarding your friend. I will pray that he can get some help and maybe your DH might be just the right person to help him. I will pray for his wife as I am sure this is very scary for her. When he disappeared I can't even imagine what either one of them was going through.
I will be praying for all of those issues.
I have an HOA meeting and need to run.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Chris, I can’t remember what I’ve posted where, so you may not have missed anything. The PET scan showed the cancer has probably progressed into the stomach. I have my radiation mapping session tomorrow and will hopefully get the radiation the following two weeks.
I’m so sorry about your recurrent UTIs. Those are NO fun at all.
I will pray for your friend. How scary for everyone who knows and loves him.
Love to all,
Carol
0 -
Hershey, I could stand some days in the 70's about now. 😊 Maybe send that warm air our way!
0 -
Teka, I saw your post but the picture wasn't there when I looked. I just now saw it. Very beautiful.
0 -
Carol, I am sorry to hear your PET scan result. I am assuming your radiation mapping will include the abdomen. I know you will find out tomorrow. My continued prayers for you dear sister.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Thank you, dear sisters! I dreamt, last night, about the radiation mapping. I couldn't find where I was supposed to be, I couldn't find any gowns to change into, couldn't find a changing room and they were yelling at me for being late. It was such a relief to wake up and realize I knew exactly where I'd be going today and that I wasn't late…
The good news is (I think I cross-posted this) is that I shouldn't have to pay the 30% co-pay because I've met all of my out-of-pocket costs for this year. This is assuming I can get the radiation before year-end. But since God is in control of my schedule and the costs of my treatment, I'm not going to worry about it. At least for now… I appreciate the continued prayers!
Love to all,
Carol
0 -
Carol, I hope your mapping experience was not as tense as your nightmare of it. Praying all will go well when you start. It is always nice to reach that point with your insurance.
Chris, I do hope you are feeling much better today.
Hershey, I think maybe you did send some warmer weather our way. Today reached 50 I think but I was too busy working inside to enjoy it. Maybe tomorrow.
Have a good night everyone.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas………………………..
0 -
Nancy, the “real” mapping session was easy—even with the tattoos. I now have three new little dots on my torso. Unfortunately, the insurance is still balking at the actual radiation sessions, so it looks like they’re not going to happen until next year. I was hoping to get them done before the end of the year. Oh, well.
I’m feeling tired and discouraged right now but am comforted to know that I am being prayed for and that my Father in heaven has everything under control. I know He has a plan for my radiation schedule and the potential out-of-pocket costs, and everything else that is coming.
Love to all,
Carol
0 -
Carol, I can't believe your insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to march into the office of the person making that judement and tell them the errors of their way……….of course in a nice way.😫I will continue to pray for you as I have. I am feeling a bit discouraged as well. I went to the police station yesterday to file a police report and the officer scared the puddin' out of me (as my great aunt used to say). He had me convinced that the whole thing with my money fiasco was a scam and that I probably was not actually talking to the bank but to scammers who probably wiped out my whole savings account. He absolutely had me convinced and I drove home in a daze with directions to send him all emails from "them". I spent a very long time on the phone and talked to the fraud dept of the bank and they said it started as a scam but was legit on their end and they in fact do send money back through the mail no matter what the amount is. She told me they closed my account because on Oct. 25 there was a phone call that I gave up my user name and password which would only happen if someone had a gun to my head and then I would have to say I don't know what it is so this all felt like being victimized all over again. Did someone hack my phone? I have tried to change more passwords some have failed so I have to wait until Monday to spend more time on the phone.
I know your issues are much more serious and I apologize for venting. Our circumstances are very different but the being tired and discouraged I can relate. I too know God is in control for BOTH of us and his plans for us are much greater than we have for ourselves.
Rest, my friend and we will all gather around you and pray and lift you up.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
0 -
Nancy, my stomach would be in knots if I were in your situation. I will pray for a quick resolution for you.
Carol
0 -
Carol, how frustrating that your treatment plan is delayed because the insurance company has not approved coverage. I hope a kindhearted specialist approves the preauthorization very soon so treatment can commence.
Nancy, your bank's explanation sounds weird to me. If the bank truly believed that you were in danger, they would contact law enforcement. I hope you've received your money from them and pray that all your accounts are secure.
0 -
Carol, my brain is in knots trying to figure this all out. I feel so bad for you and I am praying that someone will go to bat for you so you can start radiation asap, otherwise why would they have consented to the mapping. It makes no sense.
Chris, I hope you are feeling much better.
Hershey, as I have been laying awake thinking about all of this mess and checking my cell phone records with nothing strange popping up it occured to me to check my internet phone call history and sure enough I found the phone number that the hacker had inserted into my bank account listed many, many times but…………….it said I placed the calls. They started way back on Oct 12. This is called spoofing your phone number. The disappointing thing is that I called the police officer back after talking with the fraud dept. He told me he would email me the police report before he left last night. He did email me but he didn't attach any police report only a number for my case. The more this unfolds I would be willing to bet my life that my local bank merger or data breach had something to do with this. I am praying for wisdom in my next steps. I think once this online bank thought I had made the calls to this number and given them the username and password they chose to close the account permanently and and wash their hands of the whole thing. They probably did call law enforcement without telling me. They obviously were able to look at my phone records to know these dates they were talking about. I have not gotten my money back as it takes 7 to 10 busniness days to return money in the mail. I was told if I don't have the check by next Friday to call back. At one point we got disconnected after talking for a very long time and she called me back. I am convinced that they are telling me the truth but I am still NOT happy knowing they could have transfered my money back into my bank account but I don't know if they are suspecting I was in on the scam or what. As I think about it I could see how that would be possible for bad actors to attemp such a thing. What I am convinced of is that I didn't fall for a scam. My data from a previous data breaches is probably on the dark web and then open season on any innocent victims. It is a sad state of affairs that we are living in such times. I am very thankful that their fraud dept caught this when they did. Otherwise I could conceivable be without that money for up to 3 months from what I have read.
I imagine that some of us have been a part of some data breach. I have been part of four for sure and possibly five. My recommendation is to put a fraud alert on the three credit bureaus…Equifax (which experienced their own data breach), Transunion and Experian. If you talk to only one they will notify the other two for you. Putting a credit freeze is a little more cumbersome but in the case of identiy theft is more protection. I have both now. However that does not protect your current accounts. It only prevents someone from trying to open an account in your name.
I am so wiped out today I have done practically nothing all day. I feel like I have been run through the ringer.
I am praying for all of you. I know this will not last forever.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy, this whole thing is so confusing for me! I will continue to pray that it gets resolved quickly and that there was no financial damage done.
Carol, continued prayers for your insurance situation. I think we all have had issues with insurance companies in the past but yours is just wrong. Your attitude is uplifting. I think I would be curled up hiding in bed.
Yes, I am feeling a little bit better. I even went to the Fire Department Santa party tonight although I can't do much right now that I am back home. I enjoy watching all the kids get special presents from Santa. It was an effort, but I made it. I am sure the antibiotics are doing their job. It snowed about four inches last night and has remained cold, but we are warm and safe.
I am praying for you all. I know that God knows all our situations and is walking beside us and holding us in His arms.
0 -
What would I do without you dear sisters? I am (at the moment) surprisingly unworried about this whole situation. It seems impossible that it will be resolved the way I'd like it to be, but God has a perfect plan and I have to trust Him with all of it. I still appreciate the continued prayers. I did message my RO, even though he won't get the message until Monday morning.
Nancy, I will continue to pray for you and your situation.
Chris, I'm glad you are starting to feel just a bit better and were able to go to the Fire Department Santa party tonight. Tomorrow is "our" Christmas party that the neighbors are having at their house.
Hershey, teka and to everyone else, I wish you sweet dreams. I'm heading to bed shortly.
Love to all,
Carol
0 -
Carol, I hope you are still feeling at peace.
Chris, things have gotten more frustrating and convaluted today. I won't go into all of it as it is just too much to convey. I hope you are feeling better each day.
Teka, that picture is beautiful. It looks like a painting.
I was talking to my neighbor this afternoon and I just said this ID theft is so scary. I went on to say that I am thankful that I have a heated home to stay in and I just bought groceries for the week. Many people cannot say that so I need to focus on the blessing I do have.
I did find out that to get my police report I have to jump through all of these hoops to even get it.
I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in how to move forward. Pray my money will be coming soon. I am actually afraid to spend any money at this point.
I did get to go to a Christmas party for ladies only in my neighborhood yesterday after church. That was fun to connect with friends I haven't seen for a while.
Take care dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
It's troubling that identity theft and data breaches are becoming so commonplace. The latest scam affecting my area involves crooks impersonating Chase Bank employees. I can't even count how many phone calls we've received from "Chase bankers" wanting to discuss our account.
Nancy, were you affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach? My data was one of the unlucky 143 million accounts compromised in the breach. Names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, drivers' licenses numbers — all shared with scammers, hackers, and crooks. As part of the Equifax settlement, I receive data monitoring services. Last week the monitoring service notified me that my data has been accessed through my previous employer's insurance plan and can now be viewed on the dark web. A security expert told me to expect more scams and breaches as hackers embrace AI.
Teka, that's a beautiful painting. Are you the artist?
0 -
Hershey, I'm sorry that you were a part of the Equifax breach. Was it your credit monitoring service that found out about your previous employer insurance issue? That is really scary. I did not receive anything from Equifax but assumed my data would be part of their breach. Maybe not from what you are saying. My grocery store, Home Depot and my doctor's network all had security breaches and my data was affected. The latest was my doctor's network just two years ago I think it was. I use creditkarma and for a free service they are quite good. However this situation I am in now is becoming much more scary. The bank that closed my account thinks I may be part of the scam I believe. The phone number that was inserted into my profile (which was not my number) showed up in my call history and there were a dozen calls to this number that looks like I made on the particular day the bank mentioned. I was so upset when finding this out. So it is possible the bank thinks I am part of the scam. If we still had phone booths I would love to call this number and see who answers. It is from Kanas City, Kansas. That much I know. I talked to this bank yesterday when I received a check which only covered the interest on my account. When I called they had moved my money to a new account without telling me. The good part is it was still accruing interest. The bad part is the check I thought I was receiving this week is delayed. I did talk them into transfering it to my bank. That can take a few days. So far nothing. I can NEVER do business with this bank again. Talk about a low blow. I was nice about it but I told two of the three people I talked to just yesterday that I felt like I had been victimized twice when I did absolutely nothing wrong. I asked one guy does this happen often. He said I have talked to several people who this happened to. When I talked to this lady last I said the same thing. I have been a customer at this bank for many years. I said I was very sad that my relationship had to end this way. I told her it was like being victimized twice. She said I'm sorry you feel that way. How do you respond to that. I am struggling with this whole fisasco now. I am really getting nervous about getting this money and then transferring it to my new bank I already opened an account with. If I am red flagged when I deposit the money hopefully I will be getting very soon will they also want to close my account? I have never in a million years thought I would find myself in such a situation.
I am looking at different monitering companies. Dave Ramsey is a big fan of Zander which I had never heard of. Lifelock is a company I know some friends use. I am in a very awkward position of not knowing if I should tell my other financial companies of my situation as they may think I am a crook. Between this and my HOA board it is consuming my life and my time. I just found out late today that another board meeting is called for tomorrow!
I believe it was social security I was trying to reach and the wait time was an hour so I gave up on that on that day. I had already been on the phone for a very long time.
I am going to implement the two step authentication which is a real pain but that is one more defense against these bad actors. My Geek Squad person said I should change my passwords every month. That seemed excessive to me but at this point I may do every single thing recommended.
I can now easily see how people go into debt and become bankrupt if their bank freezes their account and they have no money to pay the bills because it is being held until an investigation takes place.
Sorry that this is such a downer of a post. I am praying I get my money this week!! Praying for all of you.
Take care.
Love,
Nancy
0
