Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Wow. GWTW is one of my favorite books. I'd rather read it than watch the movie, although the movie was fabulous. When I was in school, I read GWTW every Christmas break. Must have read it 10 times. Maybe I should re-start the tradition.

Sandra-I'm praying for you and Mike. Feeling under the weather is tough. It's nice that you'll have answers in just a week.

Here's to a much better 2015 for us all. Happy New year

I waS dating my husband the first time GWTW was re-released in the late 60's. We absolutely loved it. When I got home I was still gushing about the movie, telling my dad he had to go see it. When I finally stopped to take a breath, he said "honey, you don't have to convince me to go see it- I saw it the first time around in 1939".

It was the first book I read when I stopped working to wait for our first child to arrive.

Jackie- I think some of my DIL's reluctance to move is tied to her need to always have control, which stems from a verbally and physically abusive childhood. Problem is, after 10 years with my son, she still hasn't figured out that he has no problem with her having control 90% of the time. He has a big problem with her treating him like a child- correcting or directing his every move, especially with their daughter, when he is much more child oriented by nature and by training. And then the big decisions, like where to move. He has offered to move anywhere warmer and closer to family- and by closer to family, he will take within 100 miles. Because of where they live, and the fact he directs a summer camp near me, he spends a minimum of 8 weeks away from his daughter each summer. He would be fine in the Orlando area, where he can go home every weekend.

Anyway off to a major grocery shopping at SAMS.

Anne

Oh Cammi, so sorry to hear about your brother having lung cancer. What a vicious disease! And both brothers in the hospital at the same time...oh my, you must have been beside yourself with worry.

Oh Garden....what GREAT news! I am doing the happy dance for you!

Cami....I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. Hugs!

We are still in Illinois. We leave on the 3rd of Jan. I have my yearly check..mammo, etc. in Peoria on the 2nd which is why we are waiting to go south. As always, I'm nervous but I've been keeping myself busy by packing! Today I packed kitchen things that we're taking. They have dishes and pots and pans in the place where we are renting, but I always take spices, coffee, tea, and other things to get us started for a few days. I also take a crockpot so I can put things in it in the morning and then go have fun! Our one cat eats only prescription canned food so I had to go to the vet and get enough for her for the three months.

Joan...I DID get the tree down and all the Christmas things put away. I was determined that I wasn't going to arrive home to Christmas in April! I guess I just like to procrastinate! I must admit that I got more things done around the house when I was still working. Now I tend to put things off.

Jackie...I've said it before and I'll say it again. This job is a KEEPER! They realize how special you are and they show you! I'm so happy that you are working for them.

Tomorrow night our golf group is going over to the club for dinner and a dance. We will welcome in the New Year there if we can stay awake. It will be easy to get home. It's just across the road!

Happy New Year to all of you!

GardenGumby - NED!!! Hooray. Congrats.

GG,

Just saw your good news.....Fantastic.  Hoping for an decent result and easy fix for your next tests. 

I'm looking forward with high hopes that everyone will have a good New Year's.  I don't really do resolutions.  In fact, it has been a few years since I even bothered to think of days gone by when we simply had to do something special for New Years -- and sometimes it was just going over to someone's house.  Now -- I'm far too "sleepy" far too early to wish to do much but just veg out in my own living room and trot off to bed almost the first moment my eyes blink twice in a row.  It's safer, you never have a hang-over, and no taking two days to get yourself back realistically feeling good and more or less wide awake. 

Sort of makes you wonder why you ever bothered making it such a big deal.  The first couple of times you do it "like" an older person it makes so much sense you just don't ever want to do " the routine " again.   It is for young or maybe I should say younger people.  They can tolerate the loss of sleep and though the hangover may go down hard, it is forgotten soon enough -- or maybe remembered REALLY, REALLY well  so there is lots of care and caution used the next year -- or even the next party.

Anyway -- I'll be back tomorrow.  See you then.

Jackie

Garden gumby, Congratulations!!!  So, so happy for your good news.  Sandra - you and hubby in my thoughts and prayers.

May this be a happy and healthy New Year for all of us!!

Taking a break from packing and just had to jump on and see what everyone is doing. Every time I think I am getting close to being finished (except for the last minute things) I remember something else that is important.

Carole, we are going to Cape Coral, Florida. This is our third year on the Cape. Before that I went to Fort Myers Beach. I loved staying right on the beach but the traffic was terrible getting on and off the island. We still like to go over there for a day and do the beach and the shops. There are many fantastic places to eat there, too. Naples isn't too far from us and we always go down to the big golf pro shop there a couple of times each trip. This cold temperature snap has me ready to go!

Sandra....sure hope hubby is doing better! I am hoping that his news is good!

Well I need to organize my golf things next so I'm off and running again.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!

Blondie-you made me smile, with a tear in my eye. Thanks

Blondie,

I too am very moved by the words in your graphic.  I have had the good fortune of meeting a large group of BC. Org people from another thread -- the one that Rita started a long time ago.  It was a great treasure to me, but only in that I did get to see these people.  The ones here that I interact with on a daily basis here are just as real, just as wonderful and just as caring.  I can't say either group comes first -- they have equal importance to me and both mean as much as the other. 

Rita,

Isn't this the pits.  Oh my --- I don't like the cold snap at all.  Even though we already had two snows -- I rather expect things to be a bit dicey at that time.  Somehow stepping outside this morning just seemed nearly brutal, with no real good reason.  We were fortunate to have sun all day, but it was only mildly better later on in the day.  Hoping this will only have a few days duration but who ever knows with the global warming just how things will go.

Got a couple days off to nurse my back a bit.  Hoping I get it under control.

See you all later. 

Blessings

Jackie

Mike's hematologist called. The tests are back and he does have Myelodysplastic Syndrome (mi-low-dis-plastic) which is a type of bone marrow cancer. He spoke with her so I didn't get a chance to ask her any questions and Mike didn't understand much of what she said. He said she was upbeat and said that we would discuss all the details as well as when or if chemotherapy and other treatments are needed at the appointment with her next Wednesday. It must have been caught early because she said there are lots of things that can be done at this stage and he shouldn't think anything but positive things will result. He doesn't seem scared. He said, "Well, whatever it takes, I'm going to beat it." The National Cancer Institute articles say depending on the staging, which we won't know until next week, the median life expectancy is 12 years for the lowest stage and the next stage is 5.5 years.

This is worse than getting my own diagnosis 16 months ago but I'm glad I have all of you. He doesn't want to tell anyone, which is of course his choice. He doesn't want me to put it on Facebook or tell our friends so again, I won't. But I needed to tell you.

Sandra.

Well, was hoping for better news, but in fact, it doesn't really sound 'dire'.   I do though think ( as Teka mentioned ) that most of us  needed some time to digest the information that we were fine yesterday more or less and are walking around today with a REAL cancer inside of us.  It is daunting -- even when you have some suspicions from what you were told at a previous Dr.'s visit.  In time.  I do think too with a strong and positive attitude -- you start out from the get-go with all systems on go and hopefully things will go well for Dh. 

I use to say positive attitude all the time -- then someone said to me that does nothing.  Well, for me I think my "mind-body" connection needs to hear it.  I look for the bright side and the good answers and live with higher hope and great expectations -- if they don't show up -- well then it was meant to be, but I'm going to be ready for not just good, but great.  .

gemmafromLondon,

I thought we had lost you, but glad to see you are back. I had Arimidex when I was taking the pill and as far as I know had no odors.   I never noticed anything and no one else ever said anything.  I think I have heard this complaint somewhere though -- I just don't know for sure where!!!!!!  Maybe there might be a way to settle the effects of your medication down -- you could check with your Dr.  Taken at a different time or maybe a way to adjust the dosage -- but that would all be up to your Dr.  

Hope you keep doing well  and will come back to see us.  As this is New Years Eve, don't know how many people may be on here this evening. 

Jackie

Wren, yes it is what Robin Roberts had. I've been reading everything I can find for a couple of hours now. Bad news: there is no cure EXCEPT for a bone marrow transplant. Good news: even with a more aggressive type, it often can be managed with chemo & meds. In some lucky cases all the patient needs is regular blood transfusions for life. We won't know what category he falls in until next week but we have every reason to be hopeful.

Sandra, So sorry to read of Mike's DX.....Did he ever have chemo or radiation? Meeting Mike last fall I know he is a tough guy and will fight when he knows his path of healing. For bone marrow they have found that siblings, not children are a better match.

I was told by my Hemo/onco that he thought I had MDS and gave me a booklet on it, this was in Oct 2013, I ask what are we going to do about it & his reply was "Watch & Wait"........(that I later found out is what they do fo early stage) I waited 8 full months before I had my bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration and was sign up to go to a MDS symposium in Seattle at Fred Hutchison Cancer research Center. I cannot tell you how much I learned about this disease.....I begged for a blood transfusion and he said no,,,,not yet.....my RBC was 3.2.......it turned out I did not have it or leukemia......but called me a mystery........since I never had Chemo or radiation,,,,which can cause it.

A good source of info is from the MDS foundation.....in washington, DC.....they sent me a very large packet of info....it took almost a month to receive it.....(the website is not so great)

Sending hugs to you guys!

Love,

Di

Sandra - Sorry to hear the news of Mike's diagnosis but it does sound like there are some good options for treatment. I too told very few people so like Wren, this site was my outlet. We'll all keep sending prayers & hugs.

Di - how crazy is that to wait for an echo!! They know the darn answer by the time they finish the test. Hope the results are good.

Happy New Year to everyone. The posts are lovely.