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

Sandra I am so sorry to hear that Mike is back in the hospital....hope they figure out real soon if it is an infection.....hope this boost of blood will help him get back on his feet. Sending love to you both....love y'all.

Di

Hi gemma,

You are so right -- if you are enjoying yourself you are not wasting time, you are filling yourself with something special  -- positive energy and emotion.   So glad to see you.

Di,  so hoping that Tamiflu really kicks in quickly.  I probably should knock on the nearest wood but I just don't seem to be bothered with flu's, colds, and things like that.  I guess my only worry for the most part are 'bigger' things -- and I just don't intend to have any more of them.   I hope you are well before you  know it. 

It has remained fairly nice and bright out today ( whew ) but had so much to do I paid scant attention to what is coming up in the next few days.  Hope it is not too bad.  Working later and just came back from a two mile walk at the Rec Center.  Sure glad I'm able to go and do that.  I know it helps keep me in shape ( oval and a little chubby is a shape ) and if I am faithful I will lose a few pounds.

In the class I go too -- they are all for trying not to sit for long periods and they have found ( would be easier for me likely ) that if you have three bouts of exercise done for 10 minutes each time, you are doing as much and possibly even more, than if you do a complete half an hour.    I'm sure part of it is in the variety and I'm sure they'd like for you to do things that get your heart rate up.  Resistance exercise is also good to throw in -- so I figure I will design something where I'm doing those things -- three times a day and also walking maybe every other day or more if it seems to suit.  The one thing I'm pretty sure it won't do is decrease my love of cheesecake and ice cream.  Always a down side you know.

Jackie

Cammi---so sorry you lost your brother. You and your family are in my prayers and thoughts

Cammi, so sorry to hear that your brother passed away.  Hugs.

Sandra, hoping that Mike gets stronger and can come home from the hospital. 

DH's girl cousin from WV and her dh arrived in New Orleans today to run in the marathon there tomorrow.  We're going to the city to try to see them when they run by us on the place where we'll wait on the route.  Then on Monday we'll go back to NO and get together with them.  They're in their 50's and recently retired from their jobs.  They chose not to have children and had good jobs so evidently they can afford to retire young and enjoy themselves doing things they want to do.  Cyndi does volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity. 

My foot ailment is not improving.  I plan to make another appointment with the podiatrist.  I may have to take a prescription anti-inflammatory instead of ibuprofen.  I can't walk a lot or stand on my feet for very long.  My mother suggested I have blood work and make sure my pre-diabetes hasn't become full-fledged diabetes. 

Best wishes to everyone.

OMG!!!!! What are the odd that BOTH you and Mike getting infections in the OR....terrible! Hope the med helps and his fever goes down. Are they feeding him by IV, since he is not eating.

Hugs,

Di

Sandra, Is that the same infection you had? I'm so sorry Mike has to fight that too. I hope the extra blood perks him up. I hope you're able to get some rest for yourself. You'll need it when he comes home.

Cami: so sorry about your brother, I lost my younger brother to ALS a couple years ago and it sure leaves a void in your life

Sandra: sending prayers that antibiotics work quickly.

Lew and I went to a wedding Friday - daughter of friends, we've known her since she was 4. Had a lovely evening, but such a different wedding - no flowers (except for the bride's bouquet) and no wedding cake. Table centerpieces had candles on mirrors with pine cones sprinkled with sparkles and candy dishes filled with Truffles. Corsages were handcrafted with tiny matching pinecones. Instead of the wedding cake there were 2 chocolate fountains (white and brown) with a variety of pretzels, marshmallows and fruits to dip in the chocolate, and then cupcakes. Wedding was in the banquet hall of a local motel. After the ceremony the staff cleared the chairs off the dance floor and the 2 DJ's played great dancing music. Fun to see everyone out dancing, even the little kids. Fun memorable wedding that the couple won't have to pay for the next 10 years.

Thank you everyone for u'r kind words--this was a shock for my family---he was golfing last month ad then he was filled with cancer, came home with hospice and died 2 days later--I never got there yet, so I'm still mad at him.

Oh Sandra this is so difficult for you and I do know what u'r going thru, but as soon as they figure out sometings it should be easier or u--and take care of u'rsel too.

Wren u'r not really 98 like our outdated Chevy, are u? I think Chevy got a stamp on her body for being outdated to see--so she's just trying to prove she stil has it, but it's everywhere it shouldn't be. She's used to it.

Joey and I were home alone last nite and we both got about 4 hrs. sleep. The dog and cat (I'm not using their names, I'm mad at them) were trying to out d each other for attention. Waking us up all nite long. At one point Joey sits up in bed and says Mammaw all I want to do is sleep and they won't let us. So we're like  Zombies, well I don't think we look that bad.

Carole I hope u figure out what wrong, cousin gets gout in her toe and she said it's very painful.

K Jackie is it snowing there, it is here, a fine snow and looks slippery tho. So far the nice weather is over. But of course u will no doubt find sunshine which I enjoy.

OK Ladies I'l close for now---talk to u later   xoxox

Di, the infection Mike has is gram positive cocci. I had gram positive staph. How nice that the OR has a variety to choose from. He's still running a fever in spite of two doses of IV Vancomycin. All the doctor's offices and clinics are in the same big building as the inpatient rooms so tomorrow I'm going to speak to his hematologist. It shocks me that she wasn't called in over the weekend. Same with the interventional radiologist who put in the port. He wanted to be contacted if Mike got a fever but to my knowledge did not answer the page. You'd think there would be someone else in his department to cover on weekends. The internal medicine guys are doing a good job and he's being cared for, but I'd feel better if his hematologist was in the loop. Tomorrow I'll see to it, even if I have to cause a scene. I've always felt appreciative that we have access to this particular hospital but this shakes my faith. With a bone marrow transplant coming up in the same facility, I'm full of questions that NEED answers.

You always hear people say, "You never know what can happen" but you don't really understand until you have a tragedy like expectantly losing a love one. So sorry Cammi and Termite. I know it's a part of life's circle, but sometimes it's so damn unfair.

Yes Judy,

Age is just a number and where would we be without those numbers rolling in every year.  Not quite as soon as you, but I will be 70 this yr. also.  I found out on my last GYN exam that I don't really need them anymore.  Hmm, the stuff must be really old eh !!! mummified or something. 

To be honest, I've never felt my age very much.  I noticed it pretty well during chemo tx. but other than that ( actually I felt a lot older ) I don't get too excited ( maybe that part isn't working either ) about it.  I think as well, the younger we were when we 'experienced' much older people -- as back then in some areas there was no make-up, no regular trips to get hair and nails done, we saw those ladies especially, as pretty old.  Now, many that I know go on a regular basis to be dolled up and they don't seem old even when you know  they are well past you. 

Lastly, I've never been this ago so till I got here I didn't know what it was going to feel like and to my surprise, it doesn't feel much different than most of my 10 yr. segments of time. 

If all else fails, when people find out that were 70 -- they might finally cut us some slack.  Had to be something good about it -- right ???

Jackie

Here's a photo of Lew and me at Friday's wedding.

Sandra that must have scared you big time to have code blue called out. Hope by now the fever is down and the reason identified and treated. I'm hoping Mike looks as healthy in a year as Robin Roberts does now.

Chevy - you surely got a page from my teenage diary telling about Chantilly and White Shoulders. I hadn't thought of those scents for years. My brother saved all his money and got grandma Evening in Paris for Christmas one year. Seemed like he saved for months to get a tiny very vivid blue vial of the stuff.

The first piece of furniture I ever bought was a stereo console much like the one in the picture above, but no TV. I really thought I was important. Oh there was a lot to learn back then about what is really important.

The weather and flu are crazy here too. Snow today, 45 degrees tomorrow. Grandkids have had the flu and are now recovering. But I have not seen them for a while in order to stay clear of that virus. I am really concerned about the measles outbreak west of us. It is a miserable virus. Sure hope it is contained soon.

The work on my basement should be done by next Monday. That flood sure did damage, but things look good now that it is all repaired. Hope the upcoming week is good for everyone.

Hi all, Am enjoying reading back a few days...as always!  Entertaining, nostalgic, happy and sad...what an amazing group of ladies.  Some of you are enduring so much and yet you take time to be "present' in the little things and memories in life.

Jackie, your quote a few pages back about taking time for the inner self - to rest and be in touch with nature - really is important.  I can't say how many times I've done that - rest and take in the world and its beauty - and felt "guilty" like I had to get back to cleaning the basement or something....being close to nature truly nourishes the soul.
As a kid growing up in a post-war new suburb, everything seemed to be paved.  I used to long for green and high points so I could have a long view.  We had a mini farm at the end of our street behind a French Restaurant - but the best place was the woods near my house and a little creek, just a few feet off the main road.  I'd go there just to get lost in the quiet beauty. 

Sandra, hugs and prayers for you...you have been through so much.  How quickly life can change.  I hope Mike can get out of there soon and gain his strength and health enough for the procedure ahead.  Meanwhile, how are you feeling?  You must  be exhausted.

Cammi, oh, how sad for you...and not fair that it was so sudden...so hard to accept.  I hope you can focus on good memories and happy times.

Puffin, great photo!  You look so pretty.

Di, I am with you - allergic to all wool and NO woolen blankets for me!  I hope you feel better very soon.

Sandra, MBean, I am a '66 girls too...My brother played folk guitar and played Kingston Trio songs at home-grown hootenanys.  He and the girls in their crowd were goodie two shoes and I was the b-a-d girl who like Bandstand and oldies and rock and liked to sneak out with my friends and get into trouble. We cut school and took the bus/train to NYC for the day - we got free tickets at Rockefeller Center to be in the audience at live tapings of game shows.  (I know, Chevy, you'd be shocked)
 I resented the folk music and that brother's goody-ness...but I do remember all those songs and they really were great.  Remember Tom Dooley, and Where have all the Flowers Gone? along with "The MTA" ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTeeTyGsFBg

My oldest brother was cool...he taught me how to play piano when I was 5 and he would sing Elvis songs into the vacuum cleaner pipes. And he took me driving when I was 12.   I need to see him...we are not getting younger. And middle folksy brother and I turned out to be very close over the years! 

PS - that "hi fi" cabinet - my DH built one in shop class and we had it in our first home for years.  Maybe I can find a photo.  We used it for a buffet, mostly. 

We are awaiting the "monster storm" developing for the NE. I am in the 20" + snow zone on the map.  We are prepared - have to go to work tomorrow and am hoping night classes will be canceled. 
Be safe and stay warm...

Oh, and if I had that recipe for peach fluff, I wouldn't have had kale, spinach and mushrooms for breakfast!

OMG Joan,

I have to say you had an excellent breakfast -- all those items scrambled into some eggs would have been extremely fantastic.  We have such a time with our eating.  Over the years ( though for a fair amt. of time we didn't have great avenues to find it all out until the Internet )  no matter how much we ate fresh from the summer gardens, it always held true --- the forbidden and more un-affordable sweets of almost any kind, as well as things starting to come heavily processed in some way, in boxes -- always had such a wonderful taste.  I'm sure to a degree ( probably more for me not being much of a cook in the beginning )  we become addicted somewhat to the taste, as well as ease of the quick cook food that is packaged in colorful boxes.  Who'd have thought a box of Mac & Cheese would have a come hither look almost, eh !!!!

While I listened to a lot of really old music at times, I was an American Bandstand type all the way.  Such variety in artists though there were some one-hit wonders  -- like the man who sang " The Cheater ".  He and his band.  Can't recall his name just now -- can you wait till tomorrow -- it might have come to me by then.

Of course, it is not possible but don't you sometimes wonder -- knowing what you know now -- how it might be if you could go back to earlier times and have a do-over.  I envision that I would like pretty much all the same things --- I think I would try to REALLY live in the moments and savor them as more than the stepping-stones of my future.  We are likely for the most part though , I would think, all the same way.  Nothing most of the time was wrong with our todays -- but the eagerness for what the next morning would bring usually diminished any problems or disappointments. 

So, I am grateful every day for the time I get to try and live life with appreciation.  Every morning when I wake up and my chest is moving in and out I see it as opportunity.  Most of my days have a sameness about them, but I see people whom I can smile at, and give a cheery hi to.  I visit with my feral cat crowd that is quite large right now at one spot.  I keep losing count --- somewhere between 12 to maybe 15 or 16 even.  They will thin a lot in Spring as females go through the first "heat".  Seems like I'm going to Wal-Mart so often to replenish the food supply just lately.  Lots of people to smile to there.

Sun for awhile here but Joan --  wow.  The East coast to the North is going to get such a storm.  I listened to the news ( Al Roker on Today ) and it just took my breath away almost at what is coming.  I wish they were wrong, but I don't think they are.  It just sounds like a very horrible storm.  I know it is not the first time --- but one thing about being here -- you make friends with so many from all over -- and you hate to hear about the in-conveniences and hope that it is not much more.  I can scarcely imagine 3 feet of snow at one time and drifts much higher.  It just all sounds so un-safe and dangerous.  My thoughts and prayers will be with everyone and lots of hope that they are able to get through.  We did see as well -- many empty store shelves as people gear up with food supplies.  Hope they have lots of fresh water too. 

I hope your night classes are cancelled as well.  It is by far enough to have to go out during the day -- which I likely wouldn't attempt either as I'm something of a wimp I think for anything that sounds so extreme. 

Take care all and know that I'm thinking of each of you. 

Hugs "Blondie" and "Sandra & Mike ", and " Di ", and anyone else who is going thru or trying to get thru something. 

"Cammie" for you and your family.

See you all later.  I'll be here off and on.

Blessings,

Jackie