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

Welcome back Barbarella. What a nice post. It's good to hear someone talk of how pleased they are with their reconstruction.

Barb~

Thank you so much for your update!  I am having the same problem but mine hasn't become quite as pronounced.....yet!  It's good to hear there is an option with good results. It's also nice that us older girls are able to take advantage of some plastic surgery that is paid by ins. I used to wear glasses but a couple years ago the opthomologist found a tiny bit of cataract making me eligible for lens replacement and wah-la no more glasses.  Last week the same dr. found that my eyelids are beginning to droop over my eyes so I'll be getting an eye lift soon.  Next I think  I'll be looking very closely at getting that reduction , you spoke of, on my right breast......Now if I could just find a medical reason to get liposuction and a chin lift.    

Another beautiful, warm day here today but I'm battling a chest cold so I don't feel much like doing anything.  Maybe I'll uncover one of our deck chairs and just soak up the sun.  Enjoy the day everyone!  

Happy Birthday, Paula. Sorry I am late with these wishes and hope that you had a very nice birthday!

Congrats termite on your 5 years. I understand how you feel about getting off the 5 year drug. I took Arimidex (Anastrazole as generic) and had several joint problems with it. When the 5 years ended, I really had mixed feelings, too. I thought of it as a security blanket for me, but really wanted too be done with it because of all the aches and side effects that I experienced. Now I've been off it for almost 3 years and I'm so glad that I am. It's really a contradicting feeling!

Sandra...so glad that Mike is still holding his own and that the current treatment is keeping things controlled. Hugs to you as you continue to work through this.

Hey Jackie, it looks like you're going to have a heat wave this weekend. That means SUNSHINE!!!! YEA!

Hi to all of you! Everyone have a great weekend! We are heading out to the flee market in the morning and then we're golfing on Sunday. Today we spent a good part of the day on Captiva beach. We are not having trouble finding things to do here!

Yea, sunshine is outside and soon it will be as warm as toast.  There is a lot of snow on the ground with some ice under it, but I think temps will stay higher tonight -- so by some time tomorrow I expect a lot of mud to start appearing.

All the extra work of shoveling and car cleaning has kept me wt. wise at least stable, in a couple of times losing some.  Good hard work -- seems like it works every time.  Hard work though seems like it almost has to be forced.  Here's one of those notes to myself meant to really heed -- stop being lazy and put a bit more effort into what I do much more consistently. 

Going to renew my walking pass at the Rec Center and try to make that at least a 5 -day commitment.  Sat. is sometimes really busy there and Sunday they are not open, so five days should be good.  Also as weather gets better and better, Dh and I can walk more around home here.  In fact, we used to take really long walks around the lake and sometimes even through our park --- though we would usually go through the wet-lands of the park --- it was closer it seemed.  I think now we would likely just park our car in one of the parking areas and walk the park that way.

Of course, two days of sun and I am looking for my Spring bonnet for sure.  I will be getting anxious to have the cold stay gone once I feel the warmth we will have over the next week.   We do have to get through the Mar., Apr., May part -- but that doesn't always present too many rough spots.  We have had freak snows in Apr. but they don't normally hang around -- just exciting the day of and receding quickly the next day.  Hurry, hurry Spring I say.  That is what that good ole' Mr. Sun is doing for me.  Great awakenings going on here.  Hope you all are able to have some of the same where you are.  Be back later.

Blessings

Jackie

At the broom shop today. I had an xray of right shoulder on Tues. Saw my Dr yesterday MRI on 3 -22 I have osteoarthritis in it plus a benign tumor. Probably after mri will see ortho. could be worse.

mommarch, I had severe pain in my right shoulder I could not even move my arm. I had to take strong pain med until I could get to bone dr. After mri they saw what looked like tumor/ bone cancer. Went to onco had bio. turned out to be tennitis/osteoarthritis I had surgery on that shoulder and it is doing great. Keep the faith! Shuf

What a long exhausting day. Several friends came to help me with the house and while we got a lot accomplished, there's still so much more to be done. Two male friends worked outside taking out bushes that were blocking wheelchair access from the car. Those shrubs did not want to come out! They had to wrap chains around them and pull them out with a four wheel drive Jeep. Three female friends helped me take down the popcorn ceiling in Mike's "clean room." Oh my, what a mess! The new tile floor is now covered with bits of sticky wet ceiling in spite of the plastic we put down everywhere and furious sweeping afterward. It still amazes me that people will spend 7 hours in hard labor for a friend. Of course, I'd do it for my friends, but it seems different when the shoe is on the other foot. It's kind of hard to accept their kindness.

Good morning,

It is a lovely, lovely morning here too.  It stayed relatively warm overnight so has an excellent start this morning of reaching some really great numbers this afternoon -- which should be in the mid-60's from the sound of it.  Except for a day of rain or so --- we will have a week or more of these great temperatures. 

Sandra,

I think I know what you mean.  It is sort of an amazing thing when friends come to your rescue.  You've always known they would, but not having to have it happen makes you feel as though you are all rather even in a way.  No pressure -- no sensations like you are having now --- just a great friendship that sits and blooms and is comforting in that you know there is more but you feel good NOT needing more.

I well recall when I had my stroke ( long ago it seems now ) and at the time there were about 25 floral arrangements and vases in my room.  It looked like half the inventory of at least one florist shop was there.  At the time --- I was bowled over.  You are so used to the light camaraderie that you have with your friends -- the daily give and take of that, and suddenly it becomes for some reason so very much more than it seemed.  It fills you to over-flowing and a simple thanks just seems a rather puny acknowledgement. 

Hard to see it that way but a really good friend feels blessed by your needing them and it does their soul and certainly their life karma so much good to be able to do something for you.  I mean, just think how wonderful you feel when you are able to do something for someone.  Even if they don't know you did it.  It gives you a special kind of lift -- you feel as though you have soothed your own soul --- and you really do.  We all ( usually ) like to bring light to others by helping them over a rough patch.  It makes more of us while helping others --- and it is a very positive feeling.   It just lights up the world -- the adage that it is more blessed to give then receive has much truth. 

No man is an island --- we all need each other and there will be those times when extraordinary things are needed.  You have been so blessed by your friends while they were so blessed by being needed by you. 

Blessings

Jackie

Our home burned in 1997 in Bryan, TX, we had no insurance as we owned the home outright. The people I worked with brought out $500.00 they had collected that day plus a cooler of soft drinks and water. When I went back to work a week later, they told me to go to one of the back offices and it was full of furniture, appliances, clothes, you name it. We had a hamburger fry out by the pool at our office and the employees presented us a check for $7,000 and the owners of the company presented us with a check for $15,000. Then later the owners gave us another $10,000. We gave the money to our minister at Peace Lutheran Church in College Station and our Habitat for Humanity Group built us a very nice small 3 bedroom home. There are alot of good people in this world, they just do not get the praise they deserve.

Jean,

We don't hear enough about the "good" that takes place.  This is such a tough world, especially now.  If we all gave what we could, when we could -- each and every one of us I think would end up in a good place almost all the time.  I'm all for it.  I'd love to hear more stories if any have some to share.

Jackie

Taking off the wallpaper border before we started on the ceiling.

Bushes along the side of the driveway had to go.

Another successful work day yesterday. Forgot to cover up the ceiling fan. (sigh) Many swaths of plaster still on the ceiling even though the popcorn is gone. Daughter Allison and I will scrape all that off this week and do our best to clean up the new tile floor. I should have covered the vacuum cleaner too...it was a mess along with all the ladders, step stools, and tools. We all had inches of sticky popcorn on our shoes which pulled away the plastic sheeting on the floor, letting so much go through to the textured tile. Oh well. It will come up. In previous weeks we took up carpeting, patched sheetrock cuts made to repair a water leak, and had a new wall & door into the room installed. I have to find a duct cleaning company next. Then wash walls, paint, and put a new bed and easy to clean recliner in there. We bought HEPA filters for the room and will be using only certain acceptable cleaning products in that room. Mike's linens and towels have to be kept and washed separately. Eating utensils will be kept as clean as I can manage. We're looking for a new dishwasher that will nearly sterilize but it has to be something we can afford. Our old one died after 20 years.  

Outside, a couple of weeks ago we severely cut back the bushes next to the driveway and along the front walkway, but it wasn't enough so some of them had to go yesterday. There wasn't enough room to open the car door with two vehicles in the driveway, much less get a wheelchair to the car door. (Mike has a big truck...after all, this IS Texas, LOL.)  I'm going to find somebody to put down a curved concrete patch where the bushes were so I can get the wheelchair up to the house. I have a portable wheelchair ramp for the front door but need to modify the rest of the sidewalk to get the wheelchair past the 90 degree angle and onto the ramp. Maybe that will get done next weekend.

You just never realize what's needed until you face a life event like this. Mike said, "Gee, you are doing so much work! I hope I live long enough to make it worthwhile." He thought it was a funny statement. It broke my heart.

Sandra,

The work your having to do is so enormous and I'm so glad that you do have lots of help to get it done.  Loving positive energies still being sent on their way to you.  Also to Mike.  Hearing what he said --- I think he is overwhelmed too at the enormity of everything.  Hugs to you and all your friends and to your daughters as well. 

Jackie 

Sandra - You are an amazing woman. So glad you have friends to help. I thought this quote from Elizabeth Berg's book Home Safe was apt: "...(she) once described such acts of kindness as hold knots on life's climbing rope," Hang on. You're in my thoughts & prayers.

Hope you have a wonderful birthday Carole.

Happy Birthday Carole!

We had friends who lived in rural Montana in an old log cabin. They were building a larger cabin as the family grew. Two days before Christmas, the old cabin burned to the ground. The Mom was able to save the children, dog, and a couple of pieces of stereo equipment. The day after Christmas, a group of people showed up with tools and said, what needs to be done to make the new cabin possible to live in? She said people sent money. One woman she didn't know sent $10.00 with a note saying "I heard you had a fire." They felt blessed by their neighbors.