Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
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Linda,
My story is much the same as yours. Had a lumpectomy 3 years ago , neg nodes, <1 cm. Had rads, usually made my appt early in the morning, so I had the rest of the day to do whatever. I really had no side effects, except when they give a higher dose at the end had some skin darkening and peeling. Otherwise for me it was pretty easy, hoe it is for you too. Jean
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Bobkat, I'm also 72. Just had to subtract my birth date from 2015 to be sure! I have implants and am very used to them since they've been a part of me since 2009 when I had bilateral mx and immediate reconstruction. For about a year my chest felt very tight because the implants were placed partly behind the pectoral muscles. Either the tightness eased or I got used to it. Some women are fine without reconstruction but I would not have been fine with being totally flat.
Jackie, it sounds like your trip to the VA was very successful. One of these days I may have to go to Steak and Shake and have a garlic burger in your honor!
I'm feeling close to normal this morning after being knocked out by golfing in the heat and humidity yesterday. I'm skipping the gym with dh this morning to get some chores done before I take my mother grocery shopping later today. Afterwards we'll pick up roast beef poboys from Bear's for lunch. She stays home so much that I want to get her out into the world for a change of scene. The supermarket I take her to has wide aisles and isn't usually very busy. Normally she just gives me or my sister a list.
Wishing everyone a good Thursday.
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Mornin all
Welcome Bobkat- we are always happy to make a new friend. When you get a chance, please tell us a little bit about yourself. We are all united by BC, but I'll bet you find someone here to shares other interests as well. We have pet lovers, garden lovers, golf enthusiasts. I am 66, widowed after 42 years of marriage, and I have 5 children and 6 grandchildren ( 7 in the spring) who live in three different states. Right now I am in Ga with my oldest daughter. It was here that I was Dx with BC in Sept of 2013. I had a double mastectomy with no reconstruction. I just got back from 4 days with my oldest DS, who lives in So. Carolina and is the father of my youngest GD, who is two. What fun! He is 3 1/2 hours from here, so I might go over again before I head back to Fl, to the home I have lived in since 1978, and to my 3 other children and 3 other grandchildren. I don't golf or garden, just travel from child to child and feel very blessed that they all welcome me, including their spouses, as often as I want.
Puffin- hope your back feels better soon.
Jackie- I love Steak and Shake's Frisco Melt- will have to try the garlic burger next time. And I love their shakes. I had to pass a Steak &Shake every day during radiation. As tempting as it was, I limited myself to one shake a week, on Fridays, to celebrate each week of radiation being done.
Our weather here near Atlanta has been gorgeous for the last few days, sunny and in the 70's, but I am a little disappointed that the leaves have not changed at all. I only have a few more weeks before I return to Fl and was really hoping to see the changing of the leaves.
Anne
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The worst thing in your life may contain seeds of the best.
When you can see crisis as an opportunity,
your life becomes not easier, but more satisfying.
Joe Kogel0 -
Welcome Bobkat!
Jackie, glad that you got the meds that you need to knock that nasty stuff and glad that you got to eat at Steak 'n Shake. I love to eat there but I usually just have the double steakburger. Guess I'm not very exciting or adventurous!
It's another beautiful Indian Summer day here today. I have been grocery shopping this morning to stock up on food for the arrival of my crew! I'm going to play just 9 holes of golf with the ladies this afternoon and then going to the IGA supermarket and picking up chicken for dinner. They have 8 pieces for $6 on Thursdays so I'm not cooking tonight!
Puffin..glad your back is feeling a little better! That is no fun!
Anne, our leaves have not changed much either. A few of the maples have turned but that's about it. It doesn't look much like Fall yet here in central Illinois. I love the autumn foliage. I just don't like the cold, snowy weather that follows it about 4 to 6 weeks later.
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Bonnets, thanks for sharing your radiation story. It's making me feel a little better, but I'm still not sure I should sign up for any jewelry shows. It's more important for me to work, but I do have some money invested in supplies. Will sleep on it again. I did ask the coordinator if I could sign up and cancel without paying if I can't make it.
Anne, I fit into the cat lover category. I'm 60, married for 41 years, and we only have 4 furry kitty children. I work putting up Web pages for the American Veterinary Medical Association. Today I'm working from home because I just went back this week and I'm exhausted. In my "spare" time I design and sell jewelry online. I was trying to do that full time too, but it doesn't work too well. After the diagnosis, I was inspired to create a line of Survivor jewelry. It helped me wait for the tests and results.
Carol, it's nice that you can get your mom out. My mom died in her 50s, way too early. Then my dad died (of a broken heart, I think) 1.5 years later.
Rita, I'm in IL, about 50 miles west of Chicago. Some of the leaves are turning, but I'm not seeing the golds and reds that I love yet. And, that's OK with me. We haven't had much of a summer or fall yet, it was either too hot or too cold. I also dislike winter, but can't do anything to change it right now.
Jackie, thanks for your quote posts. I find that I'm looking forward to them now.
Well, back to work.
Linda B
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I went to a breast cancer fundraiser tonight called the Brazaar. Everyone brings a bra, all the bling are provided and people sit at tables decorating their bras. Next week the hundreds of bras will be hung from ropes along the outside wall of one of the local businesses as part of their big Bras on Broadway fundraiser. Here's the bra I decorated.
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Good job, Puffin! I've never heard of that type of fundraiser.
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Great job Puffin.
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Ok had exchange Tuesday and just rested for two days. Enough of this. Today going out after I shower and do hair. Shower not bad just try to keep incisions covered so they don't get wet. Hair I'll do at kitchen sink. What we take for granted when we don't have surg. Everything just takes longer. Sleeping well. Just have to adjust everytime I turn. Anxious for dr visit next tues to see how he thinks everything went!
Everyone have good day!
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When we can honestly ask ourselves which
persons in our lives mean most to us, we
often find that they are those who, instead
of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have
chosen rather to share our pain and touch
our wounds with a warm and tender hand.
Henri Nouwen0 -
Bobkat, good for you. Do be cautious and not overdo, but then I think sometimes we well seasoned ladies make automatic adjustments for things that we barely notice. That comes from long experience with ourselves and often yrs. of nursing others. So glad you found your way back to us. Hoping for you to continue to sail through really well. I am a huge proponent of getting good sleep ( something that wasn't working so well for me for a short time with my sinus issues that are now resolving ) to work in quite good tandem with healing. So far, I point to that ( resting well during sleep and healing very well ) as the key to my success so far in life in overcoming some of the obstacles I've encountered and bested.
Puffin, you are clever and what fun. That is maybe the second best antidote to healing and wellness. Can't over-rate a good laugh and overall enjoyment. In fact, I've read a number of times how even a somewhat fake, forced laugh ( mainly just the sound of merriment felt or not ) is enough to stimulate healing and well-being. So good for you --- I hope it is doing wonders for any left-overs from the back spasm.
Going to be a good day. I'm so happy with the Amoxicillin --- just the two doses I've taken seemed to have stopped drainage going into my throat and returned it to my nose. Lots of those pills to take --- have ten days worth, but I'm sure it will be worth it so I can get back to my old self --- not that I was anyone else --- still had to do all the same work etc. just slower and not feeling too enthused about it. Yay !!!! My élan' is going to get back to high gear soon. Can't wait.
See you all later.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Puffin, what a great decorated bra. You did a wonderful job. I know how relaxing crafting is because I make jewelry.
Had to go to surgeon today (1 week early) because of redness and puffiness. She put me on an antibiotic and said to keep applying the moist heat and a little ice is OK too. I'm very uncomfortable today. She replaced bandages and took some fluid out. I'm grateful she was able to fit me into her schedule.
Working from home again today and am listening to Louise Hay's CD on cancer. It has a beautiful meditation and great music. But, I can't close my eyes because I'm working.
Part of what she says makes sense, the our thoughts and feelings create dis-ease and cancer is from resentment and guilt. I'll tell you, I'm having a hard time with my brother-in-law, the ingrate that he is. He's not paying his end and is not keeping up with the chores I'm giving him. I want him out. My husband says he'll talk to him this weekend, but he's giving him another 30 days. I said he needs to know he has x time to be here and to make other arrangements. It's hard to be so angry and pray for him and release my BIL at the same time.
I asked the doc about when we think radiation will start because I can do 2 craft shows in Nov.; one on Nov. 7 and on on the 15th, which fits my clients more, but is a further away. She said she thought it would be good for me to do the 1 where I'll get the most return. One can never tell with shows, can't predict sales or the amount of traffic. I'll need to ask a friend to help me load and unload, so the decision may be hers on when she can help me. The 15th, my dh can help, but he really hates it and it's the day before his birthday.
I'll leave you with 1 positive thought from Louise Hay "Live totally in the now. Your future is bright and secure."
Linda
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Bobkat, that's wonderful that you feel ready to go out after only two days of taking it easy. Just listen to your body and don't push yourself too much.
Linda, your dr.'s advice seems very sensible. Do one show and pick the one you guess might be most profitable. I don't envy you the situation with your BIL. It amazes me that people can be such "mooches." We have a couple of those in my family. It's take, take, take and seldom any give back.
I went to the gym today and was about to depart, dripping perspiration, when a good-looking guy in a white medical coat started up a conversation. He's a pharmacist with Walgreen and was giving flu and pneumonia shots. Who could ask for anything more convenient. I had one of each.
After breakfast at home and a shower, I went out to run errands. Bought muslin fabric for backing my embroidered placemats, some items at the supermarket, and some more expensive shoes at an athletic shoe store. This brand is Yoka and has very broad and high soles. The podiatrist hopes that these shoes will relieve the pain in my toes. Most of your weight lands on the heel and the middle of the foot. I wore the shoes home. They feel a little like wearing shoe boxes! With a 15 per cent discount, they cost $150 with tax. But, hey, I got a free tee shirt! Who can complain? I won't if the shoes relieve the pain.
I'm resting in my chair before I cook something for dinner.
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Linda, I love craft shows!!! In fact, we're heading back to the Spooon River Drive tomorrow. That is just one town after another on the Spoon River that is competely filled with craft booths, flea markets, and wnderful foods. I buy alot of Chriwtmas presents on the "drive" because there are so many different things that you'd never find anywhere else. As for me,I am just not a creative person so I really admire those who are. We always go to Gordyville the weekend before Thanksgiving to a giant craft show up there that is put on by the local bank.
Hey Puffing...pretty neat bra that you designed!!! That sounds like a fun way to earn some money fo the cause.
This Cub fan can hardly wait for the game tonight. I hope I am as excited when the game is over as I am now....especially since I live with a Cardinal fan! Go Cubbies!!
I probably won't be back on until Tuesday as my kids are arriving shortly for the weekend and we are going to Indiana for the Covered Bridge Festival on Monday!
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Rita, you must have been as disappointed as we were over the Cubs' loss last night. Go, Cubs!
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Carole, I'm surprised he gave you both shots. My doctor's office said I had to wait 30 days in between my flu shot and my pneumonia vaccine so I got the flu shot and will go in the end of Oct for my pneumonia vaccine.
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If someone
listens or stretches out
a hand or whispers a word of
encouragement or attempts to
understand a lonely person,
extraordinary things begin to happen.
Loretta Firzaris0 -
Mornin all
Puffin- that bra was adorable- what a creative way to have fun and do something good at the same time! Like Rita, I am not at all creative except for going thru a phase of making T-shirts with pictures of my grandchildren. My doctor also told me I had to wait at least a month between vaccines.
Linda- I have a little bit of a different idea on choosing which craft fair to go to. If the money earned is not that different, or can't really been foreseen (and even if it can) pick the one you enjoy most. You are heading into a rough time, so do something good for you.
BobKat- good for you being ready to get back out there. Your body will let you know how much activity it can handle, and I say - go for it!
It's another gloomy day here in Atlanta. We had some beautiful weather for a couple of days, but now's it is back to gray and dreary, although I can see the sun trying to peek thru. My SIL went out and got drunk last night and my DD. got so mad, she was packing a suitcase when he got home, and there was a letter on my dresser the morning signed by her, giving me permission to get medical help for the boys, and permission to sign any school forms, etc. I don't think she would have really gone, but she had to wake him up. Going out to drink is, thankfully, rare, but getting drunk is a pretty frequent occurance. Bad part is that she, herself drinks a bottle of wine every night, but she doesn't seem affected by it where his behavior is very obvious. Needless to say, the tension here at the moment is kind of thick.
Rita- enjoy the time wIth your family
Anne
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DH and I are both working as volunteers at the Wooden Boat Festival today. His woodworkers' guild has a tent every year making little wooden boats for children free of charge. The men make dozens of different boat parts during the year. The children pick out the parts they want to make a boat (sailboat, power boat, gun boat, etc) and the men assemble the boats. The women volunteers attach sails and write the name the children think up. There's a huge tub of water outside the tent where the kids can sail their boats.
It's a very popular tent and the line is long. The parents are always grateful and put money into the donation jars.
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Gratefulness brings joy to my life. How could I feel joy in what I take for granted? So I stop taking for granted, and there is not end to the surprises I find. A grateful attitude is a creative one, because, in the final analysis, opportunity is the gift within the gift of every moment-- the opportunity to see and hear and smell and touch and taste with pleasure.
David Steindl-Rast0 -
Late for me to be jumping in here. Had a really nice Sunday -- mainly due to allowing myself to be lazy. I did cook up a good sized portion of steel-cut oatmeal to save in the fridge for our breakfasts for a few days. I made chili-mac the night before from some left over chili. Tomorrow we will probably finish that with some hotdogs in it. So for a couple of days I can be a bit lazy.
Dh seems to have the sinus issue that I'm still working on, but mine is so, so much better. I don't seem to be good at getting the third Amoxicillin down, but am trying. Dh seemed to have had it worse --- though I think that may have been more due to the fact that he is so highly prone to get headaches with anything like that so yesterday he was in awful shape. We were fortunate to be able to have the Dr. I work for write him out a prescription for penicillin so he is feeling a lot better today himself. It seems that this is sort of going around, but I think the 'allergy' reactions can come in Spring and Fall quite easy. As well, I think some flu for people has started too --- and I'm told these are all hard to get free of, but hoping my immune system does good for me.
Carole, I think I recall your talking about working on and in the Wooden Boat Festival last yr. too. Your husband must really enjoy working with wood. No wonder he was able to make such a nice deck for your camper. The Festival does sound like a great deal of enjoyment for a whole lot of people. Probably something you both look forward too.
We are having ( right now anyway ) good Fall weather. Warm enough most of the day time to be out and about w/o a sweater, and only a med one at night. I'm fairly warm-blooded, but it sounds like we will get cooler as this week progresses. We'll see --- if we have sun most days I don't think the cooler temps will bother me much.
Hope you all had a great Sunday.
Blessings,
Jackie
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Carole, that sounds like a fun booth, and what a unique way to raise donations.
97 degrees yesterday, down to 53 now. Yucky day here today, wind howled all night long and will continue blowing all day today with gusts up to 60 mph, and now it started raining. Definitely won't be taking any cemetery photos today.
At least it isn't snow. Today's my birthday (64), and I do remember birthdays with snow. We're going out to eat with friends for dinner tonight.
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Jackie, the kids were really cute at the boat-building tent yesterday. Especially the smaller ones. One little girl about 4 or 5 had the most gorgeous deep blue eyes I have ever seen. The color was almost purple. Or the word "gentian" comes to mind. I smiled at her and complimented her little sailboat. I was fastening the sails to the mast with a dot of hot glue. Then putting a nail into the deck to fasten the string of the sail. A substitute for "tying off" the sail. She was watching me closely. When I spoke to her, she volunteered, "My name is Avery." I thought her response was adorable.
For the most part, the children were appreciative. I felt sorry for one set of parents whose son, about 5 or 6, threw a fit and got down on the ground right in front of the table where I sat. I don't know what the problem was, whether the child had a mental/emotional problem or was tired or was spoiled and too indulged or some combination. They seemed like nice people.
Today my mother has an appointment with the kidney dr. at 11 am. The office is at the end of my street. But I have to go and pick her up at her house, about 9 easy miles with minor traffic. My "problem" is that I know she will probably be hungry afterwards and I really don't want to have lunch out today. My weight was edging down and now it has jumped back up.
Puffin, a nice bird drama has been taking place on our living room window sill. A scarlet tanager who appears every fall discovered some black oil sunflower seeds from a stick-on feeder that fell onto the sill. He has been feasting for several days and his dull mate, too. This morning there are new birds, brown, black and white. DH is already planning to go and buy the first 50 lbs of the same black seeds for the winter.
Happy Monday to all.
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Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Gratitude makes things right.
Melody Beattie0 -
Happy Happy Birthday Puffin --- I hope it is a very memorable and enjoyable day.
Blessings
Jackie
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Hi all,
My boss is letting me work from home again (thank G-d) and I'm taking a minute to check in with you all.
Last week I had to go to the Dr. because of redness and sensitivity, she put me on antibiotics, drained the blood and cleaned and dressed the scars. It's a bit more comfortable. And, yesterday I went through the exercised in the breast cancer book. Yay! Since she said we could start radiation later; I think it'll be OK.
Do you guys see any problem with starting radiation later?
Ritajean: I went to a craft show this weekend; my first attending in a while. I had some pains in my right hip, not sure what that's about.
My brother-in-law went to the hospital for pancreatitis. Isn't it nice of all of us in IL to pay for his medical expenses? Yep, pisses me off, he gets free health care from the state and we're paying for it. Plus, he's staying with us and making our lives miserable, mooching is the right term. I just called him and suggested he see a counselor/Dr. for depression. I hope he does. He's such a non-functional boy and at 47, he needs to grow up and be responsible for something. I'm going to stop ranting now so I don't get aggravated. And it's nice he's not around, so I thank G-d for that.
My friend is able to help me for both craft shows, so I'm going for it! I'm pricing some new items I created and will also bring my Survivor breast cancer jewelry (my new collection) there.
Carole: the making a sailboat sounds fun - hope it went well.
Jackie, thanks for the post on gratitude. I needed to read that today.
Puffin - Happy Birthday! wish this cake was chocolate for you. Have a great dinner out.
Hope everyone feels good, smiles and gets hugs.
Linda
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Happy Birthday Puffin. Hope you are having a great day
Anne
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Linda,
Been reading your posts about your BIL,and it reminds me of my stepson! SS keeps equipment and much more for his landscape maint. business on our property. He started with his truck and trailer , as a temporary thing, during his divorce, 10 years ago.he has added a ton of just plain junk and becomes angry when we have asked him to get rid of what he doesn't use.He seems to think he is entitled to keep it here, rent free. When we remind him it is our property, he is in a snit and hasn't spoken to his father , except a few words in 3 years. Now I keep reminding my DH to get after his son, he tells him, nothing happens. But that is on both parts. Behaviors that are allowed are enabled and will continue! DH never follows thru with consequences. I have a feeling that may be the case with your BIL. Who allows him to stay on his terms , not yours? That is just my observation, being in the same boat. Frustrating , I know. Jean
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Happy Birthday Puffin! Make it last all week.
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