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

Welcome, Valz! I see so many women on bco who were diagnosed in their 40s and even 30s, with families yet to raise and aggressive tumors, and my heart goes out to them. But I’m glad we oldies have a place to gather and support each other, with our very different concerns and considerations.

Welcome Valz! Boy you have had quite a time with bc, and I admire your positive attitude! I'm 65 and this is my first (and hopefully last) go around with bc.

Joan sounds so great to be in Long Island with the sun surf, and breezes! Our heat wave finally broke for the time being, but I know it will come back.

Sandy, glad your foot is doing better. I'd say "break a leg" for this weekend, but maybe that's not a good idea!

Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety.
It is a long succession of little decisions
simply to be happy in the moment.
- J. Donald Walters

Joan, that is such a beautiful image of sunset! It's interesting that you mention your focus. I got a call yesterday from CoH from a young man who asked if I would be willing to be part of a study looking at "older" people going through chemo. Luckily he said I just barely squeaked in as it was for 65+ and I just turned 65 in May. Anyway, they are researching if a blood test could predict which women will respond best to chemo, measuring blood counts and cognitive abilities. The study will again help MOs determine best treatment plans for patients. Since CoH is a research institution, I"m enrolled in several studies, agreed to donate part of my pathology for research, they will follow me for years afterwards, etc. It's so encouraging to see all the studies and trials going on. Have any of you been following the New York Times series on immunology with cancer? I really feel that cancer treatment will be radically reformed in the future.

Sandy, hope your performance is awesome today. How are handling everything with your thumb? Hope the foot is also better.

Hi everyone else. Have fun with the Olympics, performances, or just enjoying summer!

Joy is what we are, not what we must get. Joy is the realization that all we want or need in life has been etched into our souls. Joy helps us see not what we are "going through," but what we are "growing to"--a greater sense of understanding, accomplishment, and enlightenment. Joy reveals to us the calm at the end of the storm, the peace that surpasses the momentary happiness of pleasure. If we keep our minds centered on joy, joy becomes a state of mind. -Iyanla Vanzant

From my picture, (it was taken 6 months ago,) you can see I currently have a full head of hair, but after I hit menopause, it changed from a lot of thick hair to a lot of fine hair. I still have to blow dry and fuss with it some,and that's why I decided not to do the cold caps. Did you use them during chemo? I almost gave in and bought a bunch of them on Thursday, but then read some of the thread on cold caps that said how careful you had to be with hair, washing, do as little as possible, etc. I figured I wouldn't like my hair anyways, so the effort would be wasted. I'll keep you posted though.

Windward -- It has been awhile for me, but I lost every hair on my body ( including nasal hairs ) and all the head hair. I don't recall just how soon it was after last treatment, but probably a couple of months. My hair came in just like it had always been, thin, fine and straight as a string. It came in white and after a couple of weeks turned into the same mousy brown I had for a good part of my life. It is still thin, but from the first I went back to getting permanents every few months as much for body as anything else. So far -- at 70 yrs. old I do not have enough gray hair to bother with color which I'm told is the only other solution to thin, fine hair --- so perms still going on for me.

All told my 6 months of Adriamycin and Cytoxan ( 4 rounds ) and ( Taxotere 4 rounds ) only gave me a few months break between bad hair days which were a part of my daily existence otherwise. Hope you get a handle going.

Jackie

Mornin all-

Windward - I have always had extremely thin, fine hair. So much so that I wore a wig before BC whenever I went out- even to the grocery store. When it grew back after chemo, it was thicker at first, which I loved. Then it went back to thinner and finer. There is nothing I can do to it. For me, the worst part is that I am no longer comfortable with the wigs. Hope you have a better outcome.

Ladies, this is the 5th time I am trying to tell you something. Each time I have gotten the story out, my finger jumps or the iPad falls or I just lose it. Here I go again:

My son, who was staying with me in FL for the summer called me one night last week. I am in GA right now, getting the boys up here ready to go back to school. He says, "uh, Mom...I just invited the American Beach Volleyball Olympic team to spend the night here" WHAT!?!? Turns out that one of the players used to be first a camper, then a counselor at Rob's camp. Nick had gone on Facebook to say that their flight from Texas to Miami was running so late, they were going to miss their connecting flight to Rio. Rob immediately texted him to say if they got stuck in Miami, to call him and he would pick them up and they could stay at my house until they got everything straightened out. Nick called Rob to make sure he meant it, because everyone else had responded with sympathy or info aBout flights going to Rio from Boston, etc. He said Rob was the only who offered a really helpful plan. A little later, my DD who lives with me there called "Do you know what he has done now?" Very upset and angry that her brother had just invited God knows how many strangers to spend the night. I said,"Tracy, do YOU understand that this is a team heading to Rio and are the #1 contenders for the Gold Medal in THE OLYMPICS!!" She backed down because it was obvious I wasn't going to take her side. Unfortunately for us, Nick called again to say they had gotten on a direct flight from Texas to Rio. I have been told that Nick wAs front and center when the Vollyball team participated in the opening ceremonies Fri night. I am amazed at the people Rob knows- retired and current NFL players who he sees on a regular basis, now someone participating in the Olympics? And he was raised in a little town in FL, and now teaches and lives in an even smaller town in SC.

He went home Fri and they video taped him waKing Lu up to tell her he was home. She was sound asleep and had no reaction at first except to squirm away. Then I think his voice got thru because she started smiling. He asked for a hug, and she grumbled no, so he picked her up. Her eyes were opened but she still wasn't getting it. Then... She starts touching his face and he says, yeah, baby girl- it's Daddy and I am home home with you. She just grabbed his neck and gave him the most incredible hug. I am so glad they video'd it.

Hugs to everyone,

Anne

The gig itself went well, though I did get a severe heat-exhaustion/hyponatremia attack after they took down the tent over the stage as I was packing up my instruments. The sweat and the sunshine (mid-80s but still hotter than under the tent) really got to me, and I suddenly got really sweaty, queasy & stomach-crampy. I had taken my last Lasix on Fri. morning, as I'd peed away all the edema by then, and my PCP's NP said I could stop it when I felt ready. But I guess it has a longer half-life, and I'd been restricting sodium since the edema happened. It took 15 min. sitting in a dark Porta-Potti, pooping out what little I could, for my extreme discomfort to subside. Bless my singing partner--he waited until I emerged from the john and could remotely unlock my car, and loaded my stuff for me and handed me another bottle of water (I’d drunk 20 oz. en route to Milwaukee and on stage) before heading home to Madison (where his wife is dealing with a torn rotator-cuff). I ran my car's A/C full-blast and got home safely. Drank another couple glasses of water. Crashed on the couch for half an hour, made an insalata Caprese, fetched a chilled bottle of bubbly from the downstairs fridge and headed over to my block party's potluck cookout dinner. Spent a couple of hours chatting with the neighbors, before I realized my heel spur was screaming. (The orthotics were no help--they kept slipping out of my sandals).

As to any cognitive impairment from letrozole, I notice it in brief inexplicable “dropouts" of lyrics & chords--even those I'd practiced. I am seriously considering starting to use a music stand and master notebook--others my age are beginning to--and reprinting the lyrics in MUCH larger bolder fonts--taking up two pages if necessary. When I was younger and possessed of a near-photographic memory, I used to disdain that as “unprofessional," yet professional symphony musicians, choristers and art-song soloists all use their scores while performing. Pride goeth before a fall. I deal with chores, packing and shopping by making lists. In fact, in my “Notes" app I have master packing lists for both vacations and performances, so I don't forget to bring important stuff. I keep a "core" set of toiletries and personal care items already in my luggage to minimize having to hunt for and transfer them. I've been able to pack the night before a major trip, and get a decent night's sleep because of that. And as for my musical instruments & equipment, I have "a place for everything, and everything in its place," and am strict about adhering to that.

If, like a Cherokee warrior, I can look at the new day as an opportunity to stand on new ground, then strength and courage are on my side.I will remember that things do work out, bodies do heal, relationships mend--not because I said it, but because I believe it.But it is time to make things right, to stay on the path.As water runs fresh and free from the woodland spring, so new life and meaning will bubble up from my own inner source.I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world. - Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Nothing is more valuable than your self respect.
When you lose respect for yourself, you have lost everything.
Whatever it takes, and whoever you upset,
do what you know - deep inside - is the right thing.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Sandra, thanks for catching us up on Mikes progress. Glad things are going well for him at MD. My daughter went there to try and get in on a trial , but was refused as she had had too many chemo's. Hopefully the 4 weeks will pass quicker than you think.

Glad things are looking up for Mike and that Ryan seems to be stable!

Hello to every, including (or especially!) newcomers. I just caught up on posts. At home I have a morning routine that includes opening up the lap top and checking e-mail, bc.org, and Facebook but here in MN I can go for days without any computer time. Part of the reason is a word game on my smart phone. I have become addicted to Word Brain. It's a free download so check it out if you like games like scrabble.

We're having a rainy week. Two inches during the last couple of days, according to my neighbor's rain gauge. It's a bit humid but the temperature is nice, in the 70's.

Yesterday we drove up to Bemidji to buy a few things at Menard's. We have a Walmart in Park Rapids but no big box stores. Before we left, we stopped at an ice cream place that serves really delicious ice cream.

Wishing all a great Thursday.

I had some Ciao Bella dark chocolate gelato last night--tough to scoop (was wondering if I should’ve worn my sleeve), but very deep and dark and not as sweet as Talenti’s double dark chocolate. Been guzzling seltzer over ice. Just had some tuna salad over diced tomato, cucumber, and avocado. Still hot. Might go after the cherries in the fridge to keep me away from more gelato. Today is Chicago’s hottest day of the year. Even our A/C is groaning.