Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Welcome Cliff -- don't know how I missed your entry. I posted right under it. I hope you will come often. I am a lurker on another Breast Cancer site and there is also a male there --- so I have been used to seeing a male poster. At one time it would have surprised me to find out that men got breast cancer too. My dh ( darling husband ) like most men has concerned himself with hoping to avoid prostrate cancer so I think for many yrs. a lot of us heard that word and only associated it as 'male' cancer --- never thinking that if you have the right parts, you could fall heir to something usually attributable more so to females. We are glad to have your company and commiserate with you on your journey. We hold hands pretty good here.
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Richard (“Shaft”) Roundtree and KISS drummer Peter Criss are both bc survivors.
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You are here to evolve and make your consciousness high
You are here to dance, sing and celebrate life.
You are here to help others to make their life happy.
We are here not to compete, but to learn, evolve and excel.
We are not here to make divisions in the name of prophets and religions.
We are here to encompass the world with love and light.
- Amit Ray0 -
Best of luck, Cliff. You're welcome to hang out here. Do you like to cook? We have a male member on the What's for Dinner discussion forum. His wife is a BC survivor.
Anne, hope your brother does well with his recovery and also hoping you get some peace of mind about your relocated grandchildren.
Wishing everyone a good Saturday. I stayed in bed until 7:45 and will skip the gym this morning. I played golf yesterday and am not feeling energetic. I do plan to visit my mother this afternoon at the nursing home
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Hi everyone. Missed you all very much. i logged in and had 4 pages of posts to read. That's what happens when you don't visit regularly anymore. I used to be here every day, for several years in fact. My own fight with BC stopped being so important once my husband was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.
A sincere welcome to all the newcomers. You will find a wealth of support here. Feel free to post about anything...not just cancer, although I know how the diagnosis becomes your whole world at the beginning.
My husband Mike is still alive and kicking in spite of a number of setbacks in the past year that nearly claimed his life. He is one tough guy! We realized that in 2016 he survived 7 "situations" that could easily have gone the other way. That leaves him with only two more of his nine lives so here's hoping 2017 is kinder to him. (Mike had a bone marrow transplant March 1st for Myelodysplastic Syndrome, MDS - a type of blood cancer. It failed in June, then progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia in July. With weeks to live and no more options from our local doctors, we were went to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. They started "salvage" chemo and 69 days later, after living through an awful paralytic ileus complication, he was in remission. We came back to San Antonio October 1st. Mike had lost 110 lbs and couldn't do much of anything for himself due to extreme deconditioning. Two weeks later he was back in the hospital after having syncope episodes which for him was immediate unconciousness with no warning. On Oct. 22nd, home again, he fell and ended up with broken facial bones and a brain bleed, a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the speech portion of his brain. This time the hospitalization was for two months during which he developed severe intestinal complications related to the bone marrow transplant and critical low blood pressure and heart issues which sent him to ICU several times.) I finally got him home two days before Christmas.
Exhausted yet? I sure am. Mike gets physical therapy, occupational therapy and a visiting nurse at home twice a week and he was accepted into the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at our local hospital. There he gets more physical therapy and much needed speech therapy each week.He is seen three times a week in the Bone Marrow Transplant clinic for blood tests and IV meds as needed. We've started going back to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston also. When he had the brain hemorrhage, the local doctors took him off the clinical trial chemo because they didn't know if it was contributing to the syncope. His leukemia doc at Anderson put him back on it but put him in the hospital for awhile to monitor his heart. Mike also had a state of the art cardiac monitor placed in his chest. It delivers real time reports to his Anderson cardiologist who is trying to figure out why Mike had the syncope. The leukemia doc was delighted to tell us that the bone marrow biopsy showed he was still in remission. We were so afraid that it had returned since his local doc (whom we now call Dr. Doom N'Gloom) thought the AML was back. Since Mike wasn't able to return to Anderson due to his hospitalization here, he missed three months of monthly 5 day IV chemo "boosters" as well as being taken off the study drug. But Hallelujah the remission held fast!
We are home for the next week, but head back to Houston for 4-5 days two more times in February for follow up appointments and testing. Fortunately we are home for SuperBowl. The Houston traffic was awful in the days leading up to it. Tomorrow we will go to our friends house and enjoy some much needed social time while we watch the game.
I can't promise I will do better checking in with you, dear friends, but I will do my best as time allows.
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Sandra, it won't be a surprise to you that we all think you are such an incredible person. Then again as I am so fond of saying -- it is not so surprising what you can do when you have no choice !! You may fall down as we all do, but you find what it takes to get yourself back up and moving. I hate that you have had such seemingly un-ending burdens, but I do think those who watch you, are around you, and know you must benefit so much by the inspiration that you are to them.
I do feel many among us -- maybe even the least of our acquaintances, and perhaps a stranger to two in the near vicinity wondering if THEY can go on, see you and suddenly realize yes -- we are made to keep going and if one can find the way, it is so much more likely that most can find the way. So, the services you do, and the shinning light you are, while it may seem very much like it, are not always just for you and Mike --- but is an expression of love and hope for many whom you may not even know. We don't know all the why's and how's but someone up there directs it all. The spiritual meshing of mankind occurs and we all become more than we were even, if we may be less at the moment then we will be later.
I know you struggle daily, but I do hope you have learned to see some peace in quiet times and that you don't really walk alone.
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I am a lurker on here and just read. Most of you are completed with TX when I am still waiting on the PLAN! So I know you have been thru all this, but this is new to me and I want to be in your place, done and getting on with life.
ANNEB my heart breaks for you. I have 2 grankids, they are one of my reasons for kicking cancers ass!. They are 8 and 4 and I need to watch them grow up. To not have them here would break my heart. We want to protect them and watch them grow up to loving adults. I would have been like you last week when you wrote about him running away. So sad. Prayers that your family comes together.
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Welcome Cliff, I've found this to be a very supportive group, hope to see more of you here.
Goincrzy8, when will you know The Plan? I found it a lot easier to focus once I knew what was ahead.
I had a tube put in my left ear for the collapsed eustacean tube and it didn't help. I went for a follow up appointment with another Dr at the same clinic who specialized in allergies and she started me on an antihistamine nasal spray twice a day which finally seems to be helping. I still have periods where I can't hear but they're getting less. She also ordered $400 of allergy blood testing which I had done and we're waiting to see if insurance will cover. To do the standard skin tests I'd have had to stop my atenolol for 48 hours which I take for arrhythmias. My heart starts skipping beats if I'm even a couple hours late on my dose so I knew that wasn't an option.
They've finished converting the 140 video tapes that I mailed in, they're on line and I'm going thru each one and making notes as to what's on each of them, then I'll go back and edit and group them into albums, then invite friends and family to the web site and they can download any they're interested in. Have loved reliving our family reunions and the wonderful trips Lew and I took, have to keep the kleenix box close by though.
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Wow Sandra. You both are amazing on this long journey. Certainly don't blame you for not checking in more often, You certainly have a full calendar. Praying things continue to go well for you. Keep us posted when you can.
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Photo of my thumb AND Mike last week in recovery after getting the cardiac monitor put in. He's lost so much weight.
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Sandra, glad to hear back from you. Hope Mike stays in remission from AML, can put some meat on his bones, and continues on the mend from everything else! Prayers and healing thoughts for all that (and for your strength & resilience).
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Sandra, So good to hear from you. Mike seems to be like the energizer bunny - just keeps going after near misses. Sending healing thoughts along with wishes for energy all round. Please accept all help you're offered. You must be absolutely exhausted. Hugs.
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Here is good news to those to whom enthusiasm does not come naturally: It can be cultivated.
At first, you must consciously put your eyes, your voice, your spirit--in a word, yourself--into your appreciation of people and events and things. Do this around your home, at your work, and in your social contacts, and you will be surprised at how quickly it will become second nature. You will find yourself living in a more gracious and enthusiastic world, for your enthusiasm will be reflected back to you from the people to whom you give it. -David Dunn0 -
Sandra, you are always there in our thoughts even when you are too caught up in daily challenges to check in. I have great admiration for you and Mike. You both refuse to admit defeat. What a fighter he is and what a supportive partner you are.
I hope you enjoy you SB party
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Sandra - I will PM you my number again. I would be happy to drive down to MDA and take you to lunch while Mike is in treatment. So glad that things seem to maybe be stabilizing.
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Every result you get in your life is the combination
of the challenge you receive from the reality around
you and your capacity to respond to that challenge.
Fred Kofman0 -
Your inner voice always knows what to do,
but it is a quiet voice.
You can only hear the whisperings of your inner voice -
your inner compass - when you turn down the volume
of your fears, your regrets, your resentments,
and the fear-based advice
your neighbors are so willing to give you.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie0 -
Well, we were due some rain around midnight last night --- it has waited until this morning. Thunderstorms. A bit scary as it will be 70 degrees or close to it today. We have had like temps. in years past, but not mixed with thunderstorms. Hoping no one has to deal with other forms of negative weather from this sort of drastic shift I patterns. Glad I washed my car a few days ago and dusted it really well a couple days before this. I hopefully won't end up with a badly dirt spotted car though there will be mud puddles to go through.
Am hopeful for today anyway as I usually am. I think whatever may not be to your liking or right can be worked on and made much better and I always lean that way. SSHH, I'm also trying to cheer myself up for sooo disliking GRAY days.
Jackie
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We had some rain last night, and it was freakish to see lightning in Feb.! Was in the low 50s yesterday, 45 and windy today, 38 right now and dropping like a rock. Won’t get above freezing tomorrow, and should be in the single digits by Thurs. morning…when I have my ENT appt. up in Northbrook.
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Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.
- Mohsin Hamid -0 -
Cool and cloudy today. After yesterday mornings' two rain storms the afternoon was very warm and actually quite sunny. A little wonderful taste of Spring. I am/was sad to hear that several tornados went through parts of LA and I'm hoping Carole that you and your whole family are fine. The news said while there were some injuries that was no loss of life and I am so happy to hear that. It was mentioned that the parts of LA hardest hit were areas as well that Katrina really damaged and that people were finally get recovered from it and then this.
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I appreciate your concern, Jackie. We were fortunate that the tornado that came through nearby Madisonville did not touch down on us.
I was just thinking about you as I muster the energy to wash my car. You would be shocked at how dirty it is.
Here I go outside.....
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Hello all. Thought I'd check in today. Took me quite a while to catch up with all the posts. I've been recuperating from heart issues and absolutely no energy.
Just recently found out my oldest GD's 7 month old girl has Mosaic Downs Syndrome. This breaks my heart. And as if that's not enough her 2 1/2 year old brother had to have eye surgery on both eyes this week in St. Louis.
My second eldest GD has a new baby girl that is 2 months old now. That makes 8 Great Grands and 8 Grands for me and my DH now.
Welcome to all the newbies. Sorry about the moving situation Anne. I know how that feels. Sandra and Mike glad to hear from you. To the rest of you please keep posting. I love to read them. Hoping you all are having a good day.
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"Life has no remote. Get up and change it yourself!"
-- Mark A. Cooper0 -
SeedSally, glad to hear you are through your heart surgery -- and sending positive energy vibes your way. Sorry to hear about the Downs syndrome and other medical issues in your family. Sometimes I think they are often harder to bear than our own personal ones.
Sun today ( hope it stays ) and a light layer ( very thin ) of snow. That is what yesterday's -- maybe a very small drip of rain turned into, but I'm happy it stayed thin and won't be here long. The day before of so it was near 70 -- so odd to get such wild fluctuations but that is what seems to have started these last few ( global warming/climate change ? ) years. This week-end -- 6o's. So here we go again.
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We finally got some winter! In the 50s yesterday, have about 9-10 inches of snow so far. Radar looks like it shud be ending in a couple of hours. Just sitting and watching it snow. Good we dont have to go out. Went to the continuing care community near us yesterday, looking into down sizing a d possibly making the move there, befor DH memory problems get to where we don't qualify! HArd to imagine we are old enough to be looking at this!
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Hello all,
I saw my three grandkids for a while on Sun. They did not actually sleep in Lake Placid till Tues night, after pulling the kids out of school the Tues before. Had I known they were still local, I would have tried to see them all week, even just to take them for lunch or ice cream or the park. When I got to the warehouse with their laundry Sun afternoon, just Kayden and his Dad were there. Jamie had taken the girls to Walmart with her. Kayden was very happy to see me and started to show me all the funny videos he had on his phone. His dad saw us, and told Kayden he had to get off his phone, he had been on it too long. Now, the phone is a real phone, but doesn't have service, but with wi-fi he can download games and videos. When Phil took it away, I felt so bad for Kayden- he was stuck in a partially empty warehouse with no toys or TV, his bed was folded up, so he couldn't even take a nap - what was the child supposed to entertain himself with?
When Jamie got home with the girls, it took Alexandria a few seconds to recognize me in her home, but as soon as she did, she leapt from Jamie's arms to mine, and just lad her head on my shoulder. I stayed for about 2 hrs, till about 5pm. I got at least 10 hugs and kisses from Victoria and Kayden, and Kayden begged me to come with them. They were, at that time, just starting to load up for a trip that night. Haven't heard a word since they left.
My brother handled his kidney Stone process ok, and is planning on drive down tomorrow.
My youngest son- the one that was working for the ER and going to school, dropped by Tues afternoon. I knew immediately I wasn't going to like what I was hearing. Not only is he not working at the hospital right now (he says it was to hard to schedule both- even though he had said he could work 2 days a week, and go to School 3 days- and they were paying for his school), he has decided to join the AirForce and become special Ops. He makes up his mind on things like that based on something he heard or saw, and dismisses anything anyone says that tries to tell him the truth. For example- no matter how strong and fit he is right now, he has a documented history of back problems and ankle problems that will show up on any X-ray as well as a broken arm or wrist. Beyond that, he has refused any efforts to fix the problems. He says his wife has agreed to go wherever he is sent, but she is the big bread winner of the two. She has changed jobs a lot in the four or so years I have known her, but each move has definitely been up the ladder. I don't think she realizes the jobs she has had here aren't available everywhere. Or the possibility he could be stationed in Iceland, or Japan, or anywhere. And for me, putting aside the usual dread any mother has when a child goes in the military, it means another child moving away. And any children they have while away, would know me as a visitor, not Grandma, even though they might call me that.
I have a feeling my life is going to be going through some changes in the next year or so. I've already begun looking at condos in Lake Placid. I saw one, fully furnished for 60,000. I will be spending more time with my son in So Carolina, and go back to dividing my life between here and Ga. I have more of a life here, but not much. I really need to find something to do to bring some meaning to my life, besides shopping, cooking and reading.
We are partly cloudy at the moment, making the statement "if you don't like the weather here at this moment, just wait 15 minutes, it will change" very true.
Anne
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The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.
unattributed0 -
Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news.
The good news is that you don't know how great you can be!
How much you can love!
What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!
- Anne Frank0 -
Oh my --- it turned warm yesterday and will continue -- who knows for how long, but it sure is nice. Don't know if we will have a lot of sun -- maybe muted, but as long as we are not bone chilling cold I can hang in there. This sort of thing usually inspires me to want to get things done. We have ( in the past ) often had a lot of nice days in February and I can only hope we are having some weather normalcy again. We just don't seem very predictable anymore so fingers crossed.
Extra work for me today ( has been as of late my day off ) but that is okay. I will just have to make better use of the time that I am home. Dh is working today anyway, so it will be fine. I think some of his longer days have maybe been good in a way for him. He claims to be sleeping better. That is what getting truly tired will tend to do for you. Hoping that holds, but mainly the better sleeping part since I am a great believer that your body/systems need restorative sleep to operate well. I do have a couple of friends who only sleep in two or so hour stretches --- some people have always had a different make up that way and it does seem to work for them. Then again -- they fully recognize it and Dh always thought something was wrong if he didn't sleep like he thought he should. Told him for years -- if you really get yourself tired you will sleep.
Hope you all have a great Saturday.
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