Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Sandra, So happy to hear your good news. Sending you both hugs.
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awesome news Sandra, yes, he's definitely Magic Mike.
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Compassion is like sunlight, awakening and
bringing joy to beings. Its beauty is like
a rainbow, lifting the hearts of all who see it.
Tarthang Tulku0 -
Been MIA for a couple of days due to sinus reoccurrence ( big time ) and sadly my little lady passed on last night. I'm going to miss her, but I realize she was just existing and overall with her lack of hearing and nothing much to really look forward to I think she needed to let go. I of course, feel very bad for her family. It will be especially difficult for her daughter who cared for her ( mainly at home up to this last 9 or 10 months ) and that was a stretch I think of about 15 years. So, I'm temporarily at home for the time being. I will take care of the little puppies while the family is gone to Wisconsin for the burial. They have never been in a kennel so I readily agreed to make sure they didn't have to be put in one now.
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69 degrees yesterday, 65 today (about 60 by the lake). Sat outside in shirtsleeves on my deck (watched first for dive-bombing birds & squirrels) and had a cappuccino. Is this really Chicago in Feb.?
An old friend who builds decks & porches is coming by in a few to give me an estimate on rebuilding my porch (including repairing holes in the stucco) and drilling strategic holes in my deck between the planks to allow for drainage after storms or snow melt and prevent icing. (Been a long time coming, so I know it's gonna cost an arm & a leg & and an extra toe). And Monday is the magic day—the restorers will be starting at 8 am. Been lazy, but going to start packing, or bagging-and-duct-taping whatever kitchen utensils we haven't already relocated to protect them from new-plaster dust and paint splatter.
The espresso-machine-serviceman (he also services sells machines to commercial cafes) picked up my espresso machine—and when he lifted out the tank to empty it, there was a bed of plaster debris at the bottom—UGH. Hope the electric innards aren't so gummed up they can't be cleaned—otherwise I'm out nearly $2K for a comparable new machine (for which State Farm will reimburse me in part). He's also going to clean the hopper and replace the burrs on my grinder (which I bought used on eBay 10 yrs. ago from a failed espresso bar). That had nothing to do with the plaster debris, so it's on my dime. Meanwhile, I'm using my little $100 Nespresso Pixie with capsules for espresso and an Aeroccino electric frother to do the milk for cappuccino. Unfortunately, it doesn't do a good job frothing almond milk (the steam wand on my real machine does it very well) so I'm stuck using real dairy—albeit FairLife, which has half the carbs and half again the protein of unfiltered milk.
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We usually look outside ourselves for heroes and teachers. It has not
occurred to most people that they may already be the role model they seek. The wholeness they are looking for may be trapped within themselves by beliefs, attitudes, and self-doubt. But our wholeness exists in us now. Trapped though it may be, it can be called upon for guidance, direction, and most fundamentally, comfort. It can be remembered. Eventually we may come to live by it.
Rachel Naomi Remen0 -
Ah, I wanted to try Fairlife milk but just couldn't do the price. We have been using first Silk Soy milk ( though I did have some considerations on it since soy isn't good it is said for cancer pts. ) but then the minute that Almond milk came out we switched to that ( not bad calorie wise ) and feel since we don't jus 'drink' milk but mainly use it in cooking and a small amt. on morning cereal ( that is mainly steel-cut oatmeal ) that we could do just fine.
Got through my 500 or so emails though at the end I was skimming more than I like so I'm through all of that. Hoping to ease into feeling better. Have some upper muscle fatigue to fight which makes me weak and breathless, but otherwise I'm hanging in there.
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You are goodness and mercy and compassion and understanding. You are peace and joy and light. You are forgiveness and patience, strength and courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter I time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion. You are the deepest wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love. You are these things. And in moments of your life you have known yourself as these things. Choose now to know yourself as these things always.
Neale Donald Walsh
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We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin,
but we all belong to one human race.
- Kofi Annan0 -
Jackie: hope you feel better soon.
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Jackie, I know you will miss your patient. That sounds like a very nice family. They surely have appreciated you.
I thought about you today when I picked out some purple glasses frames. I recall that yours are red?
Today was a gorgeous day for golf or anything else. I enjoyed being outdoors.
Sandy, do you have a view of Lake Michigan from your deck? It sounds as though you can walk to a number of restaurants from your house
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No, Carole, there are four blocks and a “wall" of condo highrises (including the one where the fictional Dr. & Mrs. Hartley, of the Bob Newhart Show, lived) between me and the lake. Even if I climbed up atop my roof (as if I needed another excuse to end up in the hospital), I wouldn't have that view. But all I have to do is walk four blocks and hit the sand. But it's so relaxing out on my deck, with all the sounds of the city and the beauty of nature to enjoy. (I've been a city kid all my life—never lived in a suburb—and have always been in earshot of elevated trains in Brooklyn and here, railroad trains here and Seattle, and boat whistles along the Ship Canal in Seattle. Silence would drive me nuts).
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Integrity is not a conditional word.It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather.It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a person who won't cheat, then you know you never will. - John MacDonald
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RIGHT ON Jackie!!!! Still hoping you're recovering nicely.
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Jackie, keep drinking some hot tea with honey and a big bowl of chicken soup--and a good movie or two on Netflix or cable. You don't want to go outside in this icky cold rain. Yesterday: t-shirt and sandals. Today: leather winter parka and wind proof umbrella. Tomorrow night & Sat: add wool hat, glovesand boots. Ugh. I know it's normal for late Feb. but still...
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Morning gals....... Jackie, even though we weren't anywhere near each other, we must have caught it together.... I've been "sick" for 3 weeks, just starting to feel better. I thought it was just the sniffles, with being sooooo sleepy, and cold.... then the Asthma.... So I thought I had better call the Doc. They wouldn't call in the Z-pak, without seeing me. So she listens to my lungs & chest, and says it is Pneumonia.... I DID get the prescription for the Z-pak, and more refills for the Nebulizer...
I took Claritin or Zyrtec, to help with the other, and just wanted to sleep & stay warm.... Went back for a check-up.... still not gone.... Another Z-pak, along with Prednisone, and another week of whining and treatments. BUT it's all better now....
And YES! That tea is great Sandy! Only I make mine with pieces of fresh Ginger, lots of lemon pieces, a couple tea bags, and boil it all for 10 minutes! Strain it, and drink it with honey..... Every day.... a few times a day. I don't know what it does, but it just feels and tastes good.
There are so many sick people out there! All of it some sort of upper-respiratory stuff..... she says!
So then I had to get a Tetanus shot! Went to Walmart, showed the gal in the Pharmacy my arm, that I scraped pretty bad on the wooden fence... She looked at me like "Are you kidding???" I just wanted to know if I should let it dry, or keep it covered... She said NO, KEEP IT COVERED WITH SOMETHING, AND USE AN ANTIBIOTIC CREAM ON IT. Period. She asked if I had been to the Doctor about it.... OR had a Tetanus shot. So she did give me a Tetanus shot. I had just LEFT the Dr's office, with a free sample of an Inhaler.... And no, I didn't ask anybody to look at my arm.
Sometimes you feel like a 12 year old, with all the things that go wrong! So my arm looks a little better.... and I do keep it covered.
And it is 20 degrees HERE! If anything would keep you in the house, THAT would! Snow and cold. But my yard is looking a lot better....... We had such warm weather for awhile....!
And sorry about your little gal............ She really was a trouper.... best you stay home anyway, and take care of yourself. Do you run a humidifier? That is good for you too.
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chevboy, your lucky, last time my doctor said I had pneumonia, it turned out to be congestive heart failure. my heart was down to 5% by the time I found out.
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Oh wow! Sorry about that..... but you have it controlled now, right? Had you been taking your pulse-rate?? My DH was not feeling well for 2 weeks, just no energy.... but you know how Men are.... they don't go get checked until they can't MOVE anymore....
We went.... he was examined.... then going to take blood.... But I went out of the room to tell them "something is wrong.... check him for congestive heart failure" because I had been reading about that.... They went back in, did another test, them said "no blood work".... He has "heart-block".....
His pulse was only 32.... not the normal 70 or more! Next morning a Pace-Maker was put in.... that was over 15 years ago.... He is on his 2nd one now, and doing great!
My Mom had congestive heart failure..... she didn't tell me.... and they lived in another State. When SHE wound up in the Hospital, I asked Dad "What are these pills for"???? He told me what she had then..... She never came home from a quadruple by-pass..... had a stroke during surgery.....
You take care of yourself!
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Hey hi everyone,
Yes, I'm still in amazement that I have the bronchitis. It has been such a long, long time. Also, I was younger then and it seemed easier to take and to get over. This is only my second full days of meds ( second dose of 2 Prednisone ) as well. Seems a bit less nausea today though still lots of belches. I'm horribly exhausted but still have to go out and feed the ferals.
Up side there ---- I feed at the back of the IGA store and they have a decent deli. Bought about 1/2 pound of 6 or 8 different things. Not the greatest way to eat but will help us survive for now with some 'fresh' food. I made them all small for fear we would not eat it all fast enough ( can always go back for more ) as my appetite is not truly good at all. Fortunately, I have enough extra pounds to not go down the tubes but am trying to make most of what I take in protein type food --- don't want to lose too much muscle tissue calories. Ham salad, egg salad, mustard potato salad ( Dh loves that ) some mac salad for me along with some cowboy caviar and green pea salad. We're set for a day or two.
I think it will rain some this afternoon. Not good as it will bring most of our recent warm weather to something of a halt. Don't look forward to that, but we are in the anything could happen time of the yr. I think some things have budded early so just have to hope it hasn't been too soon.
Sure glad you got yourself "seen" too Chevy. Females -- so used to being stoic and holding things up that we get sicker than we should. I think I learned my lesson.
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The first time Bob was being “medically-managed” for his perforated colon (not the same facility that botched the colonoscopy) back in May 2015, the residents wouldn’t discharge him to home because his potassium was too low. So they kept giving it to him I.V. even after he was able to have fluids & soft foods by mouth, until he couldn’t breathe lying down. And he had gained 18 lbs. overnight. He was in fluid overload, the immediate precursor to CHF. I called a colleague who is a malpractice specialist* and we worked out a plan to sign him out “a.m.a.” and transferred to his own hospital…where he specializes in heart failure, unless they did right by them that very day.Bob was saying, "give it time, they know what they’re doing, you know where our wills are…” I told him in no uncertain terms to demand they let him see the attending cardiologist and write his own medication orders for the attending to sign, or else we were gonna sue. He reluctantly agreed, and the attending (an 80-yr-old from Thailand) said “no big deal, you’re just in fluid overload.” Bob ordered him to hand him the in-room terminal’s keyboard, and he wrote himself an order for Lasix & oral potassium, then told the attending, “Sign this or my wife will sue—she’s a lawyer.” He walked out the next day, weak as a kitten but 18 lbs. lighter, courtesy of that Lasix.
So I was pretty shocked when, the day after New Year’s after he’d been coughing from a “chest cold” he swears he caught on one of our flights to & from NYC (I think he caught it from a patient) he agreed to stop in at a doc-in-the-box before leaving for work—he called me and said he was at Walgreen’s filling codeine cough syrup and abx ‘scripts because a chest x-ray revealed lower lobar pneumonia, his temp had been 102, but was normal after a couple of Tylenol, and was going in to work! I told him to come home, not just for his sake but for his patients’, but he said he’d wear mask & gloves on rounds and just cancel office hrs., because his staff still had to get paid. He did see a pulmonologist colleague at Advocate Christ, who gave him an “Acapella” positive-airway-pressure thingy to help him cough stuff out faster…but he never used it. At least a couple of other docs were walking around with pneumonia (probably mycoplasma) at the same time. I got bronchitis a week later, but it was viral and lasted 4 wks (all I could do was treat symptoms), aggravated the second week by the plaster dust. Had laryngitis from the coughing, for over a month. And now it’s tree pollen season. Whoopee. (Got a whole bunch of Ventolin inhalers and a montelukast refill waiting for me at CVS). God bless Zyrtec and Nasacort, too.
*My colleague's wife just marked her 13th yr. of being NED with Stage IV bc.
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I'm always afraid of that Sandy...... It's just hard to imagine that our "caretakers" aren't always right! You would THINK that the Dr. Office would have taken my Husband's pulse rate! But not until I ASKED them to, when I was out of the room ! And THEN when I drove him to the Hospital, THAT staff was waiting for us, thinking that an ambulance was bringing us over! No-one even mentioned it! How are we supposed to KNOW it was that serious?
That is really scary, that no-one was monitoring your Husband and all that water! When my DH fell, on his face last year, the first thing they do in ER is start the fluids! They took him for a cat-scan, to see if he had a concussion....
We think he was dehydrated from that morning, from having diarrhea... And when he walked home from the little tavern, he got light-headed after just one beer.... He stopped to sit a second on a bench, and fell backwards, then got up, and fell on his head on the sidewalk. His buddies saw this, and brought him home.... We ran him to the Hospital, and finally after all the IV's, and tests, we were ready to go home, and he got sooooooooooooo sick at his stomach.... He threw up all the fluids somehow! I mean my Daughter and I ran out to get the nurse, and they came running in with towels! He felt much better after that.... He didn't have a concussion, but it rang his chimes a little! Scared us all 1/2 to death!
Our Doc also called mine Lower lumbar pneumonia.... I didn't FEEL bad, I could just HEAR it when I took a deep breath.... different than the "scraping" sound from Asthma. Yes, that Laryngitis just hangs ON! Glad you guys are better....!
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Take time to work, it is the price of success.
Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.
Take time to love and be loved, it is the privilege of the Gods.
Take time to share, life is too short to be selfish.
Take time to laugh, laughter is the music of the soul.
Author Unknown0 -
Feeling better this a.m. Lost at least ten pounds. Appetite is a bit better though nothing to shout about as yet. Food is tasting better though so any time now I'll likely turn into a pig again.
Hope you are all doing okay.
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Good morning , the last of our run of crazy spring weather. It was 74 yesterday in the Hudson Valley! Spent another lovely evening in the ER with DH. We thought he had an intestinal bug the last few days, but when the pain migrated to his vack figured it might be a kidney stone. We have both had the pleasure of passing them. His CT showed it was indeed a stone, which seemed to move when he had an IV. Good to see him feeling better today.
Also good to see others of you who have been under the weather recovering. Take care hope no one are in the blizzard areas. Crazy Winter/spring. Most of our snow has melted, but will cool off tomorrow.
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Here high's are in the low 40's and lows 35-37 with up to an inch of snow predicted overnight. Huh? They say it will turn to slush right away if it snows. We are fairly close to the water, so I'm not expecting any here.
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Hi all,
So sorry to hear about all the sickness and injuries. Hope everyone is feeling better each day.
I, too, am dealing with a physical issue. When my brother arrived, he got me walking every day. The first walk, we went all the way around our block which has approximately 20 houses per side. I did not do well. I was leaning forward, which made me stumble a lot, and leaning to the left, which made me look like I was drunk. So he decided we needed to do shorter, but more frequent walks. I was doing great, going a mile a day according to my iPhone. Then my sciatica flared up. I have had problems with it before, but no where as bad as this time. It is excruciating pain and I have trouble getting comfortable no matter what I try. I called my Dr on Wed, but they couldn't see me until Thurs, so I called a chiropractor I went to years ago. She fit me in at 5 that night. I did go to my reg Dr on Thurs- she gave me steroids and Percocet, but said the chiropractor was the best option. The only time it doesn't hurt is when I do my walking. Unfortunately, I can't walk 24 hrs a day, and to walk from the couch to the refrigerator is incredible painful. I was so scared getting the X-rays at the chiropractor that she would find cancer somewhere, even though my Onc has assured me they got 100% of my original cancer out before they did any surgery. She says she can't guarantee I will never get cancer again, but she can guarantee if I do, it will not be mets from what I had, it would be a totally new occurrence. Still can't get over that fear regardless.
Thurs was my DD's birthday ( the one that lives with me) and that night, the daughter that just moved called to tell Tracy that they were coming down last night to celebrate, so I got to see my three GC. I spent most of the time holding the baby on my lap, singing and playing. She looked a little confused when they first got here, but when I starting singing, "I love you, a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a squeeze around the neck" she laid her head on my shoulder to get her squeeze and we were best buddies again.
I have finally decided to find out how much it would cost to update my kitchen, and organize my garage. The quote that I got for the kitchen includes new doors for the kitchen cabinets, and granite counters, and that is a little over $18,000. It includes everything except the floor. The garage is around $12,000, which would be a total overhaul. I am thinking both will add value to the house, but have to now figure out how to pay for it. I have to take a withdrawal from my husband's IRA since he would be whatever age it is that you have to start doing that if he were still alive. Tracy got the lady who gave us the estimate to give us 12 months to pay with no interest and no monthly payments, so that gives me two years of the IRA withdrawals to pay for the kitchen. I will have to take enough to cover the garage as well. Since I've seen the difference from what they are to what they could become, I am determined to get them done. Since the kids are eventually going to get the proceeds from the selling of the house, I am justifying it as adding to their inheritance.
Can't believe he craZy weather you are all going thru!
Anne
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Anne, your project sounds fantastic. Sorry to hear of the sciatica upset. Everyone I have ever known that had it thought it the most miserable thing. I hope I never 'have' the pleasure. Glad you took matters in your own hands and sought help with your chiropractor. Hope you are soon doing lots better.
Forgot to say --- after a wicked rainstorm yesterday, woke up this morning to snow. It was pretty, but thank goodness didn't last. I think it will slowly warm again, and hoping we go ahead with Spring.
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thanks everyone for your support.....i am so thankful for the good report.
next thing I have to deal with is this darn itching on my scalp...do not know if it is from meds....I take metformin er 1000 mg twice a day.....glipizide 10 mg twice a day.... and 5mg of tradjenta for diabetes and have taken it for quite some time along with this .075 mcg of levothyroxin...i also take arimidex 1mg. been to skin dr..he told me to put some triamclone cream on it....i have switched to head and shoulders and sometimes rinse with baking powder rinse...doesnt help. I have been under lots of stress since June 2015.
My hubbie got up from computer and fell to floor with V-Fib....gave him compressions...called paramedics...was in room while they did cpr, intubated him, shocked him, etc and he died 45 min later at hospital. Since then I have had flashbacks of seeing and doing all that and been to emerg myself with episodes of flashbacks. They said I have PTSD, but I think that term is overused.
Tried going to a Psych for help at a christian counseling center but to no avail. Plus i take care of my 89 yr old step-dad who lives next door. They prescribed some pill to take but, i hate taking another pill.
I guess I am just in a "slump" and rattling on to you all....keep me in your thoughts....
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Munnybunni, considering what you witnessed and experienced, you do have classic PTSD. The traumatic stress doesn’t have to have been combat, violent crime or accident. The term is overused, but not in your case. Have you considered going to an actual psychiatrist (M.D.) in private or hospital practice, not faith-based therapy? PTSD, like clinical depression and panic disorder, has a major biochemical cause, and medications can get you on a more even keep and help the cognitive (“talk”) therapy be far more effective. PTSD is every much a real disease as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and your dermatological problems. I have scalp seborrhea too (have had it since my teens), and my derm prescribed ketoconazole cream (in a concentration higher than in commercial dandruff), which help keeps the flaky plaques at bay. I use the triamcinolone under my breasts and in skin folds to prevent yeast infections. And yes, skin itching (anywhere on your body) is a symptom of diabetes getting out of hand. Have your meds been effectively controlling your glucose, or do they need some tweaking?
There is no dishonor in taking a pill. If you need it you need it. I take loads of ‘em twice a day (prescribed for diseases, as well as several supplements—multi-vite gummies, vit. D3 & K2, calcium citrate, Mg, Cr, probiotics, biotin, CoQ10, krill oil, low-dose aspirin, melatonin, Zyrtec, and the occasional Colace). The list is in my online patient portal charts and shared with the pharmacy I use, to prevent interactions. Is it a PITA to lay them out every night in two shot glasses, or in compartment pill cases for long trips? Sure. But it relieves & prevents a whole lot worse.
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Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best.
Henry Van Dyke0
