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

Sandy- your memories are pretty much mine, except I was in the Bronx. I remember having to wear pants under my skirt on cold days, and our gym uniforms were green bloomer type things. I had starting working on Wall St as ladies wearing pants started being acceptable. But, it had to be a pantsuit or you would get reported. We had our own cafeteria, and they had monitors there making sure you were dressed properly. I'm not a bend the rules kind of person, and I abided by those rules until I went into maternity clothing. I bought 3 tops and three bottoms that could all be intertwined with each other. I went to the cafeteria on day - (we usually ordered out and ate at our desks because the stock market doesn't close for lunch) and I got reported for improper attire. I went back to the office and told my boss about it and he laughed- back then most women stayed home with their babies, and he knew I would be gone long before the 3 mandatory reports needed to fire me. Not that he would have fired me anyway.

Doing ok today- I am moving as little as possible and taking the meds by the clock instead of the pain level. That way the pain doesn't get a grip on me. I'm taking steroids twice a day and half a muscle relaxer with either a 1/4 of the Percocet or an 800 mg Advil. I try to save the Percocet for bedtime, but I can sure see how someone could get addicted to them.

Hope you all had a good day,

Anne

Anne, sounds like you still have plenty of issues, but glad that you are controlling your pain better. Hopefully a fix can turn up that will get you back to a much better level.

I have had a lazy day --- meant to do more, but it was just one of those times where ( nothing bad mind you ) things just didn't want to fall into place so I could flow through the plans I had. So much I think for making too many plans. It seems like that is what gums up the works. If I just take it on a more flexible casual level I just flit here and there and have lots of progress to show.

Beautiful very nice cool morning here. Playing catch up today too. How fast this month is speeding along. Rain is coming at the end of the week -- I think. That is what the five day forecast indicates anyway. I'll still try to get my car washed because having as much dirt gone as possible is good. Hoping to be able to start working on getting test results from my tests last week. The mammogram was going to take longer as no one sent to Carbondale for the records they had. Sigh !!! It is okay, because no one would have said beforehand anyway --- but it is longer yet due to that. At least I didn't have to make the long trip to Carbondale this time. I've done it before because they had digital mammography which for me was I think much better. That has been around for a while now and I think all hospitals have them --- so decided to stay as close to home as I could.

Little did I know they ( meaning V.A. Choice Care system ) would send me to our own little ( but big enough ) local hospital which were it not for time and heat, I could have walked there. I was also able to have the Dexa scan and the previous one I had to go all the way over to John Cochran V. A. in St. Louis, Mo --- so I think 170 miles round trip. Both the tests were scheduled -- one right after the other. Couldn't have worked out nicer. I'm a big believer now in using the Choice Care program.

Hoping all of you have a fantastic day full of great weather and not too much work.

Oh Kicks - I love it when you're being polite. (LOL) I see we're both still here.

"Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

-- Helen Keller

Going this morning to visit a friend who is having some back issues. Lovely day out with a nice little breeze. Also taking out a friend with a birthday -- so a full day for me. I don't mind full days. I sometimes accomplish more when full days give me a time budget -- then the other way around. Working on several projects here as usual.

Hope you are all going to have a fantastic day. Hugs, to Anne, Sandra and Mike and anyone else who may be struggling through problems.

Wise people possess humility. They know that their small islands
of knowledge are surrounded by a vast sea of the unknown.

Harold C. Chase

How rude of him not to share

Anne - you are right. The question is not WHAT he was smoking, it is WHY he was smoking at all, and particularly in the house. Can't remember how old he is. Junior High?? So glad he can be under your son's wing this summer.

Morning all,

Minus two- my DGS is almost 15 and will be starting HS this year. Sandy- I understand that pot is more acceptable now, and that kids experiment with it. In this case, my grandson's father dropped out of 8th grade and spent his days smoking pot with his Dad. My ex-SIL is extremely intelligent but wasted his whole life on pot and other drugs. The only good life he had was 7 years in the military after their divorce. My DGS does not know his dad dropped out, but understands how empty his Dad's life is. He finally rented a house about 2 years ago,after their final breakup. It still is in the exact same condition it was in then,only looks like a garbage dump moved in. He is still sleeping on a mattress on the floor, no sheets, which my grandson shares when he is there. My exSIL is great with remodeling, and building- he redid one of our bathrooms for us and did a better job that the licensed guy we had to use through our insurance on the other bathroom.

He was deployed to the Middle East twice, and says he is too disabled to do any physical work any longer. I am not totally disputing that, but he went into the military with a bad back, and has no problem doing things he wants to do. It is his mindset that bothers me so much. He just drifts from one idea to the next, without doing anything of value. His newest idea is he is giving up the house at the end of the month and moving on to a sailboat someone gave him. People don't give away decent boats, so I am sure it is not sea worthy. And he has no experience sailing at all.

His father lives in another son's garage and also drifts from day to day. My daughter's ex MIL, who is one of my best friends, drifted from man to man while they we're growing up and as they hit their teens, she would move out with a guy, leaving them on their own, except she'd go home to clean and shop. Since our DGS was born, she has really changed and become a hard working, loving mother and GM.

My DGS is in the highly gifted program at school and has an incredible future ahead of him. And since he has lived most of his life with us (and his mom, of course), he has seen what a stable home is, as crazy as we are. He has never had to deal with utilities being shut off, or sleeping on a floor or couch (except as a treat. He has always had food, good food and snack food available, etc. I just don't know if that will triumph over his paternal history. That's what scares me.

Enough of a rant. I had a bad night last night, and ended up taking 1/2 a muscle relaxer 3x, so I have just gotten out of bed. Need to start my day. Our plan was to paint my DGS's room this weekend, but the new comforter arrived yesterday, and we don't like it. We were planning to pick paint colors from the comforter, so don't know what is happening there.

Anne

Okay, I'll get me out of the way first. The colonoscopy went great. I adore Dr. Yu. No polyps, no nothing. Clean as a little babies behind. Don't know if I ever said, but this was my first colonoscopy. I've avoided them for yrs. as for some reason I don't clean out really well -- or maybe I should say --- the prep takes longer for me than most people. So, I will be close to home today -- as I can't be sure how my system will react at any given time. I finally made up my mind after having the bout of non-pain pancreatitis found by CT scan that I would have the colonoscopy. Why that was the trigger I don't know

Hospital was great too. Really nice people. They not only gave us hot ham sandwich for lunch ( we were done about 12:15 ) but sent a frozen dinner home with us as well. Also since I was a medical corpsman in the service ( so I said yes for sure ) they sent home pictures of my colon. Hope that doesn't turn anyone off but I'm still often fascinated by medical things.

Anne, you could use some good YOU time. I was thinking yesterday that your DGS was at the experimental age/stage maybe. I learned a lot of unworkable things from watching my sister who was 15 months older. Thinking your GS maybe doesn't quite have the benefit of viewing things that way. Still, even then, there are things that maybe have to be tried on for the fit at least once. Also his role models ( men ) have some issues/deficiencies but for now with all those good grades and the stable home the females in the family provide -- hopefully he won't make too many mistakes along the way.

Hang in there.

Meant to say --- if I have anything really screwed it might be my reading ability after anesthesia though I think it is the lightest they can use. I did not know, but many of these procedures ( if nothing is going on ) only take from two to five minutes they told me, so heavy anesthesia is really not needed.

Good news on the colonoscopy, Jackie!

Anne, I'm afraid I would run away from home if I had to deal with all those family problems. You definitely deserve some good family interactions.

Have fun, Ducky!

Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

Bittersweet lead-in to the Fourth weekend: today Bob and his fellow doctors held a retirement party for one of their colleagues who is well into Stage IV bladder cancer. (Eerily, two other docs in that office were diagnosed too, albeit at early stage). He just relinquished his job working for a union prepaid medical care clinic…and gave it to Bob.

Meanwhile, I have established a meaningful relationship with my heating pad. This stupid back muscle strain is getting kind of old, but it won’t kill me. Exercise helps for awhile, but it’s a real trial until the stretching kicks in.

Hope everyone has a great 4th. of July. I love the day, but mainly since it is a national holiday and 'generally 'is a happy day of celebration. Independence and on our own as the United States of America. That is when I most think of red, whit, and blue and unity. Sometimes of late that seems to go begging but I am always hoping and looking for progress.

Sandy allow me to say ouch for you. There are only a few places pain-wise that really get me and back pain is a biggie on the list. Hoping it is better soon. Interesting about all the bladder cancer where your Dh works. I think ? the Dr. yesterday told me that colon cancer is third on the list and after what you mentioned the bladder cancer I'll likely be looking ' as if I will remember statistics ' up to see where it fits over all. I'm still amazed at how seldom in comparison I heard a cancer diagnosis of any kind with anyone until I was diagnosed. I'm not blasé and don't want to be but now it often comes up and I do mean often. Scary !!

Anyway, I'll be checking in later. Got to run for now and think about feeding kitties -- since I ( sigh of happiness here ) can drive again w/o restriction.

Deep in the soul, below pain, below all the distraction of life,
is a silence vast and grand--an infinite ocean of calm,
which nothing can disturb; nature's own exceeding peace,
which "passes understanding."
That which we seek with passionate longing,
here and there, upward and outward;
we find at last within ourselves.

C.M.C.