Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
-
Horrible Chevy.......tell them if they don't want the cat you would be happy to take it off their hands since obviously they don't care about her or they wouldn't mistreat her...now is a good time since you are taking care of her.......
I am shocked someone hasn't reported her to the authorities for letting the cat stay out in that type of cold weather when its winter...also surprised the.cat hasn't dies from freezing to death.....
Nice people.........would tell you to report them, but if they come and take an old cat like that it witll be put down, but the way it lives now is no life, right.........I would just tell them outright.........
0 -
There are some good instructions online for how to make a winter cat box out of a foam cooler. You might also check on the kill rate for the shelter there. I volunteer for our city shelter. Cats are not put to sleep unless they are ill or in pain. My current foster cat is 15 and we have gotten 20yo cats adopted. I don't think you could report them until it's actually cold weather. But then the authorities might be very interested. At 5 degrees the garage is not a suitable place either. You could also ask the health department about uncleaned chicken coops.
0 -
"The best six doctors anywhere - and no one can deny it - are sunshine, water, rest, air, exercise and diet." ~ Wayne Fields
0 -
Pretty day here if overcast a bit now and then. A/C is coming on a lot so I know it is warm and muggy outside. We are going to my BIL's tomorrow. The brother-in-law who is in rehab right now for having had quad by-pass will get a pass and attend. Will be nice to see him away from the facility. I'm sure he will enjoy spending some time in familiar surroundings. A change of scenery about mid way or so should be a good inspiration for the rehab work.
Chevy -- some of our neighbors don't make it easy do they??? You got some good advice and I hope you are able to figure out the right approach so you have as much success as possible.
I'm making some progress around here -- it has been slow going but I hope like taking off weight slowly that it will have lost lasting benefits.
0 -
Thanks Joy....shore is good....anytime that can be spent with your kids (all grown now)....is a good time......hugs
0 -
We went over to feed "Edith" this morning, and I'm going back just to see what else I can do... I did give them a plastic crate, a few years ago, which they kept in the garage.... I COULD move it out to their front porch, and put another pillow/blanket in it! But for the Winter, that Styrofoam cooler is a great idea! GREAT idea!
I am first going to ask them "You aren't going to lock her out of the garage in the Winter, are you?"
And no, they don't care... At least their little Chihuahua dog gets to stay in the house.... even has a sweater when she goes out in the Winter!!! I'll just take that heat-mat back that I gave them, if they won't let her in the garage.
I will fix her up a nice little house, out of a styrofoam cooler, and keep it on their front porch!
You know, she wouldn't stay, even if I catnapped her! Her Mother ran away a few years ago....
We don't ever ask for money.... they used to give us a few eggs once in awhile... but they are so scatter-brained, they probably have an attention span of 4 seconds, and can't remember when one of their thoughts get going! So it's okay.... As long as they are neighborly I don't care.... Thanks guys!
0 -
Just dropping in to say hi. It's been six or seven weeks since I was here. I'll have to go back and read all the many pages of posts but for now, I'll just say hello to one and all. Mike is still alive and still in remission from leukemia. We go to MD Anderson in Houston every 28 days since he is still on an oral chemo clinical trial. He has gained about 25 lbs so far this year but still has a LONG way to go after losing 120 lbs. He is recovering slowly from his brain hemorrhage 8 months ago. He can read a bit better now but not more than a paragraph at a time. Numbers are confounding for the most part but it's getting better. He is still in the Traumatic Brain Injury program at the military hospital. They are wonderful, especially the speech therapist and physical therapist.
Mike continues to fall, usually with no more ill effects than multiple skin tears and bruising. However in May he broke his hip on one side and two places in his pelvis on the other side. Two weeks ago he had another big fall. His elbow took the brunt of it. No break but he damaged the bursa. After a few days the pain was horrendous and he was admitted to the hospital to battle "septic bursitis" with IV antibiotics. He's home after a week and doing much better.
I don't think I've slept in 2.5 years.
0 -
Sandra, Glad to hear Mike is doing well on the chemo, but it seems you guys don't get a break(no pun intended!) You're gonna have to get him a padded suit! Hope you are doing all right with all this. You two are both definitely survivors! Gentle hugs, Jean
0 -
Oh, Sandra, hope you can catch some good-quality shuteye. Glad Mike is in remission and gaining weight, but oh, those falls! Sounds like he really needs to use a walker whenever he's on his feet. Second the suggestion of a padded suit
0 -
Giving love, attention, and respect to the individuals who share our lives and to the people who cross our paths by chance will smooth our own passage day by day.The effects of our goodness will often be felt quickly.A smile elicits a smile.Kind thoughts bless us as well as the receiver.Life events do come full circle. -unattributed
0 -
Sandra, we know who the troopers are. I hope you can find a way to get a bit of rest. It makes the mountains you and Mike climb a little easier. My admiration ( though it doesn't help a sleepy person much ) knows no bounds. It is so often from others that we learn a richness that we might all want to ascribe too. I guess that makes you rich in experiences and sleepy. My thoughts are always with you.
Hi to everyone else and hoping you are all going to have a really nice day today.
0 -
ChiSandy, Mike has a rollater (walker with seat and wheels) but it hasn't prevented the falls...merely gotten in the way as he hit the ground. Contact with it on the way down has produced numerous gouges and skin breaks but without it, the falls are worse. Although he does sometimes simply lose his balance, most of the falls are related to lightheadedness and disorientation. He doesn't move after sitting up or standing until he is sure he is ok, but it can happen minutes later for no apparent reason. He cannot respond to commands and then a few seconds later, his legs start to buckle. If I see it happening, I can grab him and hold him up. (He is so light now.) Getting him to the nearest chair or bed is a challenge because he can't walk so I drag him. He perks up 30-60 seconds after sitting down or lying down, but is weak and "wrung out" for hours afterwards. If you can ask your cardiologist husband what he thinks, it might be helpful.
Our Houston MD Anderson leukemia doc suspects the long term steroids have caused his adrenal glands to fail to come up to speed after the steroids were slowly discontinued. His Anderson cardiologist (Dr Duran) said his heart rate will go up to 188 - too high - with mild exercise so he put him on metroprolol to regulate it, but after two months the leukemia doc (Dr. Alvarado) took Mike off it. He thinks that the drug made it worse. Being off has not helped. Some days he is fine, feels strong, and can take a walk outside for a block or two. Other days he feels exhausted. Mike has never had high blood pressure. He's a 110/65 guy but has had some serious low blood pressure incidents since his brain hemorrhage 8 months ago that have caused him to be transferred to ICU twice. Our local military hospital in San Antonio transfers to ICU when it's 80/45. He's been there many times and even lower. Last November it took 5 units of fluids to get his bp up and to stop his heart from bigeminy, PVCs and PACs. Our transplant doc here in San Antonio says we should be prepared for Sudden Cardiac Death. How does one prepare for that?
0 -
I'm so sorry Sandra.... We only wish you both your own happiness.... no matter what.... Just to get through another day is sometimes all we wish for .... Sometimes we think it can't get any worse.... and then something else comes up, and we just can't ever count on things going right.
Just take everything for 10 minutes at a time.... like Jackie used to say.... When that 10 minutes is up, go for another 10.... Then on to maybe 1/2 hour... cherish each moment together....
My Brother is always taking care of his wife... Everything is going wrong! Kidney failure, congestive heart-failure, and then HE started passing out.... Finally had it checked out. He has a pea-sized tumor in his brain.... But his heart rate was only 44... So his wife's Doctor examined HIM, and he had to have a Pacemaker put in last Thursday night. His heart-rate is better, and he says that brain tumor will probably stay there, because he won't have it operated on.... I told him, well maybe they can shrink it! He says he is too old at 79.... Maybe with God's help, the pace-maker will help him out... AND his dizzy spells.
0 -
Sandra, Your description almost sounds like a mini seizure. Sometimes people are just "spaced out" for a couple of minutes. Your catching him means you have gotten very strong. It's not easy, even with someone who is lightweight. I would ask the doctor how you prepare for that. What is he thinking? You guys deserve a period of no drama and peace. Hugs and healing thoughts.
0 -
Sandra, orthostatic hypotension (related to sitting up after lying down and standing up after sitting) is a major side effect of dehydration & electrolyte imbalance, as well as myriad meds. Comes a time when we can't fix one thing w/o breaking something else, and fix that without breaking yet another thing or making the first thing worse. I'll ask Bob, but sounds like Mike's cardiologists have as much of a handle on it as anyone can.
Sudden cardiac death is a result of a sudden and profound arrhythmia, and can be the end result of many conditions that affect the heart muscle and its ability to pump evenly. Only way to physically prepare is to have an AED (automatic electric defibrillator) at the ready and battery charged—and use it immediately until EMS gets there. Even then, the patient may not be strong enough to withstand the shock.
0 -
Sandy.... Thanks for that added info.... My DH had just THAT happen..... Felt light headed, sat down, fell over backwards.... Then sat back up, and fell on his face.... His friends brought him back home, all bloodied, and sort of out of it....
ER told us the same thing.... Dehydration, causing all the problems... THAT and not eating right.... Filled him full of fluids, and sent us home... All the tests and scans showed nothing more... Thank God!
0 -
When my DH had that happen on Fathers Day last year, that's what they told us too, BUT, it ended up being a tick vectored disease, Anaplasmosis! Took three ER tries and a hospital stay to get the diagnosis. Compouded by the fact he never knew he was bitten and the tests are negative 5-10 days or more after being bitten!
0 -
The tea party was a lot of fun. I had never been to one before. These are all former co-workers. Our hostess is the young woman standing second from the left.
0 -
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here
to enable the world to live more amply, with greater
vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement.
You are here to enrich the world.
You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.
Woodrow Wilson0 -
Quiet morning here as we await our 80% chance of rain. A bit of muted sun but doubtful it will be here long. Sounds like possibilities exist for at least a week beginning today for rain. Highest chance though is today.
I will be busy with several projects and one of those is extra exercise to diminish the 4th. of July's feast of too many calories. There are some left-overs which hopefully can be spaced to keep calories at bay I hope. We enjoyed ourselves though and I do think some dietary indiscretions timed well is good. I read that somewhere and it took me all of a millisecond to believe it heart and soul.
Love all the tea party hats. What fun !! I'd have to buy a hat though if I went to a 'tea' party. It has been yrs. since I had hats of any kind. All I have are those bands with a bill/brim attached to keep the sun out of your eyes that don't crush your hair. They are perfect for this part of the country.
Hope you all had a fun or quiet happy day yesterday.
0 -
There is a place here called the Queen Mary, where they serve high tea. I went with a group from my office. They have cloth tablecloths and napkins, flowered china, and all sorts of fancy finger sandwiches and pastries. Another table had 2 mothers with 8-9yo daughters. All were wearing their best dresses with flowered hats. Charming.
0 -
Wren, when we lived in Seattle 40+ years ago, for special Sunday occasions we used to drive all the way south on I-5 to Chehalis. There was a restaurant there called Mary McCrank's Dinner House, and it was open only for Sunday dinner. Family style—chicken, salmon, veggies, cornbread and an insanely wonderful blackberry pie (I miss those blackberry vines—we have black raspberry canes and mulberry trees, but they're not the same). Mrs. McCrank presided over it herself, hair in a bandanna, going table to table. Price was great (at least for a couple of poor grad students). The other special-occasion place was in West Seattle: Skipper's Galley. Wally Fisher (formerly exec. chef at the Olympic Hotel) was chef-owner/sole waiter. Dinner began with a bottle of bubbly (Cook's, I think), and we were given insane amounts of food to start: hors d'oeuvres galore, a bucket of mussels, shrimp, half a rock lobster each…and then out came the menu (in a large looseleaf binder). No wine list—that champagne had to last. Everything had French sauces, cheese or both. Then out came dessert: a flaming Baked Alaska. All for $20 per head. No leftovers allowed. Of course, in retrospect we're horrified by the wretched excess (this was pre-Nouvelle, much less cuisine minceur). And we usually couldn't even think about food till the next afternoon. We went back during a PNW vacation with Gordy in 1989 when he was four. Same lavish spread, by then $30 per, but by then we'd become used to Nouvelle & Spa cuisine, and felt sort of uncomfortably bloated. Not sure when the chef retired and the place closed, but when I returned solo for a SU Law Alumni meeting in 1997, it was gone.
0 -
~Illinoislady~
I had to buy my hat for this party. I don't wear hats normally because they don't fit well. I seem to have a small head. It was a lot of fun. We had a variety of teas, mimosas and wine; finger sandwiches, fruits, pudding shots, cakes and cookies. Everyone in the picture works at the local library and I worked with all but one. The young lady, standing second from the left, hosted the party.
0 -
Sandy, Got my masters from SU in mental health counseling. Good school.
0 -
I love the SU campus—it's everything an urban university campus should be. A bit of background—when I went to law school it was University of Puget Sound in Tacoma (a satellite campus in a business park in S. Tacoma across S. Tacoma Way from the Tacoma/Lakewood border—close enough to McChord AFB that we could hear them bench-testing engines). Graduated in May 1975 (first full graduating class). By 1992, the school had moved to the old Rhodes dept. store bldg. downtown. In 1994, Puget Sound decided to ditch all its post-BA programs except English and music; and SU was eager to acquire a law school to pair with its MBA program. Ground was broken on the Seattle campus, a large donation came in from Larry Ellison of Oracle, and the school remained in the Rhodes bldg., rebadged as SU School of Law, until the state-of-the-art law school building (take that, UW Condon Hall and Bill Gates!) was opened in 1999. It was and remains amazing, as was the then-new Ignatius Chapel.
As a result of the sale of the Law School, our diplomas were reissued, with the May 1994 date writ large (and the “originally granted May 1, 1975” line way at the bottom in the calligraphic equivalent of “mice-type” font). So my clients were quite impressed by the two Juris Doctor diplomas on my office wall (provided they didn’t read too closely).
Ironically, we lived in Seattle, across University Way NE from UW Health Sciences (where Bob got his PhD in Genetics and then went to med school) and five blocks from Condon Hall. I didn't get into UW Law School (women were not eligible for Affirmative Action, unless part of an ethnic minority underrepresented in the legal profession—and Jews were not exactly underrepresented). I retook the LSATs but Puget Sound accepted me even before the scores were tabulated. I commuted by 6 am car pool* 45 miles each way 5 days a week (6 days as a 1L, due to compulsory Legal Writing and Admin. Law being offered only on Saturdays). Women were only 11% of the initial student body of 200 (400 by graduation day). We had only one ladies' room, which made it tough to get to classes on time, especially on the second floor (accessible by two narrow crowded staircases). When we complained, the Dean (otherwise a sweet guy) said he didn't know what our beef was, considering that though we were 11% of the student body we had 25% of the restrooms (the other 3 were men's rooms). Poetic justice came when we took the WA Bar exam (our profs taught our bar review course): our first-time pass rate was 92%, compared to UW's 76% and Gonzaga's 67%.
* which turned me into a confirmed lifelong night owl as soon as I went into practice for myself in Chicago after leaving the IL A.G.'s office.
0 -
Are you balanced? Do you share your time, your energy, your life, as much
with yourself as you do with those around you?. . . . Know your limits.
You are one of the most important people you need to look after and love.
Balance your time, your energy, your life with those around you. You'll be able
to give more freely and joyfully as a result, and you'll be more open to the
gifts of the universe. It's not wrong to give to others.
But it's okay to say yes to ourselves, too.0 -
What's that song " I Can Do Anything Better Than You ". Not meant to be too snarky. Women do seem to have an almost built in sticktoit-iviness. Spell check is crazy now. I sort of think we are less in competition with others, but more in competition with ourselves. We know it is there -- maybe buried pretty good because of life circumstances but there and we are so determined to get it to the top.
I well recall getting a real estate license after all the chemo and rads. A big struggle for me, and I did take the test twice. Passed the longer national part of the test first, but you might know, had to go back a second time and take the Illinois state test over. I was amazed that I passed at all. I still struggle with memory but I'm okay now with it all -- I know what's inside and that's good for me.
Our big 80% chance yesterday --- a mere dribble of a sorts. I thought we would get real water and have one of the grayest days on record. I was so wrong. Today with a far less chance is cloudier and darker. So, we will see. I actually expect a real RAIN today but it may just slide away.
Hope you are all going to have a good day.
0 -
Hello to all and hugs to those in need. Well, we had some seriously drenching rain here this morning - tapering off in the afternoon. Kudos to all the strong women out there for your perseverance. Believe my competitiveness and "I Can Do Anything Better Than You" spirit came from being 2nd in birth order and 1st female child who always hung around older brother and continually asked "If he can do it, why can't I?"
Sandy - Whew, what a long haul to get to Law School!
Women were definitely a minority in the Accounting profession when I obtained an Accounting degree in 1976 and subsequent CPA license. Now, it is the other way around.
0 -
Just learned that the gal with metastatic breast cancer that was on my Costa Rica birding tour died yesterday. The trip was the last big item on her bucket list. It was not an easy trip and it was an inspiration to watch her live life to the fullest.
0 -
Hi all,
Yes, I am still here. Unfortunately, I am still in a tremendous amount of pain. I've had the MRI and ultrasound. I have a herniated disc that is pressing on my sciatica because of spinal stenosis. I saw an orthopedic Dr who has set me up for physical therapy starting next week. He also gave me a referral to a pain Dr, saying he predicts shots to my spine, but says he will have pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills that work better. Especially the Percocet- this Dr says the new Dr has something that is stronger, but can be used for a longer time without addiction. Why hasn't any one of the three Drs given me a script for that already?
Anyway, I am having trouble sleeping, so when the pain Dr's office called to schedule the appt, they woke me up. I set that appt, and realized I needed refills on both the muscle relaxer and the Percocet. I called my new Dr, and asked if they could call in the scripts and mentioned that I had not gotten the results of the bloodwork. She put me on hold for 8 minutes, then told me my bloodwork results had come in, but the Dr wanted me to come in to discuss them. Total panic time. My old Dr would give me the results over the phone, if needed, but I always timed my bloodwork before my appt, so the results were there when I got there. I called my DD at work to see if she could come with me. I knew something was wrong, because an ultrasound needed to be done after the MRI and the ultrasound tech asked if I still had my right kidney. Long story short, I am fine. My cholesterol is a little high, so are my sugar levels- neither of which is significantly higher. I have a fatty liver, so I need to eat more fruits and veggies, and I don't have enough antioxidants, so she gave me a new bunch of organic pills that will bring the antioxidants up. That was that. I think every cancer patient's file should have a big note on it- tell the patient whatever the problem is, that it is not cancer, and go from there.
Sandra- we were given the same news about my husband. He got an infection thru his dialysis port that destroyed his atrium valve in his heart. He also had a good sized goiter on his thyroid. He needed surgery for both. Problem was his heart was not strong enough to handle the throat issue, but the goiter was too large for them to get a breathing tube in to do the heart surgery. Over the phone, while he was in the hospital, we were told to go home and wait to die. Several people let us know that when "it" happened, he would not survive long enough to get to a hospital. How do you handle news like that? We pretty much both went into total denial. We were sent to another new Dr at the VA- this one was a cardiologist, very, nice, compassionate man, and he told us he had read Bob's whole record, and condensed it to just what the EMT's and ER doctors would need to know, in an emergency situation. He told us both of us had to have a copy of his condensed report on us, 24/7. It was 28 pages long. 28 pages of vital info they needed, in order to help him. I don't know about Drs, but I am a pretty fast reader, and also knew he wouldn't survive long enough for anyone to read this vital info before treating him. My daughter took the report to work the next day, scanned it in to the computer, then copied it to zip drives that connected to our key rings. But the message was clear- go home and wait to die. He lasted about 6 weeks. I am not saying Mike's situation is he same - hopefully his heart is in better shape than Bob's was, and he can be helped should something happens. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.
I overdid a little today- my granddaughters arrived today to spend a week with Daddy. They will be staying with their other grandmother, butI wanted to have stuff out for the 4 yr old. The baby is no problem- I am always prepared for my other daughter to visit. For many years, our house was full of toyshelves and and crayons, etc. That is no longer needed. None of my grandchildren are here often enough to need a full wardrobe here. But I want to let Lucia know I want her here. So, I bought a few milk crates, made a kind of toy shelf, and put out crayons, puzzles, books, and some baby dolls in it. Not a tough job. I had to walk from the family room to the office a few times. I hurt so bad that before I left to go to lunch with a friend, I popped a whole muscle relaxer and 1/2 Percocet. She was, of course, driving. I wasn't sure I was going to get thru lunch because when we sat down, I could not get comfortable. Thank goodness, the meds finally kicked in, and we had a good time, except I was a little out of it, and forgot what I was talking about quite a bit. Then I came home, sat down to read, and ,fell asleep, which is very unusual for me. Funny part is I woke up when I got a text, went straight back to sleep, woke up again when the dog dropped a toy, and went back again. Not normal for me,but I wasn't in pain.
Hope all are doing well,
Anne
0
