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

As we express our gratitude, we must never
forget that the highest appreciation is
not to utter words, but to live by them.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Went to bed at 2am but was awakened about 5:45 with an extremely painful foot & leg dystonia attack (aka the spontaneous Charkey horse from hell). Tried to massage it and walk it off, to no avail. (Yes, I take magnesium at bedtime and keep a bar of soap at the foot of the bed). So as a last resort I took a Lyrica and an Aleve--the latter to dull the pain before the Lyrica reaches the basal ganglia and tells it "hey, cut it out!" Went back to bed at 6:15, put in my earplugs, and immediately fell back asleep. Had a series of interesting and very realistic dreams and wanted to stick around to see how they ended. Rolled over a few times to check the time--8, 9:30, 10 am. Rolled over one more time and...holy s$it: 2 05pm!!! Thank goodness I had nowhere to be till 3:30! (Unbeknownst to me, Gordy came in several times to make sure I wasn't dead).

Had my mani-pedi (the holdover Lyrica & Aleve made the digging around in my ingrown toenails much less painful). Then on the way home, stopped into Stan's Donuts, & had one with a cappuccino; then to CVS to pick up a prescription that a text said was ready...but the pharmacy closed at 6. I have no idea which 'script it even is. But I picked up some stuff I'll need for the run of the show.

Was going to reheat my T-Day leftovers, but there was a message from Bob that he was about to head home. We went back to the Fireside, this time seated by the fireplace (aaahhhh....) and shared the prime rib, which they sear on the grill before serving. We ordered it rare, but it came out medium-well. Wasn't gonna make a stink and send it back, because the waitress was sweet and we didn't want to wait even longer. (Which would have meant more wine). It was still pretty tender. We shared everything: salad, app (calamari), main course. We ended up bringing home leftovers.

Ah ha, now I know what my Charlie horses really are !!!! I don't get them very often, but the last few years it seems when I do --- sigh ---- they run right through the bottom middle of my foot. That is a difficult place to work with as a little rubbing ( if you choose to try ) might make a difference. I do know most movement of the foot rather than rubbing hurts like the dickens and seems to do little for you anyway.

So pleased it is Sunday -- no special reason. I think because the sun is out bright ( maybe today I will go to the car-wash ) and that always makes my spirits high and happy. Dh will work again today. It is I think the end of the Black Friday blow-out. So all hands so to speak. He at least won't have to show up at 7 a.m. today as they will go in at the regular time of 11 a.m. Even in this little ( though I mainly love it ) one-horse town people were at the door at 7 a.m. Friday morning. I guess there has NEVER been enough of a bargain for me to get up and go out shopping at ungodly hours. Later if at all, is okay for me. I've been out everyday so far, but mainly not for Black Friday shopping -- just the regular out of dog or cat food or milk here at home type.

Hope Sunday for all of you will be everything you want.

I don't have too much trouble with cramping in my feet or calves anymore. I try to make sure I drink plenty of fluids and I keep bananas on hand. They usually go away fairly quickly with a massage or walk. Recently, I have been experiencing horrendous cramps in my upper thigh, front and back at the same time. Can't walk them out because I can barely stand. The pain is different from a Charlie horse in that it burns like something on fire. I am seeing PCP tomorrow & will ask her what I can do. I wonder if it could be a side effect of the letrozole.

Sandy, a bar of soap at the foot of the bed? I laughed about your son checking to see if you were dead; mine would not have noticed until there were no clean dishes and no one had turned off the TV! H would not notice until he ran out of underwear or cash!

Gotta love 'em...they are my men!

We stayed in Friday & yesterday. I don't like to deal with the crowds during this time of year. S and girlfriend baked a scratch pumpkin pie, here, Friday. It was good. This young woman likes to cook and appears to be good at it. They went to the Renaissance Festival yesterday. S said it was crowded. It's going to be a zoo everywhere we go from now until New Year.

I believe in the absolute oneness of God and therefore of humanity.
What though we have many bodies? We have but one soul. . . . I know God is neither in heaven nor down below, but in everyone.

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Should be a good day here as the past two or three have been. So warm it has been. As usual I have tons of things to do, but looking forward to all of it. I'm hoping you are all getting set ( just like Teka ) to have a wonderful Christmas. It is the last BIG holiday and pretty special as well. Surely ( though I'm not in too big a hurry ) it will be cooler as we get closer. For three yrs. or so running we have heard that it is going to be a harsh winter. None of that has materialized and hoping it won't this yr. either.

I hope you are all going to have a wonderful Wednesday.

Success or failure, the truth of a life really has little
to do with its quality. The quality of life is in
proportion, always, to the capacity for delight.
The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.

Julia Cameron

This is the true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

George Bernard Shaw

Beautiful out today. Our mini-but not quite heat wave will come to an end shortly as rain is coming. I'm not sure that it will get too cold though. Maybe just unpleasant from what we have been having. It has been very quiet here. Hope you are all okay and just busy with December events, shopping and other things that take place this time of yr.

Today we are going to work on the yard a bit. Hopefully my cousin will help Dh clean out the back end of the garage. I'd start putting my car in there if they did. I hate that it sits out, but we are the only people I know with a four car garage that is too full to put cars in and that really needs to change. We will see how it goes. This is my viewpoint and I don't know if those men will share it or not.

Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday whatever you choose to do.

Hi all, just popping in to say a quick hello. I was so sure things were all going to be finished this weekend. I no longer am trying to anticipate a “finish” date. I believe I told you that when the installer for the new shed saw the cement slab, he refused to set up the shed, because the slab was not level. Two weeks go by before we can get the cement guy back. He worked out there for a while and said everything was okay. Install guy finally showed up about 5pm Thurs. Told my brother (I wasn’t here) that he thought it looked okay, but since it was getting dark, he wouldn’t know for sure until Fri mornin- he got here at 6 am ( bet the neighbors loved that!). Again, I had a Dr appt. when I got back, my brother was furious. The shed is all put together, but it is noticeably not level. On one side he has pieces of wood holding that roof side up, trying to make it level. My bro can fit his whole hand between the cement and the shed. So, now, not only do we have to find someone to level the slab - we’re thinking they may have to demolish what is there to start from scratch! We have to somehow get the shed off the slab then back on. Since it will be on the grass while the cement is poured and drying, we will lose an 8x10 patch of grass

Plus the guy who installed the new windows and doors didn’t pass inspection. He didn’t show up for a few days, and to thank us for understanding, he said he would install a new screen door from the patio to the yard, replace all the patio screening, and install a larger doggie door. He came to do that we thought! But he worked on the windows and doors for a good three hours, after he had told us they were done. After he worked on the windows and doors, he said he could put the screening up,but it would cost me $100 because he was supposed to be at another job. I very calmly and nicely that it was fine if he couldn’t do the screens. My son and grandson have been fixing the screens since they were 10 years old. He came back the next day and put the screen door up and installed the doggie door. Again, thought we were done. He called Fri night to see if he could come over Sat to put some extra screws in. We thought he needed to put two more screws in the kitchen windoes- he told us that was why it didn’t pass inspection,but he put a lot more screws everywhere. I am really glad we needed the permit. At least someone is making sure they are installed correctly.

And so it goes on, and on, and on....

Don’t know what I’ll do all day when the workers are all gone. It sure will be quiet.

Just didn’t want you to think I had dropped off the face of the earth.

Ann

I think we were mostly raised by men who fixed things and built things and wouldn't rest until it was right. I know my Dad was a perfectionist. He did a lot of jobs around our house and did them well. Lots of current workers seem to think it's not a big deal not to do it right the first time. I hope the rest of your projects go well and you're back to normal soon. I hate having workers around all day, so I'm sure you're looking forward to that quiet.

Education is more than schooling. It is a cast of mind, a willingness to see the world with an endless sense of curiosity and wonder.
If you would be truly educated, you must adopt this cast of mind. You must open yourself to the richness of your everyday experience--to your own emotions, to the movements of the heavens and the languages of birds, to the privations and successes of people in other lands and other times, to the artistry in the hands of the mechanic and the typist and the child. There is no limit to the learning that appears before us. It is enough to fill us each day a thousand times over.

Kent Nerburn

Looking dreary out-of-doors right now. There may be someone coming soon to do some work on the house and maybe get some windows in the garage. There was some rain overnight but I can't tell at the moment from the sky if we will get more later. Just have to see. Dh is off tomorrow but has to have some work ( an x-ray maybe ) at the V. A. We may have to drive to Marion for that. I'm not keeping up so well with some things. Guess maybe I should slow some parts down until I do catch up a bit.

We have had wind yesterday so my leaves found their way back in the yard, but not that many. They will be easy to handle.

Hope you are all going to have a good day.

From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. Arthur Ashe

Beautiful sunny morning although it is really cold out this morning. Winter is trying its best to say hello and I'm closing my ears. We are starting to adjust to the loss of one of our dogs --- Chico. He was a Puggle that was just going to be 15. Had heart trouble ( had it for yrs. ) but his joints and hips were really bad. We kept him going for may months with pain medication freeing him from most pain. He still continued though to have to walk stiff legged. Finally last week it became evident that all the glucosamine and chondroitin plus pain pills would not do near enough. We said our very tearful farewells and sent him home to the Rainbow Bridge. Sill missing him so much but knowing that he is so much better off now. What a beautiful companion who surely deserved his peace.

Hoping you all have a sunny day where you are and sure praying for all those in the California fires.