thread for middle age to older Christian women.

Chris I'm glad that your husband was able to convince the infusion center to see you after the lab appointment. Between your PCP and MO, I do hope that one of the doctors can figure out what's going on with the extreme fatigue and nausea.

I'm feeling sad and angry that the young boy is left without his father and sister. There is no good reason for someone to be operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. So many options exist to get home after drinking to excess. I pray that the boy and his mother receive God's divine compassion, strength, and healing.

Nancy, you've made such tremendous progress since your knee surgery. It's disappointing to experience a setback. I'm praying that it's just a minor part of the healing process.

Yes, my mechanic was quite shaken after the woman crashed her car through the door and into the reception area. He is such a nice man and always leaves a handwritten thank-you note in my car after he works on it. He told me that there's either a glass shortage or a shortage of skilled technicians who repair custom doors and signage, so he and his receptionist will see daily reminders of the crash for some time.

Carol, congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter! You've so been looking forward to meeting her! Wheatfields, I hope you and your nurse friend are well. Teka, enjoy your time away. Kerry, how have you been? Ade and Faith, praying that you and your families are doing well.

Carol, how nice to have a new granddaughter! Praying for your appointment 8/14 and continued healing, feeling better and able to eat more easily.

Chris, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time and praying that you soon will be feeling better, and stronger and I'm so thankful for your DH and his love and support close by.

Nancy, praying that your knee has just a minor setback from doing a little more than usual and it is soon back to feeling better. Praying also that the icing is helping!

Hershey, I'm praying for you and your DH - also for your safety!

Teka and Kerry, we are continuing in prayer for you!

I think my leg is finally getting somewhat better, they scheduled me out into September with PT now and it seems what we are doing is helping to build strength in that leg and the tendons in the lower leg. I was getting concerned when I was having some trouble with steps for I have no elevator but 15 steps up to my condo. I feel like I have a few more irons in the fire than usual, my sister and I talk most every night on the phone and some evenings my BIL and I talk because she seems to tell me quite a bit about what is going on or how she is feeling. I don't want to sound boastful, but my mother had dementia also, and I think I can help him understand a little better how the dementia person is thinking. Like my nurse friend told me, you've already been around the block once. My nurse friend's cataract surgery went well, but she is anxious to see better and so I'm doing all the driving now. We've had quite few appointments and we go twice a week out to the farm to visit her brother who lost his wife in February, and help with things around the house, wash clothes, etc. Her brother, like my sister and BIL are in their 80's, so things are harder to do (so the 70 year old assumes :) ). We enjoy helping where we can anyway.

Continuing in prayer for all of you!

Love, Wheatfields

Wheatfields, I am glad to hear that your leg is doing better. It is amazing how different exercises can be just what we need. You sound quite busy. Helping out on your friends brother's farm is a real blessing to him. I am glad you are still able to talk to your sister on the phone. Helping your BIL understand dementia is a gift to him. I pray your PT sessions will really help you this time around.

Chris, I am glad you have less pain today. I am sure sorry to hear about your friend's inoperable brain tumor. He sounds like a wonderful man. I hope your daugther can bring Chinese food to you many nights in the future.

Teka, your advice is duly noted. I am planning on reaching out to my surgeon on Monday unless I experience a miraculous recovery. I hope you can soon claim victory over cleaning every window. I bought my new windows last year for the main purpose of me being able to wash the inside and the outside with the tilt windows. Now I am thinking of hiring someone to do it!!!!

Hershey, yes ice is my friend right now. I am elevating and icing a lot. My therapist later in my recovery used ice and heat at the same time on different areas. That was a new experience.

I am a tiny bit better today. I think I have a little more range of motion but when I was taking a bath today I was stuck at one point and I thought oh no my cellphone is charging in another room if I truly couldn't get out. I can walk some steps without my cane but I am still very stiff legged. For any old timers like me out there I am walking like Chester from Gunsmoke. LOL I think those were the days when we got 3 channels on the TV and had aluminum foil wrapped around our tv antenna. Wow, I haven't thought about those days in a long time. You knew it was way past your bedtime if you saw the the test pattern on the TV.

I am praying for all of you. Have a good weekend

Love,

Nancy

Nancy, sorry you are still struggling but am thankful your surgeon is so responsive to your needs. I know it costs a little more, but I get my groceries delivered from Walmart even though I have two drivers living here. It really helps my DD as most of it would land on her. It is easy for our household to order at least $35 for the free delivery.

Teka, lovely produce. Your soup sounds yummy. Good job! I struggle with keeping my flowers blooming!

I am still struggling but I see my PCP tomorrow so hopefully I can begin to get some answers. My assumption is things are just accumulating with being on all this oral cancer drug mess for over eight years. That is enough to destroy any body! If he clears everything else, I still move on to my MO Thursday to get the next opinion. I am thankful I only have a 30 minute drive to either appointment. The MO appointment was cancelled last time so it has been 12 weeks since I saw anyone in her office last which is a very long time for me. I am hoping I still won't need the wheelchair but it is possible.

Have a good week everyone.

Well, my PCP said all my labs look as expected and he has no new concerns (thyroid, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.) He expects my MO will have more input and the CT Scan would show anything new so basically I got no help except that there is not something else brewing. He is thorough so I trust him. Medicare requires I see him annually so unless something else pops up, I won't see him again for a year. I am anxious to see what the scan shows on the 12th. I don't expect much from the MO appointment tomorrow although I am hoping she offers some help for how I feel. I had to run to the bathroom between the nurse getting vitals and the Doc coming in. I felt so poorly I almost laid down on the table!

Nancy, I know you are still struggling with your knee and I am praying for a good resolution for that. How did you do with your cane yesterday?

Carol, how is your fever? Have you been able to eat? You are also in my daily prayers.

I know there are more dear ladies struggling here. There is some comfort knowing we are not alone and isolated in our struggles. It felt good getting out yesterday even if it was only for a car ride to the doctor's office. There are multiple fires here in Colorado as there are in many other states. I don't go outside much because of the smoke. I am praying for our hero firefighters.

Take care sweet friends. Chris

Chris, I am glad to hear your labs were okay but I can see how your pcp would want to pass you off to the MO. I am hoping that your MO will soon let you take a little break from your chemo if that is even feasible. I know he/she will want to see your scans first. My visit to pick up my meds and pick up my groceries was really difficult. I struggled to get way back to the pharmacy and was really miffed when I saw pick up for pharmacy parking. I had specifically asked if they had any kind of delivery service and they said no. They didn't even mention the fact they had a pick up service. Now I will know if there is a next time. They filled my prescription without telling me so that was not planned but I did get my groceries for the week.

Yesterday I started realizing that maybe my injury was not my knee but either a tendon or a calf sprain which can affect the knee. So last night I alternated my icing from my knee to the back of my knee and this morning I was a little better. I had to go to Walgreens to get some needed OTC that I had to have and I just needed to shower, wash my hair and go. I was all mentally ready to tackle that and then trying to get my leg over the tub it was like injuring the leg all over again. I was in so much pain and could hardly stand. So I managed to do a pick up at Walgreens which worked out effortlessly. I am very much wanting to see what my surgeon wil say. He is an orthopedic surgeon and I have no idea if they deal with tendons etc. I have had to just surrender my needed house cleaning, yard work and everything else and pray that it all works out. Today before I got in the shower I was drinking my smoothie and watching some news on the TV and I heard this loud noise like a motor running. It sounded like inside my house. I looked around and could not figure anything out. The sound had stopped. Then it started again and I discovered it was coming from my floor drain in the laundry room. It was creepy and spooky as I had no idea what was happening. I Googled enough to scare myself and realized I would have to get through my surgeons apt tomorrow afternoon first. I poured some hot water down that drain and I made it through my shower etc with no more weird sounds. My sister said you need a vacation. The understatement of the year. I haven't had one in over 50 yrs. I know…………who does that?

Carol, I am glad you are eating to keep your weight stable. I didn't realize you were dealing with fever too. Your quote was a good one. Your DH's Valentine under your pillow was so sweet. It sounds like your palliative care is helping. I am so glad to hear that.

Cammie pooped and peed outside of her box as usual. I feel so loved. LOL I am still getting my garbage together to take to the curb. I skipped last week so tonight is a have too. I found these calming cat videos with soothing music and Cammie was enjoying that until I kept speaking my texts to my sister and Cammie left and went upstairs. She does love me and I love her in spite of all of her quirks. So I really do feel loved.

I hope everyone is hanging on to the Lord. Sometimes it feels like hanging by your fingernails but I know the Lord is right there to catch us if we fall.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Chris, I am so glad to hear that your MO reduced your chemo dosage. I was hoping something could be done with your chemo. I am going to pray that this will be the solution you need to start feeling much better. I am realy glad that she didn't make you wait until your scans.

I saw my surgeon today. He was upfront in tellling me for insurance purposes they want x-rays first before an MRI is ordered. My x-rays showed quite a bit of cartilage loss in a two year period. He thinks this was an arthritis flare due to any number of things. I got a cortisone shot and hopefully that will help. My knee and calf are still swollen. I may have mentioned this after knee surgery in March. He made a video for me while he was operating. The inside of my knee looked like someone had shaken up a snow globe with hundreds of particles floating around. This is the first I have seen him since the surgery as I saw his PA post surgery and didn't feel the need to see him later as I was doing so well. So I asked him about these particles of cartilage that were floating around and how common is that. He said he only sees a few of them and he does many surgeries like mine. He said unfortunately it is not good news. It means my cartilage is breaking down quickly. I didn't think to ask him if my AI could have contributed to that since it can cause osteoporosis. If I am no better he wants to see me again and then I am assuming would order an MRI. So it looks like a knee replacement may be in my future earlier than I had hoped it would be. I just hope I can walk again soon.

I turn 73 on Saturday. I won't be dancing the night away…………….. of course I never did that anyway. LOL

Have a good weekend dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Nancy and Wheatfields, Happy Birthday! Do you all have anything special planned? We do most of our dancing in our heads anymore anyways…

Thank you all for the birthday wishes and banners. Teka, I spent one of my last birthdays at the Butterfly House but that won't happen this year. Hershey, that cake looks good enough to eat!!!!! When the nurse at the surgeon's office came to get me she said I see you have a birthday coming up. I said yep, I don't look a day over 72!!!!!

Wheatfields, we should celebrate together. I like Chris's idea of dancing in our heads. LOL

It may take a few days for the cortisone shot to take effect according to the surgeon. Hopefully it will help with the stiffness. I feel like I will have to learn how to walk all over again after stiff legging it for so long.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Love,

Nancy

Wheatfields, it has been really hot and humid here too. Last night our power went off for about 50 min and it started to get hot. It came back on late and when I went to bed it went off again so I had to reset clocks again. I fell asleep and not sure what happened. A neighbor across the street texted me today asking if my power was off last night. I think the houses across the street last night had power and then they didn't have power today and we did. Strange.

I have been feeling pretty discouraged so I asked the Lord if I could have some surprise blessings today on my birthday since nothing was planned. I had many unexpected people textiing and emailing me and one of my friends said she wanted to take me out to this fancy restaurant when I feel better. Another friend invited me to go have dessert but I took a rain check on that. So God surrounded me with blessings from friends and quite a few didn't even know it was my birthday but the word apparently spred quickly.

Bless you for making cookies for VBS and in very hot weather. We don't have that per se but I go to a huge church and they are always doing something for the young people. I hope you had a good day. How is your leg doing? I hope your PT is making a difference now. I forgot to ask my surgeon if it is okay for me to exercise. When I suspected my injury might be a calf sprain you are not supposed to do some exercises that would make it worse so I stopped doing my knee exercises altogether. I think I will resume them. I really wish I had an MRI to see what is really going on. I have a different take on my injury than my surgeon does and time will tell who is right I suppose if I do have an MRI. Of course I didn't tell him that but I did tell him my suspicions. Either way it causes knee pain.

We are to have some cooler weather soon too. That will be a nice relief. Have a good rest of your weekend. Enjoy your birthday on Tuesday!!!!!!

Love,

Nancy

Ugh… I woke with an excruciating UTI this morning. I have never had this much pain with one before. Thankfully I got quick help with virtual urgent care and a prescription was quickly dispatched. Gotta love technology!

Chris, I am glad you enjoyed the pig roast at the fire dept. but I really hate it that you have another UTI. I am so glad to hear you were able to get meds quickly. Praying the meds quickly relieve your pain and infection.

Carol, are you affected by all of the wildfires in CA now. I pray that you are doing okay.

Love,

Nancy

Hershey, my knee/leg is doing much better. I have been walking around the house without a cane and I had two victories today. I walked down my stairs normally. I had a prompting to go for it and I did and it was fine. I also took my shower chair out of the tub and got a real bath today. I am so grateful for healing. I am not all the way there yet but I am much better.

I am glad your garden is doing well. Grasshoppers can be very destructive. I believe the locusts in the Bible were actually a type of grasshopper. I remember doing a lot of internet searches on cicadas vs locusts several weeks ago. Believe it or not my yard still has remnants of the cicadas. When they lay their eggs in small branches on trees those branchs and clumps of leaves fall to the ground. With some storms we have had over the last few weeks I am still seeing clumps of dead leaves in my yard. Yes grasshoppers have their distinct sound but not at the volume of the cicadas. I am not sure if I wll be around for the next 17 yr cycle and maybe my awful memory of them will be dulled if I am.

When our power went out there was nothing that happened that we heard and no storms. Squirrels can do some damage but the classic boom sounds like a transformer. There is nothing like losing power in hot weather to be SO thankful when the AC comes back on.

Have a good night.

Love,

Nancy

Wheatfields, I was going to send you a Happy Birthday banner today and had some unexpected HOA things that came up and ended up spending quite a bit of time on that. I had my Zoom Bible Study class tonight and I had many things on my To Do List that I wanted finished so today was sort of a hectic time.

I am glad to hear that you had unexpected some unexpected blessings on your birthday. God is good. I got a couple more cards in the mail today. As I am typing I it is the middle of the night and I have the window open. A wonderful change in weather today. I am hearing an owl outside my window. Getting a picture of an owl is on my bucket list. Since they seem to only come out at night it makes it a challenge. I do know they can make appearances during the day but rare for me to see one. Your chocolate zucchini cake sounds really delicious. And then to have a burger and fries and a diet coke just sounds like a wonderful birthday. To top it off by a nice swim sounds like a full day of indulgence on your birthday.

My knee and leg are getting better but when I think I am just about where I need to be then I'm not. I am going to have to be patient. My sister said I should go out with my camera and not to worry about my knee. She told me that a few days ago. I kind of rolled my eyes at this advice but……………i am actually thinking about going to the Butterfly House with my camera tomorrow as it is to be very nice temps. I haven't been outside without my cane so this would be pushing it. I need two hands for my camera so we'll see. It is probably one of the safest places I could go and if something happened someone is always there I just might go for it. However it is pushing 4 am and I can't get to sleep. This has been my night ritual for many many nights lately. I will fall asleep watching TV and then can't get to sleep once I get to bed.

How is your PT coming along? I hope it is helping.

Take care.

Love,

Nancy