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

Betrayal, how do you cook your eggplant? I thought it was mostly a southern vegetable in the US. I like it a lot and usually make eggplant lasagna. I made a couple of lasagna dishes recently and have one in the freezer.

I'm back from the 2 hr. dental appointment with a numb jaw. In my absence dh cooked beef stew. It smells really appetizing. He went to the supermarket this morning after his PT and bought the ingredients without mentioning his intention.

I see the DOW is down another big number. I hope we're not headed toward a recession.

Jackie, glad you're enjoying some spring weather. Raking leaves is good exercise.

Waiting for the phone call to tell me when to appear at the hospital door for my implant exchange surgery. Going to be nice to be rid of that huge water balloon and be able to run around the house without a bra.

Maintenance guy will check on Tippy if he starts barking too much.

Temperature peaked today at 49. Won't be until Friday when we will have 75 deg.

As you take a few minutes each day to quiet your mind, you will discover a nice benefit: your everyday, "ordinary" life will begin to seem far more extraordinary.  Little things that previously went unnoticed will begin to please you.  You'll be more easily satisfied, and happier all around.  Rather than focusing on what's wrong with your life, you'll find yourself thinking about and more fully enjoying what's right with your life.  The world won't change, but your perception of it will.  You'll start to notice the little acts of kindness and caring from other people rather than the negativity and anger.

Jack Canfield

Chris - thinking of you and hoping surgery went well. Will someone be able to help with Tippy while you recover?

Betrayal - I really feel for you. The past year and a half has been really rough for you. Fingers crossed the PET/CT goes well and you get a break after the TKR surgery. The hand pain sounds miserable.

Hugs to both of you,

Wanted to share some humor.

They didn't take me in until 1:30. The previous surgery was more complicated than they thought it would be. I'll be praying for her. I didn't get home until nearly five.

He spent quite a while widening the pocket, since I wanted my boobs to be flatter as befits a 75-year-old woman.

I guess my problem was not using my right arm much because of my thumb. Which caused the chest muscles to get thinner, which caused problems with the attachment points, and pain. He put cortisone in my thumb to get that moving once I get the clearance to give the arm more exercise. I hear you on deconditioned, betrayal. And because the body is a whole, the cascade effect, Jackie. I was very worried about you for a while.

Tippy survived. I left a note on my door. He was cuddly during the night, and I appreciated it. I can use this as an opportunity to teach him the word "pain". That can be very important as we get older.

Good morning. 51 outside already. Will be a nice day with a wind advisory. No wind right now. That may pull in some rain — not real sure. We are always iffy this time of year.

Well the hip bone is connected huh Chris. I hear you on that. I do think it also happens a little quicker with those of us who have aging as a factor. I guess that means I likely need to exert myself more than I do.

My last hosp. visit was a previous case longer than expected as well. Glad you were able though to get it accomplished. Good for Tippy showing appreciation you were home again Chris. Hope all is a great success.

Have a few items on the list today. Dh says we need a new coffeepot — the electronics in ours is making it NOT happy about turning on in the morning. Sigh. I dislike breaking in new pots but guess we will. What else can you do. The thought of no fresh coffee in the morning is almost terrifying. Some odds and ends and along with yesterdays windows I also need to wash my kitchen cabinets with Murphy's as well as re-do the pantry. It's only bad in a few spots (no one wants to follow the pattern) but if I take it all apart then I can re-wash the shelves as well as the wood floor too and make sure all the items going back in are clean and tidy.

At least, family seems to be a bit more respectful of the fridge I did a while back. That was another space where things were being shoved into any empty spot - no rhyme or reason and often going into a reserved space only empty because that item was out and in use. I'm thrilled my kids live here with us because I don't think we could make it on our own now — way too much work that was easy before, but I still do a lot of the major kitchen and bath cleaning and re-arranging of shelves etc. It is easier to "keep" it neat when you go through all the work — sometimes quite time consuming. Ah — maybe this time — which is what I usually say.

Hope you all have an outstanding day.

Chris, I hear you about defending who you are and refusing to let them reshape you. I am not familiar with the book but will research it online. Glad your surgery went well and hope your outcome is the one you wanted and not what they wanted. It would be nice if Tippy gets to know how to recognize pain. He is so smart.

Had a dental cleaning this am since appointment was abruptly changed late yesterday but forgot to take prophylactic AB so they could only take full mouth x-rays. Love my hygienist who rescheduled me for an appointment on 3/25. She is booting her DD out of that appointment so I can get this done pre-op. Will take her a present, probably some flowers, for being so kind. I am kicking myself because I just checked the other day to see what I am supposed to take and the dosage but totally skipped my mind this morning. My alarm did not go off so I had to rush to get ready and out of the house. Will need to see why it didn't work.

Landscaper was just here. He was the one who did our walkway several years ago. The hill in front of the house is covered with pachysandra and had several mature rhododendrons and pieris japonica growing there. They decided to give up the ghost in the past year or so and I am no longer able to dig holes on an incline to replant bushes. Need bushes that are self maintenance as well as deer proof (these are few and far between) for the most part and he can erect a fence around the bed.

It is overcast and only 46 degrees so significant change from the past few days. It is definitely chilly and coat time. Ran to supermarket after dentist to get a corned beef to cook on Sunday. I am ready for St. Patrick's day now. Love corned beef but don't cook it that often.

canarycat, your cat is beautiful. I have 2 cats, Leo who is 13, small around 9 lb. and gray with a few very small white patches and Misty who is a silvery gray and seems to be part Maine Coon. She is currently dainty and weighs in around 8 lb. She has a long coat with tufted ears and feet. She doesn't purr but is quite vocal. We also have a Dalmatian named Regan who is liver and white, not black and white; 3 parakeets: mom, dad and daughter; and a yellow and black canary (red factor according to breeder) named Bumblebee who sings his heart out daily.

Illinoislady, sounds like you are in to spring cleaning. We have to take up an area rug in the guest room to send to the cleaners to be cleaned and moth proofed. So I will clean that room when we get the rug out. DH can drop rug off later. I know once I start one room it will spread to the others and I am on a timeline to get them done pre-surgery.

I am so happy that when I am struggling I have such a supportive group here. Since Dec. 2023, I have had so many challenges and setbacks that are just hard to deal with without this support. harley07, thank you and I know that you too have had your share of challenges. I just keep hoping that eventually I will get a break from these medical dominoes. Illinoislady, your grace through your challenges is admirable and puts me into perspective when I start to whine. I keep on trucking because to be honest, I can't quit. Just too darn stubborn due to my Irish heritage.

Just received a call from the dentist that they had a 2 pm cancellation so I can take my meds at 1 pm and get my teeth cleaned today. As Sandy would say, I planned and God laughed but this time he was benevolent it seems.

So my day is getting better and I hope everyone has a great day.

83 degrees and sunny here. Surprisingly, I haven't had to turn on the a/c. The house is considerably cooler than outside.

I made a tee time this morning for 11:10 am. A spur of the moment decision. When dh came in from his walk, I invited him to go with me. He was on the verge of saying no, then reconsidered. He hasn't been to the golf course for months, thanks to knee surgeries and recoveries. Our club has two 18 hole courses. On one a big outside tournament was in progress. There were other players on the course we played but the pacing was good with no one pushing us or holding us up. It turned out to be quite an enjoyable 9 hole round. DH hit the ball well, considering he hadn't played in so long and I did well for my level of play. It's unusual for us to play together in recent years.

So a change of routine that worked out well.

Back at home I ordered a rain jacket and a henley shirt from Appleseed. I've been searching for a hooded rain jacket for our trip in April. I didn't want a warm coat because the weather in Europe is supposed to be 40 degrees to 50's. I showed dh the colors and he picked navy. I would have liked a pretty green but that wasn't an option.

Chris, glad your exchange went well. My new implants are already enclosed in contracture but not to a painful extent. My surgeon isn't happy with the outcome but it is what it is. I'm not interested in revision.

Jackie, you are making me feel guilty with all your house cleaning. You and Betrayal both are models of house cleaning.

The state of current events is astounding. I have to wonder if this country will be changed forever by what is happening on a national level. Hoping for the best.

83 degrees would be nice about now. It was sunny until 1 pm then the weather became bitter cold here walking to catch the bus home at dinner break felt like snow in the air. Noooo. Fortunately we didn’t get any but friends on the lower mainland did. Eep. It’s time for spring. My cherry blossoms are blooming. Not full yet but soon.

Good morning. Canary — I love your cherry blossoms. One of the BEST parts of Spring is watching everything wake up after the bareness of winter. It is a sort of instant inspiration to me.

OTOH, wow did we have a wild night. Lots of wind through the night and thunder and lightning. Don't know if there was a lot of rain as it doesn't look that wet outside this morning. Today all seems quiet, and I do hope it stays that way. The sun is out although not too bright — so who knows. We could get more rain later and likely will.

Good news finally on my car. I had kept telling anyone who would listen that whatever SIL did last time, the 'odd' noises went away. Well, after checking for a couple days he did discover that the part he used on my car is not CHEVROLET but an after market part and it has already worn out. He put the old part which he had saved back on and my car is now quiet again. The old part —which won't actually hold up — needs replaced but now we know it will have to come from CHEVROLET if we want any lasting quality. I am so relieved. I dreaded not only payments from another used car, but as well worried about having to live with more electronics. My car already has more than enough to drive me batty so it was a daunting though.

So nothing planned for today at all. The rugged sleep pattern of last night — I finally at 2 a.m. got up and went out to my recliner. I lay on my right side all the time due to my broken arm from a few yrs. back and now and then when awake I struggle to find a comfy spot for falling back to sleep. That is what often sends me out to my recliner. Have to go out and get more dogfood, but basically that is about it.

I hope you all have a really good day.

Hope you are doing ok this morning Chris.

Will echo, I hope all is well with you Chris. Hope whatever pain meds they prescribed are working and that mobility is improving on that side.

I lucked out again because I was placed on the cancelation list for the PET stress test and they called yesterday with an opening. I was due to go on the 27th but was lucky to snag a new appointment on the 21st. Means I had to change my PT appointment to later that day (also lucky there) and hope I can keep it. Not sure of how I will feel afterwards but if anyone has had this test, please share. So this week will be very busy with appointments: PT x 3, eye doctor, and PET stress test. I have to manage other household jobs in between because they need yo get done before surgery.

I did manage to finish the guest bedroom yesterday and did work in DD's old room to straighten it up. DD and DSIL had given it a good vacuuming but it needs to be dusted and cleared of items moved from guest room. I did pack up another box of clothing items to go to Green Drop. It is not full but will be before it goes out the door. I have a few items to put back in the primary bedroom and will dust in there, too. Bathrooms are in good shape. First floor needs a good vacuuming and dusting but that is something I will save for next week. Want house in a reasonable shape prior to surgery.

Today is just an ugly gray and it looks like it will stay that way. Temps only in mid-40's though they say mid-50's later. They also say it feels cooler than posted temp.

This small sparrow finally figured out how to get suet from the holder. Originally it was balanced on a branch beneath it and was lunging at the holder. Finally realized it can land on the holder and not have to lunge. Nope it reverted back to its original lunging. Short-term memory loss?

Need to get hill in front of the house raked to get leaves out of the planting bed. It is a large area covered with pachysandra so ideal would be to wait for a dry day to blow out as many as possible and then rake. There are existing plants in there: azaleas, pieris japonica and ferns. The cherry and scrub trees that were in there when we moved in had to be removed over the years but it still plays host to too very large tulip poplars. So it's usually very shady as a result and the two rhododendrons either died from lack of sunlight or old age since they were there when we moved in. There were low growing evergreens in there as well but they died off and we tried replanting them, but they also died off. So we just planted pachysandra to keep it weed free. The azaleas do okay because they are planted where there is less shade. I am hoping DGS can help us with this.

So glad today is not enticing outside and will make staying indoors more enticing. Hope the weather in your area is better and that you have a great day.

Canary, I hope you don't lose too many cherry blossom petals either. I think they are so pretty when they are in full bloom mode. So nice to see Dusty enjoying his perch. I'm sure he likes it there when it's not raining and he gets to listen to birds instead. We have a big screen room on the front of our house12x14 and we had a little door put in the wall so the cats come come and go as they pleased.

Well now, since we got Lil' Red things have changed. He watched the cats come and go long enough that he figured he could use that door too. We have had to put the cover on it. Some of the cats still go out there when we open the big interior door, but not anything like they used too since all spent a bit of time outdoors. Well, maybe one of these days, but I doubt it.

I did some straightening in my room —- so am looking forward to hopefully having a nice quiet night tonight. It rained this afternoon and later stopped. So, hope the wind and water will stay away so we can all catch up on our zzzzzzzz's.