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

Faith is not something that is passive.  Our faith requires a commitment from us.  If thoughts of lack come to mind, we counteract such negativity by counting our blessings and giving thanks for the abundance of good things we have.  The ability of our bodies to heal is enhanced by our affirmations of life, which stimulate a positive response from the life within our very cells.

unattributed

It's sunny out this morning. My plan is to clean the carport with the little power washer. Shouldn't take a long time. Will most likely go to chair yoga at 1 pm. Maybe do some cardio exercise before the class.

Happy Tuesday to all.

well bra update. They are all new one I bought has a wider band yay and my boob is happy for now. But I go braless after treatment. Left boob could care less. lol. Ugh to last minute knee extra but good for you to get an urgent appointment. I always like seeing the results too before seeing doc.

We are expecting warmer weather for the weekend. Yippee. I’ll be planting carrots which hopefully Crappy Tire ( Canadian Tire) garden section is ready for me. I have treatment #6/19 early this afternoon. Heading out for a wee walk soon as I stood on the scale this morning ack moving upwards again! Dusty, Tipper and me are out in the catio. Yay. I have east facing back yard.

Canary Cat. Warmer weather is a great bonus and sure makes taking those walks nicer — as long as it's not too hot. Love your catio. We use our 12 x 14 screen room although we did have to make some adjustments. I also love the two kitties in there — and oh, sure love the meme you left. I'm stealing that.

Love to hear about a happy Bumble Bee.

Overcast and sounds like not nice weather coming in from St. Louis, Mo area which is where it so often comes from. Hopefully since I have the Dr.'s appt. in Mt. Vernon at 1:30 p.m. it will hold off till later. The weather reports indicate it will be early evening. I hope they are right.

So a lot to do in prep beforehand. Likely I will be back later, but for now wishing you all a really good day.

Owensgrandma, I have had cancer 5 or is it 6 times now. First was 2007 with 6 mos, chemo and 7 full weeks of radiation after lumpectomy (standard treatment then). Starting after a broken arm five yrs. ago I've had new primaries of ureter, bladder, (twice actually) two places on my face, and one cancer in a lung nodule. I am through all of them with a clean slate for now and I'm hoping that will be it.

I'm not making light of it, but there is a lg. tendency to cancer to return after a long spell. I am definite proof. Also not making light, but I'm also proof that new primaries can be dealt with successfully. I hope that I'm done with cancer, but no one really knows what challenges may be in store.

I do tend to have (maybe even more so) a positive attitude although the first time I was sure I was a goner. Once I got to BC. Org and realized how UN-ALONE I was and started getting help from the ladies that were here I realized that maybe if I was fortunate, it would not be lights out after-all.

I don't blame you for being nervous. Truth is, I wasn't brimming over with confidence on my second time either. I didn't think 'goner' like my first time but it was still a very 'nervy' time. I don't know if I'm any help, but I can say that finding cancers early and getting good treatment offer the strongest chance to come out with a positive result. Been there five times and done that.

Hi owensgrandma,

My dear friend Pat had cancer over five times. She had double mastectomy as was the practice back then. Later had skin cancer and esophageal. The worst was esophageal for her. Needless to say she fought hard five times. Each time she couldn’t understand why she survived and others didn’t! Always had a positive outlook. I miss her dearly. I wish you well with your next round. I’m currently a third of the way through radiation treatments. Wild weird times for the treatments. Today’s is at 445 and tomorrow is at 1245. I just go day at a time so I don’t forget!

The sun is trying to come out here and the kitties have their catio open today. My mom turns 87 today. She has plans for Chinese food. I did remember to call and wish her a happy bday. I’m heading out soon to buy carrot plants. They didn’t have the price on them yesterday so couldn’t sell them. Lol. We are expecting warm weather this weekend. Yahooo. I’ll be out gardening for sure.
I watched this heron with his anxious buddy hunting for food yesterday. I live quite close to the walkway so see all types of birds on my walks

I love to use the power washer and thankfully with the new walkway I no longer have to do that. I just have the front porch to do and might have the back one to do, I'll have to check it but it never gets as bad as the front porch. Yes, I do end up wet as well because the thing always seems to have one aberrant stream. I usually wait for a real hot day for that reason. So Carole, cindyny and I should start a business, lol.

That reminds me I want to use Dawn on the siding where the oil delivery guy got 2 rows of siding. DD reported him because he also got the driveway and she called them to come clean up that mess. They did but she said they weren't nice about it. This was a first and it better be the last or we will be looking for a new company after 40 plus years.

Today I had my next to last PT session, ran to a doctor's appointment and didn't realize it was in the local medical center. I was glad I had their phone number in my contact list. I need a torn ear lobe fixed and thought it would be both but he suggested doing just the one. If I wear larger studs you don't notice the sag in the left ear (I can use those large backers to position the stud higher), too but when I wear a dangle it is really noticeable because they are so uneven and it shows the large hole. Office appointment with 4 month heal time, so doable. I have some really good earrings I can't wear now.

Then I needed gas, so pulled into the closest one and they pump for you. Wow, I am so used to pumping on my own but hate to do it. Last task was running to the Great Clips with my $10 off coupon for a trim. It's been 7 weeks since my last trim and I would have been sculpting my bangs myself if I didn't go today. Left here at 10:40 and just got home at 2:40. Need to get some late lunch.

Welcome Owensgrandma to the club no one wants to belong to, but offering the best support group any one would want. Even after the "standard" treatment, I have never felt "safe" and keep wondering when it might come back. I've had surgeries for unrelated but "pre-cancerous" lesions so that has added to the feeling.

I am sorry you had a new primary and don't know if you have gotten any biopsy results, but normally they are what determines if if is a new primary vs a recurrence. The cytology and histology lab results identify the type of aberrant cells they are seeing. Good luck with finding a surgeon and medical oncologist that you like.

It's a bit overcast today and only in the mid-50's so not spectacular but decent compared to what others are getting. We are expected to get a return of cold weather next week so I'll be happy to stay indoors. I am hoping all goes well on Monday. Will find out on Friday what time I am scheduled for.

Illinoislady, hope all goes well with your jaunt today.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Soul is what gives us the life energy that carries us through the mundane of the daily life to the most meaningful dimensions of life.  The problem is not that we didn't get enough soul to make life meaningful; the problem is that the soul is what we are required to nurture in ourselves. All we get is the raw material to make one.

Joan Chittister "Seeing with Our Souls".

I saw my PA yesterday. She took off the tape on my wound, told me to get back into my surgical bra, which I gladly did once I got home. No exercise for another month. Especially no repetitive stuff. There is some normal swelling on that breast. So I cancelled the order of another bra.

The rest of the day was relaxing.

Owensgrandma, I’m sorry you had to join us, but extend a warm welcome and support.

Glad to hear recovery is moving along Chris. Make sure to follow the PA’s orders so you can be back to ‘normal’ as quickly as possible,

Happy to hear Jackie that your doctor’s visit went well. May that continue for years to come.

I’m thinking of you Betrayal. Wishes for a successful TKR and recovery. I admire your cleaning and decluttering. It’s on my ‘to do’ list for when we get back in our own house.

Reader - those tulips were beautiful! Spring is on the way!

We moved out of our house on Monday and are now living in a hotel until mid month. It’s decent and clean and has a kitchenette so I can’t complain. Work on the house is progressing. As of yesterday, the new kitchen subfloor had been laid and the kitchen cabinets are back in place. The countertops are still in the dining room. I presume the new floors and refinishing will start either tomorrow or next week. The contractor has the cleaners scheduled for April 14. Hopefully all goes smoothly. Once we are back in the house, I definitely need to do some decluttering and probably lots of cleaning. I expect we will have the carpeting in the living room, stairs and bedrooms cleaned. We have a gas fireplace in the family room which will need to be serviced as those floors are being refinished and I expect lots of dust in the fireplace. We’ll also need to clean walls, windows and blinds. Sandy - I cannot imagine the million details you are dealing with.

Fortunately we are only about 35 minutes from home so we can still go to our usual gyms and volunteer work even if it is a little longer drive. DH had an eye exam today at a nearby mall so afterwards we got lunch and walked the mall to get some exercise. My eye appointment is next week. There is a lovely large park within a 10 minute drive so we got in a three mile walk on Tuesday.

Hi to Taco, Carole, Cindy, Sandy, Petite, Wren, CanaryCat and any others I may have missed.

Late entry today. I did some ironing and then went to Ikea with DH. I like to walk around the store looking at the various displays they have for kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, etc. Seems they are in the midst of a massive display change with tarps erected through out the areas. So we will have to return to see what the new displays look like.

They have some really nice organizing bins made of a heavy grade plastic with sides that are straight. We had bought some at the Dollar store but find the plastic is flimsy so okay for bins that don't need to be moved, but not for items where you might need to move the bin for access/replenishing. So as the cheap ones break they will be replaced with the white ones. We bought two different sizes. They also have some new stretchy reusable silicone lids for different size dishes, glasses and cans. They are made in Mexico so I am glad I bought them now before they are not available or cost more. Ikea's products will definitely be impacted by the tariffs. It does a lot of business with college bound students, people furnishing their first apartment or house and for those who want inexpensive kitchen items like dishes, glassware, pots and pans, utensils, etc.

We also had our Swedish meatball fix. The meal is 8 or 12 meatballs, mashed potatoes and today's vegetable was peas with their signature gravy. It was virtually empty when we got there because it was around school dismissal time and dinner time. Traffic was not an issue either way.

harley07, glad the end is nearing. Yes, you do get to do a lot of cleaning when they are done the restoration even though it may say the contractor is responsible in your insurance punch list. They don't clean well to say the least.

Chris, glad you met with the PA and she advised putting the surgical bra back on. It most likely will help you recover with little or no issues.

Illinoislady, glad the ride to Marion wasn't as challenging on this trip. Hope DH likes his new glasses.

Carole, dental issues are such a pain but an absolute necessity. Hope the out of pocket costs are minimal.

owensgrandma, good to see you back. Hospice nursing is a tough field and I am sure your patient's are glad to have you.

canarycat, you seem to be sailing through your tx well. Good luck with the gardening.

Hope everyone had a great day.

Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness—happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you’re lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love.

Adela Rogers St. Johns