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

Here late, but nothing really going on. We are hot, hot, hot today so not going to be outdoors too much. We do find the 'feeling' a bit better where we live since we are away from concrete and brick buildings and roads and other structures that hold heat. Still, with no breeze at all I can't say it's too pleasant outside. Thank goodness for our shade. My kids were all for having many of the trees done away with here and I quickly ax'ed that idea. Mainly as our land (somewhat hilly) likes to shift a bit and it is what assists us so well in not suffering as much from heat. Having mainly lived in Calif. (we moved shortly after they were born) for most of their life and having the much cooler climate then, as well as almost no humidity, they are not always happy with what they consider big drawbacks from a lot of trees ( like Fall with leaf clean-up and many kinds of bugs they think live in the trees ) and don't consider — our area in Illinois has always been a 'buggier place with or w/o trees and obviously warmer than the Calif. coast, along with high humidity at times.

My daughter especially despises the bugs which in turn for some reason seem to really gravitate to her. Anyway, we need our trees and it is in fact, one of the very reasons Dh and I chose to live out at the lake. Much of the landscape here has been left mainly in it's wilder form — and we are treated to wonderful wildlife visitors and great shade and a quiet aspect you could never have in town. While I'm not highly fond of bugs, most here are mostly annoying to see and deal as you shoo them away. It is the ticks and mosquitoes that get to me the most. I find the rest fairly manageable since most are of the outdoor variety.

Got something of a jolt. Our electric which gets ( we have budget billing) calculated every three months will jump from $126.00 a month to $185.00. Pretty major. No wonder I'm seeing so many solar panels show up around town. We have too many trees here, but I doubt it would be in our budget anyway. So, I've already begum some measures (very small at the moment) to cut back our electric usage and we will see if in the next three months I can keep it from going up anymore. May have to up our summer a/c setting to 80.

Carole, thank you for mentioning the quote. My mother was much the same as yours. Always a helper and almost never complaining about much of anything. She lead by example more than criticism. I was I think more like her when I was young, but time and the 5 yr. cancer pill made me a bit sour and quick to anger. I have fought that since and I'm usually all right. It's probably time to stop beating myself up about it.

Betrayal, Chris, Cindy, Taco, Harley and anyone who may be in any heat I hope you will stay hydrated and not out any longer than you need be. Pools, a good thing to use now if you have them. Cindy, yep, you likely are truly enjoying that freedom now. So good to ditch that boot. Sounds like you are going to end up with a really successful procedure so something to soothe the pain of the restrictions you had to undergo. I'm hoping the same for Betrayal and her knee. Aging is something of a huge test in will and attitude. At least I have found it so. Thank goodness I seemed to have reached a point where I don't have wall to wall appts. with Dr's and I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Hope you are all having a good day, and a safe and healthy one.

One of my all time favorites:

You are goodness and mercy and compassion and understanding. You are

peace and joy and light. You are forgiveness and patience, strength and

courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer

in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion. You are the deepest

wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love.

You are these things. And in moments of your life you have

known yourself as these things.

Choose now to know yourself as these things always.

Neale Donald Walsch

Jackie, besides ticks and mosquitoes, what kinds of bugs do you have? We are plagued with roaches in south Louisiana. At night there are moths outside but screens on the windows prevent them from getting inside.

DH will finally get to play golf today. I slept later than usual but will go to the gym, late enough that the exercise class women will have left. They take up the majority of the parking places in the small parking lot.

We enjoyed the company of our friends, Judy and Ron, last night at the Mexican restaurant, but neither of us particularly enjoyed our meal. My margarita tasted good, but the glass was filled with ice, leaving little room for the liquid. This restaurant, like other businesses in this area, are adding 3 per cent to the bill if you use a credit card. Our service at the restaurant was very good, to end on a positive note.

Looks like summer heat will return for the end of July.

cindyny, enjoy your trip to the Cape. Take photos and it will be nice to have family visit.

Sandy, as Gilda Radner would say, "It's always something" and that seems to be your fate right now. Hope you can get a dental appointment quickly.

Illinoislady, I would expect that with all the regulatory agencies being disbanded that utility costs will continue to rise. This may just be a harbinger of what is to come for all of us. That definitely is a significant increase though. Raising your indoor temperature to 80 degrees may place you at risk for heat-related health issues such as dehydration, and elevated BP. I would discuss this with your doctor especially if you are still on fluid restrictions.

It is supposed to be a scorcher of a day with feels like temperatures of 105 degrees. I am not working outdoors at all and PT was at 10:30 today so I was home by noon. PT was taking a half day and is headed to the beach for the weekend. We are supposed to get severe thunderstorms this evening around dinner time so we'll make plans to go out to dinner tomorrow night. We need the rain. I am hoping it cools down but forecasts say no for the weekend.

Receptionist booked me through August so I will discuss this with her next week. I thought she was discharging me in a week, but I know she is not pleased with full extension of my left knee. Ortho had ordered additional PT as needed. Did my routine and will be sore tonight.

My one orchid is in bloom again and I have another that is forming buds so I expect it will flower soon. They seem to like light from the south which is what we get in the back of the house.

I am hoping I can finish the flower bed that DGS and I worked on. I just need to finish weeding one section of about 10-15 feet and then want to mulch the entire lower area that I didn't get to yet. DH went to Home Depot and got 10 more bags of mulch so I have 13 which should be enough for this bed; total of 22 for this bed.

I want to work on installing poles for chicken wire fencing on the azalea bed. I can then mulch it, we can enclose it and call that a day. I will need about 15-18 bags of mulch for it. I don't use as much mulch as I used to because I naturalized some beds with ferns. I used to buy 265 bags, with home delivery, and used every one of them but those days are over.

I hope everyone stays safe during this heat wave and am waving hello to everyone that normally posts here.

Good grief Sandy - if it’s not one thing, it’s another. You’ve certainly had more than your fair share of challenges recently. I hope your dentist can fit you in quickly. Contractors are certainly a quirky bunch - can’t live with them and can’t live without them. It frustrates me that because one person is out sick or on vacation that the work just doesn’t get done. If they have a crew, it seems to me that someone else should be able to handle the situation, but what do I know?

Cindy - have a wonderful time on Cape Cod. This is another destination on my wishlist but I don’t know if we’ll make it there. The thought of sitting on the beach and enjoying the sound of the waves would be heavenly. Congratulations on kicking that Velcro shoe to the curb and welcome back to wearing real shoes.

Chris - I hope the wrist injections bring relief. I didn’t understand what ‘ready to be popped out’ meant. Given your plan to see the hand surgeon, I presume surgery is the next step?

Betrayal - one of my fellow volunteers at the food pantry is having her knee replaced next week. She is in her 80’s but in good health and works harder than anyone else at the pantry. But I wonder if she has waited too long for the surgery which could affect her recovery. She’s been in pain for some time and today she could barely walk. She’ll be in the hospital one night and then have two weeks of in home therapy followed by six weeks of outpatient therapy. She’s only planning on doing the 2 weeks of in home plus 2 weeks of outpatient therapy. Personally, I think she is being unrealistic but I know she is concerned because her DH has dementia and the change in routine is likely to upset him. Her daughter and a friend will be helping her at home - I hope that is sufficient, but I have my doubts.

Yesterday’s visit with my MO went well. No mention of my weight or additional BC screening. Bloodwork is good except for WBC which is still low. I expected to be discharged from her care however, she wants a follow up in 6 months to recheck the WBC. Looking at past history my WBC tends to be low so I wonder if that is just normal for me. On the plus side, she showed me pictures of her adorable baby (she just returned from maternity leave).

The past few months have been a whirlwind of doctor appointments and scans. I had hoped I would be past this by now. Given that I was seeing only my PCP once per year and no other healthcare professionals, this has been a huge change for me. I know it’s not unusual at my age but it certainly makes me feel old. I have another doctor appointment on Monday (probably another waste of time), one in September and another in October.

Busy day at the food pantry as well as hot and humid. Once we start serving people from 1:30 - 4pm, the A/C is turned off because we have the doors open to the outside. It’s worse for the people who are working outside in the sun checking in cars and loading food, but it was mighty humid inside. I was there for 4 hours and I was soaked in sweat. Came home and hopped right in the shower.

Wishing all a good weekend and safety with the heat, humidity and rain.

Good morning. Harley, I so identify with your description of your last few months of scans, and so many Dr. visits as well. Also, feeling old and in addition I started to wonder if "getting back to a decent degree of wellness was going to be possible", and likely slowed some of my progress at least mentally. I also know the relief of getting through most of it.

A couple of challenges, but I think much more fixable and hopefully no undue amt. of appts. or Dr.'s.

I know I've mentioned it here before but for Christine or anyone not here for long I consider sitting by a shore, big lake, river, or ocean as somewhat of a spiritual exercise. To me 'water' is just spiritual (what our bodies mostly are) and when I was fortunate enough to live in a couple of southern California costal cities I often would go to the beach (no more than a mile or two away from us) and watch the waves —- picking out one that has reached the shore and was beginning the journey back out to the horizon. I would load all my troubles on that wave and slowly watch them disappear. Gong to the beach troubled and than going home free of it all was always such a blessing. When time came to really 'handle' those items, instead of the worry I originally felt, I was able to wade in and fix what I could and be positive about the outcomes.

I also think your friend may not have things work as well as she hoped for herself Harley. While some don't get to choose just when a needful part of themselves may fail and may have to have some late in life surgical procedures, waiting clear to 80 in an older and slowing down system, it is likely going to take some real pushing. That said, it does sound like your volunteer has a fair amt. of stamina and stick-to-itiveness, but with all she has at home and all she wants to accomplish I just hope she doesn't get down in the dumps discouraged. Can't compare people, but I do think of the set-backs (like Betrayal's) that seem to crop up — if memory serves there were a couple on your first knee too, just not seemingly that bad in the end. Your friend will be in my prayers for the procedure and for things to be as smooth as possible for her home life and issues there.

Chris, I hope you have great success (nothing ever seems quite the same when bodily repairs need to happen) with you thumbs. No pun intended — but a real pain. We don't know how much we may depend on things until they don't work so well. All have had this issue, but I think having both thumbs go at the same time is a tough one.

Carole, I hope you are enjoying decent weather meaning not the extreme heat (daily advisories) we are having here. As to bugs there are so many. I think while Kate really dislikes the outdoor bugs, the ones that show up in the house are the ones she dislikes the most. Outside, huge spiders, Asian ladybugs ( I haven't seen the pretty red ones we all loved ) in what seems forever, stink bugs, a few varieties, and tons of different kinds of beetles. There are a big assortments of flying pests including mosquitoes and horse flies as well as common house fly. What seems to get to Kate sooo much is the ones that seem to like the indoors. These are mainly wood beetles. They have a similar appearance to cockroaches and so some people call them wood roaches — but they are beetles. They can be a fair size and while they can move quickly — they also will laze in a spot long enough to do away with them. They usually only appear for a shot while in Spring, after apparently spending the winter indoors. We also have carpenter ants in the house. They are a slightly bigger than regular ants and black. They too only come out at certain times. One day between the beetles and ants my house might just fall down. Far as I know — I've never seen either pest go near food.

Betrayal, glad you are staying in. On days like today ( and likely in your area too ) there is barely a leaf on the tree moving. I think it is a mite muggier here for all the recent rain. So not pleasant outside. Very early mornings not too bad, but who is going to go out at the crack of dawn — not me. We let the dog out to play a bit in his pen and make sure no errant creature has wandered in it overnight while he was inside. Tolerable but you can even tell then, it's not going to be too nice later. Hoping no one has to go out much or do much in the heat and if you do — take some water with you. Get back inside as soon as you can.

I have turned out thermostat to 79. Not a big change, but at 77 I often while sitting here at the computer would feel almost chilly. So, I think not much — but we turn off any floor fans we don't use (like mine in my bedroom) and two in the screen room. TV off when no one is watching and all lights off as well. Less laundry and going to have to really fill the dishwasher. We do have a water tank that supplies as much hot water as you need — all the time. The downside to those is that you have to run the water till it actually heats. It doesn't take a long time but is not as fast as a standard lg. water heater. It often seems like you are having to wait overlong. Then again I'm impatient with certain things.

Betrayal, how fantastic of you to be willing to help at a cat rescue. I worked for a long time at our rescue but all the old timers are too old, or have other issues that make it impossible. Our House of Hope was re-staffed and they run the place as a business — paying people. Frankly, for some, you might get a slightly better level of care, but animals ( dogs or cats ) do what they do when they do it — so cleaning a litter box may be just the invitation a cute little critter needs to jump in and use it. In the cats 'rescue' world nothing stays done for very long and constant repetition — since most places are all but over-flowing. That said while the work is important and needs to be timely — some of the furry friends just need to feel loved and appreciated. Hats off to you.

I hope you all have a most beautiful day —- and stay cool, un-ruffled and hopefully enjoy anything you need to do.

Surprisingly, I haven't been bitten by a mosquito this year yet. Not sure why, but I don't spend a lot of time outside during the most prevalent times for mosquitoes. I don't actually believe in luck, and generally would only use Deep Woods or something like that if I knew I was going out at dusk and staying out for some time. Chris - you mint tea solution sounds a lot more pleasant that the chemicals normally used. These companies like to say they may sure nothing harmful is in their products — well maybe singly — but what about mixtures. Oh well, just untrustworthy me.

Chris - I had the surgery you are describing on my left 8 years ago. It has a name but can't remember it. Right is now starting to give me trouble and I'm scheduled for a cortisone shot in early August. I also have gotten relief for both my hands and knees from acupuncture. On the pricy side and insurance only covers it for backs (how's that for a weird decision) but has delayed surgery for some time for me.

I love the Tippy stories. How smart he must be and how patient you have been in teaching him.

Fitbit - I wore one for several years but when it died, I didn't replace it. If I kept my phone in my pocket all the time, it would serve many of the same purposes. I think when choosing one, it's important to think about just how much information you want. I don't want a minute by minute heart monitor or bp check but I know eventually I will get one that includes an emergency alert. I know KeyWestern reported how quickly she got help after falling due to the alert on her watch. I have a bridge partner who wears a pendant but she seems to set it off awfully easily.

Weight - After 3 years of WW, I hit a long plateau. Finally my leader said to me, maybe that's where your body wants you to be. I have been at that weight or a little less for 11 years (with the exception of a blip during covid) and am happy to be there. My primary doesn't seem to have the obsession with weight that some of you report. Ken lost so much weight when he had his bowel obstruction that I really worry that another illness would really do him in.

Harley - I agree that your friend is being overly optimistic about recovery. I would also encourage her to do whatever pre-op exercises she is given. I didn't have them for the first knee and know they helped me with the second.

I know some of you have serious medical issues that impede your activities. I think mine is more lack of motivation. I have had a very full, interesting life and nothing seems to call to me right now. Ken was sure I would find another "something" when I left the food bank board but I have mainly just felt relieved of the stress. Ken assumed several of the household chores when we retired and other than managing our money, he isn't ready to give them up yet. I think that's good for him as he's become quite a recluse (due to both mental and physical decline) and needs the activities to keep him going.

Bella is still here. Her Dad's still in the hospital and her Mom spends many hours down there. I don't know if she can manage even a little dog for a walk as she has her own health issues. We'll see. As long as we can manage two, Bella will have a home here if need be. When our kids were home, we always had a large dog and a cat or two but we've never had 2 dogs at once before.

For the readers here, I spent all day yesterday reading "The First Lie Wins" for next month's book club. Not my usual genre but it was really fun and the ending surprised me.

This is probably way more than most of you want to wade through. Happy Sunday.

Taco: The book sounds captivating - The First Lie Wins. I'll put it on my list.'

I just finished Tuck Everlasting. Nominally a "YA" book, I had never read it. Lots of food for thought.

Victory!! He got too hot during his second walk yesterday, and slept off the tramadol for the rest of the day, with an occasional trip out of the living room. I discovered that the pee pad in the tub was absolutely soaked. It is out on the stoop to dry out while waiting for the laundry.

The soreness in my hands is going away, although my pink braces and diclofenac both seem to be helping. I even got some sewing done yesterday.

Sandy, looks like the restoration and move are proceeding with slightly fewer frustrations. You have passed the worst parts.

Good morning. I'm back after some chores and breakfast. Store later ( Walmart ). I discovered my dog food is quite low now. SSDD ( same stuff - different day). We are still under excessive heat warnings. Tiresome for the most part. St. Louis weatherman said rain in the afternoon — but not sure at all for us. We do seem to have had somewhat odd amts. of thunderstorms so far this season though. Won't change much — the heat will be with us for a bit more.

Christine and others — if you have a good appliance repair person they probably are worth their wt. in gold. It does seem like they are sometimes few and far between. Not everyone can live in a small town, but finding good people seems easier here. If they are good, it isn't long and almost everyone knows it. So we generally don't have to wait too long, and almost never a wait for parts.

I also think most appliances over time have lost lots of quality. The days of having something over 20 yrs. old likely are gone. Having said that — my old washer and dryer were nearing 18 yrs. old and never touched by a repairman. I think I had good fortune in getting (at the time) top of the line — floor model though — but oh did they last. The washer was sometimes making a noise and sometimes not emptying as it should so I finally chose to replace them rather than wait — because I didn't want the in-convenience of laundry piling up while I waited. Maybe it would have made it to the 20 yr. mark, but who knows.

LG's started out and became highly rated. Like Sandy and others though, I think in our technical age appliances are doing so much more than they use too. Too much likely because it is just more things to go wrong — and more structure and parts that have to sync together in some way to function. Like self-driving cars — NO THANKS. I really wish all the manufacturers ( maybe they do as I don't shop for appliances often and that means almost never) had a simple-no or few frills line. Even my new washer and dryer have the knobs with choices all away around the knobs. Hate to admit, but a big reason for my choice was that I had limited space for w/d and despite warning the salespeople ( does anyone ever listen ) that I had limits in that area the first pr. I chose (though they told me they would fit) had to go back to the store while I picked out a pr. ( about the same price) that would actually fit — because now they were listening. In fact, that pr. actually cost a bit more but they wrote it off for me. They probably were a bit embarrassed over assuring me over and over that the first set would fit. Another nice feature of small town living that can happen. Then again — there's pretty good mark up on that stuff so really I'm pretty sure the store didn't lose much — though they did have to keep the delivery team over to make the two trips that day.

Well, I've rambled again — sorry.

Hope you will have a really nice day. Stay cool if you can.

canarycat, hope you feel better soon. Hope your appetite returns. Keep up the fluids though.

intolight, like others I love being near water and used to love it when we used to rent a house at the shore for the summer. Loved the smell of salt air and watching the waves at the beach. Think that's why we like cruises as well, we can sit on our verandah and just watch the sea in peace.

petite1, good to see you.

taco, you are right about the value of pre-op PT for TKR. I did it with both knees and feel it really helped get me back on my feet sooner. I hope she can get some before surgery. So nice that Bella is still there while your friend's husband is hospitalized. It must be a relief to her that she has one less worry. I am sure Mutz will miss her when she does leave.

carole, sorry the heat has reached you in MN and hoping it is not as scorching as what other areas are experiencing.

Chris, I am amazed at how smart Tippy is and how he keeps wanting more interaction with you. How long does it take him to learn a new word? Glad you were able to do some sewing now that hand pain is easing.

Years ago I bought a wax machine for my hands and used it for quite a while. Then, of course I didn't need it but kept it "just in case". In one of my clear outs I donated it and shortly thereafter had a carpal tunnel surgery on left hand (second one). I wished I had held on to it because the hand PT used one for every visit and I sure could use it now since both hands need repeat surgeries.

I went out to weed the circle bed abutting the driveway and have about 98% of the weeding done. One more pass and I can then mulch this area and the adjoining daffodil hill. DH is working on replacing landscape lighting in juniper bed and once he is done replacing the 5 lights, I can finish weeding under the junipers and mulch it. So maybe by next weekend these 2 areas will be done. I will need him to make another mulch run.

Plan after that is to install stakes for chicken wire to enclose azalea bed. It should take about 10-12 stakes to enclose it which we have from removing the juniper enclosures and we have plenty of chicken wire we can recycle. If the weather would cooperate and not be so blasted hot we could reasonably do this within the next 2 weeks, however, the heat index is expected to be high for most of the coming week. If I get out early, I can accomplish my goal for the day while it is still cool and in the shade.

Sandy, DS has an LG refrigerator and I have lost count of how many times he has had to have repairs. I do believe manufacturers have planned obsolescence for their appliances, so they can keep active in the market place. I had an Asko (Swedish made) front loading washer and dryer for over 22 years when the washer died. The dryer still worked but they attached to each other. I replaced both with European front loaders because they are expected to last 20 years; Asko is now made by the Chinese so I did not buy that brand.

Same goes for my refrigerator because the last one lasted over 22 years and had 2 repair visits, the last being the one where I decided not to spend big bucks on new compressors. I replaced it with the same brand because it is expected to last for 20 years. I had a Kenmore upright freezer in my garage that I sold to a friend when DD gave me a larger one. It was probably 10 years old when I sold it, and she had it for nearly 25 years when it finally died. She jokingly called to ask me if "it was still under warranty". We had a laugh about that. She, too, kept it in her garage. If you look most appliance brands today say 5-7 years life expectancy.

We went to Bonefish Grill for dinner last night and love the one closest to us. The manager is very personable and seems to have kept the same staff for as long as we have been eating being post-Covid. He stopped to talk to us and when I asked if they had the mango creme brulee for dessert, he said they did. They also have a drunken coconut pie that I love. The last time we ate there they had just introduced the mango creme brulee and he prepared it for us himself. He has been known to bus tables, deliver food to the tables, and just help his staff out when it is really busy. We had my birthday dinner there last year in the private room in the back. Although we are a small group, he reserved the room for us again this year. We celebrate my step GS's, my GS's and my birthday because we are all in the same week. He doesn't charge us for the room use and allows us to order off the menu. Good meal last night as always.

I need to take a shower since I was sweat drenched while pulling weeds. We are expected to get thunderstorms again today. we had a shower overnight but it wasn't much of anything. The wet ground makes pulling weeds so much easier.

Hope everyone had a great Sunday. It's my oldest brother's birthday so I texted him. I'd sing for him, but it would ruin his day, lol.