thread for middle age to older Christian women.

Teka, how are you doing? I hope you are resting and comfortable.

Chris, praying not only for your Auntie but also for your DH's biopsy.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, that is picture perfect lighting for very beautiful blooms. The pink orchid is especially lovely. Thank you for sharing your neighbor's photo with us!

We've been picking cucumbers from the garden for the past week, and yesterday we picked our first ripe tomatoes. Sadly, I think one of our tomato plants may have blight. I'll have my husband check it when he gets home from league. I don't want to pull and bag it and then discover all it needs is more water or tomato food.

Hi Nancy. My Auntie is still in her rehab facility and mentally is struggling. She has to be able to handle her colostomy before they will let her go home, but she lives alone so I don't know how long that will be. She finally mentioned that she should probably change to an assisted living home once her cat dies. She lives in a great big house with multiple levels and stairs so this will be quite an ordeal for her to move. She has no family other than neices and nephews and noone lives in the same state. I worry about that. She does have friends and her church so I am sure they will help. I wish I could take care of her, but that won't happen. My DH's biopsy isn't until Aug11th so it is a ways off still. I haven't felt too well lately but am pushing on.

Teka, Hershey, and Wheatfields, please know you are also in my daily prayers for whatever you need.

Chris

Nancy, My Auntie is trying hard to get home because of her cat. She has a friend taking care of him right now while she is in rehab but she worries and frets constantly about him so I understand your concern. I have never vacationed alone., but I think you would enjoy getting out and about. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My immediate family sees my limits because they see me sit down in the middle of the kitchen floor when I try to fix dinner, but no one else really understands the fatigue issues we go through.

On a funnier note, when I was at the dentist office next week, there was a video of cats and dogs playing in front of the chair while he worked (like the kind you see on YouTube or FaceBook.) I guess it was put there for a distraction. I enjoyed it! lol

Chris, sitting down on the kitchen floor………….. I get it. I am doing that right now as I am taking a short break from cleaning. We had bad storms go through and I am quickly trying to do some laundry in between the onslaught. My neighbors sent me a picture of a downed tree limb blocking out little street. I took my hanging baskets down but I should have taken down the big planters on the three columns of my patio wall. One of them I saw the empty pot a few feet away and then I saw my poor beautfiul flower upside down on the ground. I went out in the rain to retrieve it and put the other pots on the patio floor. I called the city about the downed tree limb and she said it had already been reported but they couldn't promise when the city could get to it as there was a lot of storm damage.

I can certainly understand your Auntie's worry over her cat. If I was gone for any amount of time I would be the same way. I am glad she has someone checking in on the cat. I am glad you were distracted by the cat and dog videos at the dentist. Yes, that was definitely a intended distraction. I am praying for all of you.

Wheatfields, welcome back. I'm glad you got to spend time with your sister and BIL. I would get back from a three week visit with my Mom and we would talk on the phone the next day and she would say when are you coming for a visit. Their sense of time is definitely influenced by their dementia. I know that must be difficult when your sister doesn't want you to leave to visit your BIL. My Mom never got angry with my sister or me but I know one of my dear friends who has dementia has let her anger out on her family but never with me. It has to be hard to experience that.

I just received a comment on my Cammie post on the Nextdoor App yesterday, three weeks after I posted the article. Losing a beloved pet definitely resonates with so many pet lovers who have either gone through it or dreading when it comes. I have been overwhelmed at the support. I may have shared this but I told Cammie (after she was gone) that she was a rockstar from all the comments on how beautiful she was. I know I sound like a crazy cat lady. I guess I am that.

I need to get back to my laundry quickly before the next line of storms hit. I was waiting to put my load in during the calm before the next storm.

I have continued to pray for your nerve pain. It sounds like you are doing better but maybe not completely over the pain yet. I sure hope that dissipates very soon.

Take care everyone.

Love,

Nancy

Teka and Hershey, thank you both for your input. Hershey, I'm sorry to hear that you lost your tomato plant due to blight. Hopefully it will not spread to your other plants. I hope you have enough tomatoes from your other plants. I have never grown tomatoes but my parents did and I know one plant can produce quite a lot of tomatoes in a good season.

My neighbor just brought a couple of cucumbers because they were going to be gone out of state for a couple days and needed to get rid of some since they had so many.

I had a three hour lunch with a good friend of mine today. We see each other a few times a year as she lives over an hour from me. She is a world traveler more for mission trips than vacations but she has traveled alone for vacations so I picked her brain for as many tips as I could as far as flying out of O'Hare in Chicago. She gave me many good tips which I can use. Some small details I had been concerned with were easily addressed. I am only planning on Utah, not Arizona even though they have beautiful red rocks as well. I have dreamed about going out west to especially photograph the red rocks and it was one lady from BCO who was also a photographer who had posted pictures of Bryce Canyon and I asked her a lot of questions. She was quite a bit older than I am and said you can actually drive through the whole park and see plenty of beautiful scenery without hiking. If I went this year I would problably go during what they consider the shoulder seasons which are not the busiest seasons. It would be Sept-Oct. Yes I have considered going by train. I don't know any details but Amtrack I'm sure goes through Chicago. I am considering all options but have definitely told myself a hard NO to driving.

My friend said it a popular national park and there are going to be many people there. I have been watching videos on planning a visit to Bryce Canyon and one guy I heard last night said that for the night photography they have park rangers who coordinate activities for photographying and/or just seeing the beautiful sky without commercial lights getting in the way. That was encouraging. They also have a shuttle bus that goes through the park that you can jump on or off. So the more I find out the less scary it seems.

She also told me that her nephew got airline tickets for her so he was the one doing all the planning for her. So if I can get my Real ID application in asap then I can plan further. I think they said to allow three weeks I think. I still don't know if I can fly closer into the park by boarding another plane. At this point the major airports are 4hrs away from where I want to go. What I am not sure about is if I have enough time to plan a fall visit or not especially when it comes to finding lodging. The lodge within the park is very expensive as you can imagine. I understand there are package deals so I need to explore lots of things. I have a feeling this is going to open up a whole new world for me.

Teka, I understand your concern. My niece is in her 50's and she has gone hiking out west by herself and my sister was concerned about that. She was camping with a tent. That I would not do. When I found out they have rattle snakes, mountain lions and bobcats in Utah I was a little nervous about that but those are rare to see some of those things. I would go to my retirement breakfasts (prior to Covid) and that is mainly what people talked about is their travels from all over. I figure I have to at least try it once and I may end up hating it and that will be that but I don't think so. I have probably done more dangerous things just in my photographing in Illinois when I was competing. I would be in the woods all alone and even got lost one time. The only thing that is a big concern is elevation sickness. I have been to Denver for an International Clarinet Clinic and we took a side trip to see the Continental Divide. I remember I was having trouble breathing and I was only in my 20's I think. So I will discuss that with my doctor at my friend's suggestion since I will see him soon.

Take care everyone. We have had some pretty wild weather here the last few days. The downed tree limb in the middle of my street is still there. We apparently had quite a bit of damage yesterday.

Love,

Nancy

@nikki.g Welcome to our little thread although I am sad for the reason you have to be here. Feel free to ask any questions, rant, rave, scream, whatever you need. We are (virtually) here for you covering you with our prayers.

Nikki, welcome to our community. I am so sorry for what you have gone through and I hope you get some clarity with your oncologist tomorrow. Feel free to ask questions or just to vent. We all have had our share of doing those things. We do pray for each other so know that you will be lifted in prayer.

Love,

Nancy

Nikki.g, welcome to our little family. I hope your appointment with the oncologist goes well today. Please know that we are here to support, encourage, and pray for you.

Nikki, I am glad you are feeling encouraged after your oncologist visit. Is there lymph node involvement for sure? My treatment was pretty straight forward so I didn't have to make any big decisions initially but towards the end I made some decisions regarding the length of time I was on the AI drug. (Aromatase inhibitor drug).

Did your oncologist mention taking the Oncotype DX test? That is a test that gives your oncologist an indication whether you need chemo or not depending on your score. If you opt for chemo and radiation those treatments don't usually happen at the same time. Since you have had surgery already I would guess you would have chemo treatments first and then radiation after that and then usually with your new recent stats would be put on an AI drug. I am NOT a doctor but have met quite a few ladies on BCO over the last many years.

We will be praying for you that God will direct you in the way that would be best for you. You have already been through a very big surgery just three weeks ago so you have already gone through a tough part of your journey already. Keep hanging on to the Lord and He will get you through whatever you choose to do. We are all here for you.

Love,

Nancy

@nikki.g Bouncing through your emotions is normal. I always believe that God is in the plans, and if they are not right then He will close doors. I have been in active oral chemo for over nine years now and I still am not always sure of the direction. Your peace is a good indicator. You are doing the right thing just being open to His will. Sometimes when I am overwhelmed I remember there are lots of people praying for me, and that God is by my side and promised to bring me through. I know my Redeemer and that is what is most important. I will continue to pray for you and you begin this journey.

Nikki.g, feeling anxious and worried are normal emotions. You are early in your treatment and recovery. Once you have an actionable plan in place, circumstances become less stressful. It's been posted many times on this forum that you don't have to be brave, you just have to show up. I pray that God's peace and comfort continue to cover you as you move forward in this journey.

Nikki, I imagine that every one of us has gone through very similar emotions as you are now experiencing. The age old question of was that God speaking to me or was that me trying to direct the ship, shows up throughout our lives and especially during the first part of a cancer journey when it comes to treatments and decisions. One thing that was very helpful for me was I bought a voice recorder and I ask every one of my doctors and nutritionist if I could tape them and no one refused. I catch myself in doctor's appointments now realizing that part of what the doctor is telling me comes out like the teacher in Charlie Brown. Wah, wah. wah. Experiencing peace after making a tough decision is certainly a good sign of being in God's will. Once you have a definite plan in place I really do believe that things get less stressful. I remember getting in a "fight" mode when I started treatments and that helped me to get through. Everyone one of the ladies here has given you wise advice. We are all here to support you as you begin treatments and for your current healing at present. BCO used to have different threads (forums) for ladies beginning treatment etc. The website has changed considerably but I imagine that they still have those type of threads. If you haven't had a chance to explore the different resources and commuities here it might be very helpful for you. We will be praying for you.

Love,

Nancy

Nancy, have you been able to get out and take any pictures lately?

I am excited to attend tea at Glen Eyrie Castle today. It is owned by the Navigators and is not only a beautiful castle, but is nestled in the hills in the most beautiful part of Colorado Springs. This Christian resort holds many functions and also serves as a hotel. Two years ago I attended an amazing Bible retreat weekend there. There will be six of us: myself, my DD, DGD, my SIL, her DD and DGD. So fun to do this while we have all the girls here. I feel well enough to attend and hopefully can make it through without any issues.

My DH got the results of his prostate MRI yesterday. Praise God it appears benign but he will still have to have the biopsy as there are still some issues not uncommon to older men. Next week I have my quarterly CT scan so we shall see if this new med is working.

I pray everyone stays cool and safe today.

Blessings, Chris

Chris, your post made me so happy on two counts. The fact that you went to a castle for tea with your family sounded so great. I am so glad you felt up to doing this. I pray that your CT scan will show that this new drug is working. Also, such great news regarding your DH and what appears to be benign. I imagine you are pretty worn out tonight but I hope you and the girls had a fantastic time. I have been spending a ton of hours research ing a photography vacation to Bryce Canyon National Park. I told my niece of my plans and she was so excited for me. She has done quite a bit of traveling and had been there in the '90's. I read her email today and was so excited but as the day wore on I realized I can't do a thing until I get that REAL ID in my hands. I wanted to go in Sept but realistically I doubt that is going to happen. Besides packing with all the TSA rules I would still have to figure out how to get my camera equipment with my carry on things. Then my tripod is a real stickler as I had hoped to not have to check any bags. Anyway now I am thinking a May trip. I am trying to avoid the cold weather and the crowds. I want to do some astrophotography and I know it gets very cold there with the high elevation and the time of year as I am sure you well know. So I have not done any photography for most of this summer because it has been so miserably hot and humid and/or raining. Today was a beautiful change. I was walking outside tonight and had to have a jacket on. A very welcome change. Maybe tomorrow I will get some camera time as it is supposed to be decent weather.

Hershey, how is your garden doing? My neighbors have a whole long row of sunflowers and they are towering over all of their vegetables. It is fun to see. My hummingbirds are drinking up the nectar faster than I can make it. It is so strange. This has never happened before. I think possibly my neighbors who in the past had been feeding them maybe are not this year.

Take care everyone.

Love,

Nancy