thread for middle age to older Christian women.

Hi everyone. Apparently somehow this thread got deleted from my book marks which is why I have been so quiet lately. Let's see if I can catch up!

Ok, so somehow I remember a phantom posting from someone new I thought was called Kitty. I will try to go back and find her but perhaps I just don't remember well. If she hasn't responded by now, I was wrong.

Nancy, I am sorry to read of all your stress knowing how frustrating replacing flooring can be. Your fall pictures are lovely. We did get nice fall foliage here, but it now freezes each night so the leaves have finished. They even opened one of the ski resorts nearby, but thankfully we have had no snow. Halloween this year looks to be dry and cool, with a low of 30.

Wheatfields, I too hope PT and a chiropractor can help. Even the epidural if needed.

Teka, I hope you are fully recovered from the viral intruder. I agree, we call it the crud.

Things with me are about the same and I am doing okay. My SEs are minimal although the fatigue and insomnia are everpresent. I have a scan late November which should provide some more data but I am praying everything is still stable. I will have labs done tomorrow that will show my tumor markers which will be an indication of whether the cancer is progressing. In the meantime, I get things done in bits and pieces. My DH has a prostate procedure scheduled on the 20th which will hopefully give him some relief. I was hoping we could travel a bit this year but that's not going to happen with both of us struggling. We still can get the house clean and food on the table although I am forced to make less complicated meals. I only cook for the four of us on nights my DD works which has really helped. The other nights my DH and I do easy. It makes fewer dirty dishes and has really helped my stress level. I didn't realize how stressed I was with having to cook full meals every night. My SIL is going to hostess Thanksgiving at her house this year since I am clearly unable to do that. We are having a new dishwasher installed on Thursday. Our current one no longer dries and I really want the heat for sanitizing the dishes. My DD is switching to nursing in the ER starting tomorrow. She is really excited. She will have four months of extra training while she works. She will still works nights (her preference) and the training occurs during her night shift plus an extra few hours in between. So my DH and I continue caring for my DGD when needed which is a real joy. I have even started driving a little bit again, but only to the bus stop. It is too cold to walk and I don't do early well either!

That should catch me up. Sorry to be so long-winded. Take care.

Love to you all, Chris

Teka, glad you got your hair cut. Yes, the holidays have a way of creeping up and occupying our minds for several months in advance.

God has been so good regarding my Cammie room redo. The project ended up to be way more that I had originally planned but I decided to squeeze in another contractor to remove wallpaper and paint. Unbelievably I got his card from the carpet company on Monday. He came by on Tuesday and started on Wed. and will hopefully finish today. The oil based paint is making me a bit sick but the idea that his part will be done soon is unbelievable. The last contractor will be the carpet company. I picked out the carpet as I needed to pick out colors for my painter. I have decided to buy the carpeting for most of my house and then have the rest installed in spring. That way the carpet will match perfectly. I doubt if I will have my bedroom and my former music studio carpets replaced because I just can't imagine more stress. I can't even sit on my sofa because it is housing all of my clothes from the closet in Cammie's room and it will remain like this until the carpet is ordered and installed. The carpet owner will come out and measure this coming Monday. It is all falling into place much quicker than I could have ever imagined.

The painter just now said it is looking good. He is going to get some new electrical plates for me and I think he is about finished. Wooooooooohoooooooooooo.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, love the cartoon. It gave me a smile.

Chris, I know you have been through this before but that doesn't make it any easier. I am praying that the Lord will put a protective bubble around you and give you peace that passes all understanding. I am glad you have an MO who is on the ball.

Getting Christmas decorations up early sounds wonderful. Wow, your temps are a drastic change from morning till night, I think we are in the 60's for the next three days.

To think that just a week ago I was even projecting that my room redo would not even happen until Christmas. Things have gone so smoothly until a small hitch last night. I was looking at my newly painted room. Then it hit me that my handyman in installing the new subfloor covered over my register vent opening! I couldn't believe my eyes. How I didn't notice this until then I dont know. Of course the painter has been in there for most of last week and had the room blocked off with plastic. It was pretty late last night when I noticed this. I texted my sister first. I was not going to bother my handyman but since the carpet company was coming out to measure tomorrow and I am not sure how fast the carpet will come in and I thought I better let him know asap. He responded right away and I know he was dumbfounded and probably embarassed. He is such a good and skilled worker and so nice to work with and a great guy. I just hated to tell him. He came today after church and was able to find the hole. He is living with his mom right now and her house is just like mine so he could measure the vent similar to my room and that was a big help. He cut out the hole without knowing for sure if it was going to work and you would never know that it was cut after he already layed the new subloor. Whew!!!!!

All of the clothes in that closet are on my sofa down stairs so needless to say I am anxious to get this all finished. I am going to use this painter again probably in the spring. I will have the carpet company lay all new carpet through all of my downstairs that already has carpet. I am thinking resell in all of this BUT when it come to carpet that is what I want even though it may not be what buyers want to see.

I start PT this week. I have some pretty crazy times for the next two weeks including nights and some Saturday mornings. I had my follow up apt with my surgeon that did the laser procedure on my eye and things are looking good. My vision is remarkably improved. Once I get my new prescription in the next few days that will really help. I still have more floaters but that is to be expected. My neck pain is improving after many weeks of neck exercise even before PT.

I hope you all have a great week. Praying for all of you,

Love,

Nancy

Thank you Chris. I am praying that if you need to change course on your chemo that there will be one there waiting for you. Praying for peace in the mean time as you wait on your scans.

I had a morning to myself and I soaked in the tub for over an hour. I managed to do some catching up on my laundry and I have cleaned the glass in my front storm door and one of my patio doors. Slowly I will get things done. I had my Bible study tonight but tomorrow I have a free day. I did buy a ceiling fan for my room remodel as the light didn't work at all even after my handyman changed the bulbs. I really need more light in that room so I got the ceiling fan today but haven't talked to my handyman that it came in already. He did say he could install it for me.

The lady from the carpet company came out and measured. She said we usually have that in stock (in Georgia) so she said it may be finished in a couple of weeks. I will sure be glad to get my house back in order.

Praying for all of you.

Love,

Nancy

Hi dear sisters. We are having another beautiful fall day here. I am planning on more window washing before the snow hits. Yes, snow is in our forecast but not for a few days.

My handyman just left and installed my new ceiling fan. It works mainly from a remote. I think it does everything but wash windows. LOL

My carpet install will be this coming Wed. morning. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to see what the room will look like and to get all my furniture back in the room. I haven't been able to make any greeting cards and will be glad to get that up and running again. I had to buy my first gretting card in several years last night. Oh my goodness. Sticker shock!!!!!!!!

I had my first PT last night. I really like my therapist. She explained things so clearly to me and gave me hope that there are ways to deal with this and still have a functioning life. I did not realize that Medicare has reduced their coverage on PT. I am only gathering this from some handouts I needed to sign. Their initial coverage seems pretty skimpy to me but I think it has always been that you have a few sessions and then your therapist or doctor has to declare that more is necessary.

I also picked up my glasses with the new precription yesterday. I have never had such a reaction in all the years I have worn glasses. My left eye was perfect and my right eye (lasered eye) was just awful. It almost made me dizzy the few seconds I had them on. The doctor says try for three days and come back if they are still a problem. I don't want another issue so I am really praying these will work and my eyes will adjust quickly.

Wheatfields, I am glad to hear that your PT is helping and that you will get to see your sister soon and BIL soon. I am also glad to hear that your friend has found a combo of meds that are helping her sleep. All answers to prayer.

I know that our beutiful days are going to be ending soon and i so want to go outside and enjoy it while it lasts but I also want clean windows so I think the windows will win out in the end.

One of my close friends who I have known for many, many years has gone through breast cancer and chemo and got through all of that. Now I just got a text this morning from her saying that her MRI showed two spots on her bc breast and she has to wait for a month to have it biopsied. She just walked her 4th Chicago Marathon just a couple of weeks ago and she does mission trips all over the world. She is supposed to go on another one in March and she really doesn't want to miss that. My other close friend has a large mass in her pelvic area. She just had her 5th chemo and will have another. This is the friend that is on Taxol and ended up in the hosptial the first round. She has done much better with her other infusions but they added two more infusions before surgery because this large mass was not shrinking like they wanted. She recently met with the surgeon and for her to say that this surgery is a big deal must mean it is a really big deal. She has already lost a kidney due to this mass choking it off and the mass is still sitting on some delicate areas. If you have a chance if you could pray for these ladies.

Chris, we are praying for you.

Hershey, praying for your ultrasound as well.

Teka, praying for you for your upcoming apts.

Enjoy this beautiful time of year.

Love,

Nancy

I'm catching up on all the comings and goings of all you busy ladies! Nancy, you and your handyman have accomplished so much in such a short time! Soon you'll sit back and enjoy your new and cozy computer room. Teka, the view from your snowy backyard is beautiful. Wheatfields, I pray you have a safe trip to and from Arizona and a peaceful visit with your sister and brother-in-law. Chris, putting up Christmas decorations early gives you and your family more time to enjoy the ambiance and spirit of the season.

I ended up having two ultrasound procedures. No abnormalities, but a cyst accounts for my unexplained bleeding. DH begins PT this week (left knee pain, calf tightness). To say he's not looking forward to twice a week PT appointments would be an understatement. ;-)

I have a prayer request. Our pastor (Pastor John) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is starting chemotherapy. Scans indicate that the tumor is confined to the pancreas and has not metastasized. Please consider including Pastor John in your prayers. Thank you.

Nancy. I am so happy to hear PT is working for you! Sounds like things are looking better for you in your house too!

Hersheykiss, I will add your Pastor John to my prayer list. I know he is in for a battle but pray God surrounds him with His love. I hope they can take care of your cyst too.

I received my ct scan results—one hour after it was taken! PTL the tumors in my liver are improving and most other things look good. My oncologist already responded too so I am happy tonight. I was worried about this one.

We have had no snow yet although the ski resorts are already open as they have snow and can make snow in this cold. They are saying maybe we'll get snow next Monday.

Chris, that is very good news! How encouraging to receive the results so quickly and have your oncologist respond in kind. You and she must be very pleased.

Nancy, unless things change I will not have the cyst removed (just monitored). My doctor is very conservative in her approach to care. She commented that any unexplained bleeding, even if only a drop, requires investigation. If the situation changes, I'm confident she will quickly move to address it.

Pastor John's cancer has an aggressive biology, so he and his oncologist are hopeful that it responds to chemotherapy. Thank you for adding him to your prayer lists.

Well, no snow yet but maybe tomorrow night. It has been so warm I doubt it will last long.

My DH has a PAE prostate procedure scheduled for the morning. I pray this helps him. Fortunately there is no cancer and this should fix it. A specialist comes to town once a month and does them so we are fortunate to get on his rotation. It should be quiet around here for a couple of days.

My DGD "bought" (with good behaviour bucks) the privilege to be the official greeter for her school tomorrow. If you knew her you would totally understand why she chose that specific prize and is so excited. She is a hyper-extrovert and loves meeting new people. She often approaches kids in the park and asks them if they want to be friends. It is scary sometimes and we have to be extra-protective of her! Her church has also specially trained her to be a greeter/representative for the grades 5/6 group. I am delighted because it also encourages her to attend more regularly although since they meet on Saturday nights my DH has to pick her up after church when her mom works. I know it all fits into God's answer to prayer to keep her in church.

Nancy, I'm praying that you are soon feeling better and over the stomach virus, and hopefully everything is falling into place with your new carpet and all.

Chris, I'm happy for your DGD, she must be so much fun. Also praying for your DH's procedure and for you.

Hershey, I'll add your Pastor John to my prayers that he will respond to the treatment and it would dissolve the cancer. Also praying for your DH pt twice a week and that it is helpful. I'm glad to hear your ultrasounds turned out well and pray nothing further needs to be done.

Teka, praying for you and your DH, thank you for your little notes of encouragement that make us smile!

I'm back from AZ and now it's also back to colder weather. My sister is doing well, except for wanting desperately to go back to the apartment, she has lost more memory and in the evening when I call she can maybe recall what they did in the afternoon but not that morning. My brother in law is doing well, he would like to bring her to the apartment occasionally but we all are pretty sure if he did she would NOT be moved to go back to memory care.

My nurse friend is doing a little better right now, her sister is back again because a dear friend of hers passed away and she wanted to be here for the service on Monday. So we have been busy and have a few Thanksgiving things planned.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Love, Wheatfields

Nancy, I am so happy to read you are going to your sister's for thanksgiving. I know you will have fun and emjoy your family!

My DH is doing well. The procedure went fine and he is not in pain. He has a few restrictions so we are glad we put up all the Christmas stuff early as he can't lift for three weeks. My SIL is cooking Thanksgiving this year so we will be able to relax and enjoy family too. Today I have my six-month dental appt (Arghh!) but I think it will be fine. I really like this dentist so that helps although this is just a cleaning. I am diligent with the appointments as the medicine I am on is not good for your teeth. My DD and DGD just left for their annual trip to Santa's Village. We usually go but since my DH isn't allowed to walk much, we will sit this one out. I am sort of glad as it is super cold today. It is very hilly there and I sit in the scooter most of the time because of the hills which gets cold. It boasts the highest altitude ferris wheel in the world at 7600 ft. even though it is small, but it is fun. Our DGD doens't believe in Santa anymore (sniff, sniff) but she plays along with it. We finally got our first snow Saturday.

Wishing everyone here a happy Thanksgiving.

Black Friday……

H & I did plenty of shopping on Cyber Monday.

Christmas cards are in the mail.

We're looking forward to supporting local stores while shopping for stocking stuffers.

In my prayers one and all.

Teka, good for you. My family decided quite a few years ago to not exchange gifts so for many years I just bought for my parents and then eventually just my Mom. I used to sneek in a gift for my sister and I would say it is winter gift. I stopped doing Christmas cards quite a few years ago. I am unable to write legibly anymore. It would take me forever to make cards for everyone so I send ecards and have cut down on those.

Chris, I have been having similar issues. It could be part of my newer diagnosis. I find myself reversing letters when typing. This has been a fairly recent thing. I find myself doing strange things in my usual automatic way of doing things. I too am a bit concerned. Since my Mom had dementia I know it can be heritary. I am definitely stressed and this can go along with my diagnosis as well.

I hurt my shoulder a week ago and last night it just ached so bad I couldn't sleep for most of the night. I finally got up and watched TV and took a muscle relaxer and finally went back to bed. I had the strangest dream that a bear got in our house. It was so real and frightening. It was my parents house I think and not mine. I think that could be partly from the muscle relaxer.

I guess we keep moving forward the best we can. I already have a very good friend going through cancer and another very good friend who has waited a month for a breast biopsy coming next Monday. I texted her and told her I was praying for her. She said because of the discomfort she has been in she thinks it is cancer. These two friends are the few people I would confide it when I got my cervical dystonia diagnosis. I did not want to burdern either one of them because of what they are dealing with in their own health issues. So I got back to PT today feeling very tight and stressed. Trying to relax and not get stressed is a continual battle for me. I suspect it is for many people as well.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Thanks Teka.

Nancy