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

Happy Hanukkah to all here (and those still with us but no longer on this forum) who celebrate, though the joy of the season is dampened by the tragic events of Sunday). Didn't go to our temple's party—Thursday was the deadline for RSVP's & tickets, but I knew from last year I wouldn't be able to get there in time after rehearsal downtown. But Saturday's preliminary dress rehearsal went so well, and Sunday's weather forecast was so brutal, that the director canceled the Sunday rehearsal. It was too late to be able to contact the temple of course—offices closed over the weekend. We missed our Nov. visit to Cooper's Hawk for dinner and our freebie wine bottle, so after the Bears game (leftover cassoulet at halftime) and a nap we drove up to Morton Grove. I was still so full from the cassoulet and a cup of seafood bisque that I had most of my entree boxed to take home. Meanwhile, I forgot to buy candles, so our tiny USB-powered menorah is in the front room window. I did snag the last box of potato latke mix at Whole Foods, along with the closest thing they had to "sufganyot:" mini beignets filled with strawberry-guava jam. Will make the latkes for dinner, along with our Cooper's Hawk leftovers.

We're on break from rehearsals till Jan. 2, so our assignment is to watch the videos of the numbers, practice the choreography, and (for some of us, present company excepted) memorize lines & lyrics to be fully "off-book." Illnesses, family matters, work (most of the cast members are still actively practicing law) have played havoc with rehearsals—one of the two principals had to drop out this week because of a high-risk pregnancy, and the other is recovering from surgery. So there were a lot of rewrites, reassignments, "place-holders" in the dance line, etc. One cast member showed up Saturday for the first time, after a long jury trial; another—who will be playing fiddle onstage in a production number—is on tour with her band. No flu or COVID, knock wood. I'm managing with the aid of lidocaine foot cream for the Toe From Hell and an array of topicals (Voltaren, Bio-Freez, Arnica gel) for my back and groin strain. Nobody knows, though—I "touch up" my pain management in a stall in the bathroom on another floor of the building, (Not wearing socks under my dance flats—see below).

Seeing my endocrinologist this afternoon—will ask if I can titrate my Zepbound back down to 5mg. The 7.5 is making it difficult for me to eat enough of what I'm supposed to, and despite evening noshing (not bingeing, thank goodness) on carbs, staying out of calorie deficit is a challenge. When my endo told me last year to stop losing, I was 135 lbs. on only 2.5mg. Now after titrating up to 7.5mg, I bounce between 128-131, depending on time of day and contents of my gut. I know that for my height it's not underweight, but I've lost considerable muscle; and exercise is not really possible if I can't wear socks and closed shoes (other than UGGs) due to that excruciatingly painful third toe-tip callus/plantar wart/bone spur (and its neighboring second hammer-toe with a corn). At least the bunion and ingrowns are behaving themselves. Will ask if I should lengthen the interval between my remaining four vials of 7.5 from a week to 10 days, and then go back to 5mg weekly.

I'm worried about Bob's mobility—he admitted he needs a "grabber" to pick things up off the floor lest he fall forward again like he did Nov. 1, and he has trouble pushing himself up from chairs. He really needs PT for strength & balance training, and refuses to take anything—oral or topical—for his back & knees. And he claims he can't take time off to go to the orthopedic clinic, much less PT 2-3x/wk. We don't have room for a power lift chair, much less an extra outlet for it. And restaurant seats pose a challenge if the tables aren't bolted down so he can use them to push himself up. His weight has a lot to do with it—he admits he eats gargantuan lunches because he's afraid to eat breakfast on workdays (lest he can't get to a bathroom in time before making it to the office), His portions are huge (twice the size of mine and even half again as big as my pre-GLP-1 portions), Saving grace is that he doesn't like junk food.

We got down to 1F last night, and it's a relatively toasty 6F now (going down to 2F before slowly ramping up into the low 20s). Above freezing Tuesday, and rain and low 40s predicted for Wednesday. As I type this (about to run the dishwasher and head up to bed) the faucets are trickling to prevent pipes freezing and I'm sitting in the den wearing a heavy Irish sweater in front of a space heater. (Inexpensive one from Home Depot—still waiting for the good wooden-cabinet one, like we had in Lincolnwood, to be delivered a week and a half late). We need at least two radiators bled, the system balanced, and am seriously considering a multi-room programmable thermostat, assuming that's even possible with a hot-water-heat system. (Installing a heat pump & forced-air system is a bridge too far for this 117-yr-old house). Though our landscaper/factotum sealed the windows with plastic, the place (especially this room) is like an igloo, at least for me. Wearing layers in my own house is getting kind of old. I admit that I'm also less tolerant of cold, what with age, anemia and loss of body fat but it is objectively too chilly in here. (Even Bob sometimes wears his bomber jacket indoors). Having an insulation specialist in this week to do an energy audit (using an IR gun to determine the R-values of the perimeter walls & attic ceiling), and probably inject foam into said walls and lay extra batts in the attic. State Farm agrees that since the house was never this cold before the fire, any repairs involving insulation/weatherproofing should be covered, especially since the contractors had stripped three rooms down to the studs and put up new drywall. I've given up on the "public adjuster" (whose company is not BBB-registered but is subject tp online complaints) and his geriatric contractor buddies (whose chief is still in Poland, likely afraid to return to the US lest he be turned away and put back on the next flight to Krakow).

Enjoying Spain, PR and MN's Northern Lights (too much light pollution here) vicariously through all your photos!

I thought 28 degrees was cold, Sandy! Hard to imagine 1 degree. I dribbled water in the kitchen sink last night, and we have running water this morning.

Our outdoor decorating was accomplished yesterday. I hung the lighted wreath and plugged it in. I haven't connected it to a timer yet.

We skipped the concert at the Methodist church yesterday. Our friend Linda wasn't feeling well. She had a cough and sinus congestion and a low temperature. I had sinus congestion and a lack of enthusiasm for going out. LOL. Dh and I were both happy to stay home.

Today I'm meeting a friend for lunch. She lost her husband recently and is having a hard time with grief. He had bad health but she was not ready for him to go. She's a retired nurse and was committed to caring for him.

The sun is shining but I will have to dress in warm clothes.

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate.

Petite - happy to hear you are feeling better and able to go out.

Betrayal - hope things are going better with the Bipap machine. A miserable nights sleep will leave me very cranky the following day.

Carole - I’m with you. The older I get the less enthusiasm I have for going out. I didn’t understand it when my parents were the age I am now but I get it now. For some reason I feel like nothing really excites me and being around people especially in loud environments gets on my nerves.

Marti - how are you feeling ?

Taco - enjoy Ella’s skating competition

Sandy - my DH is religiously checking our HVAC app to ensure the heat is running in our absence. Sorry to hear Bob is having mobility issues. I think it is inevitable as we age. On the hike in Spain DH and I were easily the oldest by 10-15 years and I was almost, but not quite, the slowest at the end when we had a short, steep uphill to conquer.

We are on our 7th sea day in a row with one more to go before St. Maarten. We were unable to dock in Casablanca due to deep swells which was disappointing yet understandable. We are enjoying the sea days. The weather has warmed to the mid to high 70’s but feels hotter in the sun. The pool deck is crowded but we are finding other outdoor places to sit and read that are mostly empty and in the shade. We’ve gone on a bridge tour, taken a cooking class, use the gym, spa, walk the outside decks, stargazed during a meteor shower (Mother Nature was very stingy on the shooting stars), nap and eat - lots of eating.

Waving hello to all.

View from the aft of the ship

Seabream baked in a tomato, pepper, jalapeño, garlic (and a bunch of other stuff) made in cooking class.

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate.

carole, it was actually warmer here in PA than it was in LA yesterday. We reached a high of 30 yesterday and today it is currently 24 degrees. I am staying in the house today.

We attended our DGD's dance recital yesterday where she appeared in 3 different dances and costumes. I love how she sings along with the songs as she is dancing. DDIL said that she had practiced a lot at home for the show. The show itself had participants that were probably as young as 3-4 year olds up to teenagers. The little ones were so cute and there were a few who were probably around kindergarten age who appeared lost during their routines. I could see the instructors in the wings mimicking the moves they were supposed to make and some were playing catch up or getting elbowed by fellow dancers to do the steps. It was certainly entertaining and we had a good time.

DD and DSIL came to escort us up and down our slippery driveway and to drive us to the show. It was about an hour away and in a town we had never been to so it was unfamiliar driving. The show was to start at 11:30, but it was still actively snowing so it got pushed back to 1:30. It finished around 3:30. We opted not to go back to DS's house so we could get home earlier.

We decided to grab dinner out and stopped at the Black Powder Inn for a quick meal. They were not busy so service was relatively fast and the the waitress was super. We all had good meals with leftovers boxed for another meal. DH and I ordered the Pork Schnitzel which was delicious. It came with mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Both of the vegetables were delicious. I have over half of my meal left as does DH. We were home before 5:30 and the driveway wasn't as slippery as we thought it would be. DD and DSIL spent time cleaning off DH's car and the driveway.

I got an invitation to a wedding in NC from one of my former students. It is in September and I would love to go, but will have to discuss it with DH. She was a student who required additional tutoring because of her learning disability. She was always prepared for class, but had difficulty separating the wheat from the chaff in her note taking from the readings. She also taped and typed notes from class, I would help her integrate her notes with class discussion and clarify any questions she had. She did well on exams and considering her undergraduate degree was in neurobiology, she transitioned well. We also did post-exam review as a 1:1 even though she would also attend the class test review. We would discuss why she chose the answers she did and what she could do to narrow down the multiple-choice answers to find the correct one. She has stayed in touch since graduation and finished her BSN at Drexel University as well. I have a few who opted to stay in touch and that is heartwarming.

The Bipap is getting better, but I still have times when the pressure dislodges the face mask due to high pressure. I will discuss this with the NP to see what she suggests. The humidity chamber seems to empty early, too. I have adjusted the humidity level but may need to lower the temp as well. It's a learning curve. The dry mouth I get is painful.

DH got the rest of the tree ornaments down from the attic so I can finish the tree today. The angel is top heavy since she has a ceramic head and won't stay on the top of the tree. I don't have anything to add to the top of the tree so it may remain empty. I'm pleased with the results so far.

It is the winter wonderland outside with about 4 inches of snow. The deer are looking for forage and I may have to move and then smash the pumpkins for them to eat. They haven't seemed to locate them since they are too close to the house. I like snow when I look out the windows, but the child-like fascination with it no longer rises to the surface.

harley07, love the photos and your trip highlights. Enjoy the warm weather while you can.

Sandy, your show rehearsals sound like it is coming together even with all the cast changes. Sorry Bob is having mobility issues. I hope you can talk some sense into him before he has a fall.

DH had balance issues and I encouraged him to attend PT to help him. He did and he fails to perform the exercises he was taught to keep him upright. I remind him and he insists he does them, but it is clear he doesn't. His balance is of concern. He insists on assisting me with navigation, and I outright reject it because he falls, and I don't want to be dragged down. I could not support his weight if he does fall, and with my osteopenic hips, that's a hard "no" to increasing my fall risk.

Taco, that's so nice that you donate toys for Christmas to the food bank. This will be a very hard Christmas for so many this year. I've learned that gift cards to grandchildren are much better than trying to buy something they'll like. It does seem so impersonal, but it's what they want. DGS asked for a season pass for snowboarding and DGD wanted a 3 month pass for the Y. So they are done. I still have some small gifts we bought while on our cruise to give them.

petite1, glad you are feeling better, and happy you are not at your cabin with cold like that.

Chris, hope your African friends are safe. Hope you feel better.

Yesterday, I thought of Puffin when I saw an unusual bird in the Japanese maple. It was smaller than a sparrow, but larger than a hummingbird. I googled it and found out it was a Golden-Crowned Kinglet. It also was a male. It's head had 2 yellow stripes with an orange one in the middle. It's body coloring resembled a sparrow's. It was so pretty.

Hope everyone has a great day and waving hi" to everyone.