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

Well, we are in the midst of a winter wonderland with snow yesterday and a return today. It is 3 degrees, gray and the snow continues to fall in different patterns: heavy sometimes and right now it is like small dancing dots. My DSIL sent a short video of snow in Chipley, FL. Last year when they had a storm only one neighbor had kept the snow shovel she had brought from Indiana. It was a popular item.

DB has said his current job is running over so he says it looks like it will be Tuesday when he can come. I am hoping the driveway is clear enough for him to get his truck up. DH has been annoyed at having to keep clearing the driveway, but considering this is the first year he's had to do it multiple times, and I continue to be the chief house cleaner, no sympathies since my job is year round and he has the spring-summer lawn service.

Plan for today is to tackle hall coat closet and the hall tree storage base. The former has some wrapping paper stored there as well as coats, gloves, hats, etc. The latter holds gift bags for a variety of reasons and I'd like to get rid of them and repurpose the space for other storage. I don't often need gift bags anymore and will offer them to DD and DDIL if they need any. If not, then they will get donated.

Two of my parakeets have overgrown bills which I took them to the vet for once before, however, I don't think they did a good job the last time. One bird is about 10 years old and her daughter is 5 years old. I was hoping to get them there during warmer weather, but no such luck now. They are still able to eat. I just hate to take them out in this weather. Plus it is really expensive to get it done. The cost is not the issue, it is the weather and getting good results this time. They are so entertaining.

I gave Bumblebee a basil leaf today and he is in his glory. I also give him celery leaves when I can find celery stalks with it still attached. So many trim the tops now. He's a happy boy.

Kicking myself because I wrote a bunch of items I needed to purchase on the top of a newspaper since it was the closest paper available at the time. I then proceeded to toss it before I recopied it or placed the order. I thought of a few of them, but am sure I am missing at least one, darn. Lesson learned, look for paper in the future.

I was told it would take a couple of days for the steroids to take effect, so take it easy for 48 hours post interlaminal epidural. So far, I am comfortable and it feels really good. Full effects are expected around 2 weeks and hopefully they last for the 3-6 months or a year as expected.

Of course, I haven't done any heavy work like vacuuming, or mopping, and limited housework to dusting. There's really nothing left if this fails, so fingers crossed, it does work. The back pain is really debilitating and now that I have new knees, I only have it to deal with. It, plus the knees, would limit my ability to do much. However, by itself, it limits standing, walking and sitting as well as impacting sleep positions. So what's left? Even my plan for today, doesn't include any heavy lifting or repetitive motions (which was another trigger).

I hope everyone has a good day and waving "hi" to everyone.

Wallycat, windchill is -30 right now!

Taco, LOL at your vision of me as reading posts with a red pen in my hand! Your life seems very pleasant to me. I started learning bridge a decade ago and stopped because I was needed as a caregiver for my mother. I have time now but haven't taken the steps to get involved with the local bridge organization.

Good football games this weekend. DH is from Chicago area. The Bears game was a disappointment and the loss unnecessary. I got up in disgust and didn't watch the last minutes of the game.

Betrayal, I hope you continue to get relief from the back pain. I enjoy your talk about your birds.

We're cold this morning but the sun is out. My laptop isn't telling me the temperature but the tv tells me it was in the 20's when we got up. I don't share Wally's envy of those living with snow and ice. I'm happy with sunny, crisp cold.

DH went to the gym earlier. Normally he takes my Prius, but today he took his Ford truck with heated seats. I'll go later. Haven't decided whether to attend Penny's class or do my own workout. She's a new instructor and I'm not a big fan of her class.

As for the game, I'm a bit more angry than disappointed. Either Caleb Williams or DJ Moore or both were at fault. Caleb got cocky over that game-tying Hail Mary pass, and should have gone to the ground game during OT to set up what would've been a sure field goal by Santos, instead of throwing an interception. And Moore should have known he'd have been the pass' target and been in a position to catch it before the Ram could. Everyone's excited for the future—-but Bob pointed out next year's schedule will be much tougher.

Oh, well, guess we'll be rooting for the Seahawks this weekend. We spent 7 happy years in Seattle and were at the first-ever Seahawks home games (exhibition at Husky Stadium and regular season at the Kingdome). Took us a year to get used to being Midwesterners, especially after growing up in NYC. (Still expect to smell saltwater when I see waves).

Sandy, you haven’t caught a break in sometime, re: the house. Definitely go to NOLA, enjoy the hotel and your birthday celebration. The bathroom renovation while you’re in Greece also sounds like a plan.

Betrayal, I did get the master closet more organized. More consolation than actual clean out. I was able to get a big bag of my workout/gym stuff, 2 foam rollers and an 8# medicine ball out of the bedroom and stored in the closet. Bedroom looks less chaotic to me.

I also went out today and knocked down the wasp/bee nest. It then fell behind the hurricane shutter, unreachable. I had to go back in the house and get a yardstick to reach the nest, flick it out and away from me. Back inside I went for Windex, paper towels, and the step ladder. Mission complete.

I debated starting on the garage door bottom weather strip. But the weather today, when I got up, started out at 45 and only hit 63. And it was getting late so I postponed (evaded?) that for another day.

A gf and I left this morning at 11 to go to Costco. Well, we didn’t get back until almost 2! First time she’d been in this store, new membership in IL. So we wandered around to see everything. The best buy I had was 2 nice Adidas polos for SO at $4.97 each. Otherwise I bought some stuff I really didn’t need. Apple fritter bites, to die for, but calorie high; a blueberry crunch item, made with white chocolate… oh so good but also not needed! Salmon Milan - dill & butter, all ready to go in the oven - I bought it so I could turn my oven on to warm up the house HA! It was delicious.

Saturday we spent the day in Immokalee at the casino listening to the concert. GF & husband had VIP tickets and we brought another couple with us. GF & DH left after the first band of four, giving us their pass. It was a beautiful day, weather stayed decent all day.

Marshall Tucker band as we left - Fire on the Mountain. All bands were good; we knew songs from them all. Molly Hatchet was super loud; I went in to gamble while they played. No winnings $$$ to report. Home before 11; left at 2, so a long day. We got the Buffalo vs Bronco results on the shuttle bus to our car. Disappointed.

Sunday was football all day. Rooted for Chicago, disappointing. Tonight was college football. Nice to see a different team win.

Another overnight of super cool weather for southwest FL. I’m putting out my walking clothes for tomorrow, but we’ll see if I get out. Stay warm ladies!

Sandy, I'm shaking my head with disbelief at your latest home disaster. You've suffered enough!!!! And the forecast for this weekend in NOLA is not pleasant. I live across the lake (Pontchartrain) on the north shore, so our local tv stations are New Orleans stations. I hope you enjoy your birthday celebration, whatever the weather. At least it probably won't be as bad as Chicago weather.

Petite, good news on your friend. Also, you seem to be handling the challenges of a homeowner and landlord.

I'm beginning to feel the nudge to tackle closets. LOL. Today my task is to make sure the guest bedroom and hall bathroom are ready for overnight guests on Friday. A couple from MN who spend a month in FL every winter will stop for the night on their way back home. We're a motel stop. They'll get up early on Saturday and leave while we are still sleeping. We got to know them when they rented a site in Pinehollow Resort, where we spend the summer in MN. I'm pretty sure they didn't have ideal FL weather this winter. Usually we go out to eat when they stop, but dh and I will be having lunch at a restaurant with two friends on Friday. I will probably prepare dinner by doing some cooking on Thursday.

I may or may not go to Chair Yoga at 1 pm. Depends on how my day goes.

Happy Tuesday.

Sandy, you seem to be having a Gilda Radner moment with one calamity after another. Go to NOLA and enjoy your birthday knowing full well that they will not have it started, let alone finished much before your return, especially if your home insurance is involved. Reward yourself with a beignet and perhaps buy a King cake to being home.

I experienced a return of back pain around 9 last night and have to say it was unexpected. I have been very careful to avoid doing any lifting, repetitive motion, so as not to trigger it. I put a Lidocaine patch on at bedtime and am taking it easy today. I must say the closet and base of the hall tree cleanout was planned so I could do the sorting while seated, too. It is done, I am pleased with results and I did have to put something into DD's old closet which is my next target. I need to dump it and start from scratch there. It is an awkward closet because it is deep on either side of the doors (which open out TG) meaning not all is visible or easily accessible.

So how do I maximize that dead space? It has a Rubbermaid closet organizer system installed many moons ago and it has shelving in the middle between the double hanging area on the left and long hanging space on the right. It also has upper shelving which is useful. I plan on tackling one area at a time and trying items on as I decide which stays and which goes. I do use this for seasonal storage switching out winter and summer clothing. So I will go through the summer clothing and I am sure a lot will be donated. I'll have to think about the dead space use because accessibility won't be easy if I decide to use it for storage/shelving.

cindyny, loved the report on the concert. It sounds like you had a great time.

petite1, sounds like you have the rental properties under control and your plan for the deed transfer is so nice.

harley07, sounds like forethought about closing the food pantry, but I do feel for those who rely on getting help when the weather puts a crimp in their accessibility. It would be too cold for the volunteers to spend time outdoors in this polar wave.

It is only 21 degrees, it was sunny today but not conducive to melting the ice on the driveway. DB was planning on coming tomorrow but he won't be able to get his truck up the driveway, so I will cancel him. As much as I'd like to get my jobs done, I don't want him to damage his truck or have to pay to get him towed off the lawn.

We were to move in it was in January and when we came for the final inspection on the house, the realtor representing the seller made it up the driveway, I did not chance it, and unfortunately my realtor did and ended up on the lawn.

Plus the driveway had not been cleared as promised. I spilled my purse in the snow, had to hike up, and told the realtor if I could have raised my foot and stood on just one, I would have used it to kick him down the driveway. I was angry because this was at 3 in the afternoon (!), the driveway was to have been plowed before then, and we were to make settlement the next day. When was the guy who was to plow it coming? When he did come, he was unable to get the driveway to bare blacktop and left a thin coating of ice behind.

The movers were scheduled to bring their truck at 11 the next day and the driveway was snow encrusted. They were unable to bring the truck more than 2/3's of the way up the driveway and had to haul our belongings up. It was so much more work for them. So yes, in weather like this our driveway can be a nightmare.

carole, are there other classes you can attend not taught by this new instructor? Are others unhappy with her, too? Seems a shame to lose the instructor that best met your needs.

DS called today to report the contractor installed the last piece of backsplash today and now they are just waiting for the shower curtain rod. They are really happy with the outcome and it's such an improvement over what they had.

DH is running the vacuum for me in the kitchen and family room. So those rooms are done. I have leftovers for dinner, so it's just reheat in the microwave and eat tonight.

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

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope.

Winston Churchill

We changed the garage door weatherstripping this afternoon. At first we couldn’t budge it. So I took a box cutter and sliced it down the middle, where we discovered a self tapping screw at each end, about 6” in from the end. Well once we took the screws out, the old one came out easily.

Next we put on the new one, easier than I anticipated. A definite 2 person job. Final step was to close the garage door and see how well it sealed.

Not so well was the answer. UGH. There is still light under it in the same area as the old one - the cement driveway has settled unevenly apparently. I went on Amazon and ordered a 3M weatherstrip that sticks to the bottom edge of the garage door on the inside.

Thinking ahead that it could easily “melt” off during SWFL summers, I ordered self tapping screws to make sure it stays on.
The 20 foot weatherstrip arrives tomorrow, the screws on Saturday. Additional projects on the “to do” list. Another - it never ends project with homeownership.

We got a walk in before we started the garage project. Just over 2 miles, so getting back to normal.

Tonight is trash night - a gf is picking me up for curbside finds. I say reduce, reuse, recycle. Her husband says junking. LOL

betrayal, I think the concrete driveway has settled- being lower on one side vs the other. The house is 21-22 yrs old and all of our driveways in the development have settled one way of another - all have cracks. We had a hardwood tree next to the driveway and the roots were raising the driveway. Tree has been removed.

You're going gang busters on closets! I feel like I’m slacking off in comparison.

Petite, enjoy some warmth here in FL vs single digit temps in NC. You’ve got time to get back to NC.

Our reduce, reuse, recycle curbside trip produced absolutely nothing. There was a very nice sofa table but neither of us needed it. Sad it will go to the landfill. I should have taken it for next month’s garage sale.

Hi everyone, I'm 68 and just diagnosed with PR+ HER- Stage III. I want to share my honest perspective. Over the past several days, I’ve followed many cancer journeys online closely, from initial diagnosis onward. What I’ve observed doesn’t always seem to align with how statistics are often presented. In many cases, the cancer does return, sometimes sooner than expected.

I also struggle with how survival statistics are interpreted. When we talk about things like “10-year survival,” that can include people who experienced recurrence or metastatic disease during that time and lived with ongoing treatment and suffering, which is very different from living cancer-free. My gut feeling says this is the vast majority in that 75%.

For me, this makes it hard to view cancer as something that is simply “over.” I don’t say this to be pessimistic, but to be realistic about the uncertainty and complexity many of us are facing. Does anyone else feel this way, or have thoughts that might help put this into perspective? I’m currently waiting to have my port placed and to start my second round of chemo, and would really appreciate hearing from others.

justforher, welcome to the club that no one ever wished to belong to, however, you will find that this membership does bind us together, even though our paths may be different. I will speak for myself when I say that there is no "cure" for BC, just treatment that for some offers respite from return. I do not consider myself "cured" 10 years post dx, with both extensive radiation (33 rounds) and use of AI's for treatment ( 7 years) and doubt that I ever will. I do think of myself as "NED" or no evidence of disease, even though my last 2 years of diagnostic mammograms have resulted in a stereotactic bx in 2024 and this past year (2025) a 6 month follow-up in 2026. My MO thinks this is just overkill and I choose to believe her.

The questions you are asking would best be answered by your medical oncologist. I think one plus in your favor is the age at dx, the fact that you are receiving chemo and that it is a slow growing Ca. So try not to project or play the "what if" game. While it is tempting, it is also causing you more stress. I am not sure what you meant by the 75% and perhaps you can explain that?

Please be kind to yourself and focus on self-care for the moment. We are here if you need an ear, a shoulder or just a big ((HUG)). I am sending one now.

@betrayal , thank you so much for replying. And I love your cutie dogs. I adopted two dogs and two cats last year. Sadly I will not be with them for a while since I have to stay in a bigger city in a temporary apartment during treatment. Still, seeing photos of animals being happy genuinely makes me smile in the middle of all this.

I'm proud of you for having the endurance in your journey. You're a strong woman and hope nothing surprising occurs and you are healthy in your late late granny days :))

About your question. When I look it up, my specific cancer is usually quoted as having a 75 to 85 percent five year survival rate. What I was trying to say is that survival is not always the same as living a normal, full life. Many people eventually develop metastasis and spend those later years not really at their best. I think I was just questioning the way these numbers are presented and the constant optimism around them. Maybe this is simply how I cope. I really admire people who choose not to look ahead and stay optimistic. I think I am someone who needs to understand the risks and be mentally prepared for every possibility.

Another thing I realized is that my doctor was not fully honest with me. I found out more by pushing my husband and reading on my own. Both my husband and my doctor said I was stage 2, but it turned out to be more complicated. I live in an Eastern European country where full disclosure is not legally required in cancer cases. It often depends on what the doctor thinks will protect the patient’s morale. I can handle the truth, so I do wish they had been more direct, even though I understand their intentions.

Like you said, I try to hold on to the brighter side. The slower growth rate is a real advantage. I am also looking at how much treatment has advanced even compared to five years ago. There is a new drug currently in trials for ER positive cases that looks promising. I am hoping it becomes available in time.

@teka , thank you for sharing. If you are comfortable, would you mind talking a bit more about your journey, specifically what was found, at what stage, and what type it was? I cannot access your profile to see whether you have already shared this in other threads. Ten years is a long time to live with this diagnosis. Congratulations, truly. When I see women who are much, much younger going through this disease, my heart hurts, but it also puts the illness into perspective for me.