thread for middle age to older Christian women.

Chris, that is wonderful news. Can you hear me singing the Hallelujah chorus now???? How are you feeling with your cough? I hope you oncoogist will be encouraged. I don't know how she would not be. I wish you felt like going out to celebrate this but I know with your cough that is probably not going to happen. I do hope you can resume your cheno which is obviously working.

Take care.. I will continue to pray for you.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, I am sorry to hear about your UTI. Were you having symptoms or was it just caught from your lab work. So glad you are on antibiotics. I hope this is a one off and you will continue to go forward without repeated UTI's.

Have a good night.

Love,

Nancy

Hello dear ladies! I'm catching up on all your news. Chris, your scan results are so encouraging. Your oncologist must be very pleased with your progress. Nancy, I do hope the credit bureau has corrected their birth date mistake. How frustrating having to submit multiple disputes to correct their error. Teka, may the antibiotics put a quick end to the UTI with no infections for the foreseeable future. Wheatfields, your trip to Arizona is coming up soon. You are a good sister, and I know that your sister and brother-in-law look forward to spending time with you.

My husband and I are getting over minor colds. We spent two to three days with runny noses and watery eyes, and then that was the end. It seems weird having colds when our outdoor temperatures are in the high 80s and low 90s. What is up with this crazy weather?!

Pastor John is moving to a new "cocktail" of chemotherapy beginning on Monday. After two months, he will have another scan. One thing he is not excited about is that the new chemo drug will likely cause hair loss.  He jokes that he is going to find one of those hats with a phony mullet attached! :)

Nancy, I was able to have chemo this week and am currently in the midst of my worst 3 days of SEs. We redid the schedule and I will receive treatment next week then have a week off. It is unusually hot and dry for this time of year with temperatures in the mid-80s today. It says we will drop back down for the next few days, but it looks like it will go up and down. This is bad as it means wind which spreads fires. We are very dry and there are multiple fires all around us already. I live in the plains which means grass fires but not forest fires. There is a large one burning in Fort Carson right now and I can see the smoke from my deck.

Hi dear sisters.

I am praying for each of you.

Chris, I know you are in the days of side effects. Hang in there knowing this will pass and you will have next week free and clear. I hope the spring weather is helping to lift you up too along with our prayers for you.

Teka, I was able to somehow get my heavy heated birdbath up I need to level it some how because the ground is sinking I suppose and it is not very level. Raccoons can wreak havoc in my yard and it could have been that. I doubt if the high winds would knock it over. I have a couple of Canada geese which in spite of their deposits all over my backyard they freqquent my yard and the bird seed I have been putting on the ground. They love to drink out of my birdbath but that means I need to replenish the water almost everyday. It is too early to get my hose up and running so……….. The male is so protective of the female. Now when I have a dozen in my yard that is a different story!!! Has your antibiotics knocked out that UTI. I have been praying that it will not become a repetitive situation again.

Let's keep Wheatfields in our prayers. Her sister is in a challenging stage with her dementia. I saw that happen with my dear friend that recently passed. She finally had a stage of complete resolve and contentment which was a blessing for her family. I pray that her sister can have a period of time like that.

Hershey, I am continuing to pray for you and for Pastor John.

Take care. Tonight we have a bilingual prayer service as we prepare our hearts for the Resurrection. We have a Spanish speaking service, an Indian service and our English service all housed in the same church. I believe we have around 70 different nationalities in our church now which I think is quite unique and a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Love,

Nancy

Chris, I knew that about your chemo days but just lately have had more senior moments that I care to admit. I hope your soup was delicious. I just have been home from our bilingual service which was also a healing service. My good friend who I went to the zoo with last Saturday came. We both went down for prayer. She has radiation and a year of Keytruda left to deal with.

As I was doing my Bible Study homework today I watched one of the Canada geese get right in my birdbath which was empty because they drink way more than the little birds. It was almost a sign like they were saying I see you in there and you are behind on our water supply. So was that goose may have been the culprit. I suppose it's possible but unlikely.

Hershey needs to see this as well. We had a lady pastor speaking tonight of her testimony. It was rapid fire English/Spanish translation. This lady is part of our Spanish Ministry and she has a church in Chicago. She had quite the story and has written a book about it. She talked about growing up with three brothers. One brother got Pancreatic cancer, he went through surgery and treatments. Then another brother got Pancreatic cancer and it was the same type of treatment. She was having no issues but her gastroenterologist wanted her to do some scans. Nothing inititally showed up but then he did a deeper dive and sure enough she had Pancreatic cancer as well. She went through the same treatments as her brother then a few months later she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. She to wait for 9 months before they could tell her which was the primary cancer. Long story short she was completely healed. The doctors said they had never seen anything like it. She was even interviewed by one of the Chicago TV stations as this was such an inspirational story. I don't know what happened to her brothers. Maybe that was where you had to buy the book. It could I missed something but I am still wondering. So for Hershey's Pastor John I pray he will also be a miralce story.

I don't think you have mentioned your Pastory Jay. I will pray for him as well. Wow, a grapefruit sized tumor and two different types at the same time. God is in the business of miracles.

I am taking out my garbage so I need to get outside. Praying you can enjoy these next couple of days before the SE's hit.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, I'm glad you are doing okay and done with your antibiotics. I hope all goes well at your apt today. Your hubby is a good man. Keeping you smiling with daffodils. We went from summer to winter again and my daffodils are dropping their pretty heads now. We are in a period of rain which is good. Too bad for the kids on spring break even though they had a gorgeous day on Monday to start their vacation.

Wheatfields, I hope you are safe and sound at home. Did you have long lines at your airport? How is your sister and BIL doing? How are YOU doing?

Hershey, I hope you are staying cool. Your weather sounds like a friend I have from BCO who now lives in Texas. Spring is the time to get out and summer is the time to stay in. I have only been to Texas many years ago in July and I thought I would die of the humidity. I drove across the country in my little blue Toyota that had no AC. Do they even make cars now without AC I doubt it.

Chris, I hope you are feeling much better and can have some good family time during this Easter weekend. My big house refresh has started. My dusting was something I could have left. My handyman started the whole project off with cutting through drywall and putting in some insualation that has been a problem with the corners freezing and peeling off paint. He covered most things but my coffee table was not covered and is covered in white dust from cutting and sanding drywall. My painter will start after my handyman is finished and then I will have most of my house carpeted on April 27 at which point I will collapse after doing a happy dance. I am praying for you dear sister.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, that's a shame that you had car trouble and had to reschedule your doctor apt. I am glad you are feeling okay. Did you have to be towed? I hope your car is up and running soon.

Wheatfields, I am glad you made it home safely but I am sure sorry to hear about your friends episode requiring an ER visit and subsequently a stay in the hospital. I hope the MRI does not show anything of concern. I'll pray for her now and for your sister.

We are in a period of rain, and more rain and then some more rain. Our grass has greened up nicely. I am waiting on my handyman to come. He is about finished but he is so thorough and feels like there is something not right where cold air is coming in. I will eventually have new siding and we both think that may reveal the issue. I said I hope what you have done will prevent the corners of the walls from freezing on the inside and then pulling paint away. I will not be having painting done probably forever but only the Lord knows that.

Chris. how are you doing? Praying for you.

Love,

Nancy

Chris, I do hope you have a very good week. I'm sorry your DH had to cancel his trip but I am glad your sister will be coming in May. Yes, my handyman and my painter are both Christians and when I initally hired both of them I didn't know that. God is good. He came this morning and will come back to see if this special paint he used is dry. I'm wiped out from getting up early and not getting enough sleep.

I am in panic mode right now. I had sent Ellen ( from BCO) from several years back a long email. She was a pastor's wife and her husband Cylde died about three years ago I think it was. She was telling me that her Mom just passed away a couple of weeks ago. She mentioned that her aunt also dealt with Cervical Dystonia for ten yrs and couldn't afford the treatments. I get my health insurance summaries only online now. I thought I would check as I felt my insurance was dragging their heals on my initial injections in Jan. I knew a referral had been made by my doctor. When I pulled up the summary I dove a litte deeper and it said claim denied. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I knew the date instantly and that was the day I had my botox injections. My next injections are scheduled for April 23 and no on let me know that these injections had been denied. My insurance has in the past sent letters if they deny something and they didn't send anything nor did my doctor's office reach out to me. They apparently appealed it and my insurance said there is no second step.

I messaged my doctor first and then I called my insurance. A prior authorization was required. That is my doctor's office's responsibility to do that. So this nice customer service person got me on a three way call to the doctor's office and I said if there is anyway to expedite this PA I would appreciate it because I have been counting down the weeks till this apt. When I initially reserached if Medicare paid for these injections they said yes but the old caveat if the doctor can prove it is medically necessary. Since I have only seen the doctor two times he doesn't really know me very well nor I him. Someone dropped the ball somewhere. Of course I don't really know what has gone on behind the scenes. I haven't had too many denials from this Medicare Advantage plan and they have basically been very good. It is very hard to get into this neurologist so I don't know what to do except ask for prayer and do a lot of praying myself. There is not much time to get this PA in for my apt coming up in exactly three weeks. How does another dept in my doctor's office say this is medically necessary for me when they don't even know me. I am scared, frustrated and completely devastated if this doesn't get turned around. I may have to fight this tool and nail on my part if they even will let me do that.

So I am asking for prayer that God can intervene in this situation and get this approved. I was told I am not financially responsible to pay these past injections which are very expensive but of course going forward that would be a whole different matter.

Thank you. Have a good Easter weekend dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Nancy, Praise the Lord! That is indeed a miracle and answer to prayer. So happy for you.

My DH has cancelled his trip in May but my sweet sister has decided to come for a visit then anyways. I am so happy about this!

Thank you dear sisters. This is one of those altar building experiences like they did in the Old Testament when something "Big" happened and they knew it was from God. It will be one of those definite God things that I will hopefully never forget!!!

I hope all of you have a blessed Easter. I will be attending church tonight as our pastor has been asking for a few weeks for some of us to change our usual service to allow many new comers to be able to have a seat. It is cold and gloomy and rainy today and the temptation to attend tomorrow which is supposed to be sunny is very real but I will go tonight.

Wheatfields, I am glad your nurse friend is now home from the hospital. Has she received any results from her MRI yet? I will be praying for you if you are going to be driving the 80 miles to your doctor. I can really understand driving in a big city if you are not used to it. I avoid going into Chicago now for the same reason. I realize how fortunate and how most of us in this area take for granted that our doctors are usually under a 30 min drive. I remember hearing some of you in the past talking about how far away your doctors were and now is for you. That is a long drive round trip so I pray that everything will go smoothly. I know you have depended on your friend to also help with your hearing so I pray that your doctor will be understanding and give you time to understand his communication to you.

Teka, how was your hamburger soup? It does sound good on a cold day which I am betting you are experiencing as well.

Chris, how are you feeling? I do hope you have a wonderful time with your family for Easter.

Hershey, I hope you are doing well.

My handyman finished up yesterday evening. He had to come morning and late aftenoon most days waiting for the "mud" application to dry. He always does such a great job. He didn't have enough tarps and plastic to cover everything so I have to deal with the very fine white dust that is on some furniture even though he had a pretty neat attachment to his dry vac that helped with that as he used that on the walls.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Love,

Nancy

@hersheykiss Thank you for the warm note. You always think of everyone. I am so happy to read Pastor John is doing well. My online Pastor had his 14-hour cancer surgery this past week and it was reported they could not get all the cancer. I don't know specifics but a host of people are praying for him. They haven't reported next steps yet. My DS and his family have all been battling the flu for the past two weeks. He told me last night they were about 80% recovered. One DGS out of the three never got sick—weird.

I had a rough week but felt well enough yesterday to cook a ham dinner and am feeling pretty good so far this morning. Hopefully I can get some much needed chores done today before chemo day tomorrow. I always feel better with a clean house.

The temperature still freezes at night here too and we have learned not to attempt outdoor planting until after Mother's Day.

Praying everyone has a safe and pleasant week.

A quick note for now.

Hershey, it sounds like you are having a lot of home improvements done as well. It is always great to see the end product! It sounds like your seedlings are doing well. I imagine you are anxious to get those little plants into the ground soon.

Chris, I am praying for you as I know you only have a few good days right after your infusion. I am really sorry to hear about your online pastor. I hope your son's family has recuperated now. That is a long time to be sick with the flu.

Teka, as I look at your banner I know I need to take care of my groin pain that has been going on for many weeks. It is just now occurring to me that it may be not the hip flexor muscle I was thinking but a structural issue. UGH I have pain lying down which is not a good thing.

Wheatfields, we will certainly be praying for your procedure on April 16. Praying for that long commute and maybe your nurse friend will be able to accompany you for this. I am glad you made the first trip safely.

I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in moving forward with this groin pain. I see my pcp in May for my annual wellness but I know I am not supposed to bring up new things then. I have had some terrible nights of little to no sleep. I have a few days of rest before the painter comes and then I will be getting up very early which is difficult for me. I am still dealing with the white dust but have managed to get most of it. My HOA duties are ramping up and have been spending more time on that than usual. My new two year term just began.

Have a great day dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Teka, those are beautiful to see, the first crocus blooms!

Nancy, I hope your pain is easily resolved and your orthopedic appointment went well.

Chris, praying that you are feeling well and have very minimal side effects.

Hershey, how are your projects going?

My sister had a light stroke Sunday evening and was in the hospital for a couple nights, she is back to memory care now but very confused. I talked to her on the phone and she recognizes who she is talking to but was talking about past places they have lived thinking that is where she was and asked me if I was at Mom and Dad's. My nurse friend has been back to the clinic a few times since the TIA the first of April and they finally decided to take the aspirin away since she is already on a blood thinner, we actually talked to her cardiologist yesterday. She's keeping a blood pressure log for a couple weeks to see if there is a need for a blood pressure pill. She is finding it harder to think of the words she wants to use to express her thoughts and to remember all the details of which appointment we found this out or what they said. I usually can record the appointments and transcribe them into print and after I read them will usually (at this point) remember what was said. Thank you for your prayers and also for my appointment tomorrow out of town.

Praying for each of you!

Love, Wheatfields

Let's remember to pray for Wheatfields as she travels the long distance to her doctor again. Give them safe travels and give Wheatfields peace and wisdom for this appointment.

Chris, I hope you are okay. Praying for you.

Love,

Nancy