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

Sep 22, 2020 04:01PM - edited Sep 22, 2020 04:01PM by ChiSandy

We're holding off on scheduling our previously-postponed Hilton Grand Vacation stay at NYC's 57th St. location because Hilton is closing a lot of its Manhanttan hotels--including its flagship Times Sq. location. I don't feel comfy getting on a plane, and NY would require anyone coming from IL to quarantine for 14 days. We can't afford a stay that long, and what kind of a vacation is 2 weeks locked inside a small hotel room with just a microwave, Keurig and mini-fridge (and no room service)? We wouldn't be allowed to eat outdoors or even walk to Central Park!

Sep 22, 2020 07:25PM - edited Sep 22, 2020 07:26PM by ChiSandy

Yup--the word "nevermore" has leapt off the pages of "The Raven" into our general vocabulary. Life will be forever different, because certain activities will never again be safely possible and certain industries will never come back. We may be culturally catapulted back several centuries: before restaurants, resorts, mass transit, cruises, live theater, concerts, spectator sporting events, in-person school and college classes, music festivals, wedding receptions, funerals (other than online graveside), etc. Unlike the 1918 flu, we may never get an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (we still don't have one against malaria, HIV or herpes, much less the common cold); so until we get a reliable, tolerable and affordable drug prophylaxis (such as the "cocktail" that prevents HIV from becoming AIDS), social distancing and masking--or throwing caution to the winds and accepting as routine the resulting massive death rates--will become the new "normal."

The upside to being "older" is that we at least have the memories of pleasures past.

Sep 22, 2020 07:48PM ChiSandy wrote:

We have been inured to the concept of historical change being evolutionary and progressive (even if at times oxymoronically, conservative). The worst we'd experienced before was two steps up, one step back. Now it's the reverse--and maybe no "steps up."

Sep 23, 2020 07:44AM petite1 wrote:

Good morning, Ladies. We returned last night and did not stay over. The little waterfront places we wanted to go to were closed. Since we were on the far side of Beta, the water was sucked out, making the Gulf front very smelly. That county is not as far along in reopening and dining inside was not an option. So we ate fish sandwiches in the car. It was still wonderful to do a one tank wander and sleep at home. It is 66 degrees and perfect for the morning walk.

Sep 23, 2020 08:27AM IllinoisLady wrote:

Letting go can be a gentle process. Our trust in our Higher Power and our faith that good will prevail, in spite of appearances, eases the process. And we must let each experience end, as its moment passes, whether it is good or bad, love or sorrow. It helps to remember that all experiences contribute to our growth and wholeness. -unattributed

Sep 23, 2020 08:40AM carolehalston wrote:

I played golf yesterday at the nearby golf course and on every hole there were trees with glorious colored leaves. Eagle View is a lovely little course and I have enjoyed playing it this summer and meeting some of the nice women in the women's golf league. My companion yesterday was Merrie Ellen, who is 90. She was very welcoming the first day I played with the women's group and I have played with her a number of times.

We are fortunate this week to have some weather with sunshine and comfortable temperatures during the day. We haven't set a definite date but will be heading south in a couple of weeks. The Covid cases have crept up gradually but still remained relatively low. The situation has been worse at home in south Louisiana. Nothing much will change when we go home. Masks, distancing, staying at home. I probably won't be comfortable getting together with family members. Basically it will be exchanging one location for another that is more comfortable. Going back to "normal" isn't in sight.

Sep 23, 2020 01:01PM Wren44 wrote:

Carole, Any chance of posting a photo of those trees?

Sep 23, 2020 09:30PM Taco1946 wrote:

Carole - one of my regular golf partners is also 90 - and plays better than I do! Oh well - it's the sociability and the chance to get out of the house.

Flying right now creeps me out - as does standing in line in airports. Our BFFs are returning from Michigan and we are trying to decide how long we want to wait before we get together with them. I thought we had decided on 10 days but Ken seemed to be backing off that today. So, to be negotiated. Neither of us has family here, so we have been a "family bubble" for years. Just upped our time together when other activities closed.

In the meantime, I am having trouble finding the positive. In my opinion, we have taken far more than 2 big steps back. The "pro-life" people don't seem to care that people are dying, especially if they are old. Or that people are unemployed, facing eviction and are food insecure, particular if they are people of color. Today I am just sad....Wish I'd bought that RBG teeshirt before January's woman's march. Another thing that for me will probably only be a memory.

Sep 24, 2020 12:40AM Cowgirl13 wrote:

I heard back from the dermatologist that the thing under my eye is something pre-cancerous. He called while I was out walking so it was hard to really hear him Anyway, I'll see him in 3 weeks and he is going to try to freeze it and then maybe some cream. Before I knew it wasn't something really serious I was stressed at the thought of having to have a plastic surgeon in the mix too. So we will see how it goes. Big thanks to you who shared about your skin cancer experiences and to those of you who offered encouragement.

Sep 24, 2020 05:51AM petite1 wrote:

Good morning, Ladies. It is 69 degrees. Today my tiny cat goes to the vet for his license and shots. He will get his claws cut while he there.

Sep 24, 2020 08:27AM IllinoisLady wrote:

Taco, count me in as liking pre-cancerous far better. As always, finding issues and dealing with them early is always better or you might say pre-cancerous. I really wish I would have insisted on getting something 'started' way back when I first had hematuria ( which isn't normal ) but since I had no pain, burning, urgency I waited. The same outcome may have taken place, but the difference is the risk. Had it not been papillary I likely would not be here -- so glad that your Dr. will start working on ridding you of this sort of for now -- non-issue so it won't become a big issue.

We will be under-going a slight warming trend. Mainly will result probably in getting rid of the long sleeve shirts for a bit which is okay. We are in that transitional period where inconsistency is more the norm. Otherwise all is well.

Hope you all have a beautiful day.

Sep 24, 2020 10:26PM Reader425 wrote:

Hello all my foot has been bothering me since DH and I took a longish hike in a nature preserve last weekend so I did a 30 minute walking video with Leslie Sansone today. I guess more cushioning helped as so far it's good.

Yesterday i felt under the weather and so just rested mostly. I felt guilty but based on today I must have needed that. To listen to my body. Important in all ways.

DH goes back to work Monday after many months not working due to covid. We called it his fake retirement haha. It will be a change for both of us; I'm hoping to get more done around the house than I have been.

Tomorrow my sister who has breast cancer meets with her team to discuss her next treatment steps. She had her lumpectomy 2 weeks ago. She doesn't even know her lymph node status yet. That would have made me crazy but it seems that is how her doctors do it. 🙏 appreciated for her.

Sep 25, 2020 12:47AM ChiSandy wrote:

Reader, adding my wishes for your sister for an easy course of treatment and a path report with "indolent" prognostic markers. Petite, hoping your kitty does ok at the vet. My cats have always kept their claws--but we do get them trimmed at the vet. (My first four cats actually let me do the clipping so long as I bribed them with treats--Happy & Heidi are not so chill).

Sep 25, 2020 08:27AM IllinoisLady wrote:

We humans think we are smart, but an orchid, for example, knows how to produce noble, symmetrical flowers, and a snail knows how to make a beautiful, well-proportioned shell. Compared with their knowledge, ours is not worth much at all. We should bow deeply before the orchid and the snail and join our palms reverently before the monarch butterfly and the magnolia tree. The feeling of respect for all species will help us to recognize the noblest nature in ourselves. -Thich Nhat Hanh

Sep 25, 2020 04:44PM ChiSandy wrote:

Whew, Petite--I had thought you meant you were getting your cat declawed. Glad to hear it was just a "kitti-cure." When I learned years ago that declawing surgery is actually amputation of the first joint of the toe, I vowed never to have it done. A cat with no claws can't defend itself, nor can it get down from a tree; and it tends to be aggressive in other ways. My aunt once had a declawed cat, and it had a habit of swatting and even biting people who walked past it. All the adoption agencies insist that adopters never declaw their cats, and breaking that promise is grounds for confiscation.