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

Oct 5, 2020 06:50PM CindyNY wrote:

MCBaker - I think your hair looks great too, just as it is. But I understand wanting a perm.

Mammo & ultrasound today went ok; I was there for almost 2 hours. No more change and put your clothes in a locker - I changed in the mammo room, and carried my clothes with me to ultrasound area. Ultrasound was focusing on an area in my right breast that was biopsied in 2015, with 5 negative results. Radiologist sent the tech back to me to redo that area and take measurements. Unsettling but I believe it has remained the same for the past 3 years that they've been doing them. Prior ones were done at a different facility. They'll send me a letter with details. Glad I had a book with me!

Oct 6, 2020 12:00AM - edited Oct 6, 2020 12:56AM by ChiSandy

Yup--for my MRIs and even the eye surgeries, no more lockers: just strip, put on the johnny-gown, and stuff clothes & shoes into the plastic Patient Belongings bag for the nurses to lock away.

Mary, your hair looks terrific! If my gray came in that way, and I got tired of long hair, I'd wear mine just like yours. Without the perm you look years younger than in your avatar photo.

My hair is getting unrulily-wavy again due to the dwindling but still significant "pepper" portion of the gray coming in sort of wiry (the "salt" is straight & silky), and I have to tame it with an ionic brush or flatiron every morning. (Looks great when I dry it with my Dyson Air Wrap after shampooing, but sleeping on it ruins it. If I clip it up atop my head, I wake up with a crease on the back of my hair; if I leave it down, I sweat and awake looking like Medusa. (Bob says "pre-Raphaelite," but he's being chivalrous). I may get the ends trimmed and the roots touched up, but i'm giving up the keratin (Brazilian Blowout) treatments. The fumes are awful, even with ventilation, and it can't be good for either the stylist or me. (Especially now, when my eyes are sensitive).

Speaking of sensitive, I have to go to the allergist next Monday for tests to see if I really am penicillin-and/or-Cipro-allergic, or whether those pinpoint forearm "prickly heat" rashes a week into each course are simply just one of the known side effects. I have to discontinue both oral antihistamines and antihistamine eye drops five days in advance. (Can still take my asthma meds, Nasacort & Nasalcrom). It's still ragweed season, so it'll be a challenge being able to use only artificial tears. Will have to hang out there for four hours, I guess to make sure I don't get anaphylaxis.

Spoke to the customer svce rep at my local Warby Parker yesterday & today. She called me today, and told me she'd had one of their opticians look at my prescription. The optician thinks it could be a function of the lenses being smaller (but my previous lenses were also in their "narrow" frames), or maybe an error at the lab. She said to wait till my new sunglasses came in (later today) and see if the problem persists. To a lesser extent, but still distorted on the outsides, too close to the center. I think, though, that it's not a lab but either a refraction or transcription error: seems to me there's a significant overcorrection for astigmatism. My ophthalmologist always refracted me "old-school," but the optometrists now have these scanners you look into, which ostensibly generate a prescription which the optometrist then "tweaks" with the time-honored "which is clearer, 1 or 2?" routine. Now, I realize that the plaque brachytherapy did affect my acuity, but it didn't change the shape of my R cornea (and of course affected nothing on the L). I noticed my Mar. 2019 Rx had my "CYL" as +1 on the R and +1.50 on the L, with AXIS being 170 and 5, respectively. It was almost identical to my Jan. 2018 Rx. Both of those were done by my ophthalmologist, who retired just as the pandemic was starting. But last week's optometrist exam had CYL as -1.0 in both eyes, with AXIS as 50 R and 85 L. I don't think 18 months should make that drastic a difference. I will speak to the optician tomorrow, and probably come in with both my new pairs and the one pair (non-Warby) I have remaining from last year's Rx so she can compare both the lenses and the written Rxs. I'd just bet that the overcorrection makes for a too-drastic curvature of the lenses. I may have to be re-refracted by their optometrist. I will say, though, that the new reading correction is awesome--much better than the drugstore readers I bought.

Oct 6, 2020 06:33AM MCBaker wrote:

Thank you-all. That previous picture was when I was all dragged out and down form the BC stuff. I have several inches of straight hair, and the curls are due to be cut off. I am afraid it will be bone-straight and cling to my head when it all gets grown out-- that requires fussing with. I have gotten used to messy wash and run styles over the past ten years, and want to stay with that.

I have been aimlessly spending my time lately. Printed up a list of things to do during waking hours and things to do (and not) for good sleep. Hopefully that will increase a demarcation between day and night.

Oct 6, 2020 07:02AM IllinoisLady wrote:

Going to warm during the day and stay a bit warmer now for awhile. I have not minded wearing sweatshirts, but a mite of a challenge what to wear in the early morning. I'll have to drag out some sweaters I think to o along with med wt. t-shirts. Ah, it's the time of yr. here when you have to keep a little bit of everything in your closet.

Nothing special planned for today. I have a couple of kittens here ( about 4 wks. old ) that I'm going to take to a friend's house. Big hope is that one of her mother cats that only had two kittens this past time ( about the same age as mine ) will take them in to mother. Fingers crossed. The kittens I have ( both males ) could survive. They can eat on their own ( as sloppy as that gets ) but they need the training they would receive from the extra time with a mother. As is -- while ( I've been calling them Dilly and Dally ) could be ok as pets it would be far from the optimum.

Hope you all have a great day.

Oct 6, 2020 02:51PM Betrayal wrote:

Today was to be my MIL's 97th birthday but she died last evening. She fell (again) a few weeks ago and this time she fractured her spine. They had sent her to a rehab unit but she was out of her element which led to confusion, then having to do 3 hours of rehab per day proved to be too challenging physically and she was transferred back to her assisted living under hospice care at the end of last week. My DH decided that he had visited her several times while in rehab while she was still responsive and coherent so opted not to visit her over the weekend. Hospice had reported she was confused, incoherent and sleeping lots. So while she did not make it to her official birthday today, I told DH that she wanted to spend it in heaven with her husband who died in '97. She had married him when she was just 19 (in 1942) so they had a long marriage. He was 10 years her senior and they met at a USO dance.

Sadly, a resident of her former asssisted living called today to try to contact her to wish her a Happy Birthday which was a very kind gesture. DH explained she had just died last night but he appreciated the call. She will be missed by family since she has outlived most of her friends.

Oct 6, 2020 07:46PM - edited Oct 6, 2020 08:40PM by ChiSandy

Betrayal, so sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. May her memory be for a blessing.

All the Great Clips here in Chicago closed permanently--but two stylists at the Andersonville branch saw the "For Rent" sign in the window and have now opened their own shop in that space. I've seen photos--but for the widely-spaced stations & plexiglas, it looks just like any other Great Clips (though the new owners insist they'll be adding some creative touches).

Gordy's job is still working remotely from home. His employer is considering not renewing the lease on its downtown HQ, because the co. is saving tons of money by having employees work from home.

Oct 6, 2020 08:44PM Taco1946 wrote:

Mary - I really identify with your "aimlessly spending the day away." Some of you seem to stay really engaged.

The weather person just said that 50% of all the days this year have been over 100! Come on fall.

Oct 7, 2020 12:06AM ChiSandy wrote:

So the optician at Warby Parker called me today. I told her of my concerns about the astigmatism "CYL" overcorrection. She explained that while opthalmologists measure astigmatism by "convergence" ("+" before the number), optometrists measure it by "divergence" ("-" before the number)--so the actual values are about the same. But she did think the "AXIS" discrepancy seemed a bit strange. She had me send her photos of me in both pair of progressives (clear & sun), with my pupils visible. I did, and she called me back saying her hunch was correct: it wasn't the prescription that was "off," it was the in-store measurements of the various lens correction areas relative to my face and pupillary distance. She called the lab in Sloatsburg, NY to have them re-grind the lenses for a wider central area and deeper distance-vision correction area. She said I should keep wearing these glasses if I don't get headaches or dizziness, and return them only after the re-done ones arrive and I'm satisfied. She sent me prepaid return labels as well. So no need to do anything but walk to the corner mailbox or hand the return packages to the mail carrier. Amazing what they can do virtually these days. If these remakes still aren't satisfactory, then I am entitled to a free re-exam at the shop.

Oct 7, 2020 07:38AM carolehalston wrote:

Betrayal, I empathize on the loss of your MIL. My mother was 96 when she passed away in May 2019. I still miss her and think of her often.

Mary, you look great in that photo. Your hair is pretty and your skin looks wonderful.

I'm about to venture to the gym, our local YMCA where we've been members for a number of years. DH went yesterday and wasn't pleased to see no one wearing masks. I will make my assessment today and may also check out the Anytime Fitness that is quite close. I do hope that I can feel secure enough to use one of the two gyms for exercise. Our AF membership extends another week or so.

I have a hair appointment Thursday morning.

Meanwhile the hurricane is headed this way. So far there are no mandatory evacuations.

Oct 7, 2020 08:53AM MCBaker wrote:

Betrayal, sorry to see yet another cross placed upon you. You need to take special care of yourself with so many stresses. Praying for you and your family.

Oct 7, 2020 11:00AM Beaverntx wrote:

Betrayal, ((((hugs))))

Oct 7, 2020 07:05PM keywestfan wrote:

That’s a dilemma,Sandy. I suppose I would worry about the time I was in the Music Box with what must be it’s very old ventilation system. I won’t go inside anywhere( except in a month to live again in what my son calls “ the death trap of the Mather.”) and to doctors and for a mammogram. I’ve taken other chances outdoors and here, for you and Bob, there is the need to balance friendship and loyalty. It’s all so difficult.

Oct 7, 2020 09:28PM Betrayal wrote:

Sandy: I would opt to watch it online if it is still an option and then write and send a personal note with my review. I think if you could do this, it would be as meaningful, if not moreso, than taking the risk in a poorly ventilated theater with a crowd that might not be as safe as you'd like. Social distancing seems to not be a uniformly interpreted issue so I would be reluctant to attend.

Oct 8, 2020 07:17AM IllinoisLady wrote:

Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to
others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you. . . .Look
at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as
you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone,
one question. . . . Does this path have a heart? If it does,
the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use.

Oct 8, 2020 07:27AM IllinoisLady wrote:

We will have another few nice days here. Not terribly hot -- just enough to be nice. No humidity and that is always, always welcome. I am most times reluctant for Fall to come. It is a time of yr. that causes two acres of leaves to have to be dealt with and that has been so much work. Before Dh insisted in blowing them into the ravines on either side of our house, but the past couple of yrs. he has been good with mulching them on the ground where they are. Sure makes a big difference in work load. I am happy not to spend days on end carrying my leaf blower ( electric so not physically heavy ) which gets burdensome just from the amt. of time it must be used and also having to constantly go back over spots because the leaves don't always go where wanted, especially if there is a bit of wind when you do it.

So far, we still can't much see the houses in front of us roughly 12 to 14 acres or so away although it is easy to see where the thinning has started towards the bottom of the tree line. Always the little tip-offs that show what is coming. We are now having deer almost daily as they forage the yard for what the trees drop. That is one of the truly nice and appreciated things that happen now. We do get deer from time to time all yr. but many more now seem to find their way here.

Growing up as I've often said, we had no deer here. I think they are such beautiful animals, and mostly graceful as well.

I hope you are all going to have a really beautiful day.