Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alternative

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Kaleigh, I know this is probably not the website you were interested in, but perhaps by chance it might have a member who has the same diagnosis as you. http://www.inspire.com

 

[movie zombie]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

good morning to one and all.

its ren faire time here in northern california and i'm feeling the need for an escape from reality into that world. i have been dealing with elderly parent issues [dad is dying and i'm helping mom with protecting their assets so she'll have some place to live and something to live on]. still have a floater in my right eye but no further detached retina symptoms and my ankle has healed rather nicely although i'm still in physical theraphy dealing with ongoing issues because of breaking my ankle in June. so that's my story/update and in doing so now i'm owning up to my own stress level....yes, a ren faire "fix" is definitely in order and will go a long ways towards helping to reduce said stress.

MoZo

ps just a reminder: many help boards are actually run by volunteers and not well funded.....others are very heavily financed and well run because of pharma/medical support. i've also found that such boards aren't always welcoming of new members.....that's been my experience with a thyroid group........

 

[Matata]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

For you West Coasters who may be hearing strange popping and clicking noises today, that's my hips & knees protesting the long hikes we took on a 4-day trip to Lake Tahoe this past weekend. I'm positive my joint noises are registering on earthquake monitors as a minor seismic event. Advil is my friend.

To those who are having major health issues, I send love, PS dust, & good karma your way.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

For you West Coasters who may be hearing strange popping and clicking noises today, that's my hips & knees protesting the long hikes we took on a 4-day trip to Lake Tahoe this past weekend. I'm positive my joint noises are registering on earthquake monitors as a minor seismic event. Advil is my friend.

To those who are having major health issues, I send love, PS dust, & good karma your way.

I'm jealous! I love Lake Tahoe!!! So tell me are the leaves changing colors up there. I remember the beautiful drive we took from San Francisco up rte 80 in late Sept a few years ago. The colors were spectacular.

Hope your hips and knees get back to normal soon!!

 

[Matata]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm jealous! I love Lake Tahoe!!! So tell me are the leaves changing colors up there. I remember the beautiful drive we took from San Francisco up rte 80 in late Sept a few years ago. The colors were spectacular.

Hope your hips and knees get back to normal soon!!

There was some fall color to be seen but not a whole lot yet. The nights were getting pretty chilly which helps the fall colors along. Won't be long now until everything is ablaze in oranges, yellows, reds & browns.

 

[Gayletmom]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Kaleigh, I checked out for the weekend and was so sorry to hear your news. I can only imagine the multitude of feelings you must be experiencing. Please know that you can come here any time and vent, b*tch, cry or just lurk-whatever you need.

I am saying prayers for you (and if you don't mind, I'll toss them into the hat when my third grade class prays) and sending you lot of good vibes.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Wishing all my friends on here a brighter day!

I am trying to learn to meditate and this morning was my first stab at it. Though difficult to empty my mind of all thought for even 5 minutes this morning, for some reason I found it extremely refreshing and restorative. Putting my noise canceling headphones on helped too.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Did anyone watch Dancing with the Stars last night? I was so tearful watching Jennifer Grey dancing with Derrick. I thought of Patrick Swayze the entire time. I am so watching Dirty Dancing this weekend.

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Did anyone watch Dancing with the Stars last night? I was so tearful watching Jennifer Grey dancing with Derrick. I thought of Patrick Swayze the entire time. I am so watching Dirty Dancing this weekend.

I did! I watched just to see Jennifer Grey, and I'll watch for the rest of the season so I can see her win! I was really so sorry to hear what happened to her as a result of that botched nose job. She literally dropped out of sight, couldn't get work, and went into a depression. It was so sad. I think she looks gorgeous and happy now. I hope she gets her own sitcom out of this.

 

[Sparkalin]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

A while back we were talking about plastic surgery and other "anti-aging" procedures. I don't watch DWTS, but I have heard about Jennifer Grey and the issues with her nose job. I have a pretty big honkin nose with a nice hump. I'm sure a nose job would give me a better profile, but having worn glasses all my life, I would be very upset if I lost my hump. It holds my glasses pefectly.

Linda

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

A while back we were talking about plastic surgery and other "anti-aging" procedures. I don't watch DWTS, but I have heard about Jennifer Grey and the issues with her nose job. I have a pretty big honkin nose with a nice hump. I'm sure a nose job would give me a better profile, but having worn glasses all my life, I would be very upset if I lost my hump. It holds my glasses pefectly.

Linda

I'm not opposed at all to any anti-aging procedures that anyone would like to make suggestions about. I actually made it to 55 without looking very old at all, but this year, everything I've been going through medically has drastically changed that. I think it's the stress and worry and because I lost a few pounds too with all the preps for all the procedures. Now my face looks ancient. I'd like to go for some type of non-invasive resurfacing procedure for a pick me up.

That "bad nose job" didn't seem to deter Jennifer Grey from having further plastic surgery. According to what I'm reading, she's also had a face lift and botox. More power to her. I think she looks great. She had a baby at 42 and her body looks better now than it did at 27 when she filmed Dirty Dancing.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Got the results of my 24 hr pee test and all was negative. However, the doctor wants to check my vitamin D levels. Apparently he has been doing this routinely lately and has uncovered a significant number patients with deficiencies. Ok, I get to get some more blood drained. Still need to get my boobs squished. I am just glad that I can enjoy the wine sampling next week.

 

[dragonfly411]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

soocool - Just popping in as I'm going into Nutrition. Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and it can have some of the same effects as anemia. I was D deficient this past winter and I just felt horrible all the time. I hope that you find an answer soon, but just wanted to let you know that it is common!

 

[lyra]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

When I turn 50 in 2 years, I'm going to join the Red Hat Society (google it) like my MIL. For now, this week I am getting purple Ray Ban bifocals as I gear up. I think they'll look just stunning and so what if they're goofy! The poem below speaks to me, and is a part of the Red Hat Society motto so to speak. Enjoy if you've never read it.

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

MZ, I am so sorry to hear that you broke your ankle this summer! I can't even imagine how hard that would be. I do understand the elderly parent issues, though. I had to help my mom deal with things when my Dad died a couple of years ago. I hope you can relax and have a break from all the stress!

 

[ksinger]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Lyra, I've read that. I even think I have the book lying around or packed away somewhere. But when I turn 50 (in 2 years) I'm aspiring (heck, I aspire now) to be a Sweet Potato Queen. So I'm a Wannabe.

(Any of you ladies from the south, (or not) need to read The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love.)

 

[risingsun]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

Lyra, I've read that. I even think I have the book lying around or packed away somewhere. But when I turn 50 (in 2 years) I'm aspiring (heck, I aspire now) to be a Sweet Potato Queen. So I'm a Wannabe.

(Any of you ladies from the south, (or not) need to read The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love.)

I'm from Virginia. I'll put that book on my list. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

MoZo, I don't know how I missed seeing that you broke your ankle in June. I sure hope it's better and won't give you any problems.

Lyra, I don't know if I am ready to wear a red hat yet - maybe a red beret. I've got to check out the Red Hat Society online.

Ksinger, I've got to see if my library has that book. I need something good to read. I just can't get my head into reading lately.

Sparkalin, Don't think I am brave enough to undergo plastic surgery. No point changing my honker at this age. It has worked well so far, holding my glasses up as well.

Dragonfly, thanks about the vit D. I've got to read up on it some more.

If I left anyone else out this morning, just remember that I think of you ladies all day long. Bless all of you cute chicks!

BTW, DH and I got our new credit cards the other day and I told him I needed another pen to sign the back because it wasn't working. He looked, turned to me, and said ,"You're signing the magnetic strip. Sign there (he points to white strip)." Am I brain dead or what.

Well I hope that little bit of my life's trivia made all of you chuckle.

 

[ksinger]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

MoZo, I don't know how I missed seeing that you broke your ankle in June. I sure hope it's better and won't give you any problems.

Lyra, I don't know if I am ready to wear a red hat yet - maybe a red beret. I've got to check out the Red Hat Society online.

Ksinger, I've got to see if my library has that book. I need something good to read. I just can't get my head into reading lately.

Sparkalin, Don't think I am brave enough to undergo plastic surgery. No point changing my honker at this age. It has worked well so far, holding my glasses up as well.

Dragonfly, thanks about the vit D. I've got to read up on it some more.

If I left anyone else out this morning, just remember that I think of you ladies all day long. Bless all of you cute chicks!

BTW, DH and I got our new credit cards the other day and I told him I needed another pen to sign the back because it wasn't working. He looked, turned to me, and said ,"You're signing the magnetic strip. Sign there (he points to white strip)." Am I brain dead or what.

Well I hope that little bit of my life's trivia made all of you chuckle.

OK...here's one for YOU. I drive home from my Tuesday night jewelry class on a road that eventually narrows before funneling onto a major highway. I never CAN remember which lane - right or left narrows, but I did this time, because it's different than usual: the LEFT lane runs out and you narrow to the right. So there I am, cruising in the right lane for a change, feeling all very proud of myself for remembering, when I look JUST ahead and realize that the right lane narrows at one point before opening back up to two THEN narrowing from the left. I'm like "Oh shiiiiiiiiii.... and right over the median! Lucky for me, it was one of those low 4 inch jobbies, or I'd have ripped out the undercarriage of my car or broken something like the WHEELS.

Yeah. I was just thrilled to make it home in one piece.

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

For those in peri-menopause or in menopause:

Someone sent me this link. Pretty interesting. It is called the 35 symptoms of menopause.

http://www.project-aware.org/Experience/symptoms.shtml

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

MoZo, I don't know how I missed seeing that you broke your ankle in June. I sure hope it's better and won't give you any problems.

Lyra, I don't know if I am ready to wear a red hat yet - maybe a red beret. I've got to check out the Red Hat Society online.

Ksinger, I've got to see if my library has that book. I need something good to read. I just can't get my head into reading lately.

Sparkalin, Don't think I am brave enough to undergo plastic surgery. No point changing my honker at this age. It has worked well so far, holding my glasses up as well.

Dragonfly, thanks about the vit D. I've got to read up on it some more.

If I left anyone else out this morning, just remember that I think of you ladies all day long. Bless all of you cute chicks!

BTW, DH and I got our new credit cards the other day and I told him I needed another pen to sign the back because it wasn't working. He looked, turned to me, and said ,"You're signing the magnetic strip. Sign there (he points to white strip)." Am I brain dead or what.

Well I hope that little bit of my life's trivia made all of you chuckle.

OK...here's one for YOU. I drive home from my Tuesday night jewelry class on a road that eventually narrows before funneling onto a major highway. I never CAN remember which lane - right or left narrows, but I did this time, because it's different than usual: the LEFT lane runs out and you narrow to the right. So there I am, cruising in the right lane for a change, feeling all very proud of myself for remembering, when I look JUST ahead and realize that the right lane narrows at one point before opening back up to two THEN narrowing from the left. I'm like "Oh shiiiiiiiiii.... and right over the median! Lucky for me, it was one of those low 4 inch jobbies, or I'd have ripped out the undercarriage of my car or broken something like the WHEELS.

Yeah. I was just thrilled to make it home in one piece.

That is a good one. I was traveling from NJ back to PA and got off the wrong exit. How, I don't know. I take that exit a few times a week. The problem was that there was no place to turn around so I could head the other way. Took me an hour to get home when it should have been 15 minutes.

 

[Matata]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

For those in peri-menopause or in menopause:

Someone sent me this link. Pretty interesting. It is called the 35 symptoms of menopause.

http://www.project-aware.org/Experience/symptoms.shtml

I resemble that article. Nos. 32 & 33 are the only symptoms I don't have (yet). Geez, it's disturbing how much an effect hormones & the lack thereof have on a person's quality of life.

 

[ksinger]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm bummed. Here I have this gorgeous new stone, and I find that James Meyers no longer sets clients' stones, only the ones he sources and sells.

So I guess I have to back up and punt...phooey.

Yes I will try to post pics here soon, but of course when I went to take pictures, my camera battery is dead. Typical.

 

[ksinger]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

As someone who had a mammogram at 30, which found nothing, but had doctors slavering to cut me open, and years later, had the stressful invasive "oops, well, we didn't find anything" needle biopsy, I've been grappling with this new info for a few years now. As this article mentions, mammograms are neither risk, nor cost free, in radiation exposure, money, or peace of mind when they suggest cutting or scrutinizing nothing.

That said, I probably need to get one since I have gone over 2 years now. I'm personally OK with going a year in between. And right now I'm all doctored out, to be honest....

Mammograms’ Value in Cancer Fight at Issue

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/health/research/23mammogram.html?src=me&ref=health

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm bummed. Here I have this gorgeous new stone, and I find that James Meyers no longer sets clients' stones, only the ones he sources and sells.

So I guess I have to back up and punt...phooey.

Yes I will try to post pics here soon, but of course when I went to take pictures, my camera battery is dead. Typical.

Oh geez, I'm sorry about that for your sake. That doesn't seem fair to me. I guess everyone is desperate for a way to increase their business (and profit margin). Who was second on your list?

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm sorry I've been missing in action since last week. I was trying, or rather my Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom of that "all clear" colonoscopy report I had a week ago Monday. Of course it's not all clear. The surgeon just didn't recognize the flat hypopigmented areas as being polyps. But my Gastro has the pathology reports to prove that they are. So.... I've been referred to another doctor, "the colon guru of Long Island" (ya' gotta' laugh) who has all of the latest equipment and does two high tech procedures for the detection and removal of precanerous and cancerous polyps. I'm waiting to get an appointment with him for as soon as possible so we can have the mandatory consult and I can be put on his schedule for a polypectomy.

This whole thing is a big stressful PITA!

 

[Upgradable]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm sorry I've been missing in action since last week. I was trying, or rather my Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom of that "all clear" colonoscopy report I had a week ago Monday. Of course it's not all clear. The surgeon just didn't recognize the flat hypopigmented areas as being polyps. But my Gastro has the pathology reports to prove that they are. So.... I've been referred to another doctor, "the colon guru of Long Island" (ya' gotta' laugh) who has all of the latest equipment and does two high tech procedures for the detection and removal of precanerous and cancerous polyps. I'm waiting to get an appointment with him for as soon as possible so we can have the mandatory consult and I can be put on his schedule for a polypectomy.

This whole thing is a big stressful PITA!

Okay, how bad do I feel for laughing like a fool at Gemmy's description of a PITA??

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm sorry I've been missing in action since last week. I was trying, or rather my Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom of that "all clear" colonoscopy report I had a week ago Monday. Of course it's not all clear. The surgeon just didn't recognize the flat hypopigmented areas as being polyps. But my Gastro has the pathology reports to prove that they are. So.... I've been referred to another doctor, "the colon guru of Long Island" (ya' gotta' laugh) who has all of the latest equipment and does two high tech procedures for the detection and removal of precanerous and cancerous polyps. I'm waiting to get an appointment with him for as soon as possible so we can have the mandatory consult and I can be put on his schedule for a polypectomy.

This whole thing is a big stressful PITA!

Okay, how bad do I feel for laughing like a fool at Gemmy's description of a PITA??

Oh no REALLY- laugh! When I come home from one of these things, I can't sit squarely on my butt for a couple of days.

Have you ever wondered who the hell the bright star was that decided we should have a black Craftsman all rubber garden hose with a mini-cam shoved up our butts?

 

[soocool]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm sorry I've been missing in action since last week. I was trying, or rather my Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom of that "all clear" colonoscopy report I had a week ago Monday. Of course it's not all clear. The surgeon just didn't recognize the flat hypopigmented areas as being polyps. But my Gastro has the pathology reports to prove that they are. So.... I've been referred to another doctor, "the colon guru of Long Island" (ya' gotta' laugh) who has all of the latest equipment and does two high tech procedures for the detection and removal of precanerous and cancerous polyps. I'm waiting to get an appointment with him for as soon as possible so we can have the mandatory consult and I can be put on his schedule for a polypectomy.

This whole thing is a big stressful PITA!

Okay, how bad do I feel for laughing like a fool at Gemmy's description of a PITA??

Ok, Hit me with a brick! I didn't make the connection. PITA and colonoscopy, until you pointed it out. Ok not laughing, but perhaps a little snicker. Oh and I also highlighted something else that went right past me "Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom"

gemgirl, does this mean you have to do this all over again? I hope your "colon guru" finally helps you. Make sure if he is booked to call you in case someone cancels so you can get the next soonest appt.

 

[gemgirl]

Re: Getting older isn't so bad when you consider the alterna

I'm sorry I've been missing in action since last week. I was trying, or rather my Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom of that "all clear" colonoscopy report I had a week ago Monday. Of course it's not all clear. The surgeon just didn't recognize the flat hypopigmented areas as being polyps. But my Gastro has the pathology reports to prove that they are. So.... I've been referred to another doctor, "the colon guru of Long Island" (ya' gotta' laugh) who has all of the latest equipment and does two high tech procedures for the detection and removal of precanerous and cancerous polyps. I'm waiting to get an appointment with him for as soon as possible so we can have the mandatory consult and I can be put on his schedule for a polypectomy.

This whole thing is a big stressful PITA!

Okay, how bad do I feel for laughing like a fool at Gemmy's description of a PITA??

Ok, Hit me with a brick! I didn't make the connection. PITA and colonoscopy, until you pointed it out. Ok not laughing, but perhaps a little snicker. Oh and I also highlighted something else that went right past me "Gastroenterologist was trying to get to the bottom"

gemgirl, does this mean you have to do this all over again? I hope your "colon guru" finally helps you. Make sure if he is booked to call you in case someone cancels so you can get the next soonest appt.

I swear I didn't even realize I wrote that when I wrote it, but it's a good Carlin-esque type joke.

Yuppers, I have to do the whole thing over again. The thing is, last week we anticipated me having another actual surgery like the one in June. So it's more than just me doing the prep again, though I'm NOT looking forward to it. It's having all bland soft food in the frig, cooked and ready to warm up when I feel like eating again. Having my husband take another week off from work to be with me in case anything happens (like the hemorraging after my first one). Having the beds changed and my house fairly clean, pantry stocked because I can't do anything strenuous for two to four weeks afterwards. It's the whole rig-a-ma-roll. A real, well...... you know .
Yup, I had five taken out in June and I have six more to come out. Then I'm hooked back into the precancerous polyposis protocol of having a colonoscopy every three months til they're all out. Then again in three months to make sure that no new ones popped up. Once I'm in the clear, they should leave me alone for six or twelve months, depends on the doctor.