Geriatric MM Warriors June 13, 2010

[kater]

Just heard from the nurse. Tom's scan was done too soon after the infection, which I knew. GRRRRRR!!!! But they wanted to do it anyway to see if there was metastatic disease anywhere else. There wasn't!!!!

The area of the right groin where the infection is/was did light up but they cannot interpret it one way or another because they feel it is too soon. He'll have to heal and have another scan. We're still going to see the doctor next week, but I am so relieved to know we aren't walking into bad news.

His brain, head and neck, chest and liver are all clear!

Lisa - I am just so happy for you! What a relief. I hope you sleep well tonight - sweet dreams.

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - Sooo happy that Tom had a clean scan!!!!! Whew. I know you both must be relieved.

Kathy - Do you live in a remote area? I wonder why you feel the need for a gun. Does Mike's daughter have family in Texas?

Kate- I'm glad the fountain fairy is on the way!

Yes, we have SNOW today. I am soooo tired of this - I kept telling myself today that this is the end of winter, this is the end of winter, ...

Does anyone else receive spam-like mail from Robin? I wonder if her email has gotten hacked? I responded to the first one, but they just kept coming & I feel suspicious.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: I didn't get any strange email from Robin, but you are wise to be cautious. I miss her!

This storm is crazy! There are high winds, tons of rain, hail and it seems it will never end! We had a tornato touch down not too far north west of us last night. That is a very, very rare event. I had to go out to a home appraisal today and stopped to buy some new bras on the way back. My raincoat literally blew up over my head!Good grief, glad I don't have a picture of that! Thankfully I had on a business skirt which couldn't follow the raincoat up over my head.

I am still not sleeping. I have tried calcium and homeopathic insomnia tablets. They help somewhat. If I take a sleep aid I am zapped out for the whole next morning. This weekend I hope I can catch up on my sleep finally. So tired!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Lisa, such great news about Tom!! I will continue praying for you guys. I hope your not getting all that rain I am hearing that CA is getting!!

Diane, I live right in town, but it is a college town, and I have college kids right next to me on each side of the house. We have has slashed tires, and a drunk kid trying to break into the house one night. I'm not too afraid, but there is always drunk kids around. We live about 4-5 blocks from IUP (the college) and there is always partying going on. We have an older lady who lives right at the end of the block (about 4 houses from us) who had some problems one night, and she was afraid to call the cops as she is a school crossing guard and was afraid the kids would know it was her who called them and then do something to her or her house. I told her next time, to call my house, I'll call the cops (they are only about 2 blocks from us) and bring Bailey with me and go down to her house.
We got some bad weather yesterday. A tornado touched down about 30 minutes from the house. It was hailing here, and I posted some of the pictures. I'll link them here for you, Diane They were taken at a house I clean at. Let me know if you can't see them. The ones of the dogs were taken at home You can click on the picture to get a bigger view

 

[gettinhealthy]

Diane: I didn't get any strange email from Robin, but you are wise to be cautious. I miss her!

This storm is crazy! There are high winds, tons of rain, hail and it seems it will never end! We had a tornato touch down not too far north west of us last night. That is a very, very rare event. I had to go out to a home appraisal today and stopped to buy some new bras on the way back. My raincoat literally blew up over my head!Good grief, glad I don't have a picture of that! Thankfully I had on a business skirt which couldn't follow the raincoat up over my head.

I am still not sleeping. I have tried calcium and homeopathic insomnia tablets. They help somewhat. If I take a sleep aid I am zapped out for the whole next morning. This weekend I hope I can catch up on my sleep finally. So tired!

Lisa, Diane, I get those emails too. Like Diane, I opened the first couple, then stopped. I also get them from Cindy Inman. I am thinking it is a virus or something along that line.
I hope you're being safe, Lisa. I saw this morning where CA was to get some nasty weather!!
Lisa, have you tried soaking in the hot tub for a few minutes before bedtime? I know when we go to the Y and I use the steam room, I sleep like a baby. Maybe some warm milk or some low carb type of something before bed? I also sleep really well if I eat cereal before I go to bed LOL.
Hope you get some sleep tonight!!

 

[Diane W.]

Well, between the 3 of us, we have had rain, snow, hail, wind and a tornado!
I call for sunny skies from now on.

I've applied for a couple of jobs today that would be exciting to get called on. One is in a country school in Connecticut - I hope they at least call me for an interview. The other one is an executive assistant for the owner of a large Honda dealership (I want a new car at cost!). Since it's in Dutchess county, I know it probably won't pay that well - but it sounds interesting and I do think I could get a break on a car. I always daydream about the jobs I apply to and then get disappointed. It really sucks and I can't wait until it's over and I have a job.

Lisa - I've been taking 1/2 a Unisom tablet to get to sleep. Last night and the night before it wasn't working and I had to get up and take the other half. Before all this happened I used to go to bed at 9:30, read for a bit and fall straight to sleep, wake up at 6, exercise, shower, dress and have breakfast, go to work and everything was fine. Now my life is so unstructured and it feels like everything is up in the air. I don't know how much longer I can stand it. The past few days I feel like taking a Unisom as soon as I wake up so I can just sleep the day away.

Kathy - I would keep a 'beware of dog' sign near the front of the house - maybe it would be keep the kids away. Thanks for sharing the pictures!! The doggies are adorable - you're so lucky to have them.

Kate - Hope you're well and having good weather!

Robin - Stop in and let us know how you're doing! We miss you!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: If I take a hot tub I sleep better and I do take a bath most nights, but not too late because I look so forward to taking a bath that I do it around 8 and then watch some TV or something. I am sooooo drug sensitive; everything makes me groggy. I'm up late kind of pumped up from all the details I had to tend to today with work. I sure hope one of those jobs you dream about is coming your way soon! I used to do accounting and I worked for Sacramento Country Day School, which is a big college preparatory private school. Some of my happiest times were there and I met the person who referred me to the doctor who helped us achieve our miracle baby during that time. Great memories! I wonder if the school you mentioned is of a similar type?

Cute puppies, Kathy! Please be careful and don't go out when it could be dangerous. That's how you get hurt. Best to be anonymous and not let the roudy kids see your dog and you or follow you home. It's a different world than when we were kids. People don't know how not to overreact with violence. I won't even let Tom stick his head out if I hear a scary noise. You never know. It could be a dragonfly, LOL! Remember my embarrassing story??

 

[kater]

No - not good weather here. Rain, rain, rain, rain. We had over 1.5 inches in the past 24 hours. My sister lives in the Santa Cruz mountains and they got a 2.75 inches in the past 24 hours! Can you believe that? They lose their power at their house so frequently where she lives that they have generators.

I got those same weird emails from Robin and figured that her account had been hacked and just keep deleting them.

Kathy - love the pics! Are you keeping two puppies?

I finally chose an engagement ring yesterday. I found a setting I loved on-line a few months ago and just kept going back to it. I figured if that was the one I still liked, after changing my mind on about a zillion other rings, I should just get it! I am a little nervous since I couldn't try it on but it is returnable if I don't like it. I am excited.....

 

[kater]

Okay. Time for an hCG update. As you may recall, I started it last month sometime? With the blessing of my Naturopathic Doctor. After three weeks of feeling tired, no energy, thinking of food constantly and having a really hard time to sticking to what I was supposed to be eating, I called her and told her I couldn't take it anymore. She knew I was struggling and was giving me suggestions. Generally along the lines of eating more protein, spacing out my food, etc...

I did some research on-line and found that many people needed to adjust their doses to have that awesome feeling of not being hungry. So, I ordered my own hCG on-line, upped my dose and it is working! I still have some hunger but it isn't distracting me 24/7. There are times (like last night) when I had to force myself to eat. I will call my doc in the next few days and tell her my experience. Only because I know she is the kind of doctor that will take my experience and use it in her practice. Also, she took measurements when I started (something I would never dare to do on my own), so I want to go back into her office sometime soon and see my progress. I am definitely losing weight. I signed up to work with an "hCG coach" - I want to have someone there to help stay on track once I lose the weight. I have lost weight before but then never managed to keep it off. I am sure you can relate....

Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you. In the past nine days, I have lost 7 pounds. That is another reason why I want to go back to my doc. She has one of those scales that can tell your body composition. I/she wants to make sure I am not losing muscle. Which is supposed to be part of the beauty of hCG - your body is burning your own FAT - that is why you aren't hungry (well, at least not "gnaw your arm off" hungry.

 

[Wisteria1956]

That email is Robin's old one. Her new one is the virginiaponygirl one. I sent her an email to let her know the minnie account is hacked and asked her to stop in and say Hi to us.

Kate: That's great about the weight loss. Did you order injections or the drops? Dr. Oz said it's hard to know how much hCG you are getting in the drops you order. My sister was given some by a friend who joined a company that sells them. She wanted to see if they helped while eating more normally. I still don't really understand why one has to go so radical with the diet. What does your doctor say?

Quieter day weather wise so far this morning but it's going to rain all weekend before it finally dries out this coming week. I sure could use some sunshine! This is crazy and if it keeps up I might have to relocate, lol!

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - It's probably a very similar type of school. (expensive- $23-29K/yr.!) I hope I hear from them.

In NY we have 2 Dr. Oz shows a day. One at 11 am that is a repeat of the previous day and then the current one at 4. Today's 11 am show had a woman who was the volunteer of the day who she said she started work at the Alzheimer's Assoc. Her name was Shana. I immediately went to the ALZ website to see if she was the person who got the job that I had interviewed for.....yup, that's her!

Kate- 7 lbs.!! Wow - I would love that. You have to send us a picture of your new ring. How exciting!

It's sunny today, but still chilly. Tomorrow I'm going to "Pompeii:The Exhibit". It's at Discovery Time Square. I've never been there, so it should be interesting. I was hoping for warmer weather, but at least it won't be raining tomorrow. I'm going with my sister and a couple of her friends from work. I really hope I can fall asleep tonight - if not, I'm not going. I have to leave my house at 7:30 am, which means I need to wake up at 6:30 am. I'll take a unisom at 9:30 and try to get to sleep. Bleh.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Hi Everyone! Sorry to be AWOL yet again...It looks like everyone is experiencing tough times and Im so sorry not to be here to be as supportive as you all have been for me....BAD PONY, BAD FRIEND! Being out of work so long has put a terrible strain on my finances, like everyone elses, and its just non stop things that need $$$ and I just do not have any to spare. Went into somewhat of a funk for a couple weeks stewing and worrying about it but decided to turn it all over to God and have faith it will sort itself out.

Sorry my old AOL e-mail apparently got hacked and sent everyone I know all kinds of crazy stuff...just ignore it all please, and Im probably going to just cancel out the account all together. I think most of you use my yahoo account anyway and its really the only one I use anymore.

Still waiting for news on Blue Cross authorizing the vein doc to do this procedure to collapse the vein that runs from my thigh to my ankle in the left leg. The doc feels this will make all the difference, and though it wont prevent future clots, at least it will reduce the swelling and aching I have had since last October! I am currently wearing an instrument of minor torture, which is a very high compression stocking that I can hardly get on, and goes from ankle right up to my butt cheek! It does help with the swelling, but unfortunately is pretty uncomfortable in its own right after a few hours. I am going to go back to work next Thursday at Nationwide, planning to work a couple days and then give my two week notice. Dont think they will even care, since I have been out so long now anyway. Then I can get started working full time at my new job, which will be much less stressful and flexible for the leg. Praise God for a great, understanding new boss who has been patiently waiting for me to get back to work! Like I said before, I had worked for him for three years before, and have been going in a few hours here and there since December, so its kind of like going back home...lots of folks I know well and loved working with before, so the transition will be very easy. It will be probably 6 months before I will be making any kind of decent money, but it should be ok by the end of the year.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to check up on me, send e-mails, Face book etc...you know I love you all and am praying for all the assorted issues we all seem to have...remember I said 2011 was going to be better for us all, so keep your heads up and BELIEVE!!!

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Robin!! So good to hear from you. I hope you hear from Blue Cross soon and can get that vein taken care of. Those stockings sound like torture. You're lucky to have a new job waiting for you. Once you get started I'm sure your anxiety will lessen. I know how you feel about getting into a 'funk' - I have to fight with myself daily not to easily sink into an overwhelming depression. So far, so good.

I couldn't sleep again last night. I took 1/2 unisom at 10:00 and then the other half at 1 am. I was still awake at 4:30, so when the alarm went off at 6:30 I knew I wasn't going to be up for a day in the city. I called my sister at 7 and told her I wasn't coming. I then slept until 11:30. This is terrible.
Tomorrow night I'm not going to take anything and stay up all night if I have to. I keep thinking about what would happen if I had a new job right now and had to wake up and work all day. I think if I stay up and then get to sleep without anything (no matter what time it is) will be helpful in getting back to a regular schedule. I hope!!

I went for a walk today and had to wear my earmuffs and mittens. Yay spring.

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Good morning everyone. Not much going on here lately. It is sunny here, but cold

Diane, if we put a sign up that says beware of dogs, our insurance will go up. Boxers are part of the "bully breeds" but not as recognized as rotties and pitties, so we are in the clear as far as that. But if we put a sign up, they will consider them aggressive dogs, and the insurance can go up, or they can actually cancel our policy all together.
I am still praying for your jobs. What crap the lady who got your job got on Dr. Oz. I think you would have done a better job
Have you tried taking valerian for sleeping? When I have trouble sleeping, I drink a tea made by the Republic of Tea called Get Some ZZZZ's. It really helps and tastes good. And valerian won't disrupt your REM sleep, so you won't have that groggy feeling the next day. Usually stuff like that affects me all the next day, but I don't have problems with that kind. We have a local drug store here that I can buy it locally. Here is a link for you to read:

http://www.republicoftea.com/get-some-zzz's---no+-5/p/V00729/

Robin, glad to see you. I don't have your yahoo email, but I can always catch up with you on FB. I think Lisa sort gave it to us LOL.
I remember after having the girls (c-section) having to wear those stockings. They did make my legs feel better, but they are a pain in the butt. I actually still have them, and when my legs really start to bother me, I wear them. I know what you mean about the money aspect. I think those 2 years Mike was off is catching up with us a bit. But we also had 4 vehicles go down at once too
Sending some prayers your way and hugs too.

Kate, can't wait to see your ring. I think if it's still there, and you keep going back to it, it is meant for you I am so excited for you!!

Lisa, hope all is well with you and Tom. Has your weather settled down a bit?

Got to get going. Need to clean up the house a bit and then head to work for a couple hours. My sister is back home for the weekend, and leaving to go back to CO on Tues. I took Monday off to spend the day with her.
Later everyone!!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kathy: Sometimes people put up beward of dogs signs and they don't even have a dog. There are also fax alarm system signs people use. My Dad has a fake video camera pointed at his front porch. Motion makes it turn and light up red, but it's totally fake. LOL. He has one in the garage aimed so you can see it out the window. Then again, my Dad is a nut.

Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea has valerian in it also. You can also get the valerian capsules, but they give me heartburn at night. The tea doesn't. My parents got me some homepathic insomnia tablets you put under your tongue and they help. The last two nights I took the pills the doctor gave us. I had determined one of my main goals for this weekend was to catch up on my sleep. My best friend noticed a difference in my voice on the phone this morning. She said I didn't sound so tired. I am so sorry, Diane. Fatigue will make you think you can hardly go on sometimes. Dr. Oz said some light exercise at night, no TV right before bed (it stimulates the brain), a nice hot bath, some lavender, oh and calcium and magnisium tablets before bed. Take about 4 of them. He also said to keep your room cool. If you don't get better, you should go see your doctor. It might be hormones keeping you up.

We went to the rock and gem show today. I think I'm going to go to the club meeting next month. Seems like a fun way to meet some people that like to travel around and collect rocks, etc. Tom and I are having so much fun tumbling our agates. I met the perfect lady to make my jewelry. She is so reasonable and her work is gorgeous. I bought a necklace from her for Olivia's birthday. She's going to be 21 in Sept! I can't believe it. I love meeting inspirational people that have found a way to make a living out of one of their passions. That always strikes a cord with me and I like to buy whatever I can from grass roots vendors. I might take a jewelry making class, but I'm afraid of eyestrain so we'll see if I do it.

Tom's infection was the same one Olivia had in her breast (B strep) when the doctor told my sister she was about 2 days away from dying. Just to think her dad wanted her to wait for Monday to go to the clinic instead of the emergency room on the weekend because of the cost!

He's having a pretty good weekend and going back to the gym tomorrow. He really can't wait until he can get back in the hot tub with me. We went for a walk this morning. There was finally a break in the downpouring rain we've been having. It's been record breaking and so depressing. This coming week is supposed to be sunny! We made it to the other side, yippee!!!

 

[kater]

That email is Robin's old one. Her new one is the virginiaponygirl one. I sent her an email to let her know the minnie account is hacked and asked her to stop in and say Hi to us.

Kate: That's great about the weight loss. Did you order injections or the drops? Dr. Oz said it's hard to know how much hCG you are getting in the drops you order. My sister was given some by a friend who joined a company that sells them. She wanted to see if they helped while eating more normally. I still don't really understand why one has to go so radical with the diet. What does your doctor say?

Quieter day weather wise so far this morning but it's going to rain all weekend before it finally dries out this coming week. I sure could use some sunshine! This is crazy and if it keeps up I might have to relocate, lol!

Lisa - I ordered the prescription kind and take it by injection (very small needles - the kind used for insulin injections). The reason that the calories are so limited is that your body is then forced to burn your own fat for energy. If you have more calories, you won't need to rely on your own fat for energy. Apparently, the beauty of this method is that you don't lose muscle - just fat. The hcg hormone is around when you are pregnant to make your fat available to feed the growing baby.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kate: Did you have to have a prescription to order it online? I doubt my body would chose to burn muscle when it has so much available fat to burn lately.I have to start almost all over. It's depressing, but I'm trying to give myself credit for making it through the last six months fairly intact, albeit a bit fatter. Sigh. Every Monday I say this is the week I make sure I exercise and don't eat wrong late in the day. Those are my two downfalls. Would you guys like to hold me accountable? I think it might help me. Still pondering the hCG. If only I knew I wouldn't faint. It also gave my sister cramps. I guess her body thinks she's pregnant. It's so weird because if my body thought I was pregnant, it would want strawberry croissants, popcorn and frozen yogurt.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Kathy: Sometimes people put up beward of dogs signs and they don't even have a dog. There are also fax alarm system signs people use. My Dad has a fake video camera pointed at his front porch. Motion makes it turn and light up red, but it's totally fake. LOL. He has one in the garage aimed so you can see it out the window. Then again, my Dad is a nut.

Lisa, Mike said he wants to put a sign up that says, "BEWARE OF THE OWNER, NOT THE DOGS" I told him our insurance would go up for sure if he posted that!! LOL

We went to the rock and gem show today. I think I'm going to go to the club meeting next month. Seems like a fun way to meet some people that like to travel around and collect rocks, etc. Tom and I are having so much fun tumbling our agates. I met the perfect lady to make my jewelry. She is so reasonable and her work is gorgeous. I bought a necklace from her for Olivia's birthday. She's going to be 21 in Sept! I can't believe it. I love meeting inspirational people that have found a way to make a living out of one of their passions. That always strikes a cord with me and I like to buy whatever I can from grass roots vendors. I might take a jewelry making class, but I'm afraid of eyestrain so we'll see if I do it.

That sounds like it would be fun to go to. I had fun doing the necklaces and bracelets for Tris' wedding. I am thinking of doing some faux pearl ones to wear too. I still need to ask mom about her rock tumbler. I saw on ebay some rough gems that were pretty cheap.

Tom's infection was the same one Olivia had in her breast (B strep) when the doctor told my sister she was about 2 days away from dying. Just to think her dad wanted her to wait for Monday to go to the clinic instead of the emergency room on the weekend because of the cost!

He's having a pretty good weekend and going back to the gym tomorrow. He really can't wait until he can get back in the hot tub with me. We went for a walk this morning. There was finally a break in the downpouring rain we've been having. It's been record breaking and so depressing. This coming week is supposed to be sunny! We made it to the other side, yippee!!!

I am so glad Tom is getting back to his old self. Before you know it, he'll be chasing you around the house again!! I hope his infection is getting better and he gets back to 100% very soon.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Kate: Did you have to have a prescription to order it online? I doubt my body would chose to burn muscle when it has so much available fat to burn lately.I have to start almost all over. It's depressing, but I'm trying to give myself credit for making it through the last six months fairly intact, albeit a bit fatter. Sigh. Every Monday I say this is the week I make sure I exercise and don't eat wrong late in the day. Those are my two downfalls. Would you guys like to hold me accountable? I think it might help me. Still pondering the hCG. If only I knew I wouldn't faint. It also gave my sister cramps. I guess her body thinks she's pregnant. It's so weird because if my body thought I was pregnant, it would want strawberry croissants, popcorn and frozen yogurt.

Lisa, considering everything you've been through the last year or so, you're entitled to be a little more plump Now you and Tom can get back on track together. At least the rain has subsided somewhat and you can enjoy going outdoors again! Still too cold out for us to enjoy the outdoors. It was 19* when I got up at 7am.

Got a question for you, Lisa. How close is Dr. Perricone's "diet" to MM? I am thinking of getting his book, Sugar Shock and I'd also like to get his Inflamation Diet book. It seems to me he has more extensive knowledge on the subject. Not saying Diane doesn't, just can't work her diet long term. Heck, can't even get through 8 weeks without screwing it up. I have been looking at the site www.sugarshock.com and I'm impressed with what I'm reading. And I know Dr. Oz (who I really like and trust) endorses him also. I know my body doesn't handle sugar well at all, as well as carbs. On the carb thing, is whole wheat pasta a "good carb" kind of thing? I have a lot of it here, and would be more than happy to eat it. I know it's still better than regular pasta.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Lisa - I ordered the prescription kind and take it by injection (very small needles - the kind used for insulin injections). The reason that the calories are so limited is that your body is then forced to burn your own fat for energy. If you have more calories, you won't need to rely on your own fat for energy. Apparently, the beauty of this method is that you don't lose muscle - just fat. The hcg hormone is around when you are pregnant to make your fat available to feed the growing baby.

Kate, you're braver than I am. I absolutely HATE needles, and don't think I could give myself shots. If I would ever become diabetic, Mike would have to do it for me, but thinking for that, I would probably put my big girl pants on.