Geriatric MM Warriors June 13, 2010

[Simpleone]

Hello every busy one!

Lisa, walking stick! What a wonderful idea! Love that! Woman, you're good!! I need you to drag me along on your journey of positive thinking, gads, the after Christmas, winter depression has hit me already. You make me ashamed of myself because I'm going through nothing like some of you are and you continue to write such upbeat positive posts that lift me up, when it should be me trying to do the lifting. Your cookies sound fantastic! Oh yum! And I'm sure JP is comforted by just being there with you, Tom, and the family.

I've been all day here, not dressed, not working, cooking, or cleaning, been back up to bed a couple of times and I have around 20 guests coming tomorrow evening...I don't care. I want to care, but can't. I'll trek along and have a few good days then it's like I fall into some kind of black hole. I think I will start my graditude journal tonight or something, I'll look for the book you bought too. Or maybe I need to have someone whack me a good one upside the head? ::sigh::

Kate, loved ALL your posts this morning and bless Demi's heart, such good news!

Diane, this is by far my favortie time of the year as well...or maybe I should say it usually is!! I'm one of the crazies that defend all stores for putting out Chirstmas items right after Halloween. Enjoy! :hug

I want to wish you all a very merry and love filled Christmas. You all will be right there at the top of my list of things I'm most grateful for. You all just rock! ...ah there we are...Rockettes!

Lisa, I'll be back to check and see if you found that walking stick! What a good Santa you are!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Bummed about the walking stick. Family delayed us until it was far too late. Grrrr. We decided to look for one for his birthday in April.

 

[kater]

Kate, I am loving Louise Hay’s book on Gratitude. I bought it for myself when shopping for Tom for his stocking. Can’t remember if I told you this already. It’s filled with short essays by dozens of ‘teachers’ of living in gratitude. I remind myself whenever a scary thought comes that I am in the future in that moment and not in gratitude and I quickly give thanks for something to bring me back to gratitude. It’s making a big difference. I still have the bad thoughts, but they aren’t taking over any more. “Every day in every way I am getting better and better.” Mother taught me this 25 years ago, but I haven't had it in the forefront lately. Revision!

Lisa - Last night I was listening to my ipod to fall asleep. I recently downloaded the audio book of Money and the Law of Attraction by Jerry & Esther Hicks. They were talking about how important it is to put your intention on positive thoughts. The more you do that, the more positive things are attracted to you.

 

[kater]

Diane - I cracked up when I read about your chocolate and maraschino cherry cookies. I was thinking they sounded yucky before I even read your "yuck" comment.

Robin - I missed the post about your new job! Congrats! It sounds so much better than a cubicle!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kate, we should have coffee anyway some time even if we're not going to UCSF. I'd love to take a walk with you someday or have a coffee. Let's try that maybe in a couple of months. Or we could have clam linguine in Tiburon

I love the idea of listening to positive messages before sleep, especially. Tom is loving his Depok Chopra I downloaded for him, also. Guided meditations for healing.

Have a good night! Safe travels in my thoughts for Robin and love to all.

 

[Seabreezes]

It is now after 10PM here, Christmas Day where all of you are. We just had 13 in for dinner - a delightful time was had by all, I think. They certainly seemed to enjoy the food and wine, so assume a good time was had by all. I had someone help me with the dinner and he also did the clean up. It made it easier for me. My standing up time is getting less and less every day, unfortunately.

It was so nice to read all your posts, Kate. I am behind a couple of days.

Pam, I hope you are felling better.

Lisa, I know you will make the most of the holidays with your family and everything will turn out just fine!!!

Kate, I'll post the links to the Ideal Protein diet below. I think it is interesting as it talks about re-setting the pancreas just as Diane K does. It is much more rigid and very low cal to start with. As I read more posts people were talking about losing hair and that is not good as they are not getting enough calories. However it does lead up to a maintenance diet that is very doable and I think easier than Diane's. I'm not sure it is a very good solution to lose weight with, though.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/ideal-protein-diet-236/

This is on the 3fatchicks forum. There are links to the doctor’s book and lots of interaction between the people using the diet. It is basically a liquid diet for a while with one meal of salad and protein. The weight losses have been impressive. I don’t know if there are any clinics in your area or not. It is very popular in Canada. I think it could be done without the coaching with the info given on the site, but I don’t know. The food purchased through them is fairly expensive, but the people seem to have found alternatives that are less expensive ie. EAS low carb shakes for the IP shakes. A lot of people seem to find that when they add in more fat they actually lose better. That goes along with Atkins style thinking and that really low fat is not the key. I think that is why they lose hair as they are not getting enough fat in their diet to absorb minerals.

I really want to get 20 pounds off of me, It is not a lot, but I would be much happier with it gone and it doesn’t seem to want to go!!! I’m not sure drastic measures are what I need, but just being careful doesn’t seem to be doing it either. OH well.........

Everyone, enjoy the rest of your weekend with your families. This is not the best time of year for me, but we have made a lot of friends here so have our local family. We will spend tomorrow with another group that were not here tonight.

Love and Hugs to ALL

 

[Wisteria1956]

At lunchtime this week Tom and I happened to catch a few minutes of The Doctors show. There was a doctor on there with a 'new' diet called the 17 day diet. It has 3 phases and looks like a lot of really great food. A girl had lost 12 lbs. in the first 17 days. We said we wanted to try it, but then I looked at the suggestions for food during radiation treatments and he cannot have any raw fruits and veg and a lot of veg is on the no list. This is to prevent digestive trouble since his pelvic area is being treated. I might start the diet anyway and see how I like it. Tom can catch up in 5 weeks. The reason we liked this diet is that it is very healthy, much like what I did on Dr. Perricone. Lots of colorful fruits and veg and lean meats. I do not think grains come in until the second of the 17 day cycles. It wouldn't be hard to do without grains for 17 days, though. The first 17 days give you the jump start he says everyone needs to see results and therefore stick with it. Maybe we should look into it.

Jocelyn, I'm so glad your party went so well. Mine did too! I'm heading up for a bath while the kids take a hot tub. We had pasta with my BIL's Italian sauce. It was an incredible treat for them to make the main dish in advance for me. Made my day so much more enjoyable. I have often made turkey for Christmas and I doubt I ever will again after seeing the difference a more low key approach makes.

Hope everyone had a blessed day with family. I was able to stay very much in the present and not get too off track with scary thoughts. I'm very proud of myself for not crying at all except at some really great Peter, Paul and Mary footage.

See you tomorrow!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Hi guys. Hope your Christmas went well. I am hanging in there. Just a quick note. Have been sooo busy!! Had an unexpected guest last Sunday till Wed. afternoon. Then work, puppies, holidays. Well, you all get the idea.
Things are starting to settle a bit and I need to catch up on all the posts.
Have to take our puppy to the vet in the morning. I took him to get his ears cropped on Wed. and one of the stitches came out today. It is now not together. Hard to explain what I mean. We are giving him benedryl to keep him calm so the rest of them don't come out as well. He was such a good boy getting it done. I then take him Friday for stitches to be removed and to learn how to post and tape his ears up. I will have to tape/post them for 6-8 months so his muscles become strong enough to hold them up on their own.
Ok, have to put supper away. I'll try to catch up tomorrow. I'm off, but an hour trip to the vets, and then not sure how long of a wait we'll have.
Hugs to you all and sending out prayers to everyone!!

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day!

We are having a blizzard as I write this. The snow started around 12:00 and is expected to end tomorrow afternoon. I'm so happy it wasn't yesterday!
Owen is having his Christmas with his dad's family today. They all live across the river from me and pretty near to each other. His father has a Jeep and picked him up. He will be sleeping at his dad's tonight.

Christmas day was so nice. We went to my nephew's house. I made 2 cakes and everyone brought something. They had a buffet and it was wonderful. All the kids had a great time and so did we!

I was supposed to go to Vinnie's today for our Christmas celebration, but the snow put a hold on that plan. I'll see him on Tuesday for his birthday and Christmas combined.

Lisa - That diet sounds interesting. I'll have to google it for more info. I've been eating whatever I want for the last month and it's time to rein it in. I haven't tried on my interview suit since my last interview in November. It tends to fit just right with no room for 'fluff'. Trying it on will be my incentive to eat light.

I'll talk to you all tomorrow - as I'll be snowed-in!

 

[kater]

Diane - I hope you are warm and safe.

We had a wonderful holiday. So very grateful this year.

Hugs to all...

 

[Diane W.]

Hi everyone!
We had a snow storm. It looks beautiful outside. Owen and his dad shoveled my car out. I went out yesterday to the supermarket. All the roads are cleared, but the snow plowed to the side of the road narrows the pathway.

I'm going to Vinnie's today for our Christmas and his birthday. It will be fun and of course we will go out for my salad pizza! As soon as I walk in the pizzeria near his house they know exactly what I want.

I don't go out on New Year's eve - I hate driving on that night. Too many people that never drink decide to drink on New Year's eve and get drunk before they know it. I don't drink anyway, so I'm not missing anything (it's no fun to be around drunk people when you're sober).
Owen is going to a formal party in Brooklyn. He's sleeping down there, so I don't have to worry about him driving.

Hope everyone is enjoying this 4th day of Christmas!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Happy Birthday, Vinnie! Have fun today, Diane! Stay cozy inside.

It's raining here and the tree is comin' down. J-P leaves tomorrow so I decided to take the tree down while he can help his Dad. Love to decorate; hate to put it all away.

Tom's chemo is up in the air because the office is so impacted they are having to try to squeeze him in. I guess everyone delays their chemo until after Christmas?? This is making me nervous and I hope the nurse calls back soon with a plan. It's been two months since his surgery so two months with bullheaded cells potentially running around unchecked.

I'm with Diane about New Years. No partying here. Good dinner, hot tub, good movie, glass of wine. Bed before midnight, lol! That's my MO.

Trying so hard to figure out how I want to eat in the new year. Trying to do what I know works for now. My only worry is sustainability. I seem to fall off and gain it all back so easily, particularly if I get hurt like I did last year. I think exercise is way more important to my success than even what I chose to eat. Hmmmmm. Maybe a gym membership for my birthday?

 

[gettinhealthy]

Hi everyone!! Again, not much going on here. Puppies everywhere, barking and playing.
Took Atlas (guessing that's his name, and Behemoth is the nickname) to the vet yesterday. He (or they) managed to pull all the stitches out on his one ear. They weren't able to re-stitch it, but it pretty much held together except for where his ear creases near his head. That was the part I was most worried about. Especially if I show him. It seems to be healing pretty well, but won't know how it looks until we are done with the posting/taping. That could take up to 9 months. He is wearing a cone at least until Friday. He slept with us last night as the other pups tend to pick on him since he can't really defend himself. Not much sleep for him or I.

Diane, hope your having fun today! I know Vinnie's birthday will be a fun time! I do agree with you about New Years Eve. We usually go to our friend's house (Tris' MIL) but not as much as I used to. It is my birthday, and they usually celebrate it with Tris' MIL's dad. His birthday is Jan. 2. We have celebrated it together for as long as I was a baby. But anymore, I'd just as soon stay home, have a glass of wine and watch tv.

Lisa, hoping the nurse calls you soon. I can only imagine how hard it is to wait for news of the appointment.
The girls told me that Rich is having more tests done to see if there is any cancer anywhere else. If there is, it will be up to him as to have the chemo or not. They said if he does, it will only prolong the inevitable. Either way, it doesn't sound good at all. And he is only 48! The girls spent Christmas Eve day/evening with him, and said he doesn't look very well. Not the dad they are used to seeing. I just wish he'd spent more time with them when we separated. He only came around about every 3-6 months and that was for a day. He kept telling Carrie he would have her stay for a week during the summer, but he never did.

Robin, sending good vibes your way for a safe trip home.

Jocelyn, forgot to say hi in my last post, sorry.

Hi to everyone else, and hoping all is well with you all.

Sending you all hugs and love!!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kathy: It was good to see you. I'm glad Rich is being given the opportunity to make things better with the girls before it's too late. Even with such a devastating diagnosis he at least can make some quality memories with them and say the things he should have said before. I hope he can.

Tom's appointments are set, but they are all messed up from what we planned on and the chemo is much longer per day than we thought it would be. I doubt he's going to be going back to work much during the process. Chemo is 8 hrs. every Tuesday and radiation is every day in the morning instead of the afternoon, when he could have come home and rested. I'm pretty upset, but trying to process the changes. Really hard for either of us to work, but we'll try.

Tom's Mom is in the hospital today again with an emergency collapse and resusitation. She has a DNR order and they ignored it. He's at the hospital now. Poor guy; I don't know how much he's supposed to deal with. J-P's with him.

 

[Wisteria1956]

The nurse was wrong and I was right after all. The chemo isn't going to be 8 hrs. per day per week. It's the smaller dose that takes 3 hrs. I guess they would have finally figured out their mistake when we got there and asked questions again. We got our original afternoon schedule reinstated too. I don't know what a person that is old and alone would do to manage all of this. It seems like a fulltime job to me. I feel like I have to triple check everything and take a lot of notes.

Tom's Mom is in her final weeks, most likely. They are taking her off unnecessary meds and calling in hospice. She has dementia.

What a day.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Everyone!
Lisa - I'm so sorry to hear about Tom's mom. It's so sad to lose a parent, but it's especially hard around the holidays. Tom sure needs all his strength to get through her passing and his treatments. I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers. I'm happy for you that the appointments are back to the original plan.

Kathy - Your girls sound like wonderful people. I'm sorry they have to go through this. It is sad that their dad missed out on spending time with them when he was healthy.

I just took a half of a unisom and I'm going to bed. I'm tired and I hate tossing and turning - Unisom knocks me out.

Talk to you all tomorrow! Have a safe and peaceful evening!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Lisa, I too am sorry to hear that Tom's mom is doing so bad. I will keep all of you in my prayers for sure!
I am glad to hear Tom's appointments got straightened out. Thankfully you know to ask questions and get things straightened out. You are a very strong person having to deal with all this. If it were me, I know I'd want to go to a place where no one was around and scream and cry my eyes out. Sending a few extra prayers your way for the strength and courage you need.

Diane, have you gotten dug out yet? When I see the photos of all that snow, reminds me of Feb. when we got hit with all that snow. Hoping you're safe and sound, and plowed out!!

Not much going on here. I spoke with Tris yesterday, and she will be having New Years at her house this year. It will be a much smaller crowd than normally attends at her MIL's house. Her FIL is in the hospital. Something to do with his bowels or something. He had the same thing happen about 2 or 3 years ago. He was in the hospital for I believe a week or so.

Rich had his testing done, and they found cancer in his lymph nodes in his neck. If I am understanding correctly, the cancer stretches the whole way from his neck to his colon. They told him that this type of cancer responds very well to chemo. He will be doing that I would imagine soon. He asked them what the life expectancy would be, and they told him 2-5 years. But I also know you can't go by what they tell you. Tris is feeling very optimistic about this whole thing with the chemo. I am not as optimistic. Her SIL works in the cancer center at the hospital here and has been telling her how well it really does respond, and it is one of the "better cancers" to respond to the chemo. But I feel it depends on the individual. I asked her if he stopped smoking, and she said no. I know it is probably pointless now, but why add to the odds of not getting better if it's a possibility? I think in his mind, this is a death sentence, so why stop doing it

On a brighter note, my dear, sweet puppies (ya, right, more like little devils LOL) are 7 weeks old today. Only about 2 more weeks, and they will be going to their forever homes. I am ready for that. LOL. I am finding it very difficult to run after them at this point. I am sooo exhausted! Debating whether we will breed in the spring or not. All depends on how well they sell, and if I will be able to get the energy needed to care for them.

Oh, and a little side note. I was online checking out prices for Key West (small vacation for Mike and I hopefully next year) and there is a Marriott there that does weddings on a beach. I told Mike when we finally get married (probably within the year or so) I would love to do that. He said that was fine with him if that was what I wanted. It would be very low key. Just he and I. After so many years of patiently waiting, our time has finally arrived LOL. Neither of our "spouses" would sign divorce papers. Rich signed them in Aug of this year and Mike will be getting divorced in Jan (he wanted to wait till after Dec 31 for tax issues). So we will be able to get on with life, although we pretty much had already.
Ok, off to get ready for work. I'd just as soon stay home, but not an option. I have to "do myself up" because after work I have to get my driver's license photo done. It expires on Friday. Nothing like last minute!! LOL

Have a great day everyone. I'll try to check in this evening too.
I'll have to really get my mind on step 1 for my Florida trip!!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kathy, I had a client have difficulty in qualifying for a loan because he had kept himself mingled with the ex when filing taxes. Just a thought in case you and Mike wanted to buy anything soon. Of course, it's none of my business, lol! I just thought I'd pass on the feedback from my client's experience.

 

[Diane W.]

Kathy - That's good news that Rich's cancer will respond well to chemo treatments. Hopefully he can quit smoking.
A trip to the Keys sounds so lovely. Vinnie used to go there for the winter when he was a kid. He has wonderful memories of fishing off of the bridges with his Grandfather. I'm sure nowadays you're not allowed to do that, but he was there in the early '50's.
Luckily we didn't get quite as much snow as NYC and we had plows that actually did their job! The mayor of NYC is getting a lot of flack from the press about the lack of plowing in the outer burroughs of Manhattan. On the news they show some streets are still not plowed out.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Here's a video from a very talented and inspired filmmaker of some of the blizzard. Absolutely gorgeous filmmaking.

***************/man_in_blizzard

Phooey, guess they won't let me paste the link.