I almost forgot Family Meeting again! I’ve spent most of the day watching The Time Traveler’s Wife series on HBO. When I finally finished I found out that season two was cancelled AND was on the list of ten worst shows of 2022 along with Chrisley Knows Best. I thought it was an okay watch. Twitter is saying that HBO’s Nancy Pelosi’s documentary is good. So that is up next.
Oh, and I missed the soccer game, I thought it came on at 2. šĀ So proud of morocco.
Meanwhile, I have used up all my get-ups today. I will needĀ a few hours to rest before I can do another bathroom trip. And, it seems like I might not haveĀ that much time. š
So, how’s things with your guys? Are you ready for Christmas?
I have wanted to see the time traveler’s wife but haven’t yet. I did hear it was a good binge show. Not ready for Christmas here. We have our 9 grandchildren to buy for still. Love to see their faces on Christmas tho. We do Christmas eve with the kids and grandkids and Christmas Day it’s just us two. Hope you’ll get a Christmas miracle and get well soon. šš»ā¤
I actually got some good news for once! Didnāt think my girls were going to make it for Xmas this year as eldest has an interview on XMAS EVE day but the ones the week after are zoom. The other one had work with no one to take her shifts. Last minute, little got shifts covered & is meeting older at connecting flight so I get my girls, albeit probably super late on Xmas eve, but they will stay for awhile. Iām thrilled!
So, Iām taking a smoke break from furiously cleaning & decorating to get ready for them. Bonus: they are both very good cooks and like my recipes. Yay! Lifted my spirits immensely! The ridiculously cold weather here was depressing me to no end alone. Weāre not used to this until February. Praying the grid doesnāt fail us!
Happy Holidays All!
You sound SO HAPPY!!!! YAY!!!
Thanks Gigi. It definitely pulled me out of my funk!
Aww thatās great news! Are both in DC? My girl was suppose to be home tomorrow but got sick and doesnāt want to fly tomorrow so she will be home Wednesday and son home on Monday. Same as you – trying to get last minute Christmas prep done!
Cold here in Ohio w a little snow!
Just finished Harry & Meghan which I watched bc I wanted to form my own opinion and quite frankly itās not a great one – but they did get to tell their story. Only problem the other side cannot speak for themselvesā¦. š¤·š»āāļø
Any good movies people can recommend?? I am taping The Banshees of Inishern. Any others??
XoXo
Hubs fell asleep watching Banshees at movie theater…. I watched Emily The Criminal in between Yellowstone….
Ooh yikes!!! Thatās disappointing.
We watched Emily last week and liked it!
Iām so sorry your is sick! I hate it when mine are sick and away from me. Glad yours will be home too. It was so depressing at height of covid and we were apart for holidays.
My oldest is interviewing all over the country for residency/fellowship/MPH programs. The youngest is in Oklahoma but once eldest finds out on match day where she is going, little will move with her. I might move too if they go somewhere relatively warm. Neither wants to be in a red state anymore as a young woman, much less a physician. (People donāt realize that a lot of the abortive meds are first line therapy for other diseases and drs are now unable to treat a host of stuffādonāt get me started on that rant) I canāt even remember where oldest is flying from as sheās been having 4-5 interviews a week. Itās insane. But theyāre meeting in Dallas to get home.
Moviesā¦ I havenāt found many good ones since they are in theaters again. If you have cable, some have been released on demand. I watched Triangle of Sadness and it was okay but not worth 12 bucks, lol. I did enjoy the ltd series on Netflix called Inside Man because Stanley Tucci. Iām hoping to get to The Outfit soon.
I watched Harry and Megan last night and I think I feel the same as you about it. Yeah they got their story out there, again. And we still have the book to hear more yet, lol.
Hope your hubs is feeling better. Cancer absolutely sucks. Been there done that.
Xxoo
Aww how exciting for both of your girls!!! And yes I totally understand not wanting to end up in a red state to practice medicine! So hard to believe this has happened to our nation!
I heard about The Inside Man and have added to my list! Yes, love Stanley!
Ok just got done reading some really great articles about Harry and Meghan and this one statement articulated how I felt about it all:
āTraumatized people generally donāt want to rehash in perpetuity the details of their trauma, so the coupleās comfort in detailing blow by blows of each negative encounter suggest suggest theyāre interested in something other than healingā¦.ā
Exactlyā¦
Yes! I happened upon an interesting law tube video from Nate the lawyer (itās only about 15minutes) that exposes the guy from Bot Centinal in the documentary regarding the hate campaign/trolling and how he was also paid by AH legal team. His credibility is super scetch. I found it an interesting coincidence given the two ācelebritiesā! All roads lead back to AH! Lol!
Sorry itās spelled Bot Sentinel.
Ooh I will have to check out!!! Thanks!
OMGGG AH & JD just settled. $1mil. I hope thereās a gag order to shut her up! Itās finally over! (Except for her insurance suits) Did not have on my bingo card.
Omg just got back from doc appt and saw your āsettledā comment!!!! What?!!! Ok gotta check this out!
Hi. I have had my Christmas miracle this year! A couple of months ago I update all here about my health. I had lymphoma about 13 years ago, doing well, but was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. I was pretty mad about it because, come on, twice in one lifetime? Two different cancers? Plus lymphoma is a blood cancer and you are never cured. It is treated more easily than leukemia and some of the other blood cancers but can come back. But all is well now. I got over being such a baby, took (and will take for the next 5 years) hormone suppressing drugs, had a lumpectomy and radiation. My chance of recurrence is at about 5% for the next 10 years. I was diagnosed at Stage 0 with a non-invasive type of cancer. So all in all very lucky. I am grateful. Only advice I have is to make sure you have your yearly mammograms once you get about 40 I think. Don’t skip them. The medical field has become much more accurate in diagnosing Stage 0 which in the past may have been just watch and wait. Diagnosis earlier, treatment earlier, survival rate better.
Also wishing TT a Christmas miracle that your health problems are figured out and you get the right treatment. Hang in there! Happy Holidays to all.
Congrats!! I agree! Get a mammogram AND the colonoscopy!!!
Yes to both. My mom had colon cancer in her 80s but had surgery and was considered cured. My aunt however (my dad’s sister) got sick in the late 60s/early 70s and died of colon cancer at only 45! Of course my parents and grandparents did not talk about it. Do all of the tests that are out there- mammograms, colonoscopy, prostate tests for men, pap smear for women. They can save your life!!
I am lucky as my lymphoma years ago showed up with swelling on my neck. I was successfully ignoring it until a friend visited from out of town and said what the heck is going on with your neck? That pushed me to see my ENT doctor. WE both thought it was a cysts or a harmless fatty deposit. NO, it was lymphoma! I am forever grateful to my nosy friend. š
OK that’s it for the advice today.
Tam – thank you for your advice and if I may add, get checked by a dermatologist once a year as well! Just lost a family friend my age (57) to melanoma this week bc he never got a mole checked on his back and once he did when it was big, he was gone in a month.
Hubby is battling prostate cancer – found it thru a routine physicalā¦. Hear that guys!!!
So sorry for your rough year but glad prognosis is good!!!! Christmas miracle indeed!!!
TT – you are sounding better!! Yay!!
Yes to dermatologist. I have very fair skin blue eyes and freckles. Several years ago I went to the dermatologist to look at a few spots around my lips. The one I was least concerned about turned out to be melanoma. I had MOHS treatment which removes one level of skin at a time and biopsies each level. I was lucky to have only one level removed. It is an amazing procedure that saves trauma on your skin.
This is so important. If you are fair and blue eyed, it can be the the least obvious spot that is melanoma. My fair husband had just a small (I mean a dot small) black spot on his leg, and it involved removing a good chunk of flesh. A huge wart that had all of the cancer warnings (multi-color, irregular border) was benign and easily removed.
I had Mohs on my face. Two scrapings at UCSD. The guy did an incredible job stitching me up. Can’t even see it! Get checked every year!!!! Good grief… all we do is go to Dr’s!!
Hey Gigi – I had MOHS on my rear end. Had a weird sort of itchy patch on my rear that was there for a couple years and not something I was concerned about – which is the reason Iām not a dermatologist bc it was squamous cell carcinoma. Easy procedure but the 14 staples in my rear was NOT fun! Bc of that I get checked regularly and they found melanoma on my leg! The weird thing is every spot I was concerned w was nothing.
Yes I agree about all we doā¦.
Melcle,has your husband started treatment? I highly recommend the MD Anderson Cander Center in Houston, where they offer proton radiation treatment as an option. It is the gold standard treatment for prostate cancer. Virtually no side effects & no surgery. Not only is the treatment terrific, but the medical corporate culture is extremely pro-patient (rare in the U.S.). My late husband had very advanced prostate cancer, & they cured him (though the following year his heart failed–not related to his cancer). we traveled from NC to Teas, & found a furnished small apt. through the hospital & were there for c. 3 mo. throughout the treatment. We learned that our insurance deductible maxed out @ 10k for the year, & his treament used that up, so whenever he wasn’t in treatment we avialed ourselved of all the wonderful medical faciities in Houston because anything else we did that year was free for booth of us. I had bladder surgery, we both got cataract surgery, & we saw every specialist recommended to us by the wonderful geriatic medical center there. They all took excellent care of us. We also got one set of free RT airline tickets through the American Cancer Society. We interfaced with a lot of other patients, & amazingly, it was one of the best time of our lives together. We had a shared purposed in taking care of our health, but we also got to partake of some wonderful restaurants, & even enjoyed going to a late night breakfast ag Denny’s (something we didn’t have at home) if my husband had a late treament. I reveled in the nearby craft shops during free time, as we didn’t have those at home, either. We’d been married 44 years then, but our time in Houston brought us even closer together. We we got the initial diagnosis, I knew that our Medicare + supplement would be valid all over the U.S., so I figured why not go for the very best treatment facility & physicians in the country? All it cost us extra was some reasonable living expenses & a bit of travel expenses. I had some skin cancer treated at Duke, but if I ever have anything more serious, heart or cancer, I wouldn’t hesitate to return to Houston for care.
MizGrandma – thank you for sharing your story! Sounds like your husband got amazing treatment! We are actually lucky hubby had his prostate removed bc biopsy showed he had cancer in the margin where they could not get so he did have radiation but it will come back – so we have a wonderful doctor here at Cleveland Clinic – it will come back but thankfully she is constantly checking and will get a jump on it. Not a situation we want to be in but it is what it is and she did say he will not die from it so that is keeping us going.
Tam, was your stage 0 in a milk duct? If so, you could have been over-diagnosed, especially if your first stop was a surgeon’s office. I went through this c. 10 years ago & when the surgeon told me I HAD to have surgery without an exam or discussion, I got myself dressed & walked straight down to the Breast Center at Duke University Hospital, where I was fortunate enough to be seen within minutes by a woman radiologist who really listened to me. We decided on a frequent mammogram regiment for 18 mo., after which I was cleared for no more treatment. That saved me a heck of a lot of money, pain & all further treatment. I do not know if your situation was even similar to mine, but I do know that a 2nd opinion is always worth it (as well as a lot of medical sleuthing on your own). I never see a physician without reading his/her position, training & publications. I also want a doctor MUCH younger than me, so that the education is more recent than a fond memory. For serious stuff I want someone affiliated with a teaching hospital because there is nothing better than sharp students to keep the teacher up to date & on one’s toes. I wish you nothing less than the best in your continued journey.
OMG, I’m responding to every comment. Agree 100% on teaching hospitals!!! They are up on the latest of everything~
I had Stage 0 DCIS so am not sure it was in the milk duct. I did delay treatment for about 6 months til I was on better insurance. But I agree about over treatment. Iāve read pros and cons about treating Stage 0 noninvasive like the type I had. With current info doctors know
that 50% of women who have what I did will get invasive cancer without treatment and 50% will not. There is no test that can predict that now. So I did it all. But youāre right about 2nd opinions!
The surgeon was all for a mastectomy even at Stage 0. Not what I wanted. I try to remember each specialty sees the worst cases and a mastectomy ensures the cancer is gone. But I did the lumpectomy which worked for me.
So glad you are doing well, sounds like the genetic lottery, but glad you are doing well. Sending lots of love and healthy wishes! and congratulations. I get my mammo and colonoscopy on the regular!
Well, it’s been colder than usual here in newport beach. And damp as shit so our bones ache…. We are still recovering from putting our friendliest cat down on Sunday, so it’s been a sad week. He had spinal cancer. It was the worst put-down I ever had to do. But as much as hubs sits around feeling sad, I have to keep doing everything which honestly, I think is the blue collar way of dealing with things. Keep busy. So I have been. Keeping busy. NEXT SUBJECT. Making lamb, barley soup today with tons of mushrooms. It’s so good. I use leeks. They give the soup a more buttery flavor if that makes sense. Hubs is watching Tiger Woods and his son playing golf at PNC Championship today and boy, is he lucky to be alive. His son is a good player too, but he has an incredible teacher, right? At least with golf… TT, I sure hope you rally and this next year has nothing but good for you. You deserve it just for giving us this forum to express ourselves….
So sorry about your cat! I had to do the same with my Barbara the Thursday before last. Fortunately, (it was cancer in her stomach) she felt fine and was living her usual life in no pain up until the end. We got her and her brother George in 2004 and neither of them weighed a pound!
It is so hard to lose the ones we love and our pets are the best! I am sorry it was a hard one – I hope you take comfort in knowing they had a great life with and and felt your love until the very end.
I’m so sorry, it’s so hard. We still have 5 here but the house is so empty but we were lucky (that was his name) to be honored to have him. And I need to feel like shit now so he doesn’t have to anymore. I’ll take that from him. They just keep going and going until they can’t anymore. If they could talk, they would tell us at the first inkling something was awry… So to all of us fur baby lovers, enjoy every single second….
So true! Mine would hop on my chest every night when I was in bed watching TV. She would get so close you couldn’t fit a whisker between us. I would try to move my head or angle so I could still see the TV and she would move with me. I used to get annoyed sometimes but now I wish she was there every night!
I think of her every time I read a book (oh no, no book on your lap that is my space and I am getting in it) or get on my laptop (oh no, you can’t sit at the table without me laying on the keyboard or the mouse). All the wonderful ways they gave us love every day — at least we will always treasure the memories.
I picture her over the rainbow bridge healthy and happy, seeing her brother (who was 2xs her size) and her cleaning his face and taking care of him like she did her whole life and then the two of them cuddling up in a circle where you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. (and I am crying like a fool as I type this!)
We are so lucky to have our fur babies.
JenKen, love your vision of the fur babies together. So comforting. I picture my 3 together now.
Sorry about kitty Gigi. Had to put the last of my 3 cats to sleep day before Thanksgiving (17.5 years old). Really missing him so I can relate. Keeping busy helps! I’m in Sacramento and it is very cold and damp here…my knees not loving it! Was thinking of heading home to Oceanside but like you said…y’all have same weather!
Love your wish for TT and will co-sign it!
I am so sorry, it is never easy.
School is out for X-mas break – Yay! I am done shopping but spent several hours today wrapping and I am about a third of the way done. Just pouring a glass of wine to help me power through! Finally cooled off here in Texas so actually feels like X-mas!
“” And, it seems like I might not have that much time. “”
WHAT does this mean?? You’ve just sent me in a full blown panic.
Sending you an email now.
I’m hoping she means before she has to use the bathroom again. šš»
Okay, that makes sense. I just chugged a double espresso before I read that.
Yeah, that is exactly what I mean. I took a heaping dose of Pepto so no crapping my pants today. I don’t get a lot of warning and more often than not I don’t make it in time. The stomach muscles I have to use to get off the couch are the same as the ones you use on the toilet. Sorry for the TMI and for worrying people.
TT, I was like that before my UC diagnosis. I take Stelara now and I gotta tell you, it’s a god send. No more of the “no warning” crap. (Literally)… TT, eventually you will get to the bottom of all this…
Despite having had a vaccine and 3 boosters and being a remarkably unfriendly person, I got COVID
from talking to someone outside, so, this week has been the pits. The good news is I was started on an antiviral medication almost immediately and the symptoms have been minimal.
It’s cold as hell in Georgia, looking at highs in the 20s Christmas weekend. BRR! I’m sipping coffee with my dog curled up in chair next to me. Not hating it.
Sorry to hear that, Harrison. I got sick around Thanksgiving, low grade fever, chills, headache, cough. Never tested for covid and assumed it was flu. I am a big time homebody, husband brought it home. I didn’t test and now think it might have been covid. Double vaxxed, no booster. Shot made me sick so I shied away. Oy.
I kinda wish that insurance thread stayed up. I am in same quandry and thinking about just going with boutique doctor I pay monthy until I can get something better. Premiums are absurd for anything decent if you’re self employed. Ugh!
Ready for Christmas. Making some candies and sausage balls today to give to coworkers, neighbors, few friends. Keeps me from eating them! Gifts are wrapped, cards sent, house smells like cinnamon. Love it.
so the whole family got covid again two weeks ago. Went much better for my husband this time around, since the last time it damn near killed him. This time, I was the one who got sick, tested myself, positive, went to the walk-in, positive, and told him to test himself, since he had a cold. He swore up and down he was just fine. Nope, he had covid too! I wasnt really worried since he already had a cold for a few weeks and did not appear to be that sick. His Dr took things right in hand and gave him some new FDA improved drug which cleared it up pretty quick. (I had to take the lowly plaxovid which was Godawful). We are all fine now. No ventilator for hubby this time, yay
Wow so glad it went better this time! It must have been so scary before! My parents took the meds too bc they were in 80ās w bad heart and lungs and breezed through it – thank gawd! So glad you were able to get them!