WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2017

Hi all! Internet too slow to post my pic.

Had a great swim in the pool in my cover-all costume. I'm going to wear it tomorrow when we go to the biosphere reserve as we get to have a chance to swim through the water channels. Feel better being all covered up. Should see some wildlife.

We got a taxi into town for our meal at a real, old fashioned Mexican place. A real institution. Great food! But HUGE portions! We shared a plate of nepales - cactus leaves - with avocado. I had fish with masses of garlic, yummy, and DH had veal steak, guacamole, refried beans, fajitas etc etc. Poof! Then we wandered around town until my hip protested and got a taxi home. There was live Cuban music at the restaurant.

Love to all, Heather UK xxxxxxx

Busy group = good group! Evening from Alaska ladies.

-20F this morning. My 4 weenie dogs just looked at me when I opened the door for them to do their business like “You have got to be kidding me?!” Luckily everyone is wee-wee pad trained. Their paws are freezing as soon as they hit the snow/ice and they come in walking like doggie-drunks (tried booties, it was a total failure).

Vit D - taking 2000 units daily + calcium. After breaking my left foot tripping over the weenies on a walk last summer I found out I had osteoarthritis. A hysterectomy in late 2009 to remove 3 baseball sized fibroid tumors, after bleeding for 300 days and very anemic, threw me into instant menopause despite them leaving me one (non functioning) ovary. Looks like I’ve had bone loss occurring since then. Never offered HRT or recommendations for supplements. I’ve tried to talk to my doc about a bone scan but she ignores me - I’m actively looking for a new GP. She’s not much help regarding my type2 diabetes either - just keeps upping my insulin. At this rate I’ll be dead in 2 yrs. The nearest appt with the local endocrinologist is a year out - I work for one but she won’t see me. There are only 2 of them in State. So I’m looking into visiting a friend in Seattle and seeing an endo there instead. Currently taking Wellbutin for clinical depression for the winter but I’m often left feeling hopeless and on the verge of giving up.

Mini Bio
Grief - having a hard time recently, missing my mum who passed away Sept 30 2014. Many days I go into work, still, and go to pick up the phone to call her first thing in the morning only to set it back in the cradle knowing she’s not there at the other end. She was not just my mom, but my best friend, and hero. She had me promise to scatter her ashes on a mountainside/stream here in Alaska after she passed, which DH and I will do this summer. I went back and forth from Alaska to Canada for 8 years caring for her as she slowly slipped away from complications of diabetes; heart attacks, multiple strokes, heart surgeries, leg amputation, stage 4 heart and kidney disease, and finally vascular dementia. The dementia saw her lose all of her friends in the end, and she became very argumentative, beligerant and abusive verbally. But that was not my mom, it was the disease, I know too well. At the time, it didn’t lessen the heartache to know that. I neglected my own health care during those years to put all of my focus on her. Despite doing all that I could, I still carry a lot of guilt. Primarily because I did finally have to place her in a nursing care home (the best I could find) because she abused and fired every nurse we had coming into the house and I couldn’t care for her on my own anymore. She passed away 4 months later from a final massive stroke. I know time will heal - but I really miss her. She was always a bright light in my life, and rescued us from a miserable life with a physically-verbally-mentally abusive father when I was 6 yrs old. It was just us two girls until I was 35, when I moved away to Alaska to get married.

Before caring for mum, I had helped to care for her sister Doreen for 4 years. She died from acute myaloid leukemia and went from 300 lbs to 93 lbs. When it travelled to her brain I cared for her nearly 24 hrs a day for 6 months. Prior to that I cared for my elderly grandparents. Grandma lived to be 84 and my granddad went on to live to be 99. I loved their stories about growing up in England. All of my relatives are gone now with the exception of my estranged brother who disowned me when I was 25 yrs old. When mum and I no longer had any money left to lend him (we were very poor for many years after mum left my father) he told us he was ashamed of us for being poor white trash, and he turned his back on us forever.

Luckily, I have 3.very close life-long friends in Canada I stay in touch with - who keep me sane (well sort of sane). I am so grateful for them especially because I had very little social life - working 8-10 hours a day, and then caring for ailing family members every evening - with a day off being few and far between. My friends were very patient and kind! As I get older, I find it much more difficult to make friends - especially here in Alaska. The friends I’ve made through work, have all moved away. Its a very transient place with people coming and going all of the time, and so you are often left feeling very alone in a very big, and very beautiful place.

I rarely let any/many know much about me - I don't open up much - probably thinking it helps protect me from being hurt. Hopefully opening up a little I will maybe gain a little confidence .. and help along the way to losing the excess weight, and getting healthier.

NYKaren - aging is - definitely NOT - for sissies!

Sherry - my heart goes out to you. You're struggle is heartening. I too take long and short acting insulin for type2 diabetes and no one must mess with your meds! - they are so important for your health and well being.


Healthy eating everyone!

My word for 2017 is “Mindfulness” .. age 51, -28 lbs, 50 to go! 1200 cal/day
Canadian/Niagara Falls (36 yrs), now Alaska (16 yrs) + DH + 4Dachshunds + 1parrot

Goals for 2017
Drop 50 lbs by 2018
Declutter my life, my closets, my mind and my house
Exercise in a variety of ways and enjoy it
Get outdoors and see more of my State - Alaska
Develop the best wiener dog mushing team in the state of Alaska
Be a better friend to my friends, including my best friend - my DH Scott

Marn/Alaska

Hello from NC! Looking forward to being a part of this thread. 52 year old single mom of two boys, oldest is high-functioning autistic. My boys are awesome, my job is stressful, and I've put myself last for decades. The results of my last checkup has made me (finally) give my health priority. (Pre-diabetes, cholesterol and triglycerides very high.) I'm spending more time with God and His word, and of course that helps with the stress. Trying to really make lifestyle changes. It's hard! Change is hard, but "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Adulting in general is hard for me because on the outside I'm a hard-working responsible adult, but on the inside I'm a teenage nerd who wants to eat cheeseburgers and fries and drink beer and binge-watch Firefly on Netflix.

Men lose weight faster because they have more muscle mass than women.

For anyone who needs a cheering up

Beth, I'm sorry your husband & you suffered so long, I can't imagine it. My DH's meds include oxycodone, tramadol, Gabapentin, Baclofen plus ibuprofen & acetaminophen. I had no idea how life altering back pain can be.
Hope you get your care aids sorted but it sounds like an ongoing issue. My father who lived near Albany was so lucky he had a great young women who cleaned, shopped took him to appointments, did his banking etc until he went into nursing home care. Wish you could find someone like Teresa!

Sarah, up until last summer I had flower & veggie gardens then decided We needed a pool, that wiped out the vegetables. We have two acres but lots of trees & the south side of the house only had so much room. I have shade gardens as well as sunny. I have to protect all my hostas because of the deer. What are you growing?

Yvonne, no scientific data on swimming & flabby skin reduction but it's been working for me. When I swam at the Y I always brought a dried fruit snack to eat on my way home.

MicheleI'm with you on water aerobics in the deep end, a great work out & so kind to my bad knee.

Marni, my DH is impressed, an Alaskan & wife of a real fisherman is a part of this forum. I hear you on the tankinis I like them because of my long torso.

Allie, I imagine your RE market is similar to ours in Ma. Which means low inventory, multiple offers & frequently selling over list price. Glad your getting a CMA by a local realtor, Zillow is fine on sold info but not very accurate & sometimes way off on current values.

Lisa, good for you! I stopped smoking my 5-8 cigs a day a year ago, when I stopped my nightly wine....they kind of went together. Sure saves money not to mention the health benefits. Yes we can!

Checked vitamin D in my Centrum Silver Women 50+, 1000 IU. Then I checked out the NIH site since I never think about vitamins other than I take one every day. Too low isn't good but too high, without any obvious symptoms, can cause pancreatic cancer & cardiovascular events.

Garden Club meeting in the AM, leaving Wayne alone for longer than I have in a while. Hope he doesn't try to do some chore to help me!

Lois, thankful, on the North Shore of Ma.

Just happened on to this forum.sounds right up my alley.love being 50+but not the bad knees joints ,arthritis and nearly nonexistent metabolism.would love to be friends

canookie - so sorry about your mum

Welcome Cindy from another NC'er

Michele in NC

Hello MFPals,

Usually I work Th - Sun. This week I've done Mon. and Wed. shifts, too. Tired but wound up and awake way way too late. Tomorrow I am going to a monthly reunion breakfast with some of my friends from my old Y which closed in 2015. It is always good to see these people because it is the only time we are together now.

Marni - thank you for telling us about your struggles. It takes trust and bravery to open up to us.

Heather - I can just imagine how wonderful your adventure is! Keep giving us updates.

Sherry - LOVE the Minions! Thoughts of you tonight as I hope you are getting a better night's sleep.

Re - Such a great NSV!

Michelle - Happy shopping!

Lisa and other struggling with smoking - Thoughts and prayers with you. So thankful I gave up smoking after only one week when I dropped a cigarette and burned a hole in a brand new dress. (First week of college, of course.) Soooo mad at myself - I never smoked again.

I'm sure I am missing some comments I wanted to make but I find myself skimming and then posting much later.

WELCOME new comers!!! Stick around with us. We'll help encourage you if we can!

Toni in Tennessee (where it rained all day)

Joyce - thanks, it took me a while .. hoping that taking a good look at myself and how I managed to get this weight on - will help to take it off - addressing my issues rather than swallowing the pain might be cathartic

Michele - many thanks

Toni - thanks to you too - reading and learning about all of you really helped me step up

Gloria - the tickers are from Lilyslim http://lilyslim.com/index.html you can make some really cute ones




Healthy eating everyone!

My word for 2017 is “Mindfulness” .. age 51, -28 lbs, 50 to go! 1200 cal/day
Canadian/Niagara Falls (36 yrs), now Alaska (16 yrs) + DH + 4Dachshunds + 1parrot

Goals for 2017
Drop 50 lbs by 2018
Declutter my life, my closets, my mind and my house
Exercise in a variety of ways and enjoy it
Get outdoors and see more of my State - Alaska
Develop the best wiener dog mushing team in the state of Alaska
Be a better friend to my friends, including my best friend - my DH Scott


Marni/Alaska

Re "Bat out of hell" really makes me move

Marni Hope you get your bone scan soon, could be osteoporosis

Sherry Love the Minions, you stay strong girl

Weight going up and down again this week, I should throw the scale out of the window, that bodycoach guy Joe Wicks calls it the sad step. Can't resist stepping on every day

Kat UK