WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2023
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So sad about tragedy in Edmonton. It is becoming far too common in too many place.
Karen-that is good news about spouse. Medications can have some significant side effects. My husband seemed to have some of the rare interactions. Hopefully you will track this down.
My brother who had the major back surgery and memory issues is recovering with back as well as can be expected. His walking is better, but probably will never be 100% like it was. Yesterday neurologist gave diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and has placed him on medication to slow the the progression. He is taking the new fairly well and seems to understand. Not sure why he has condition. Evidently is is a precursor to dementia.
Expecting my endocrinologist to order PET scan next week based upon my thyroid cancer levels. Don't know if they will find anything they can do anything about but we shall see.
Work is extremely busy implementing the changes with contract (pay raises and leave). Should settle down in a week or so. Will take time off then and seriously look for retirement habitat.
Meanwhile-I am off to work from home today so just down the hallway! Will do my stretches and breakfast first,
Take care all,
Ginny in Ohio5 -
Ginny,
When I read Barbie’s post some time back about her retirement readiness, I thought to myself, "oh wouldn’t it be nice to be so sure, so ready, and not have any second thoughts?” I couldn’t imagine after 30 plus years with one employer (well, two, but the second was during Covid) that I would be able to retire without regrets, without looking back, without grieving.
But that is exactly what has happened. I fully retired a little over a year ago, and I was Ready with a capital R.
I don’t miss my clients, I don’t miss the work. I don’t miss the intellectual challenge, the stress, or the responsibility for other people. I love my retired life and I am finding plenty to keep me busy in my retirement community…aqua exercise classes, land exercise classes, wood carving, yarn arts, watercolor painting, chair yoga, Parkinson dance, social trivia game, jigsaw puzzles, dog walking multiple times a day, movies, wine tastings, musical entertainment, reader’s theater, book club, women’s club, and games galore if I have time - Mahjong, Dominoes, Bridge, Scrabble, Bunco, Hand & Foot, and Euchre. Plus field trips to interesting places including museums, ballet, opera, wineries, tearooms, etc. The other day one of my new friends said she was bored. I didn’t say anything, but wondered how that could possibly be? Then I realized she plays 3 of the easier games, works on jigsaw puzzles, goes to church, walks her dog…and that’s it.
It’s a choice to be bored here.
I hope you find a nice retirement community. It has made me happier than I have been in years and years.
Karen in Virginia7 -
Karen - Really hope that you are correct. Sounds more than possible.
My grandmother was put on Mandrax by her doctor which was later banned. Even then, In the 60s and 70s it was only meant to be for short term use. She was on it for years. It caused horrendous damage to her nervous system, which was agony to watch. Things did get much better when she came off it, but at nearly 80, she was not the same. The doctor, who should have been sued, predeceased her.
Sending hugs to our Canadian friends and especially to Tracey.
This is the sushi I had last night at Oshio. The restaurant is Japanese/Korean and full of (rich?) Korean students!
Can't resist a couple more photos of the girls. On the video (not able to post) of Edie feeding the penguins you can hear them announcing Edie as "keeper of the day".
I think I will award myself a day off writing today. My Philosophical Investigations yesterday have fried my brain.
Ginny - I can't wait for you to retire! Now!
Love you all, Heather UK xxxxxx
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I am doing this Happiness calendar for March. Feel free to copy or simply use it if you’d like!
March, 2023 Action for happiness.org
RVRita1. Set an intention to live with awareness and kindness. I intend to live with more awareness and kindness every day.
2. Notice three things you find beautiful in the outside world.
Sky, sand and ocean
3. Start today by appreciating your body and that you are alive.
Yesterday's 54 km bicycle ride and 5 km walk on the beach ...
4. Notice how you speak to yourself and choose to use kind words.
5. Bring to mind people you care about and send love to them.
6. Have a ‘no plans’ day and notice how that feels.
The only plans we had yesterday was a stroll through a neighbouring arty town to look at the shops.
7. Take three calm breaths at regular intervals during your day.
I do box breathing at some point just about every day.
8. Eat mindfully. Appreciate the taste, texture and smell of your food.
9. Take a full breath in and out before you reply to others.
Many times.
10. Get outside and notice how the weather feels on your face.
Afternoon walk ...
11. Stay fully present while drinking your cup of tea or coffee.
Not so much today. But usually.
12. Listen deeply to someone and really hear what they are saying.
Haven't talked to anyone other than husband today.
13. Pause to watch the sky or clouds for a few minutes today.
Love watching the sky.Our house is especially well located for that, and at certain times of year, we get fantastic sunsets!
14. Find ways to enjoy any chores or tasks that you do.
Laundry! I don't mind doing laundry.
15. Stop. Breathe. Notice. Repeat regularly.
That's about all I can do today. I haven't done anything which requires effort.
I looked up the vaccine I had yesterday. Boostrix: diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (whooping cough). I am set for 10 years!
But headache, tiredness, body aches, sore joints and nausea are common side effects ... which I am experiencing.
My doctor also informed me that the antibiotic "cocktail" I've been prescribed will make me feel ill and give me a horrible taste in my mouth. But it is only for 5 days and should do the trick.
16. Get really absorbed with an interesting or creative activity.
I've been colouring these days because I'm not allowed to do much more. Fortunately, I enjoy colouring.
I've also been putting away laundry and rearranging a closet.
17. Look around and spot three thing you find unusual or pleasant.
The place is slightly neater and cleaner than usual. That's both unusual and pleasant. February was major house-cleaning month, then we went on holidays so the place is still clean.
I'm at home, surrounded by things I like.
There are photos I have taken recently showing on my second computer screen.19. If you find yourself rushing, make an effort to slow down.
20. Appreciate nature around you wherever you are.
21. Focus on what makes you and others happy today.
22. Listen to a piece of music without doing anything else.
23. Notice something that is going well, even if today feels difficult.
24. Tune into your feelings, without judging or trying to change them.
25. Appreciate your hands and all the things they enable you to do.
26. Focus your attention on the good things you take for granted.
27. Choose too spend less times looking at screens today.
28. Cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness towards others today.
29. Notice when you are tired and take a break as soon as possible.
30. Choose a different route today and see what you notice.
31. Mentally scan your body and notice what you are feeling.
32. Discover the joy in the simple things of life.
Machka in Oz
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Good morning all! Happy Friday!
I am tired! I was supposed to have eight kids here, today, for St. Patty's Day; but the number is down to three (and all under 3 yrs). So...I am planning to celebrate with them next week. We made leprechaun traps in the back yard yesterday (colored mixture of cornstarch and water with some glitter added). The three that I have today, most likely, will not remember painting the "traps", so it will be easy to just postpone finding the leprechaun "nice try" consolation prize next week when the bigger kids are here, again.
Sorry to hear of the police shootings in EdmontonHeartbreaking for those families.
Heather- Love the pics of the kids at the zoo! Beautiful snake that Bea got to hold!
Allie- Sweet Myles! Looks like a fun program for babies! Enjoy your trip!
Rita- I love that Star Wars has made your "appreciation" list. It has a spot or two in my gratitude journals, as well. It has provided great bonding material for me and my son. My daughter as well, on a smaller scale.
Storms moving through Texas. Makes me nervous for my daughter and family. As a girl who has always had a basement to go to during tornadoes, I know she gets very nervous about taking shelter in a bathroom/tub. I will be SO glad when they are in the midwest. Land of homes with basements!
Welcome to all of the new ladies
ttfn xoxoxo KJ (Kelly)4 -
Another kind of rest day.
A bit of light gardening.
Finished unpacking and putting away laundry, with a bit more organising in the dressing room.
Colouring.
And I'm processing photos from our summer and our early autumn holiday.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/Lots of lovely empty space!!
Machka in Oz5 -
Machka, I am so sorry your husband was put on that drug. Lots of people have undesirable side effects from Compazine (Prochlorpérazine) - I would suspect far more than the 1-10% reported, with side effects to include severe dystonia which can result in involuntary torticollis that makes the poor patient look and feel like the little girl in The Exorcist. It’s an antipsychotic that is/was commonly prescribed for nausea and far less often for anxiety and depression. It isn’t a drug I would prescribe lightly if at all.
The drug my wife is on for migraine prevention is Depakote (divalproex sodium), an anti-convulsant. Migraine prevention is an off-label use; usually it is prescribed for seizure disorders. The incidence of reversible Parkinsonism is 0.1% - 1%.
Do you remember if Topamax (topiramate) was the drug you took for migraines that made you drop things?
And yes, it was disconcerting when that information about Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) came out. It’s such a great drug for GERD. But those potential side effects…
Karen in Virginia1 -
Heather, Mandrax was a combination of Benadryl and Quaaludes. Yikes. Your poor grandmother.0
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Karen, how exciting to possibly have your loved one back.
Betsy in NW WA1 -
KetoneKaren wrote: »Machka, I am so sorry your husband was put on that drug. Lots of people have undesirable side effects from Compazine (Prochlorpérazine) - I would suspect far more than the 1-10% reported, with side effects to include severe dystonia which can result in involuntary torticollis that makes the poor patient look and feel like the little girl in The Exorcist. It’s an antipsychotic that is/was commonly prescribed for nausea and far less often for anxiety and depression. It isn’t a drug I would prescribe lightly if at all.
The drug my wife is on for migraine prevention is Depakote (divalproex sodium), an anti-convulsant. Migraine prevention is an off-label use; usually it is prescribed for seizure disorders. The incidence of reversible Parkinsonism is 0.1% - 1%.
Do you remember if Topamax (topiramate) was the drug you took for migraines that made you drop things?
And yes, it was disconcerting when that information about Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) came out. It’s such a great drug for GERD. But those potential side effects…
Karen in Virginia
I was very glad when my husband went off Prochlorpérazine!!
A surgeon prescribed me Nexium in 2014 after a gastroscopy, and told me that I would have to be on it for the rest of my life. Several months later, I was in the midst of all those symptoms ... just a mess. I couldn't figure out how or why I'd gone from a fit and active person with heaps of energy into a twitching lump, with chest pains and shortness of breath who cried on the sofa every day. I was bursting into tears at work, I could hardly use a mouse anymore. It was awful! Then I started doing some research like you're doing and it turns out, Nexium was one of the worst things I could have been prescribed. Not only did it not help my GERD, but it threw me into a number of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
It took me a couple months to ease off it, but by the time I was off, I felt so much better!! A couple months later, I joined MFP, lost 25kg and regained a whole lot of fitness.
I don't remember what I was given for migraines. I was only on it for 2 or 3 months when I was about 20. I remember that it wasn't for pain, because my migraines have rarely been painful. It was to stop other symptoms. And in the mid-to-late 1980s it was relatively new. In my head, it may have started with M, but that might not be right.
I do remember that it was a small, dark green pill, in a foil pack, that I put on or under my tongue.
I'm Googling and Rizatriptan (Maxalt) sounds sort of familiar, although it might be too new for the time period.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601109.html
Medication for seizures is something else that is fraught with difficulties. I hope your wife shows significant improvements going off that medication.
My husband has just gone through a medication change for his seizures in the hopes that he would have less dizziness, and I think it has been successful.
Machka in Oz0 -
Morning ladies
Slept pretty well last night ,left at 7:15 ,because I was exhausted from a day of traveling.
Im going to get up and dressed for the brunch now and will bring an extta set for later.
Today is Carmines 15th birthday 🎂
Sweet sweet picture of the 2 kids, this is highly unusual.5 -
Good morning ladies -
I was on Sumatriptan for a period of time to tame my migraines. After menopause, the migraines eventually went away. I only had "aura" a few times, it was mostly intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound and nausea. Glad those days are gone.
I ran across this article last week regarding migraine relief - a Randomized Control Trial which showed ice packs applied to the neck/carotid artery for 30 minutes significantly reduced migraine pain in the majority of individuals. From what I could determine from reading the article, it was a small study and follow-up for long term relief wasn't addressed. So did the cold therapy derail the migraine or just postpone it? Looks like it was effective for some folks an hour after the pain diminished.
If I had a migraine these days, I'd be willing to try even if there's only a 10% chance. Here's the study-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3727573/
Count me in having Pizza yesterday too!
Lanette
SW WA State
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For our Canadians, I'm so terribly sorry to hear about the Edmonton tragedy. There are never any words that can express the true horror of these senseless acts.
Karen - Oh my stars and whiskers, it would be wonderful if simply stopping a medication can get your partner's life back. I understand the part about "I’m trying not to be too hopeful," too. More on that later. So hopeful for you both!
Heather - I love the pics of the girls days as zookeepers! They both look absolutely blazingly happy, what a terrific gift for them. Your pots are lovely...
Allie - What a lovely picture of the kids...
Katla - Missing you!
Drug side effects: It recurs very occasionally still, but the vast majority of the time now, my left hand no longer tremors--the only difference was getting off Wellbutrin (buproprion). That was more than a year ago! More than 20 percent of the people who take it have this side effect. I informed my doctor, but with everything else going on the last few years, he told me to hold off for a bit. I eventually told him I was tapering off it, and have been glad I did.
On the flip side, per my gastroenterologist, I'm done taking Humira, which helped quite a bit for my symptoms, but is at a plateau, and will begin taking Rinvoq on Monday. I'm apparently a prime candidate for this next step - when a biologic in Humira's class simply doesn't keep progressing someone toward remission, the next step is Rinvoq, or another in its class. Funnily enough, I've found instances cited where it starts working in one day, one week, two weeks, and six to eight weeks.
The VA has approved Rinvoq for other patients of this gastroenterologist, so I'm really hoping there won't be any issues. Considering that the GoodRx price for it ranges around $6,000 for a month, it's simply out of my reach otherwise. When approved, my VA copay will be $11 for a 90-day prescription. As Karen said, just trying not to be too hopeful.
Happy Friday all,
Traveling grace to those on the move,
Welcome to all those who are new,
Later y'all,
Love,
Lisa7 -
Good morning ladies!
Yes migraine drugs are tricky. The first prescription I had for them actually had more migraines as a side effect. And I got more. I always had the best results with a large dose of caffeine taken immediately when the migraine starts. I get the aura, which can render me blind for thirty minutes or so before the pain starts. But I haven't had many lately thank goodness.
Meanwhile I lost almost a pound this week. Yay! I'm starting the 160's which is significant to me as my clothes will be looser again. You were right about that one pork chop not being the end of the program. And I lost an inch from my hips. Yay!
Today will be a slow day. I have to go to the bank, and the pharmacy, and write an email to a friend whose birthday is tomorrow. And yoga and aerobic walking.
Have a great day my friends!
Annie in Delaware3 -
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Oh ... good news ...
The results are back: No Pasteurella multocida bacteria from the bite. 🙂
Well done hand sanitiser!
Machka in Oz8 -
Machka that's great!
Karen hope stopping the med works!
Allie have a great trip!
Heather that zookeeper day is awesome!
I'm having a lazy day.
Annie in Delaware1 -
Karen ... oh boy! If you're talking Depakote or Topamax ... both of which are used for migraines ... we had negative experiences with them in my family. My older son was on depakote for a time and had significant head tremors/involuntary movements and he lost his hair! My younger son took topamax for migraine and was left with so many concentration issues we had to take him off of it. I wouldn't let him try Depakote given his brother's experience. I'm hoping you have found your answer!!
Beth5
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