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How’s class of 2018 doing???

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3timechamp
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 1755
Posted 11/23/2020 7:24 AM (GMT -7)
Hey guys(Valli,Song) how is everyone doing??? Hope your all well. All good with me. Buisness is good,not sure if it will stay that way for long if Covid # keeps going up here on Long Island(NY). Just got tested for first time since I was sick in March. I’m negative and have high anti bodies which is good news. Relationship is going well. Moving into her house Jan 1. She is a nurse practitioner so she isn’t scared off by all my colon,kidney stones(Covid) surgeries. She knows I’m in good shape (6’5-225lbs)for my age. Just got to get used to a woman telling me to be careful and act my age while working(let the youngsters lift instead of me). All good here. Hope you all have a great holiday here in the states. God bless and be well
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18968
Posted 11/25/2020 5:47 PM (GMT -7)
Hi 3time! Always glad to see a check in from you, especially with you doing so well. Great to hear your antibodies tested high. about your girlfriend, lol, all I will say is good luck to her getting you to listen. I do believe this is a man thing.

Happy Thanksgiving & take care.
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Old Hat
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2007
Posts : 5747
Posted 11/25/2020 8:25 PM (GMT -7)
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Champ!!!!! Glad you're doing well on all fronts. This year sure brought us nasty surprises from the blasted coronavirus. Here's hoping NY won't have to shut down again if more people catch it during the holidays. The city restaurants really got messed up by indoor dining restrictions so many of them are still setting up tables outside to keep some money coming and stay in business; even today customers were eating out in my 'hood, with temp around 53o peak. (Cold french fries?) Will be great to hear from Songlady, Valli, & others. / Old Hat
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songlady
Veteran Member
Joined : Aug 2009
Posts : 3824
Posted 11/26/2020 8:54 AM (GMT -7)
Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving!
I am doing well. JPouch has been great. I think it continued to improve for more than a year! I am feeling good these days, stronger than I have in several years. I even felt grateful for raking up our leaves (I did some 30 trash cans/bags of leaves, packed down!) Husband and I completed a state hiking challenge a few weeks ago, fun. My only issue when hiking is arthritis in one foot, and some numbness/neuropathy in my feet from CRC chemo almost 3 years ago.So I use a hiking stick on steep paths.<shrug>
I have been incredibly cautious regarding COVID, and so far, so good. We've done some takeout, but I've eaten at a restaurant - outdoors - only once in the last 8 months. I have known probably a dozen people who've had it. some are fine, like champ, and some are "long haulers" with issues; some died. And the rate in CT is going up - higher than NY at this point! My work has been almost 100% online and by phone. I've learned more about tech than I ever dreamed!
Great to hear from you! Thanks for starting the thread, Champ! Always good to touch base, OH - and hi, Stray!
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3timechamp
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 1755
Posted 12/9/2020 7:11 PM (GMT -7)
Song ,OH,Dog great to hear from you all. Hope you guys have a great holiday season and pray Covid doesn't wreak havic like it did in April. Stay safe and healthy
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18968
Posted 12/11/2020 11:38 AM (GMT -7)
Songlady it's great to hear from you! It sounds like in spite of our crazy world right now you are doing good. I always enjoy reading that members here are doing good.

Please stay safe & stay in touch.
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3timechamp
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 1755
Posted 1/10/2021 3:21 PM (GMT -7)
Valli here's post from Thanksgiving
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songlady
Veteran Member
Joined : Aug 2009
Posts : 3824
Posted 1/11/2021 8:49 AM (GMT -7)
Gosh, it was 3 years ago I had my 2 week post-op (colectomy) appointment with my surgeon. I remember that they switched things, so I met with the ostomy nurse first, who gave me a bunch of tips...... because when the surgeon came in, he looked me in the eyes and said: "You are going to be FINE. But.... we found cancer." That was a total shock. If they had kept the schedule so I'd seen the ostomy nurse after, I never would have remembered a thing she said.
The cancer was found in 6 of the 44 lymph nodes he removed, which made it Stage 3. The surgeon advised me to accept the longest amount of chemo offered to me: 6 months. (If only 4 of the 44 nodes had been cancerous, it would have been Stage 2, with 3 months of chemo recommended, or so they said.) The surgeon also said, "the chemo is going to give you diarrhea anyway, so if we do the reversal now, you will REALLY hate me!" So my reversal was put off till a month after I finished the chemo. Let me tell you, none of that was fun.

I wish I had done the surgery sooner; the GI had been finding occasional dysplasia cells for 2-3 years, so I'd been having c-scopes every 6 months! But the cancer was just under the top layer of cells, so the biopsies didn't definitively find it.

I continued working, though much of it from home (like now in COVID time!). My colleague at work marvelled that I kept working... but I said I was like that guy in Monty Python, "It's only a flesh wound!" haha.

I guess my hands and feet will always be a bit numb and tingly from neuropathy from the chemo, but this past Fall I really began to feel strong and like myself again! I've graduated to CT scans/oncology appointments every 6 months and quarterly blood tests. Basically, I try not to think about all the "what if" things! And I am grateful you all are here!
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valli1234
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2017
Posts : 446
Posted 1/11/2021 10:29 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks for the post updates I just learned now I could click on the persons name and it brings you to all their past posts ... goodness that’s easier then trying to find any past posts or looking to see if you guys posted anything . You would think with 4 kids I would be more on the ball with these things . Or after being on here for 3 years I would have known that smile
3TC that’s awesome about you guys moving in together congrats. But your kids are all out of the house right so that is easier. Happy to hear you are staying safe and doing well heath wise.
My other half and myself live 10 houses away from each other and moving in would have ended our relationship 5 years ago lol . My 4 kids are all still at home and they often have their BF or GF over so then it becomes 8 young adults in the house plus I run my business out of my home so him moving in with his daughter ( they are used to a quiet house ) wouldn’t work .
Thank goodness we both retire early in 4 years then it’s the sunny south for us and by then my kids better be married or on their own.

Health wise not much has changed on my end . I truly envy you guys for feeling great or not even noticing you have pouch. Three year into it ahd it’s basically the same so I now know this is just how my pouch was created and how it works . I still go up to 15 times a day sad And I have to be so careful of what I eat .
Question do you guys know if you had any of your small intestine removed also from diseased UC ?

Songlady happy to hear all is well other then your arthritis. Hopefully your winter isn’t too cold and just knowing summer is around the corner will ease your arththic bones sorry I keep telling myself that summer is almost here, otherwise I get depressed with this weather up here.

In Ontario we are on lock down again which means restaurants, stores , malls are all closed . Plus sports centres , gyms and even our ski hills which is absolutely nuts because skiing is outside .
They are talking about mandatory curfew maybe starting next week so after 9 no going out ... doesn’t make sense because everything is closed so other then grocery stores there is no where to go . And only family members witt the same address are allowed to be together.
My son is a bylaw officer and has given out tickets for 700.00 to anyone breaking them which happens daily . Business are getting tickets for not having a person at the front door asking Covid question.
During the first lock down it wasnt so bad for 3 months because it was starting to warm up outside so you could leave your house but in the dead of the winter walks and hikes are not the same sad
Praying all this ends soon ...
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3timechamp
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 1755
Posted 1/11/2021 7:23 PM (GMT -7)
Hey guys. Jan 9th my 3 year anniversary of first surgery. Thankfully time flies. All good here. Moved in with GF Jan 1st. Her 22 yo daughter is here.My son got back from deployment in Iraq so he's back with his mom as is my younger daughter til school starts end of month. GF is a nurse practitioner so she understands my surgeries etc. Song and Valli your both tough as nails for what you've gone thru. I admire both of you for health things you've gone thru. I almost have/had it too easy. Just saw my surgeon last week. First time since last surgery(procrastinator??). GF made me do it. I just said YES HONEY when she kept nagging me(do women nag??? Nnnnnoooo) so I went. I have another hernia so going to a specialist Feb 3 who can fix it robotically. Also saw plastic surgeon who did last hernia So will decide what to do after seeing Dr on 3rd. Hernia doesn't bother me so no rush. Covid # here getting slowly worse. Only no indoor dining in city not here yet on Long Island. Still working thank god. Stay well girls. I'll post a Class of 2018 closer to spring. Stay safe and healthy
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valli1234
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2017
Posts : 446
Posted 1/12/2021 8:16 AM (GMT -7)
3TC that’s great about the move in glad it’s going well and having your son back must be a relief.
Good for your other half nagging you as you put it to get into the doctors and another hernia is that from lifting ? Till this day I am so worried about that because my dad had so many after his diverticulitis surgeries and my sister with complications from her colitis ... it’s just one less thing I need to worry about . Plus it’s a great excuse to use with the kids so I don’t have to do anything major around house lol .

Take care guys.
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songlady
Veteran Member
Joined : Aug 2009
Posts : 3824
Posted 1/13/2021 8:44 AM (GMT -7)
Hey Dog, Champ, valli! Sorry about the lockdown. We are not on lockdown but with the 2 cancers in my background I am so nervous... have not been to a restaurant since March. We get take-out occasionally, but otherwise I don't mind - I like cooking. I am in CT, not all that far from Champ (as the bird flies)

Champ - sorry about another hernia! Mine was repaired robotically about 15 months ago. Valli, how I got mine - I swear - it was about 4 months post-reversal, and I leaned with my whole body weight (which is considerable) on my stomach across a kitchen counter to wash the window and I believe I actually heard/felt a rip. It was so weird; but I had leaned right on the incision/former stoma area.
I think hernias are just a risk after abdominal surgeries. <shrug> I hope you don't have to deal with that!
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3timechamp
Veteran Member
Joined : Oct 2009
Posts : 1755
Posted 1/13/2021 9:08 AM (GMT -7)
Song my surgeon recommended if I do proceed with hernia surgery then do it robotically. Last hernia surgery he cut me full stomach length top to bottom. Big recovery involved. So Feb 3 I go see robotic surgeon and get his opinion. Saw plastic surgeon and my colorectal Drs same day last week in the city. They will all discuss what's best for me. It's my decision but will respect there opinions. Will see. Think I have a smaller hernia in left groin area. Too much lifting. GF says I should act 62. Hard for me to let go and let someone else do lifting but I'm trying. I'm in good shape but my body(and my GF and my daughters etc etc) might be telling me to act my age. Going to be interesting to see if Cuomo announces full lockdown?? Hospitals have to get to 90% full for that to happen. We're between 75-80% depending in that area. Valli where are hospitals at up by you??? Be well guys
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valli1234
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2017
Posts : 446
Posted 1/13/2021 1:00 PM (GMT -7)
Song sorry about your hernia so close to your surgeries and the rip sound just makes me tear up knowing what you had already been through to then experience the hernia .But happy to hear you are doing well . I agree it’s better to be safe then sorry so avoiding public places for the time being makes perfect sense .

Well we are on another lock down starting tomorrow at midnight .
We have 3 major hospitals here in Hamilton the major trauma one is the general and the papers are saying it’s at capacity right now. But do I believe that .... I learned this year regarding the news Journalism that not everything you hear or see is correct in the papers. And our Hamilton Spec loves to talk about Covid and our numbers but in reality most of the deaths unfortunately are in old age homes . I only know 2 people that have had it and for them it was just a bad cold snd one day of coughing .
It’s just getting Incredibly difficult for a lot of people that have suffered with job lose and trying to live on sometimes just one income raising a family .
I was fortunate the first 5 months when we completely closed down I was able to stay afloat I had to dip into my saving during the last month and that is something I don’t want to do again if we go into a more strict lock down. So I will continue working from home and pray our numbers go down so we can open back up in 28 days .
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songlady
Veteran Member
Joined : Aug 2009
Posts : 3824
Posted 1/15/2021 7:32 AM (GMT -7)
Gosh, what a world. Our statewide hospital capacity is 78%, ICU beds at 61% as of several days ago, according to the state government website.

I got my first vaccine shot the other day! Moderna. I was eligible because my works has "reasonable expectation" that I would visit in hospitals and nursing homes. (I haven't done that in quite a while and I don't plan to do that any time soon.... but I am prepared in case I needed to!)
My arm was less sore than from an annual flu shot. I was tired the first evening, but that could have been from the day's stress. I will say I have slept very soundly the last two nights, whether that's from the vaccine or not, who knows.

I hope NY (and CT, since our two states generally follow the same rules) don't go into lockdown, and valli, good luck with making it through! Whatever we need to do, I support doing what we need to, to get rid of this virus!
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valli1234
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2017
Posts : 446
Posted 1/15/2021 10:39 AM (GMT -7)
Songlady that’s great that you got the vaccine , the sleeping well might be from feeling reassured you are protected more now then before.
They are only offering the vaccine to heath care workers here first then maybe in the spring to all others .
If we went to travel which I am going stir crazy so the answer would be yes to travel they may make it mandatory to get the vaccine .
But for now it’s just mandatory masks and lock down .
Like you I just want this over with soon
Take care
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