Bellelettres
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Re: Musings
What a tragedy, Robbie. Is it ever possible to know what a person with Alzheimer's wants? I mean, whether they want to live or would rather die than live the way they do.
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11/27/2020, 4:31 am
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
That's a good question, Belle, and I have no idea what the answer might be.
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11/27/2020, 10:25 am
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JustLis
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Re: Musings
Where do you go? You come here. 
I am so sorry to hear that story, Robbie. I have had family members who passed away after dementia. The visitations at the funeral home drew out feelings of relief rather than the deeper grief of a sudden, unexpected loss. While we miss them, we are grateful that their suffering is over.
I wouldn't want to linger in dementia for years. I doubt many of us would.
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Lis
Just one voice.... Singing in the darkness....
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11/27/2020, 12:03 pm
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
I have a neighbor, Ann, who lives three blocks downhill from me. Her house is on a corner, so when I walk my dog we turn at her house.
She's about a year older than me and is single. Her house is a mirror of mine in layout, so sometimes we talk about how we use the rooms. She has a PhD in French Literature and used to teach at a local college.
When Kudo was still alive she used to open her garage door, where she keeps a ziplock bag of kitty treats (which dogs love because they have more fat in them), and offer them to Kudo. Kudo was such a snob that she usually wouldn't accept one.
I've had Jackson for about a year-and-a-half. Jackson is the un-Kudo. He loves Ann. He loves her treats. They've made a game of how she offers them. He couldn't be more delighted.
Lately Ann has had some odd behaviors. I feared it was Alzheimer's because her memory is off. She's unsteady as she walks. She decided she shouldn't drive and I've run some errands for her. A couple of days ago her doctor ordered an MRI and was so alarmed by the result he ordered her to go to the hospital's emergency room. Her sister came up from 30 miles away. She was released the next day.
Today I saw her. She has a tumor on her brain. She has another one on her lung. She has another one in her colon. The doctor suspects they are malignant and spreading from her lung to other organs. She will see an oncologist on Monday.
I'm just flabbergasted. I don't know what to do or say. But I am in some kind of shock.
Got any more wine, Cooter?
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12/3/2020, 1:48 am
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Bellelettres
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Re: Musings
I am in some sort of shock reading about it, Robbie. I don't know your friend, but to think it could hit any of us, any time. It's like a horrible cosmic prank.
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12/3/2020, 4:39 am
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
A horrible cosmic prank is exactly the right description, Belle.
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12/3/2020, 10:05 am
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JustLis
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Re: Musings
I am so sorry to see this, Robbie. I hope any procedures she chooses go as easily as possible....
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Lis
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12/3/2020, 9:53 pm
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bricklayer
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Re: Musings
I’m sorry to see that, Robbie. I hope that she is a candidate for one of the new immunotherapies which are having miraculous results for many who are using them and with far less dramatic side effects. Medical science has been making great strides in that area and the treatments are now approved by Medicare.
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12/4/2020, 7:59 am
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
Thanks, Brick. You're far more up to date on this stuff than I am.
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12/4/2020, 10:19 am
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
Can I admit this stuff scares me?
I'm 77 years old. I have Type II Diabetes. I have GERD.
I feel fine. I walk Jackson through the neighborhood three times a day. My lungs can take it.
But a neighbor two houses down got it in the spring. He's a long-hauler. His lungs still aren't good and he had no underlying conditions. He thinks he got it from walking down the sidewalk when somebody on a bike came up behind him and coughed. How random is that, for heaven's sake!?!
I want to have Christmas Eve dinner with my kids, as we always do. Is that a good idea?
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12/5/2020, 1:38 am
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badhorsie
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Re: Musings
Robbie, I think it would be fine to have the kids for Christmas dinner. You can socialize with masks on and maintain distance. For the actual meal, where masks need to be removed, maybe you can just eat in separate adjoining rooms. It would just be an unconventional type of Christmas!
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12/5/2020, 1:21 pm
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
If we had to eat in separate rooms there wouldn't be much point in having a dinner gathering. We could get together in the afternoon and stay masked.
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12/5/2020, 1:33 pm
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JustLis
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Re: Musings
How long is your kitchen/dining room table? If you sat at one end and the kids sat at the other end, would it give you about six feet?
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Lis
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12/5/2020, 2:23 pm
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Miz Robbie
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Re: Musings
It's six feet by three feet. Two people can't sit on the six feet side. So... no.
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12/5/2020, 2:27 pm
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Miz Robbie
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I saw Ann today. She saw the oncologist this morning.
She has Stage 4 cancer. It started in her lung and has metastasized from there, chiefly to her brain. But there are little spots of cancer all over, including her colon, some bone, and lymph. The brain tumor is the biggest problem right now.
She is going to do five days of radiation next week on the brain tumor. If it can be brought under control the oncologist thinks she'll have about a year to live. If it can't she'll have far less.
Her spirits are amazingly good, in large part because she now knows what's going on and there is a plan to do something about it.
Where do I go to file a grievance about this?
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12/8/2020, 2:46 pm
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JustLis
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Darn, Robbie. I'm so sorry to hear Ann's prognosis. I truly hope the radiation will help with her brain tumor and buy her meaningful time.
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Lis
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12/8/2020, 3:39 pm
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Miz Robbie
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Thanks, Lis. I hope so, too.
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12/8/2020, 3:40 pm
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Bellelettres
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Re: Musings
I'm so sorry, Robbie. This sounds fatal.
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12/8/2020, 4:19 pm
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Miz Robbie
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Well, yes. With the possibility of only a year to live it does, indeed, sound fatal.
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12/8/2020, 4:47 pm
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bricklayer
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Re: Musings
I’m so sorry to hear it, Robbie.
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12/8/2020, 5:23 pm
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