TONY' THOUGHT JOURNAL 2.0

[Don Alaska]

Sorry to hear that your wife is fading @Tony Page. It is my biggest far as well as it seems to run in my family. Hopefully your hormone treatment will go without major side effects. Bobby Kennedy has removed the black box warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy now and that has been said to reduce dementia symptoms.

 

[Tony Page]

I know a lot of people would disagree with me about the commercialism around the holidays, I like it. I realize people are making money off of Jesus's birthday, but on the other hand, the spread of Christmas is befitting God. What a celebration, I'm sure Jesus feels honored. He must appreciate that there is one season, his season, when some people share happiness with family and friends, exchange gifts, and, as the song says, "love is in the air." Who else but God could have this scale of happiness, sharing, and love instilled in man.
There is no warmer feeling than doing something good for someone at Christmas time, especially if it puts a smile on their face.
Remember everything started with Jesus it doesn't matter if it's Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer they're all put in front of us to set the mood, I think it's wonderful.

 

[Joe Riley]

I know a lot of people would disagree with me about the commercialism around the holidays, I like it. I realize people are making money off of Jesus's birthday, but on the other hand, the spread of Christmas is befitting God. What a celebration, I'm sure Jesus feels honored. He must appreciate that there is one season, his season, when some people share happiness with family and friends, exchange gifts, and, as the song says, "love is in the air." Who else but God could have this scale of happiness, sharing, and love instilled in man.
There is no warmer feeling than doing something good for someone at Christmas time, especially if it puts a smile on their face.
Remember everything started with Jesus it doesn't matter if it's Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer they're all put in front of us to set the mood, I think it's wonderful.

I Agree Tony!

 

[Don Alaska]

How are you doing @Tony Page. I hope all is going well for you.

 

[Tony Page]

How are you doing @Tony Page. I hope all is going well for you.

Physically my biggest problem right now is my walking. It's been a problem for Last 5 years because of my spinal stenosis. I've been able to deal with it, ignoring the pain. Real bad days I would just take some ibuprofen.
Now the pain level has gone up a notch, and walking has become more difficult. A few days in the last few weeks, I couldn't feel my toes or move them. I felt like I had duck feet like my toes were all attached together. I have gone out grocery shopping with my daughter a few times recently, because walking with a cart gives me hope.
I find right now I procrastinate in doing everyday things that I did without hesitation before.
The problem I have is I can't tell if this worse condition, is a radiation side effect, my spinal stenosis got a worse, or because I gained some weight about 10 lb.
My oncologist said weight gain after radiation treatment can be one of its side effects.
Mentally trying to keep positive and focus on the things I normally do, like gardening. I'm looking forward to next spring, I'm not going to worry about my Mobility.
I'm worried about my wife she has been pretty good lately with her memory, but her neuropathy has gotten worse. She keeps complaining about her hands that she can't feel things, so my daughter and I help her especially with the cooking.

I'm planning on starting an exercise routine, my wife said she will join me. I want to lose some weight to see if that is the cause of my problems. My weight gain might be because of my lack of activity. My wife thinks we should do chair yoga, but I like to throw in some exercises and I saw on YouTube that are good for spinal stenosis.

I have gotten my first seed catalog, it's got beautiful pictures. I can't remember the name of the company but it's a well made catalog. I've researched the orange hat tomato it sounds very good I will order some seeds this year.

I was thinking of ordering something similar to The Aerogarden, but I'm a little hesitant. The electoutlet that started the fire in my house the only thing plugged into it was a aerogarden. Fire Marshal said it's a good possibility that the aerogarden shorted out causing the fire, but they couldn't be certain. After the fire we examined the aerogarden it was completely melted and blackened. If I did buy one it would be from a different company.

 

[Joe Riley]

Good morning, Tony! I know how you feel. Just remember that "Momentum requires Movement"! Perhaps you could investigate different type shoes that will help with your circulation in your feet. I am glad to hear that your Daughter is around to help your both. Making lists, a dry board to write reminders, and post-a-notes help me quite a bit. I will be praying for you all.

 

[Tony Page]

Good morning, Tony! I know how you feel. Just remember that "Momentum requires Movement"! Perhaps you could investigate different type shoes that will help with your circulation in your feet. I am glad to hear that your Daughter is around to help your both. Making lists, a dry board to write reminders, and post-a-notes help me quite a bit. I will be praying for you all.

Joe,
Your right.
I do post-it's and make list all the time, it's a big help.
I also try to make the best of days that I'm feeling okay, the back pain is reduced.
Funny you brought up shoes I was thinking about that this morning. I did change to a different type shoe about a year ago I'm thinking of going back to the ones that I had back then.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

You might want to try using a vibration plate for both circulation and exercise. They help get the lymph glands working and drained, which only happens with active exercise otherwise. It would work for your wife, too.
You can stand on one, sit on it, or sit in a chair and put your feet on the vibration plate. I have mine next to something that I can hold on to, to make sure i do not lose my balance, and I believe that using the vibration plate has helped my balance, my leg and foot circulation, and my walking ability.
A lot of the YouTube videos show younger people doing exercises on a vibration plate, but that is not necessary (or even possible for some of us); but just standing on one or sitting with your feet on the plate should help.
Prices run all the way from under $100 to around $1,000; so there is a lot of variety. Mine is a Merach, and cost around $100, and works fine for me, and was actually covered by my Medicare advantage plan.

 

[Don Alaska]

Physically my biggest problem right now is my walking. It's been a problem for Last 5 years because of my spinal stenosis. I've been able to deal with it, ignoring the pain. Real bad days I would just take some ibuprofen.
Now the pain level has gone up a notch, and walking has become more difficult. A few days in the last few weeks, I couldn't feel my toes or move them. I felt like I had duck feet like my toes were all attached together. I have gone out grocery shopping with my daughter a few times recently, because walking with a cart gives me hope.
I find right now I procrastinate in doing everyday things that I did without hesitation before.
The problem I have is I can't tell if this worse condition, is a radiation side effect, my spinal stenosis got a worse, or because I gained some weight about 10 lb.
My oncologist said weight gain after radiation treatment can be one of its side effects.
Mentally trying to keep positive and focus on the things I normally do, like gardening. I'm looking forward to next spring, I'm not going to worry about my Mobility.
I'm worried about my wife she has been pretty good lately with her memory, but her neuropathy has gotten worse. She keeps complaining about her hands that she can't feel things, so my daughter and I help her especially with the cooking.

I'm planning on starting an exercise routine, my wife said she will join me. I want to lose some weight to see if that is the cause of my problems. My weight gain might be because of my lack of activity. My wife thinks we should do chair yoga, but I like to throw in some exercises and I saw on YouTube that are good for spinal stenosis.

I have gotten my first seed catalog, it's got beautiful pictures. I can't remember the name of the company but it's a well made catalog. I've researched the orange hat tomato it sounds very good I will order some seeds this year.

I was thinking of ordering something similar to The Aerogarden, but I'm a little hesitant. The electoutlet that started the fire in my house the only thing plugged into it was a aerogarden. Fire Marshal said it's a good possibility that the aerogarden shorted out causing the fire, but they couldn't be certain. After the fire we examined the aerogarden it was completely melted and blackened. If I did buy one it would be from a different company.

I am glad to hear from you @Tony Page. I can totally identify with the problems walking. I can usually walk fine now, but I still use a cart when shopping, even if just for a few things. It reminds me to straighten up and walk vertical. I tend to lean forward if I walk for a long period. I also use trekking sticks for walking longer distances instead of any kind of cane. A friend with the same issues uses something called an Upwalker, and he says his mobility is much improved when using it, but his mobility is much worse than mine and the Upwalker is quite expensive, so if I don't need it....

Things that might help your wife (but might not as well) are alpha lipoic acid for neuropathy. It is reputed to help with neuropathy, especially of diabetic origin, and choline for memory, as it sometimes helps. For the alpha lipoic acid, start with milligrams to test for tolerance, then increase in divided doses (2 or 4 times daily) until you reach 2400 milligrams daily. I don't know of any side effects, but as far as I know, 2400 mgs is safe. It is OTC and can be found at stores and on Amazon as well. The choline is also OTC and can start with a capsule a day with meals rising to 3 capsules daily. If it helps, it may take a while. Not real medical advice, but something you can try. I think the lipoic acid has a good chance of improving the neuropathy even if it doesn't resolve totally. It is sold on TV as Nervine (or something like that) but the cheaper stuff does much the same.

If you are hesitant to use an Aerogarden, make sure that it is plugged into a GFCI outlet. That should cut the power if there is a short in the appliance. I have gotten a number of seed catalogs as well, but I have already gotten most, if not all, of my seeds for next year. Do you have a favorite catalog? I hope you enjoy the Orange Hat tomatoes. They are fun to grow and it is nice to add them to a salad or other dish for a hint of freshness.

 

[Tony Page]

This past Sunday afternoon I took my wife for her hair appointment. It was in Babylon Village, I was fortunate to get a parking space right outside the store. As usual I waited in the car while she got her hair cut and primed. I was relaxing enjoying my Christmas music, watching the folks scurrying up and down the street, when I notice down the street something red was hanging from the side of the building. I pulled out my cell phone and set the camera to 30x zoom and took a photo of a Santa Clause climbing down the building, outside of one of the restaurants.I thought to myself Christmas started really early this year, I notice on the way to the village some houses fully decorated already.
below is the photo I took.

 

[Tony Page]

Maybe I should attribute it to the season, but I generally feel this way all year long. For example, I feel like all of you are my "chat room" family. I think someday we'll all be together in heaven laughing at our foibles and stories. They won't be significant there because we will be at a next level of understanding, but it still will be enlightening to see the difference between what really matters and what use to matter.

I think about people that I've met in my younger days that I sensed or seen they were having troubles and I found excuses that they would be fine and didn't need more help. Now I find myself holding a strand of guilt, I have met a few strangers, and because of my shyness, I didn't help them as much as I should have. I was embarrassed that I might be imposing, I should have at least asked if they wanted or needed more help. Of course, I'm talking about the genuine cases of people in need, not the scammers who play you for money.

My wife and I did take one person in back in the early eighties to live with us, a high school student. She was a classmate and associate of my oldest daughter. I won't bore you with all the details, but it didn't end well. Lesson learned that the cry for help may not always be what it seems at first. Making a bad judgment call happens when you feel the need to nurture and care.

Maybe I should just spend my caring energy for my dogs, who show me daily how faithful and loving they are.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Yesterday I had my appointment with my oncologist. Last August, I was taken off my hormone medication because of some heart issues I was having that might be related to the medication. I met with my cardiologist last week, and we agreed to start the hormone medication again. My oncologist yesterday agreed that I should start taking the hormone pill again. While there, I got another B12 shot. Right now, it's a wait and see game, first to see how I handle the hormone pill, then hopefully in the future, to see how my readings are for the prostate cancer. I hope the side effects will be minor.

For the last 3 months or so, my daughter and I have been having concerns about my wife and her mental acuity. She is having trouble comprehending discussions. It seems to be slowly progressing. Sometimes, she can't remember or get it right with things we talked about within the last couple of hours. She gets argumentive when she's frustrated when she can't get things straight. Most times, she blames me. She refuses to see a doctor, and I will continue to try to persuade her. I am at a point where I don't correct her anymore when she's wrong, unless she's doing something harmful to her or us, I just let it slide because when I did correct her she would snap & yell at me. I would say she's normal about 85% of the time, however when she's off it's worrisome.

Tony I get frustrated with my own self at times. Jake does too just not as often. It is frustrating for both od us.
Not sure if it is normal to be forgetful or not.
Then he will ask me what I'm talking about and I just tell him "that ship left the dock".

 

[Tony Page]

My wife and daughter started decorating for Christmas inside the house. They finished the tree last night see the photo below. You can see the the window is not done. The 2 front windows and the remainder of the house will be done hopefully before next weekend. tomorrow should be a good day for decorating, it's suppose to be miserable out weather wise.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

Your Christmas Tree is awesomely beautiful, @Tony Page !
We just put up the little fiber optic tree at Christmas, since it is just Bobby and i here to see it; but I do enjoy seeing other people’s Christmas lights and decorations.
My mom was great for decorating at Christmas, and we always had bubble lights on the Christmas tree, and old, old decorations that had been in the family for years, some that had come over from Germany with my Grandmother.
Who plays the piano ?

 

[Krystal]

Your tree is beautiful, Tony! I have a cat so it is difficult to put a tree up without him trying to destroy it. He likes to try and climb it and pull the decorations off. I have a little ceramic tree tree that I can put on a table top. I also put some lights on my fireplace mantle to decorate it up a bit.

@Yvonne Smith , my parents had bubble lights on our Christmas tree too! I loved those!

 

[Don Alaska]

Nice tree @Tony Page. My wife always starts decorating on Black Friday instead of shopping. I bought her an additional tree this year, so she has two trees to decorate this year; one with glass balls and that stuff and one with home-made and our accumulated ornaments form the past 50 years and heirlooms from before that.

 

[Tony Page]

Your Christmas Tree is awesomely beautiful, @Tony Page !
We just put up the little fiber optic tree at Christmas, since it is just Bobby and i here to see it; but I do enjoy seeing other people’s Christmas lights and decorations.
My mom was great for decorating at Christmas, and we always had bubble lights on the Christmas tree, and old, old decorations that had been in the family for years, some that had come over from Germany with my Grandmother.
Who plays the piano ?

I'm familiar with the bubble lights we had them years ago they actually brought them back. Every time I see them I get the nostalgia chill.
Up until we had the fire, we had a real tree. The whole family would meet (2 cars worth) and drive to a tree farm, they had 100's of planted trees. We pick one and then cut it down. Tie them to the top of the cars. On the way back we would stop at a Greek dinner they had great food and friendly owners and workers. It was decorated beautifully and they always had gifts for our grandkids. It was always a wonderful day.

 

[Tony Page]

Nice tree @Tony Page. My wife always starts decorating on Black Friday instead of shopping. I bought her an additional tree this year, so she has two trees to decorate this year; one with glass balls and that stuff and one with home-made and our accumulated ornaments form the past 50 years and heirlooms from before that.

That great!!!

 

[Tony Page]

Your tree is beautiful, Tony! I have a cat so it is difficult to put a tree up without him trying to destroy it. He likes to try and climb it and pull the decorations off. I have a little ceramic tree tree that I can put on a table top. I also put some lights on my fireplace mantle to decorate it up a bit.

@Yvonne Smith , my parents had bubble lights on our Christmas tree too! I loved those!

I always said it's not the size of the Christmas tree, but the heart that enjoys it.
That's wonderful!!!)

 

[Tony Page]

Your tree is beautiful, Tony! I have a cat so it is difficult to put a tree up without him trying to destroy it. He likes to try and climb it and pull the decorations off. I have a little ceramic tree tree that I can put on a table top. I also put some lights on my fireplace mantle to decorate it up a bit.

@Yvonne Smith , my parents had bubble lights on our Christmas tree too! I loved those!

I always said it's not the size of the Christmas tree, but the heart that enjoys it.
That's wonderful!!!

Your Christmas Tree is awesomely beautiful, @Tony Page !
We just put up the little fiber optic tree at Christmas, since it is just Bobby and i here to see it; but I do enjoy seeing other people’s Christmas lights and decorations.
My mom was great for decorating at Christmas, and we always had bubble lights on the Christmas tree, and old, old decorations that had been in the family for years, some that had come over from Germany with my Grandmother.
Who plays the piano ?

I forgot to answer the question who plays the piano. My youngest daughter who lives with us used to teach the piano and voice, she gave lessons for a number of years.
My 10 year old grandson has taken an interest, eventually he will be taken lessons. He's already learned a few songs playing by ear. He plays the trombone for the school band.