Some Health Tips

                                                                           Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                           everyday is a journey.

Sweet Patience, come:
Not from a low and earthly source,--
Waiting, till things shall have their course,--
Not as accepting present pain
In hope of some hereafter gain,--
Not in a dull and sullen calm,--
But as a breath of heavenly balm,
Bidding my weary heart submit
To bear whatever God sees fit:
Sweet Patience, come!
HYMNS OF THE CHURCH MILITANT.


Recently, I've come across the patient handbook from the University of Illinois and even wrote a small post on it. I thought to myself, why not share some of the useful tips they have in that handbook. So here we go.

5 Ways To Fight Infection
1. Clean your hands.
q. After touching objects or surfaces
b. Before eating
c. After using the bathroom

2. Ask others to clean their hands when attending to you. Remind them to wear plastic gloves when touching or changing any bandages or dressings.

3. Cover if you are sick. If you have an infection, limit the spread of germs by sneezing or coughing into tissues. One can wear a mask if necessary.

4. Keep an eye on bandages or dressings. Attend to any dressing that is loose or wet. Change or tighten if necessary.

5. Keep your vaccinations up to date. Make sure you are protected as possible from the spread of infection by receiving any vaccines you might need like a flu shot. 

CLEANING TIP:
Use soap and water or hand sanitizer under your nails, in between your fingers and on the palms  and backs of your hands. Rub for 15 seconds, the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday. 

SPEAK UP:
If you have questions or concerns, you have the right to ask and get a response from your doctor or nurse that makes sense to you.
1. What language would you prefer to speak?
2. Do you need glasses, hearing aids or other devices to help with talking to the hospital staff?
3. Do you prefer to hear , see or read health information?
4. Do you have any cultural, ethnic or religious based special needs?
5. Who will be your support person who talks with hospital staff about your healthcare wishes?
6. Ask yourself if there is anything else the hospital should be aware of to improve your care experience?

I hope this information helps some of you on your journey of recovery. Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Laundromat

                                               Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

So to the calmly gathered thoughtThe innermost of life is taught,The mystery dimly understood,That love of God is love of good:That to be saved is only this--Salvation from our selfishness.

--John Greenleaf Whittier.

It's been a long time since I walked into a laundromat. How did I get there in the first place? Well, there was something wrong with the washing machine in our building. I've tried numerous times to get it started to no avail. Besides, the laundry was piling up. 

The laundromat was busy, filled with Latino women folding clothes and chattering away in their own language. The children were playing on the floor as their moms worked. 

After turning the washing machine on, I sat down , pulling out my crocheting to keep me busy while I waited. No longer than five minutes went past before a group of ladies stood before me.  In heavily accented voices they wanted to know what I'm doing. They kept exclaiming how beautiful the blanket was and touched the softness of the yarn.  They were intrigued. They were fascinated. They wanted to learn.

I don't know what it is about my crocheting or this act of a hook in my hands that seems to draw people to me. I cannot go anywhere without a similar reaction. It is just yarn. It is just a crocheting hook. When it is combined, the art of beauty is formed. People remember their grandmother, or their mother or even themselves once  crocheting. It's a good memory, a warm memory. 

People seem to love handmade things. It doesn't matter if it is a homemade cake, a hand sewn apron or a knitted hat, they see the beauty. People appreciate the handiwork that goes with it. 

They want more of it. Of all the things they save in a box somewhere, it's always a handmade toy, a baby blanket knitted by their mom or an ornament or a card. And so on and so on. I, myself, still have a box of handmade Christmas ornaments that Joey and Emily have made with their own small hands. 

We hold on. We love. We remember. We cherish forever. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Morning After

                                                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



O gentlemen! the time is short;
To spend that shortness basely were too long,
If life did ride upon a dial's point,
Still ending at the arrival of an hour.
--William Shakespeare.


We all wake up the next morning with feelings of the night before still fresh in our mind. If we didn't sleep well, memories of tossing and turning burn fresh in our minds. It all depends if they were happy or frightening thoughts. Then there are the awful nights before where we practically went to bed crying, looking for strength.

They say that everything looks better and clearer the next morning. I think they're right. I can't even count the many times I went to bed so distraught with things and when I awakened the next morning everything seemed a little better. Or at least, I came to accept whatever fate was before me. I could endure. I would persevere. I would be still.

That's the thing, you know. We need to be able to discern when to finally be still. Whenever there is a struggle, a trial, we want to be doing something. We feel that we need to be solving issues all the time. I have this problem. I'm always the one that wants to take action, sort of nip it in the bud right away. Well, some things can't be nipped in the bud. . . . right away. Sometimes, we have to wait and endure. 

That's the hard part for me. The waiting. The being still and allowing Him to take control. Yet, I have to remind myself hourly sometimes that it's His will not mine. His will. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Handbook

                                                                       Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                        everyday is a journey.





Then why, my soul, dost thou complain?

Why drooping seek the dark recess?

Shake off the melancholy chain,

For God created all to bless.

The gloomy mantle of the night,

Which on my sinking spirits steals,

Will vanish at the morning light,

Which God, my East, my Sun, reveals.

--Thomas Chatterton.

Recently, while at my doctor appointment, I picked up the the hospital's handbook while waiting for the nurse to call my name. During all my years with this disease, I never even considered checking it out nor even looked at any of the pamphlets displayed in every available waiting room. 

This "handy" book is quite an informing little thing. There is a phone directory of all the hospital services, not doctor's or clinics, but services like chaplain or parking. Maybe you may want to know where all the bathrooms are located or what time the florist/gift shoppe closes. It's all in there.

Besides all that fabulous information, it also lists the patient's rights and responsibilities. It's actually several pages long in detail. It provides helpful hints on preventing infections and on personal care such as making a living will. Who knew it held such handy details?

It ends with a checkout checklist and a list of different support groups for every particular disease known to men. Very informative and I had no idea until I picked it up out of sheer boredom in a waiting room. Next time you are in the hospital, make sure you pick up your copy. You'll be glad you did. 

Have a blessed day everyone.  

The Joys Of Winter

                                                                             Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                              everyday is a journey.





Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.
THOMAS KEN.

Funny, how things work out. Here we are on the brink of Spring, but my mind has been on the irony of my Winter. I have been literally crying about the lack of a real Winter these past few years. Well, Winter truly was Winter this time. We had single digit temperatures, multiple snowfall and plenty of ice. 

One could say, I have gotten my wish. I laugh at that, because in February after multiple days of snowfall, I discovered the full joys of Winter life. I distinctively remember one particular day. My company, like many others around here, shut down for the upcoming blizzard that was expected. School upon school posted on the local news stations their closings. A blizzard is coming!

Well, this fool here, who has written many times on this blog about preparation and organization, totally didn't see this coming at all. In fact, I signed up for a Women's Breakfast and decided to do all my errands the very morning of this blizzard. I wasn't prepared at all. I needed milk, eggs and some basic ingredients. So I headed out regardless.

Now, I have to admit that the main roads were plowed and okay. It was the parking lot by my complex that was the problem as well as other lots around us. I used to have a Dodge Durango with 4 wheel drive and Winter was never a big deal. Nowadays, I have a Chevy HHR named Herschel and this poor thing is smaller than any other car in the lot. I traveled with a kitchen broom as I got stuck pulling out and pulling into a spot. I actually thought about taking some of Diamond's litter (clean, of course) in case I couldn't get out. 

After dropping Emily off at work, I made my errands, coming home laden with bags. I must have circled my lot several times looking for a spot, made numerous unsuccessful attempts of pulling in and getting stuck instead. Finally, a block away, I found a spot that was already cleared. I dragged all those bags over knee deep snow to our place. Believe me , all I wanted after that ordeal was a nice, hot bath. 

Now, I have problems getting in and out of the tub as it is, but the idea of soaking was too much to pass up. I sanked in and loved every minute of it, until it was time to get out. For the life of me, I couldn't get out of that tub! Every time I lifted myself up, I slithered back down. I thought to myself, I'm going to be stuck in this tub until someone rescues me. Then an idea occurred to me and I slithered over the rim of the bathtub like a snake onto the bathroom rug. True story. I swear. 

I laugh about this now as I think about the irony of it all. We often have this image in our heads how great things would be if this happened or that, but is it really realistic? No, it's how we would want it to be, not how it truly will be. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Another Health Update

                                                                 Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                   everyday is a journey. 


Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
J. G. WHITTIER.


First of all, I am still in remission and in that aspect, doing just fine. This is just an update on what is going on with me now.
I have written about my health several times since my last bout with cancer. I've been fighting chronic fatigue, telling myself I just need to push through. Well, after almost eleven years of cancer and four bouts, my body is tired. I don't believe that I will ever recover the strength I once had. 

The radiation really took a lot out of me both mentally and physically. I could see that it has affected my legs even more where I now feel aches from my hips all the way to my toes. When the temperature drops and the cold front comes in, I feel it in that area. I also began having some arthritis issues in my right hand as well. Not to mention charlie horses, especially at night. 

When I saw my GP back in October, I brought up the issue of my legs. She was very honest with me stating that I could soak them, massage them or do whatever to ease the pain, but it will never go away. When the barometer pressure rises whether in cold or in heat, my joints will swell up. I can only numb it for a bit or lessen the pain. Well, that's that.

This Winter has been a real one with multiple snowfall, ice and single digit temperatures. One could say that I felt it in every bone of my body. My legs hurt, especially at night where charlie horses were rampart. Luckily, I remembered years ago visiting a cancer chat room online and many of the recipients complaining about this same issue. Their solution was soap in a mesh bag placed by your legs at night. I've done that and so far, I think it has been working for the charlie horses. 

Now as to my fatigue. At first, I thought it was winter blues, but I cannot say that anymore. I'm just plain tired. I work full time and getting up early with a few hours sleep is no longer possible. There are days where I need a nap, but I fight it. I had my GP test my thyroid in case it was flaring up again, but it is fine. I don't have the stamina that I once had. 

My life has taken a slight curve along the road. I can no longer kneel without discomfort. I can only take one step at a time on the stairs. Driving a long way cramps my legs. I long for a soak in the bathtub, but getting in and out is a huge problem for me. Maybe if I had a large soaking tub or a hot tub, it would work. It feels awesome to soak these old bones.

So every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is stretch in bed. This goes on for a few minutes. After breakfast, I do light calisthenics to help stretch my muscles. I'm hoping it will aid in releasing the stiffness in my joints. I'm still drinking lots of water, too. I'm also taking my turmeric and fish oil vitamins. I'm doing everything I can to help with all of this. I can only try.

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Daily Grind

                                                                       Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                         everyday is a journey.




In the heart's depths a peace serene and holy
Abides, and when pain seems to have its will,
Or we despair,--oh, may that peace rise slowly,
Stronger than agony, and we be still.
S. JOHNSON.

It's hard to be perfectly content as we go about our daily grind. What is it all about? Why are we doing this? How much longer? Why, why, why? We are such Israelites! We always want to know the why. Can't we just continue on our way without questioning everything. When? How? Why?

Many of us like to blame the devil for everything bad that happens to us, but some of that is our own faults. The Lord knows I've called out the devils name numerous times this week. Is he really guilty? I'm not so sure.

As difficult it may become physically to do my job at work, I only have myself to blame for being there. I could have left and went on disability four times already. That's how many times I've had a re-occurrence. Yet, I chose to fight on working for as long as I could. And here I am. 

My whole body hurts, especially from my hips down. Since the computers have been down I've had to walk it doing my job manually. I'm tired. Really tired. The daily grind just became harder.

We all push ourselves to achieve a little more. Make a little more. Ask of ourselves more. Be more. Why can't we just do what our bodies tell us? Why, because we made mistakes in the past and didn't prepare for these times. We have to endure until we can finally say goodbye to the daily grind.

Have a blessed day everyone.