Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘HEALTH’

WHERE ARE YOU

A couple of years ago I was reading either a magazine or a book that asked me to name ten people in my life that were important to me. No problem — I did that easily. Then the author asked where on the list I was. Surprise, I wasn’t there at all.

For the last 20 days I have joined Deepak Chopra and Oprah for a 21 day meditation. It ends tomorrow on Easter Sunday. I have trouble meditating — my mind, my body, the noises in my environment — they all distract me. Each day, at the end of the meditation, Oprah asked three questions that I have found very interesting. They all pertained to regaining my health. Instead of journaling on the computer, I have written in long hand in a book. The questions are helping me pay attention to me, to keep myself on my list.

My life can be very quiet and uneventful. If I am doing what I should — exercising or resting, eating healthy, not extremely worried, going with the flow of my life — “my friends” remain in the background. They “help” when there is a need, otherwise my life is uneventful, I have NOTHING to write about.

Since I found and accepted the invitation to meditate, my life has been quiet. Hoping to increase my energy level I have added more exercise to my day. I am paying more attention to my diet, hoping to melt. I wish I could say that my sleep is more restful, I’m hoping that will happen.

This week, the noise coming from North Korea caused me some concern since my son and I are planning to go to Hawaii. A message came through the morning I heard of the stealth bombers to DETACH FROM DRAMA. I am paying attention to the message — other than pray for a peaceful world — there is nothing I can do anyway.

When I was at the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo a knowledgeable person advised me to talk to a nutrionalist, my body needs some minerals that are either missing or in short supply. An invitation from a near by hospital invited me to a healthful dinner where a  Doctor of Internal medicine is speaking on vitamins and supplements. I have accepted the invitation.

On Good Friday, the last question of the meditation was: “How do you know when you are living in or out of alignment with your life’s purpose?” I had to laugh, when I’m out of my life’s purpose I get hit on the head. Pebbles in the road become boulders.

My youngest daughter was at our house with her two children. They were trying to play Skylanders when the Portal Of Power stopped working. Our daughter told her children that unusual things happen in Gramma’s house. We wanted to take the kids to McDonald’s for lunch and active play in the playlot before they had to get back into the car and drive back home for three hours.  Our grandson wanted to play on the computer. “My friends” must have agreed with me.

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ENERGY WHERE ARE YOU

Since I set the theme of this blog as recognizing help from “my friends on the other side” it seems against the rules to grouse about life in general. But grouse and complain I do, just not here — and sometimes I get HELP from the other side.

The ulcer on my left leg restricted my ability to stand for a long period of time. It didn’t affect my ability to walk, so I was able to shop, as long as I didn’t have to wait in line for a long time. I passed on going to the museum, decisions to go out reflected my energy levels and level of pain. Exercise was also affected — making my leg hurt was not in my best interest and I knew it. When the leg screamed, I laid down. As a result, my energy is very low.

This has been brought home to me as I feel the need for a nap soon after getting up in the morning. Exercise routines that were easy are now a challenge. I HAVE NOT given up yet.

I decided for Lent that I would meditate every day. It hasn’t happened. Until last week when I received an invitation from Oprah to join Deepak Choprah’s 21 day Meditation Challenge. After 13 days I still can not meditate. If it isn’t the noise in the house, my mind has its own thing going on but I try and try again. The questions following the meditation have been very interesting. They are making me pay more attention to my body and they have generated “Help” from the other side.

It should come as no surprise that I have been trying to lose weight for a very long time, with no success. One meditation and questions concerned eating for balance. I received an e-mail detailing the amount of protein needed to support the body. Dr Oz had been on the cover of a weekly magazine with the same subject recently. Through the years I have determined that I needed a protein diet but the amount I consume hasn’t reached the target point. I remembered that the South Beach Diet worked for me a few years ago, it is protein based. I actually lost weight. The South Beach Diet was on the cover of a weekly magazine today.

Thursday, the soft boot was removed from my leg, a gauze bandage covered the healing sore.  My husband and I stopped at Food For Less to pick up supplies. I met a man from Texas in the vegetable aisle and was able to help him find the vegetable he was looking for. He shared the reason he was in our cold town instead of his warm state. Both he and his wife have come North to help their daughter and her family. I talked to him for so long I phoned my husband to tell him the store didn’t swallow me. The next morning, an e-mail reminded me that even though I reach out with a warm word, I should not become the cane for another person.

Exercise, I still don’t have the energy. The word Yoga has been surfacing on a regular basis. Although I haven’t signed up for a class or put an hour DVD into the machine, I’m doing some yoga exercises most days as well as deep breathing.

Has my energy returned? Not yet but I’m working on it.

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LEXIE, OUR ENERGIZER PUG

We sent a friend home on March 4, 2013. She was a black pug with a very white muzzle, 16 – 17 years old, half blind and half deaf. She had a long tongue which hung out of her mouth. She had trouble walking, could no longer run or climb stairs, and had a fish tail walk. A compressed disk in her back a few years ago had affected the use of her back legs.  She moved into our house with our son and Tidbit, a fawn pug, a few years ago.

She barked — when she needed to go out, was hungry, thirsty or wanted a cookie. In other words, she had a good quality of life. The human’s in her life were well trained.

She didn’t mind going out in the rain, liked to eat the snow and loved to take showers in the summer and eat popcorn anytime. Car rides were a joy, as well as spending time in the country.

She was small but mighty. She thought she could eat any dog that crossed her path. Luckily since she was small, we picked her up. Left to her own devises, she charged after the four footed dog that crossed her path. She did not care how big it was — a German shepherd or a poodle; she wanted to take them all on.

It was no longer necessary to put her on a leash when she went out. Daily walks increased in time. It wasn’t unusual to spend 20 minutes nudging her up the sidewalk. She only took a step or two before we needed to nudge her again.  She didn’t like to stay in the back yard. She always wanted to experience the world around her. We never knew what it was she saw, heard, or felt but she liked to stand and meditate — watching the traffic, feeling the vibrations of passing vehicles. The icy sidewalk was hard for her, she couldn’t get traction.

She was an inspiration. With her many problems, she just kept going. Monday morning, I took her for her morning walk. The sidewalks were clear of ice and snow. To my amazement, she actually took more steps than usual before taking a break.

Our son noticed a lump on her back on Sunday night. He wondered if cancer had returned. He decided that we would keep a watch on it.  A doctor’s appointment called my husband and I out of the house early on Monday. While we were gone, Lexie kept barking. Our son surmised that the lump was not allowing her to get comfortable. The vet agreed, it was pressing on her kidney.

Since we weren’t home to say good-bye, Monday night I heard her bark four different times. When I told my husband, he said he heard her barking too. She just wanted to say goodbye. After I verbally acknowledged her bark, I haven’t heard it again. Monday night into Tuesday, 10 inches of snow fell. At least she didn’t need to try to walk in that.

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IT’S BACK

Yesterday was the anniversary of my father’s passing. I have to admit that I didn’t remember. Lexie, our energizer Pug, woke at 4:30 – barking for assistance. I hate to admit that I didn’t come to her aid. The temperature outside was predicted to be frigid, in the single digits with zero wind chill. It was early and I could hear the wind howling. When I finally surfaced at 5:30, I had clean up to do: her blanket, her pillow and herself. Not her fault, she asked for help.

The wind continued all day — my husband strongly suggested I stay inside and for a change I listened. I took advantage of downtime and made chicken soup. I ordered a few books from Amazon. I began to pack for our trip to my youngest daughter’s to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. I pulled the bag from my closet and took out the sunscreen and other ointments — they were not needed in frigid temperatures. I have used the bag many times since our trip to the Wisconsin Dells in October. Not only have I used it many times since October but I have completely emptied it many times!

Why am I going on and on about the bag? I am still amazed. In October, I lost a cash card. Not only was the cash card lost, but the receipts for purchases that we made on our trip were with it.  It was very important to me that the envelope was found. I guess you can surmise that it WASN’T! I looked in our car, I looked in ALL the bags I had with me. I looked at our camper. I looked and Looked and LOOKED without success.

Yesterday, the anniversary of my father’s passing; the cash card and the receipts were returned. They were in the bag that I always use. I HAVE NO ANSWER! The envelope WAS NOT there before! NOW IT WAS! Thank you! THIS WILL REMAIN ONE OF THE MYSTERIES OF MY LIFE. I’m glad it was returned.

I might have mentioned that a vascular surgeon is putting a soft boot on my leg to get the ulcers to heal. Although the boot is working, it is causing other problems. The skin on my heel cracked. On my dresser, I had a couple of tubes of ointment for dry skin. One of them was Carmex healing cream. I didn’t remember where I had purchased it. But it worked. In fact it worked within TWO DAYS. I WANTED more. The pharmacy at the hospital didn’t have it, and couldn’t order it.

I tried CVS by our house. They had the lotion but not the healing cream. They phoned a store that is about a half mile away. They had one in stock. Rain was forecast but I thought I had enough time. Instead of returning home for the car, I walked. Moisture was in the air and I didn’t have an umbrella. It was 52 degrees under cloudy skies. After purchasing the cream, I started for home. On the way, I found SIX PENNIES on the ground. Thankfully, the rain held off until I reached home.

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CROSSING THE T’S

As soon as I solve one problem, another pops up. Monday, I spoke to the doctor about the welts that were appearing under the top of my boot. The previous Monday, my appointment was in the morning, my leg wasn’t swollen from the day’s adventures; this Monday, my appointment was later in the day — leg swollen. He wrapped the leg a bit looser anyway. Problem solved, or so I thought.

Tuesday, it felt like I had a crack on the heel of my foot under the boot. Every time I took a step, I became aware that something was wrong. If I kept my foot up, things were fine. But when I put weight on the foot again, the boot pulled on the damaged area. I toughed it out on Wednesday. My oldest daughter suggested I put cream on the area. The wrapped foot prevented access. “My friends” prodded me to rely on myself and encouraged me to pay attention to my body. Listening, Wednesday night I investigated a way to gain access to my heel and applied cream. Thankfully, the heel is better today. Another issue to speak with the doctor on Monday. I’m sure he is so happy with me.

We received news that the paperwork for refinancing our home was ready. Signing was set for Friday. Thursday I received a phone call detailing the new financial data. The new payment was higher than I expected, blamed on much higher taxes. Investigating, I learned that the title company was responsible for calculating the tax. Luckily, we had received the first real estate tax bill due in March. We don’t have a fax machine, but the accounting office in our neighborhood was able to fax the document to the adjuster. Working overtime, he was able to solve the problem, coming up with a better total. When the notary came with the papers to sign, I asked if she had the corrected documents. There still was a problem. Luckily a phone call and our computer and printer, provided the corrected paperwork.

One more “T”.  I mentioned that I decided to look for boots of my own. I found some on sale, even if they are size 11, rather than share my son’s size 10. It is a good thing that I did. Outside on Thursday, after the ice, rain, snow mix — our son’s socks got wet. His boots went to recycling the next morning. I offered to share my new ones.

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GUIDANCE

February 2, Groundhog Day — a crow’s cry broke the silence of the snowy morning. Native American folk lore considers them a sign of the Creator. I hadn’t heard their voice since early fall.

A cardinal normally greets me when I take Lexie out in the early morning. It reminds me of my aunt Connie. I first heard its song this year on January 12, the temperature was 52. The weather forecast predicted cold temperatures for the next week. I told the bird that some salesman gave it the wrong information.

One of the early thought rambles I wrote after my father’s passing was titled FEATHERS. “A black feather fell as I was sitting outside at the picnic table, drinking my morning cup of coffee before leaving for church to attend Mass on the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.” I was at our camper, working on my first book:  To Pap, With Love.

Since that time birds, bird songs, and feathers have been important in my life.

I receive guidance in many ways. I don’t always look at the comics in the paper but often a strip will attract my attention. Sometimes it is reflective of my life. This week a writer was having trouble choosing a subject for her new book. At first, I thought it pertained to my youngest daughter who is crafting a children’s book. But she has her subject, she knows what she is writing about. I have to admit that my cupboard  is bare, no ideas until this morning.

On Monday, the Vascular surgeon put my left leg in a boot — plaster type wrap, gauze and tape.  He told me that I didn’t need to do anything with it. He will change it at my next appointment. Zero weather was predicted for Thursday and the rest of the week. The date to submit the paperwork for the senior freeze was Feb. 6. Taking advantage of the warmer weather, on Wednesday I journeyed downtown to hand deliver the paperwork. Last year I mailed the document and we didn’t receive the deduction. I didn’t want to take that chance again. At City Hall, the person at the information desk directed me to go to room 320, get the paperwork date stamped and receive a copy.  I was very glad that I made the trip.

Thursday my leg rebelled. Bright and early, I thought of exercising — mid morning I had changed my mind. My eldest daughter phoned, strongly recommending that I do stretches, Tai Chi, or Yoga. Nothing strenuous. This advice came before I told her about my trip downtown. I paid attention when she remarked that there is often a reason why she is nudged to phone me.

Today, Saturday, we received the most snow of the season, almost 2″. I tried to put my snowboots on. The doctor’s boot wouldn’t allow my ankle to bend. The shoes that I wear are not suitable for snow, barely good for rain. I had been concerned about snow since winter began but when I tried on my snow boots, they fit. Now they DON’T! More snow is predicted for the coming week. I knew I was in trouble. This morning I borrowed my son’s boots to take Lexie out and sweep the snow off the steps.  Wearing his boots works when he is home, but he needs them to go to work. We wandered to Target after breakfast. I found a pair of size 11 boots reduced from $35 to $11. I would have tried on a size 10, but none were available. I had the same problem with the size 9 as my boots at home. I can’t say that I’m ready for more snow, but at least my foot, and the doctor’s boot will stay dry.

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BLOCKS

It ‘s too quiet! Nothing unusual is happening. Days, weeks pass. Obstacles are everywhere. Finally I realized the blocks are on. I don’t know what else to call them. This time I can only blame it on congestion that wouldn’t end and pain in my leg that wouldn’t go away. Even though I promised to go to the doctor this year, pain increased. I’d wake in the morning with plans for the day. After being awake for two hours, I was ready to go back to bed, all plans forgotten.

Going to the doctor didn’t help — pain still increased. Couldn’t think. Blocks still on.

Started to see a bit of light — Doctor on Monday, specialist on Thursday, MRI on Friday.

I should also mention that the pharmacist at the hospital shares the same name as my daughter in Florida. The technician who took my tests has the more formal name of my own. She took care of her father who not only lived with her but had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s too. He has been on the other side three years. And the hospital is St. Francis.  Inquiring I asked which St Francis — Assisi or ??  The person I asked didn’t know but I recognized the statue holding two doves as St. Francis of Assisi. We have a long history, I was born on his feast day.

A little more light — Ham is a favorite of my family. Shopping at Aldi’s I noticed ham on sale –$5.00 off to be exact. The ham I picked was out of date, but a worker found a ham for me — 2 weeks before the expiration date.

Hints that maybe things are changing. Shopping at Jewel my son’s favorite salad dressing was on sale, so were hot dogs. “Help” is often found in sales, especially when I need the items, don’t have them on my list and are reminded of them in passing.

Chicago got it’s first measurable snow this Friday. My husband and I went out for breakfast and ended up at a restaurant I never thought we would go to. We walked. A gas main break changed our plan — it was announced on TV but I didn’t get the message. (The food at the new restaurant was VERY GOOD but VERY EXPENSIVE.) We were only home for half an hour when a friend’s son phoned and invited us to meet his mother at a new neighborhood restaurant. Sally moved from the neighborhood to a senior citizen apartment but he was her chauffeur for the day. I was too full to eat but I happily joined them for tea.

To top off the day, I found the hiding place for presents that had been hidden since before Christmas.

Thankfully, I knew BLOCKS WERE OFF!

I’ve already written many times that I don’t see or hear my friends in high places but they have ways to communicate with me. The nudges started again, increasing in volume. Write –WRITE — tell your stories.

It is important!

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DETOURS

I make plans, if not plans, at least I have a general idea of what it is I want to accomplish. Often GOD LAUGHS! And it happened AGAIN. We were celebrating an early Christmas on Saturday, it was Friday and I wasn’t ready. The house wasn’t completely decorated, the cookies weren’t made and I planned to do some precooking.

My husband had a bad cough, and I was concerned. I didn’t like his color, his cough nor his lack of energy. He has emphysema. Colds have often become pneumonia in the past. Friday morning, I signed him up at the minute clinic a short distance from the house. The nurse practitioner listened to his lungs and told him he needed a chest x-ray. She didn’t have the necessary equipment but a clinic a short drive from the house did.

Three hours later, chest x-ray and EKG taken, the nurse practitioner was concerned. She thought his cough might have been caused by his heart. She wanted him to go the hospital — Emergency to be exact, via ambulance. I didn’t think we needed an ambulance.

Neither my husband nor I had breakfast, not even a cup of coffee. I planned to stop for food on the way. We were advised that tests might be delayed if we stopped to eat. We drove directly to the hospital, no stops along the way.

Long story short — my husband was going to sign himself out of the hospital at 4:00 in the afternoon. Another EKG had been run. The emergency room doctor was concerned about the level of oxygen in his blood. He had a oxygen treatment. She was able to contact his primary care doctor and learned that the oxygen levels in his blood were always on the low side. He was released with the promise that if he had any chest pains he would return to the hospital immediately.

Five PM and we were finally returning home. I had been on the phone with our children throughout the day. I was TIRED and hungry. I hadn’t accomplished one thing that was on my to do list.

Did we really need cookies? Saturday our family gathered at our home. Except for the family in Florida, we were all present — adults, children and dogs. What better gift for Christmas? We didn’t miss the cookies.

Monday, we visited our primary doctor. My husbands breathing was better — no wheezing. I didn’t accompany him into the office, but remained in the waiting room talking to a woman who was grieving the passing of her son a few years before. More recently she had also lost a loved dog. I told stories from my life — “help from my friends in high places.”

I don’t know why we received a DETOUR or ROADBLOCK on Friday. I don’t know why I was prevented from baking or cooking. I don’t know if there was something seriously wrong with my husband.
We are home. His color is better and so is his cough. The cookies still aren’t made.

On Friday, I kept reminding myself that God was in charge and so He/She is.

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WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY

There is a well known saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will come. Evidently I was ready. High sugar has been a concern for awhile, not for me, but for my husband. I will admit that I knew carbohydrates: bread, pasta, white potatoes contained more sugar. But I didn’t know how to interpret the data.

Last night I watched a program on our public television station. The nutrionist gave a formula to convert carbohydrates to teaspoons of sugar. Total carbohydrates minus fiber divided by five equals the number of teaspoons of sugar in the food.  The goal — no more then 10 teaspoons of sugar a day. This morning, I looked at my husband’s favorite breakfast — English muffins with peanut butter and jelly and understood why his sugar numbers are up.

I won’t say “my friends in high places” are always around. Truthfully I never know if they are until they make their presence known. This week, for some unknown reason, stuff is falling off the high shelf in the pantry. I won’t mention how long some of the stuff has been up there. But why was it falling now?

Sometime in the past year, I heard a report that mentioned that as a person ages, they produce less acid in their stomach. One of the solutions given was to drink one tablespoon of unpasturized apple cider vinegar in a glass of water two to three times a day. I have been following that advice with good results.

We are going to our younger daughters this week. I usually take some apple cider vinegar with me. I transfer some into a smaller glass bottle rather than taking the bigger bottle with me. When my Floridian daughter was in town, she labeled my bottle as a urine sample. That bottle was up on the top shelf of the pantry. It no longer is. It is now filled and ready for the trip. Was that the message I was supposed to get? I don’t know.

Christmas is coming. “My friends” are ready to help! And we know I need all the help I can get.

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Is Someone Trying To Tell Me Something

I will admit that I’m stubborn. I have had an open wound on my left leg since March and have not gone to the doctor. I knew it was coming. I watched a small black dot slowly rise to the surface and when it became an open wound, I wasn’t surprised. I tried to keep it small, eat healthy, etc. but it continued to grow. Stress and other things of normal life prevented me from going to the doctor until it became so large I was embarrassed.

Each time I determined that if it hadn’t started healing by such and such a date, I was going to the doctor. Something else always happened to delay the making of an appointment.

Then it began to heal, and I was very thankful. But I had not learned the lesson yet, whatever the lesson is. I think it has to do with making sure that I have myself on the list, taking care of my needs as well as the needs of others. Often I’m at the store, buying food my family needs and forget that I have to have different items since I’m sodium restricted. When I’m back at home, and ready to cook dinner, I discover most of the stuff that I can eat is still in the store.

Now it is August. My left leg rebelled or decided to self destruct. On the fifth, I hit my leg with the vacuum cleaner. On the 9th, a porch folding chair fell on my left toes. On the 15th, I banged my left foot on our dog’s gate.  Which brings me to the 19th, a can of luncheon meat, fell off the shelf, onto my left foot. Not done yet, in the store,, a box of mushrooms, fell onto my left shin.

I was getting the message. Leg WAS NOT happy.

I wear compression socks because of poor circulation. My left leg was itching, so I scratched it with abandon, over the stockings. I was very surprised to see a blister on my leg, followed in two days by another one. The stocking acted as a scouring pad and scoured my leg.

I cover the open sores on my leg with gauze pads, held in place by paper tape. I was not happy as the area covered by this protection grew in size. So far, I haven’t found shin guards.

A friend told me about a treatment with castor oil and a heating pad which has done her leg some good. By now, I was desperate enough to try it. As I write, five days into the treatment, the blisters seem to be healing. The scratches up and down the leg are either healing or gone. Hopefully soon the larger sore will begin to heal again.

I’M KEEPING MYSELF ON THE LIST. Right now, anyway.

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