Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A Health Update

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all enjoying life wherever you are.  In my part of the world it is summer and this summer has been very hot. Believe it or not the summer has passed by so quickly for me and I have yet to do any summer activities such as picnicking, going to the beach for the day, strolling parks or having barbeques. I did manage to have a few short term summer visitors though it seems so long ago now. I also managed to have a few people for dinner in the patio garden area while my flowers were still in bloom.

My garden was in on time early this year but I haven't really had a chance to enjoy it after the first month or so. It has been so hot here and I am afraid I do not do well in the heat. I am not sure why too but the vegetables seemed to mature early and start dying off. Just this past week the flowers in containers and some of my vegetables seem to have revived though so perhaps there is still some hope for late harvest.



I've been very busy this past few months with health issues; my own and various family and loved ones.  I've also been busy with a number of needs that my mom has and trying to get her positioned for the coming colder months.  She has been having a lot of challenges trying to keep warm enough and staff in care homes do not like attending to residents throughout the night to make sure they are not too cold or not too hot. Once they have you in bed, that is pretty well it and mom is not in any way able to help herself. So I've been trying to find pajamas for her that will need to be adapted.

So far I've had no success in finding large enough pajamas or even pajamas made of flannel. I may have to take a trip across the border to Washington State to see what I can find. I also need to try and find thermal socks that won't cut off her circulation. It seems that socks are made so narrow these days.

Early summer photo.
One of the alternatives I've been exploring is knees bands that are made of far infrared material. Supposedly this material helps people who suffer from arthritic pain. It sounds to good to be true but I've read a lot of testimonials saying how much various garments have helped different users.

Ideally I would get some longjohns for mom but they would have to be custom made since they are not in her size off the rack.  Buying a garment made of this material is an investment which I'm hesitant to make.  The garments cannot be washed in the very hot water that care homes use so I might order the clothing for nothing.

I think I had better try the flannel or fleece options first but locating a seamstress who makes adaptive clothing where my mom lives is not that easy. The one person I did speak with said it would cost too much to make something from scratch.  She also recommended I purchase men's sweatpants (available locally) which she could then adapt. I will look into all these options and try and find the most effective thing to do.

Beyond that I am constantly looking for food snacks that mom can have without refrigeration. Her shared room doesn't have space for her mini-fridge. She shouldn't need all this extra food but she absolutely can't seem to eat much of what they provide her. I don't know how the other residents manage because truthfully I've tasted some of the food. Though it looks and smells fine it is usually too salty, too sweet or too mushy.

Last but not least I've been looking for mobile services such as hair care and masseuses that can help to make her feel well groomed and pretty or relieve some of her constant pains from arthritis. It all keeps me very busy. At the end of the month my brother and I will make a trip to go and see her and celebrate her birthday. I am hoping this will boost her spirits a bit as she hasn't been well with infections and chronic pain this past little while. If you are prayer warrior, please say some prayers for her.



Many of you will know that I have also been spending a lot of time on my own health and trying to get my blood sugar down. I went to the doctor today and was so thrilled to hear that I have dropped a full point in my blood glucose readings. This means I'm very close to normal! I am very excited and happy about that. All my other tests were normal too with the exception of the liver which the doctor wasn't too concerned about just yet for reasons I can't quite regurgitate. So I guess we will keep an eye on that and see where things are at later. As for weight loss, that is still elusive. I did manage to lose a few of the pounds that I had recently gained but it took months of effort. At least it is a loss and not a gain. I'll take it!!

So basically all of this to say I'm pleased with my personal progress and hope that I can keep up the effort and the good progress. I can tell you that it is taking most of my time so I'm blogging less these days.  Since it is summer and most people are somewhat busy, this is probably okay.

I am still pursuing my secret thing that I hinted at a few weeks ago. I need to give it more time to see if it is really going to help me and then I will make a special post about it because it deserves a post of it's own.

I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to reading your posts soon.

8 comments:

Jan said...

Hello Penny. I cannot understand why staff won't check on your Mum's comfort and well being during the night. It seems very uncaring to me. I hope you are successful in your efforts to find something suitable. Have you looked on the internet? Well done on your weight loss. I agree, a loss, any loss is good if it will help your health. Hope you get some summer fun soon. It has been so hot hear since June and now, in the middle of August it already feels like winter!! We could do with a few more weeks of sunshine and warmth really before the season changes but we've been really lucky this year as the temperatures have been really high which is unusual.

Joanne Noragon said...

Have you considered wool socks? Measure the length of her foot, heel to toe, and I will knit her a pair to wear to bed this winter.

Joyful said...

Hi Joanne, I hadn't considered wool socks. I guess because the nurse suggested thermal but you've given me another good option which I'm sure could work. Thank you for your kind offer to knit a pair because I can't knit socks. I will measure mom's foot when I see her next and I'll be in touch :-)

Cynthia said...

I hope you can squeeze in some summer fun before the summer is gone.
Not sure you want more suggestions, but I find wearing polar fleece "socks" to bed with cotton socks underneath are very warm and cozy. And I live in Minnesota, so I know about cold feet! I hope you will be able to find some of the fun services for your mom that will make her days more enjoyable.
It's good to hear that you have been able to improve your own health challenges and hopefully you feel better as a result. Well done!

Mereknits said...

Bless your heart having so much to worry about with your Mom and your own health. I am sure you will figure out the temperature thing, light weight flannel might be what is needed. I am thrilled for you that your blood glucose levels are near normal, hooray for you.
Hugs,
Meredith

Anne in the kitchen said...

I am assuming you need either plus size or tall clothing items for your mom. I am just nerdy enough to take it as a research challenge. I found:

flannel pj's http://www.womanwithin.com/Plus-Size-Pajamas--Sets.aspx?DeptId=11168
http://www.roamans.com/clothing/Plaid-flannel-pjs-by-Dreams-and-Co.aspx?PfId=57432&DeptId=11168&ProductTypeId=1&ppos=50&Splt=0&StyleNo=9970#.U-wctI4bjww

Silk underwear is available to size 2x http://wintersilks.blair.com/home.jsp

thermal underwear http://www.roamans.com/Plus-Size-Thermal-Knits.aspx?DeptId=19023

Margie said...

Wonderful news on your glucose levels.
The summer flowers are so pretty .
I hope you are able to find the flannel pajamas for your mom, bless you for being such a good and loving daughter ..

Be well and take care
Hugs

Anonymous said...

Wishing you much more good health!

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