Archive for April, 2010
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When your feet hurt, your whole body hurts
What are some of the issues? Ingrown toenails, corns, bunions, cracked heels, sore feet, plantar fascitis, gouty arthritis of the toe(s), stress fracture(s), neuropathy, etc. Losing 10% of your body weight would help your hips, knees, legs and feet feel much better. When you calculate the 10%, take the total number of pounds and set your goals in 7 pound increments. Cut 300 to 500 calories a day and find an exercise that you enjoy that would burn 200 to 300 calories.
Are you wearing the correct size of shoe? Feet grow (lengthen usually) as we age. Our arches begin to fall. Take the time to have your feet measured using a Brannock device. Yes, those metal things that were always used when we were little.
Let’s just get the “but, I like high heels” or “I have to wear” or “I want to wear” out-of-the way right now. Make adjustments with padding at the ball of the foot and the heels too. Take flats with you to wear during the day when you don’t have to “be on.” You definitely need foot massages and pedicures and regular appointments to a podiatrist. Shoes that tilt the feet, such as high heels, may just be the cause of back and joint problems as well as damage to the Achilles tendon, hammer toe, bunions, stress fractures, corns, calluses, and nerve damage. Find well padded shoes.
As we age, the fatty tissue, which cushions the foot, decreases and corns may develop. Foot distortion may also occur. If you have neuropathy, circulation problems, or diabetes, you definitely need a podiatrist on your health care team.
Guys, you too need to heed the above. Some of you have the ingrown toe nails and cracked heels. You think to yourself, “It’s just dry skin” or “It’s just a few cracked places.” Cracked skin allows fungus and bacteria to enter your body. Get a pumice stone and work on smoothing the rough places. Check your feet for cuts, wounds (especially ones that won’t heal) discoloration and any other abnormalities that you observe. Place a mirror on the floor and put your foot above it and take a good look. Have someone else take a good look. Get over the, “Feet, Toes – Yuck!” What is the big deal about feet and toes with some people? I don’t get it and I am sure that is a topic for another day.
Just because you don’t have diabetes, does not mean that you don’t have neuropathy. If you have a “fungus amongus” use an antifungal over-the-counter product for 7 to 10 days. Lamisil or Lotrimin are good (generics are fine too). If it is under a nail, get with your doctor for help. If you need to take a tablet by mouth for the fungal infection–DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL while taking the medication and for 3 days after stopping. Most of the time, they use the one week on and 3 weeks off method. Warm epsom salt soaks are good and remember to moisturize your feet. Do not put lotion between your toes. Why you ask? You don’t want to create a warm moist place for a fungus to go and grow.
Flip-flops, crocs, sandals, barefooted – only for a short period of time if at all. Think protection and cushioning. I know a lot of you are thinking to yourself – “I am not giving up _______.” I understand that and I am saying to modify a little at a time and see how it goes. Not all flats are ugly.
For those that have neuropathy, please check your feet daily or at least every other day. You may find a wound or ulcer that needs medical attention. You may find a tack stuck in your foot as my uncle did. No, he didn’t feel it and when it was found, it was too late, because gangrene had set in and he lost his leg from the knee down.
If your hips, knees, legs or feet hurt when you walk figure out if you need new shoes. Low back pain sufferer? It might be aggravated or caused by your foot problems. Your whole body will thank you when you take care of your feet.
What information you need to know about your elderly parents. http://ping.fm/CXisc
Do you know what you need to know about your elderly parents?
Most of us will have to help our aging parents at some point. Can it be done without starting World War III? Sometimes it depends on your family dynamics. What was the relationship as a child and teenager and how did it change in adulthood? For example, my family dynamics are: we were allowed to express our opinions, thoughts and feelings as youngsters. We were taught to be respectful when doing so and that it didn’t have to result into an argument. As we grew and graduated from college, the relationship changed into a more adult-friend-parent relationship. We could each speak our mind and go on about our business. I was not raised in a dictatorial household. Some of you were and it ain’t going to change now. Strong personalities clashing- what a fight. Okay, now the fight is over, how do you react to each other afterwards? Fighting and disagreements are going to happen. That does not mean the relationship is bad or over. We could go on about all of the different dynamics and be here all day. You will have to figure out how best to handle your parent(s) in the best way that you can. Maybe a mediator could help if you are at an impasse.
On to the meat of this blog.
I know that a lot of our seniors are extremely private about their money situation, their health, and they are afraid of losing their independence.
What you should know-
Names and Phone numbers of their physicians, dentist, pharmacies
Date of Birth
Insurance Information
Allergies
Allergies to Medications
Past Surgeries – dates and where
Major Medical Procedures – ex. pacemaker
Medications
Supplements
Advance Directives
Powers of Attorney – both Financial and Healthcare
Lifestyle Informations – use of alcohol, tobacco, religious beliefs
Last Will and Testament – where is it?
Financial – Banking locations, Investment locations, other Monetary locations
Funeral and Burial information
Safe or Gun Safe – combination to open
Any specific wishes?
Location of important papers
Nobody really wants to discuss these things. It is always better to know and have it written down. In an emergency, it is hard to recall a lot of needed information on the spot.
Earthquake in Maryville—you just never know
Yes, we had an earthquake in Maryville,TN this morning about 5:30 am. It was a 3.3 and it was loud and shook the house. At first, I thought thunderstorm, but, it really didn’t sound like thunder. I said, “Well it was either a thunderstorm or an earthquake.” Turned on the news about 7:00 am and sure enough it was an earthquake. I have wondered all day how close my house was to the center of the earthquake. I found out, pretty darn close! I got the coordinates of the quake and the coordinates of my house. They were close and so I found a reverse Geocoder and plugged in the numbers. So how close were you? I won’t tell you the address because that would take all of the fun out of the search.
The Lat. of the quake was 35.731904 degrees (no, I couldn’t find the symbol)
The Longitude was -83.971218 degrees
Reverse GeoCoder http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/find-address-from-latitude-and-longitude.php
Finding Latitude and Longitude of your address: http://geocoder.us/
Have fun with it and let me know how close you were. Let me know when I should tell you how close I was.
3 Ways Meds and Personal Care Products enter our Environment
Things that make you go – Oh or Uh-oh. Environment can be read as water supply for my purposes. Medications, both prescription and otc (over-the-counter) medications enter our water supplies through:
1 – Excretion from the body through urination or defecation
2 – Washed off of the body during bathing
3 – Unused or Expired medications getting flushed
Personal care products (lotions, shampoos, deodorants, etc.) enter the water supply in the same way.
Is there a safe level? We don’t know.
Does bottled water protect me? Probably not.
What may happen to us over time? We don’t know.
What may happen to our aquatic life? We don’t know.
Am I trying to scare you? No, just make you aware.
I know that it is “trace amounts.” What can we do to help? Well, we can dispose of the things that we have control over, properly. At this point, there are no approved drop-off points for unused medications. We are told to take them out of their bottle and mix them with kitty litter or used coffee grounds and then place in a container and throw in the trash. I had a lot of folks come by the pharmacy and ask if we could take them back or dispose of them. We couldn’t. It was against the law in some cases and the company that we used for our expired medications would not take back anything that was not in its original container. We couldn’t help them dispose of their needles either. It is best to buy a sharps container and mail it in to the destruction/incineration center.
I am not getting into the cost or who should pay for x, y, or z. That is not my area. My area is right where I am and what I can do for my “neck of the woods. ” What if everyone took care of their own” neck of the woods? ” Would it make an impact? Sure, it would on the water issue and keeping our kids from “pharming.”
Here is a link to the guidelines:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf
Baby Boomers and Their Aging Parents
What will become of the “Sandwich Generation?” Those of us between our aging parents and our kids. As a baby boomer that was born in 1962, I am seeing more and more of the struggles and worries of adult children of aging parents. My mom died at aged 65 of complications of Multiple Sclerosis a few years ago and my dad is 71 years old and is in good shape and very active. I don’t have a plan that has all of the details worked out, but, I have a general idea.
As adults, my brother and I have talked with our parents frankly and have discussed many issues.Granted, it was easier to discuss things with mama. With daddy, you just speak your mind and he speaks his mind and there you have it. I have never been afraid to tell him that he’s wrong or is being an ass. I love my daddy and am a lot like him. Some might say I’m a little too much like him. Apparently, the kind of relationship that I have had with both my parents is unusual. There is no arguing or yelling or hard feelings. I may not like what my dad does and he may not like what I do, but, we are still family.
As an adult child of an aging parent, I can be proactive about what the future may hold and what the best solutions may be or I can stick my head in the sand and not deal with the inevitable. I’m not an ostrich and I can handle anything if I know about it. I remember when I was little that papaw Martin (my great-grandfather) was living with family until his death. That was probably the late 1960′s. Was there a lot of two-income households at that time? Were there any assisted livings? All I remember was the old stinky nursing homes. That is one place that older folks did not want ever go. Their families agreed or just kept them at home because that’s the way it was always handled. The nursing homes of today are so much better than they were in the past. Now, we even have assisted living facilities and in-home care available.
I know what I can handle and what I can’t handle. My dad will have in-home care and if needed he will transition to an assisted living facility and then into a nursing home. I will make the best choices that I can with the information that I have at the time.
