But, I don’t want to…

It is a Thursday and I don’t have any clients this afternoon.  I do have an  open house to attend and I am excited to see my friends at Senior Care Consultants.  I did handle one of the necessities of being a business owner.  Getting my crap in order.  I have an area in my house  that I call my hutch area.  Guess what?  Every thing gets placed there.  It is to the point that I can’t even find what I am looking for and usually, I know exactly what is where.  I hate filing and keeping receipts and logging in stuff.  I want to go and play and work and not have any responsibilities.  Just do my thing and forget record keeping.  There is always that moment where I think, “Forget this junk.”  Then I look down the road for tax time and know that I will be glad that everything is in order.  Maybe I’ll try actually staying caught up and placing things where they need to be the first time.  I doubt it, but, it could happen. 

The tip for today:  if you have a slight headache, drink more water because you may be dehydrated.  We don’t feel as thirsty in cooler weather.

Gutters and leaves..@#%%*!

Well, I did not get to clean my gutters before the rain began this Friday morning.  Am I ticked off about not being able to clean my gutters?  Yeah, but that isn’t the whole story.  I’m really ticked because my plans had to change (yet again).  I don’t like spontaneity or as I like to call it – “flying by the seat of your pants.”  I like plans, schedules and to do lists.  I know all of you philosophers out there say the only thing that is consistent is change.  In reality, for me at least, it isn’t the change that bothers me so much as having downtime when I feel that I should be working.  I am not good at being still.  We all know that when we have to be still and quiet that a lot of us do not know how to enjoy the “being present in the moment.”  I will enjoy the downtime today and just accept whatever comes my way.  At least I don’t Have to climb a ladder in the rain today.

Depression without sadness???

Yes, depression without sadness is possible.  It is more prevalent in older adults.  Older adults may deny feeling sad or depressed, but, they may still have major  depression. 

Clues to look for: 

Unexplained or aggravated aches and pains

Hopelessness                                                Loss of feeling of pleasure

Helplessness                                                  Slowed movement

Anxiety or Worries                                     Irritability

Memory problems                                     

Lack of interest in personal  care – missing meals, forgetting to take medications, not bathing or changing clothes regularly

The actions may be viewed as stubbornness or being contrary.  Remember, they may not see what is happening to them and may believe that it is you that is having the problem. 

It doesn’t have to be a war zone.  With appropriate talk, exercise and medication therapy –life can be calm again and even pleasant.

The big “C” and the stress it brings

Someone, even you, may have been diagnosed with cancer.  Does it just affect the one diagnosed?  No, it affects family and friends too.  The caregiver is often told to – “Be strong”, “You need to handle everything so that the “patient” doesn’t have to worry about anything else.”, “Don’t bother the “patient” with any household needs.”, “Just buck up and handle it.” and I’m sure many other words of supposed wisdom.  The stress increases if your caregiver is your spouse.  

The diagnosis is made and you are in shock for a while.  Then, you marshall your strength, decide on a plan and work the plan.  Oh yeah, just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it will work out quite like it should have.  Change.  That will be the one constant thing in this whole process.  Good days and bad days.  Grumpy and tired days.  Mad at the world days and madder still at your spouse days.  Step back and look at the real issue.  This situation stinks and you’re both scared and stressed to the max.  Others mean well and are willing to help if told about what needs to be handled.  Let someone help with the inside and outside house work, cook a few meals and do a little laundry.  Your friends and families cannot read your mind nor do they want to cause you more stress by overstepping their bounds.  Communication, it’s a good thing.  Would you help them if they were in your situation?  Don’t be stubborn and don’t rob someone of a blessing for helping someone they care about.

Navigating the health care system, making appointments, going to the appointments, waiting, and a myriad of other issues to handle will make anyone stressed.  The increased stress and anxiety will make even the healthiest person very ill over time.  Men usually complain of body aches and pain and women have increased headaches and stomach problems.  Women tend to talk more of how they are feeling and that seems to relieve some of the stress and anxiety of the situation.  Men do not talk as freely and sometimes turn to other means (vices) to lessen their stress and anxiety.  

Communication, it’s a good thing.  Remember that the person that you love the most and would do anything for – is not for use as a verbal punching bag.  It’s okay to get mad and yell about the situation; just let the other person know you are yelling about the situation and not at them.  Once words have been said they cannot be unheard.

7 Common Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

The seven common symptoms of sleep apnea:
1. Daytime sleepiness
2. Waking in the night choking, coughing, or gasping for
breath.
3. Headaches when you wake up or shortly after waking
4. Becoming more forgetful
5. Mood changes (not for the better)
6. Decreased interest in sex
7. Waking up a lot or insomnia

Some of you are saying to yourself–OK and so???
So, if left untreated it can aggravate or cause the following:
1. Heart Attack, Irregular Heartbeat, Heart Failure
2. Stroke
3. High Blood Pressure

Talk with your doctor about a sleep study and remember, children can have sleep apnea too.