Things we need

[gooseberry]

Hi everyone.....it has been almost 4 months since Steve has passed. My body took a beating the last couple of years. I gained 30 lbs, wrenched my back, shoulders have limited range of motion, etc.

It is time to address these things so.....I am getting regular massages. This has improved my back, back and leg pain, shoulder rom, etc. The doctors wanted to just give me meds. Julien and I purged the house of all the food we shouldnt eat. We are basically eating a whole foods diet now.

It has been just shy of 3 weeks, I have lost 6 lbs., and I am starting to feel human. Now for the exercise piece. We got some resistance bands, weights, and our treadmill comes next week. Julien is my "coach" so I dont fall off the wagon.

I think about "If only I had taken better care of myself" but at the time, there was no time for me. So glad to be on a better path

 

[JimInVA]

SO GLAD to hear that you are adjusting to "caring for the carer". I understand the body beating aspect. I simply "hurt" all the time, it seems. But just as you did, I will keep on keeping on for as long as I can make tomorrow a day worth living. Thanks for checking in.

Jim

 

[tripete]

WOO HOO you go supergirl!

 

[soonerwife]

Way to turn things around. I hate carrying the extra weight but have a hard time motivating myself to do better. Keep us posted on all your results!

 

[ShiftKicker]

Wonderful wonderful for you! I am so glad you are doing something that gives you satisfaction and helps improve your health. Exercise is such a mood improver too. And sleep improver. So glad for you. And well done, Julien, for keeping your ma's nose to the grindstone! 6 lbs in 3 weeks is amazing!

 

[faithandlove]

Good for you! Losing two pounds per week is a healthy way to lose. Keep up the good work.

Hugs,
Deb

 

[KimT]

Steph,

So glad you're taking care of YOU. You've done so much for the ALS Community and was a hero for Steve.
I wish you continued healing and a long, beautiful life.

 

[Green Queen]

Steph you are truly inspirational.

 

[affected]

Great plan of action Steph!

I went quite manic that first year, it felt so good to get out and physically exercise.

I'm just disappointed that our local waste recycling centre is not doing mulch anymore, they are only doing compost which is not the same thing.

I made my exercise program shifting 30 cubic metres of mulch and it did me a lot of good, once I got over the initial pain lol

I too simply do not buy certain things that I was buying when pumping calories into a PALS. I've always preferred to eat fresh foods so that hasn't been too difficult.

I was looking at the thread about adding malt for calories and thought straight up, well as long as only the PALS is taking in spoonfuls of malt, it's amazing how us CALS tend to put weight on!

I'm glad Julien is your PT in this, I hope he keeps you well motivated GO GIRL!

 

[gooseberry]

Julien is the force������ He is worried something will happen to me and he wants to get more fit so this plan works.

I have put all my weight on in my upper body, lost a lot of hair including my eyebrows, wake in the middle of the night, overwhelming fatigue, all symptoms of out of whack cortisol levels. I wanted the doc to test them but he wouldnt. They had a wellness screen with vitamin, amino acid, dhea, cortisol,etc levels. I will be very interested to see what it shows. Hopefully it helps me with diet and making a good plan.

Just eating no bread,pasta,etc has helped a lot.

I think if I do anything else in the house Julien is going to be upset. So, exercise will be good.

 

[ShiftKicker]

You might want to get thyroid checked as well, if they didn't in that wellness blood panel. Hair loss and energy issues can be prompted by thyroid levels that are on the low end.

Sounds like you are on the right track!

 

[gooseberry]

It does include throid levels. I already see and endocrinologist for that.

I had a full cardiac workup in January due to chest pain. Ultimate dx was stress. This is why I am so surprised they wouldnt do a cortisol level. B vitamins are supposed to help with adrenal fatigue. Kind of excited for bloodwork results. Been a long time since I have said that.

 

[scaredwifetx]

Wow Steph...so proud of you. It is so hard to get motivated but as you have noticed it can make the world of a difference to your mental and physical well being. You were and are a rock as a caregiver and you will remain a rock.

I am so struggling with motivation to taking care of myself right now. I stay busy but also need to take time to stretch, exercise and to eat healthy. Your post makes me want to take on a challenge of my own for myself.

Keep it up! You have a lot of cheerleaders.

 

[starente15]

Great work! You are making a lot of positive changes. woo hoo!

My dad has been gone eight months and when I look in the mirror now it seems that I aged over night (I'm 47). My skin is drier, my hair is still falling out, I added 10 lbs to a body that already needed to lose 20. I have anxiety every night before going to bed. It's amazing what stress can do.

 

[gooseberry]

Ahh Star, I am 48 soon to be 49. The very things you are describing I am still experiencing. That is why I wanted my cortisol checked. I mostly lost my eyebrows and a ton of hair. I am basically gray if I didnt color my hair. I need and want to be here for my son. But to do that, I have to change. Selfishly it feels good to do something for me.

Scared, I gave up on my eating the last year of Steve's journey. Dont give up on keeping yourself fit and healthy. Barbie told me to try to be good to myself and I scoffed a bit in my head. How is that going to happen? It is important for your health afterward. I didnt realize just how important.

Steph