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Hi today was the biggest wake-up call ive had and a very stern warning that WE NEED to look after ourselves I went to see my doctor today just to get my prescription for my sleeping tablets......while there she said I didn't look well and I told her that I was feeling a bit WEAK? I then showed her a rash on my lower back thinking nothing of it and told her id had it a week and that id put a cream on it but it didn't work she took one look and said it was an absess and to go to emergency straight away! I had to wait 4hrs to see the surgeon but luckily it hadn't actually turned to an absess but a few more days and it would have been nasty and would have needed surgery of the most unpleasant kind. Im sitting here now feeling very numb as all the stress ive been under has caused this and not eating right or taking care of myself has taken its toll im just so relieved as I really couldn't have coped with surgery not after all ive been through the last four years. I think this has really made me wake-up and am going to start eating right tomorrow as I got an awful fright. My immune system is so low that now im getting infections I must be in some mess for this to happen and when the surgeon asked If I was under any STRESS?? I laughed, my mother may have dementia, he said that would explain things and warned me to watch my own health as hes seen what this can do to caregivers.
I just wanted to let you all know that we really need to take sometime to check our own health as it just creeps up on you. Im now on antibiotics and feel like im spaced out and so tired and just wish I hadn't let this stress go this far and had taken better care BUT I didn't so busy running around after mum and now look at me im no good to her now all I want to do is sleep and am keeping out of her way she was so upset and made me a cup of tea I then went and cried as normally she wouldn't register things like this but she was very lucid and caring like she used to be? its heartbreaking for a few minutes she was my mum again.
anyway don't want to alarm you or upset anyone but have just realised this stress is serious and how important it is to maintain our own health.
Tomorrow is a new beginning for me as this was maybe the scare I needed as deep down I was eating very badly and not taking care of just how much "comfort food" I was eating and how low my immune system had got in fact I cant remember the last time I ate a proper meal just coffees and junk food as that's what I was craving.
its going to be tough but today was the day to wake up and look after ME!

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Thank you so much for sharing this.

We see the message "take care of yourself" over and over, but a personal message like this has a far greater impact. If just one caregiver sees herself in your post and improves her own self-care, that will be a wonderful payback.

For some, eating in a reasonably healthy way is the key. For others, getting some exercise (such as a walk) is important. Keeping up with regular check-ups, mammograms, flu shots, etc. etc. needs to happen.

Thanks again for taking the time to share.
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Dear Kazaa, How right you are! It was truly providential that your doctor visit revealed something you never even expected. Thank God you caught it before it became more serious. I too have been feeling very run down, and suffer more aches& pains than usual at 64 years old. Unfortunalely I don't have any health ins at all so cannot even go to the doctor. I am very big on vitamins and nutritional supplementation, and actually feel much better when I take them regularly. I'm always touting the natural route over drugs, but typically I often don't practice what I preach. Same thing with eating - when I get on a healthy eating kick, I start to feel better. Consistency is truly the key, but sometimes there is so much to be done in a day, that I just skip over the vitamins and a full breakfast. lunch, or dinner. Can't even remember when I had 3 regular meals in a day. Tonight was a perfect example - got home late, and instead of fixing a meal, I ate icecream and marshmallows!! LOL There is still a mess of dishes and stuff in the sink from yesterday (I had juiced 2 fresh pineapples with strawberries - Yum!) and I just didn't feel like creating another mess tonight.

Thank you for alerting us about the importance of maintaining our own health. You just gave me a renewed incentive to do the right things for myself first, so I can keep myself in shape to do what I need to do for others the rest of the day.
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I try to eat 3 times a day. Breakfast is usually only 2 toasted bread with cheese in the middle or a beef jerky with my ice coffee. I do eat a little bit of lunch and a substantial dinner.

My doctor and the therapist both keep pushing for me to do exercise daily. Doc says to do at least brisk walking 30 minutes a day. Sis bought me a treadmill but I don't use it.

Therapist recommends doing meditation and deep breathing exercises at least twice a day - in the morning when you just wake up and in the evening just before bedtime. The meditation De-stresses you and the deep breathing allows more oxygen into your brain. We,caregivers, have a tendency of holding our breaths and causing lack of oxygen into our brain. I read online that these 2 methods actually changes our brain waves (or was it chemistry?) I keep falling asleep when I do these 2. I once woke up in the morning, did the 2, and fell asleep again. Now, I don't do it in the morning because I do need to get up for work.
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What happened to me was as far as ive googled is bacterial from a very tired digestive system and then stress just drained my immune system.
the best advice I can give to everyone and I swear by this as ive taken them before but they are expensive and i havnt been able to afford them recently but will make sure i take them no matter what are PROBIOTICS the more run down we are the more BAD bacteria builds up in our gut add then all the junk food and the immune system just starts to attack itself and this is why ive got a nasty infection now. If id been taking my probiotics this wouldnt have happened if everyone did just this one thing it would help our immune system so much as they say "disease starts in your gut" if buying these probiotics make sure you buy them from a reputable company and a health store FROM THE FRIDGE they must be chilled at all times to preserve thier bacteria.
Would be interesting to hear if and when anyone takes them how they get on and just how much better they feel? Stress has a HUGE effect on our stomachs and trust me these are the best thing we could be taking. Its only now BUT they have probably known for years that when taking ANY antibiotics its CRUCIAL that we take probiotics straight after to reintroduce good bacteria NOW the doctors are telling us this? What really annoys me is I get my antibiotics FREE my probiotics I have to pay for and they are expensive this just dosnt make sense to me? Go figure??
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Kazaa, I'm so happy you've decided to take better care of yourself. I've been a vegetarian for 47 years and that (along with good genes from my parents) has kept me healthy. But I have an immune condition (oral lichen planus) that I just can't kick. I've started juicing and eating more veggies and less sugar. Sugar is my downfall. There's an interesting documentary called fat sick and nearly dead that you can google about an Australian guy who decides to take better care of his health. I'm going to try eating totally vegan for a while to see how that helps. I went back to the gym yesterday for the first time in a month and walked and did weights. I'm going back today to walk. It does make me feel much better. Here's to taking good care of ourselves - we deserve it!
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Well theres three things that we should all just give up its very hard but it works WHEAT, DAIRY, SUGAR. We should not be eating these they are even more intolerant to our systems when stress is involved "we think comfort" when in fact they are the worst thing we could be putting into our already exhausted digestive systems.
I have started today with a peppermint tea im now off caffeine dairy and wheat I feel awful and have even got a headache BUT this is a good sign my body is already detoxing the next week will be hell but when you feel bad it means that all the junk is leaving your body. Ive done this before and i know how good I felt when I stuck at it after ten days my skin,hair and energy already improved also the last time I went off all this I lost 28lbs in less than 2 months its amazing how wheat can make you so fat around the belly!

A great book if anyone has a problem with wheat check out this book its a real eyeopener! "wheat belly" sorry cant remember the writer but be prepared to be shocked about this innocent grain and what devasting effect it can have on nearly all our health issues!
Just to get yee motivated my stomach is not as bloated today as ive eaten no wheat or dairy which bloats me up to one dress size!
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