Taking Care of Yourself and Your Loved One – Pulmonary Fibrosis News
Posted: October 20, 2019 at 8:57 am
I have spent a lot of time writing about self-care and mental health as a caregiver. Even if the term self-care sounds silly to you, I recommend dedicating time every day to your mental health. If for no other reason than to help prevent caregiver burnout.
Another reason to incorporate self-care into your routine, especially if your loved one is hospitalized, is so that you also have enough energy to support their mental health.
As someone who has never had a chronic illness, I cant know what kind of strain it puts on your mind. However, I have seen chronic and terminal illness up close in several family members in recent years. I also have had a severe injury that turned my world upside down and took away my independence and mobility. I can empathize with the mental strain of an unwell, uncooperative body.
Its no surprise that failing lungs come with a huge emotional cost. I watched my mom go through loss after loss when she was sick with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Her independence, her mobility, and nearly everything normal about her life were taken away.
When she was hospitalized in January, it was a shock. We had been in Hawaii a month earlier, snorkeling and walking in the rainforest. We had just started planning my wedding reception. The drastic change in her health didnt seem possible.
Amid fighting for every breath and being at the will of more than a dozen doctors, my mom finally had to rumble with the potential outcomes of this disease. We all did. But she alone was battling to stay alive, which meant the rest of us had to help save her in any way we could.
Self-care did not eradicate my stress or negative feelings. But it did allow me to have an emotional well from which I could pull strength and love to give to my mom. Perhaps my ways of supporting my loved one will spark ideas if you are supporting someone with a chronic illness.
This was especially important when my mom was in the ICU and was being touched by many people in invasive or painful ways.
I gave her foot rubs, which helped her relax and relieved the swelling in her feet. They became a kind of nightly ritual. We would talk I read her lips since she had a trach or enjoy the quiet of a rare moment without an alarm going off.
I gave her a manicure and pedicure. My moms nails were another reminder of her failing lungs. She had clubbing, and the nail beds looked too pale without enough oxygen. I bought the brightest, most obnoxious shade of pink I could find. It was called punk rock pink. I wanted something that would brighten up the room. The neon shade was a hit with the nurses!
Some of our goals were things she could achieve in the hospital, such as:
We also talked about the little things we looked forward to doing after her transplant. Talking as if the transplant was a certainty was both dangerous and necessary. We needed to believe that she would have a successful transplant. Those things gave us a future to fight for in harder moments. Im going to get out and drink a lemonade! was a little one. A bigger goal was to go wedding dress shopping.
There is a lot you can do in the hospital to pass the time. When my mom had the energy, we played scrabble, colored pages from a flower coloring book, or she read. My aunt Shari brought collage supplies and they made cards.
Aside from being fun, art projects and coloring pages can be used to decorate the room. Artwork was taped almost floor to ceiling in my moms room by the time she had her transplant.
Doing things with my mom kept her spirits up and her mind active. She maintained a positive attitude throughout her three months in the ICU and one month in a cardiac unit after transplant.
And there are many sweet memories mixed in with the painful ones.
***
Note: Pulmonary Fibrosis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Pulmonary Fibrosis News or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to pulmonary fibrosis.
Read the original here:
Taking Care of Yourself and Your Loved One - Pulmonary Fibrosis News
- Cocke and Fink: Community organizations work best - Roanoke Times - January 3rd, 2021
- 10 Books To Help You Reach Your Potential In The New Year - Patch.com - January 3rd, 2021
- Hoarding workshop - there is HELP available | Missoula, MT - Patch.com - January 3rd, 2021
- Names and faces - Arkansas Online - January 3rd, 2021
- The Boston Heralds Top 20 stories of 2020 - Boston Herald - January 3rd, 2021
- Opinion: There's power in the spoken word, even if no one else hears - BethesdaMagazine.com - January 3rd, 2021
- Remdesivir and baricitinib shortened recovery time from COVID-19 - Medical News Today - January 3rd, 2021
- Finding time for creativity will give you respite from worries - The Guardian - January 3rd, 2021
- New Year 2021: The resolution we all need to make for mental health - The Indian Express - January 3rd, 2021
- Life coach and movie mentor Dawud Gurevitch prescribes patients with films to boost their happiness - The Irish Sun - January 3rd, 2021
- Book Club: 3 books we read to close out 2020 | KSL.com - KSL.com - January 3rd, 2021
- 10 great local foodie products to help soothe Clevelands cold January bluster - cleveland.com - January 3rd, 2021
- 5 Ways to Take Care of Yourself in the Year Ahead - Rewire.org - January 3rd, 2021
- Three ways to help refugees and each other create a healthy path - Buffalo News - January 3rd, 2021
- Healthcare workers have 7 times the risk of severe COVID-19 - Medical News Today - January 3rd, 2021
- What Taunton's leaders have learned from 2020 that they'll carry into 2021 - Taunton Daily Gazette - January 3rd, 2021
- COVID-19 Decision Fatigue: What It Is and How to Deal With It - Healthline - January 3rd, 2021
- Solon author hopes poetry book will inspire others to love themselves - cleveland.com - January 3rd, 2021
- Sac Self-Help Housing Invites the Community to Donate Items to Housewarming for the Unhoused Drive-Thru - The Sacramento Press - November 24th, 2020
- Bluffton Self Helps gives 400 families a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to generous community donations - WJCL News - November 24th, 2020
- Your Mental Health Can Affect How You Save Money - Daily Journal Online - November 24th, 2020
- Fairway's New Self-Checkout Kiosks are the Buzz of the Neighborhood; Some Approve While Others are 'Flummoxed' - westsiderag.com - November 24th, 2020
- Fight the Power: Squash your beef this holiday season - Charleston Post Courier - November 24th, 2020
- Answer Man: How bad is the rent crisis? How can I help? - Citizen Times - November 24th, 2020
- Whats happening Monday in the north valley - Chico Enterprise-Record - November 24th, 2020
- Driving their way to self-reliance - The New Indian Express - November 24th, 2020
- This Constructed Self of Mine: On the Narrative Possibilities of Racial Melancholia - lareviewofbooks - November 24th, 2020
- 10 Habits Of Resilient Employees And How Company Leaders Can Support Them - Forbes - November 24th, 2020
- At Home Learning, Covid-19, and Working from Home: Managing Stress of 2020 and Beyond - Local Profile - November 24th, 2020
- Credit union moves to DeLand | Business | beacononlinenews.com - The West Volusia Beacon - November 24th, 2020
- HarborOne Bank breaks ground at new West Grove Street location - SouthCoastToday.com - November 24th, 2020
- 10 Tips To Find Balance And Thrive In Your Career During The Holidays - Forbes - November 24th, 2020
- What Is Bigorexia? Definition, Symptoms, Coping & More - Healthline - November 24th, 2020
- Why Self-Help and Development Is Crucial for CEO Success - Yahoo Finance - November 24th, 2020
- What to Know About Dating Someone with Depression - Healthline - November 24th, 2020
- COVID holidays inspire behaviors, expectations for life in new year - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - November 24th, 2020
- In a Time of Darkness, This Student Is Helping His Peers Find Their Authentic Selves - UVA Today - November 24th, 2020
- New Line Up of Virtual Classes Aim to Help Parents and Teachers Through the Holidays and Beyond - Signals AZ - November 24th, 2020
- Trial launched to test app that promises digital self-help for youngsters - Yahoo Finance UK - November 5th, 2020
- Off the Shelves November 5 - Greenfield Daily Reporter - November 5th, 2020
- Op-ed: Health care workers literally lose sleep over pandemic. That's bad for patients. - IndyStar - November 5th, 2020
- Global Airport Self-service Markets, 2019-2020 & Forecast to 2025: COVID-19 Impact - Market is Expected to Expand at a CAGR of 0.3% -... - November 5th, 2020
- Self-care is critical this election season - Famuan - November 5th, 2020
- Teaching: Helping Students Make Sense of the Election - The Chronicle of Higher Education - November 5th, 2020
- Feeling stressed? 3 ways to cope with election results - KCRA Sacramento - November 5th, 2020
- Student initiative helps bring attention to food insecurity - OSU - The Lantern - November 5th, 2020
- Digital Transformation Initiatives Post Pandemic to Drive Marginal Growth in the Global Airport Self-service Market, 2025 - GlobeNewswire - November 5th, 2020
- Election Day is now 'Election Week.' Here are 50 ways to get through it - CNN - November 5th, 2020
- Which Purchases Are Worth the Splurge? - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - November 5th, 2020
- 5 things you can do to stay calm, collected and happy this election season - Citizen Times - November 5th, 2020
- New research documents how COVID-19 multiplies stress and trauma for people with disabilities - Vanderbilt University News - November 5th, 2020
- 17 Breathing Videos That Will Help You Relax and Unwind - Self - November 5th, 2020
- Give more help to caregivers who often ignore self-care: Experts - The Straits Times - November 5th, 2020
- Neocase, leader in cloud-based HR Service Management solutions, has been named a Core Challenger in the EMEA market by Fosway. - GlobeNewswire - November 5th, 2020
- UPs Mirzapur goes global, handicrafts made by citys self-help groups to be exhibited in Japan - Newsroompost - November 5th, 2020
- IIT Bombay launches a self- help website to enhance emotional wellbeing of its students The website is supported by the alumni of Class of 1992 -... - November 5th, 2020
- Clinical trial to assess rehabilitation treatment for infants and toddlers after stroke - Newswise - September 29th, 2020
- Exercise plays a key role in addiction recovery, stresses of pandemic - Las Vegas Sun - September 29th, 2020
- Romance Meets The Real World In 'Real Men Knit' - NPR - September 29th, 2020
- Meet the team of Arcadia, the salon bringing style + color to Avondale - Bham Now - September 29th, 2020
- Great British Baking Show is back on Netflix and coming for Nailed It - Polygon - September 29th, 2020
- In support of student media handoffs and the power of personal essays - Poynter - September 29th, 2020
- The different selves of self help - The Michigan Daily - September 19th, 2020
- Ken Norton, The Former US Marine Who Used A Self-Help Book To Beat Ali - The Sportsman - September 19th, 2020
- How to identify and address feelings of anxiety and depression - IU Newsroom - September 19th, 2020
- VDH COVID-19 Update: Spigot turned to help hospitality industry - Vermont Biz - September 19th, 2020
- Perks and Benefits Remote Workers Actually Want - Built In Chicago - September 19th, 2020
- Keep your coffee and other advice from people who paid off thousands in debt - CNBC - September 19th, 2020
- Suicide Prevention Month - Catholic University of America The Tower - September 19th, 2020
- Diabetes self-management telephone class to begin Oct. 7 - The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - September 19th, 2020
- Jay Shetty: How to "Think Like a Monk" | Amanpour and Company - pbssocal.org - September 19th, 2020
- WebMetrix Group On The 21 Podcasts to Expand Your Mind in 2021 - GlobeNewswire - September 19th, 2020
- This Veteran is Helping Fellow Vets Transition to Civilian Life Through Video Gaming - Good News Network - September 19th, 2020
- Coping and Hoping: Mental Health Tips for Trying Times | University of Michigan - Michigan Medicine - September 19th, 2020
- Sound baths | A holistic approach to relaxation and healing | Your Best Life - KCENTV.com - September 19th, 2020
- You Be the CP: Case Studies of Complex MIH Patients - EMSWorld - September 19th, 2020
- First Things First Adapts to COVID-19 Regulations for Class of 2024 - Wesleyan Argus - September 19th, 2020
- Dallas Therapists Share Their Pandemic Advice for Patients - Dallas Observer - September 19th, 2020
- Citizens Financial's Discount Is Shrinking, But It's Still Too Wide Relative To The Opportunity - Seeking Alpha - September 19th, 2020
- Learning In The Age of COVID: From Chaos Comes Opportunity to Build Community - Sacramento Observer - September 19th, 2020