2026, Family, Health, Uncategorized

The Tedium Of Self Care

40 Comments

Husband has been hit pretty hard this past month getting reestablished with a variety of health care providers. We are fortunate to have the same health system here as we did in ND, so it has been easy to get records and appointments. I am waiting to get started on all this until March.

At a recent first visit with a new GP, Husband was given a course of prednisone for some sinus inflammation and referred to OT to increase the range of motion for his bum right wrist. This has meant two hours of OT sessions a week and exercises outside of appointments. He also went to the new dentist for a cleaning and check up. He has started cello and guitar lessons. He got connected with the local medical supply store for CPAP filters. All his prescriptions have been transferred to the local pharmacy. He has a considerable number he has to take every day.

At this point he is heartily sick of it all. The prednisone made him sleepless, irritable, and anxious, although it helped his sinuses quite a bit. The OT exercises are just what his wrist needs, but make his wrist sore, especially at night when he is trying to get to sleep. He really likes his music lessons but finds his medical and dental appointments cut into his practice time. The weather hasn’t been conducive to a positive attitude, either.

He is glad he is doing all this self care but finds it tedious. He knows the alternative of just doing nothing is unhealthy. It is a real pain to get older!

How are you doing with self care? How do you deal with the tedium?

40 thoughts on “The Tedium Of Self Care”

  1. I am almost obscenely healthy at age 74. I do not know to what to attribute it: born in Los Angeles? Resided for almost 40 years in Taiwan? I can’t say. Last year I got my first ever allergy, but that is taken care of with over the counter medicine. A touch of arthritis, so I take Tylenol at bedtime and sleep comfortably enough. Self-care seems to be through walking (though, no longer 10,000 steps a day), and being part of 3 or 4 different groups, each of which meets weekly. I see them as “pushing back on the loneliness of being an old guy.” That… loneliness, is the plague that sometimes chews at me. Pushing back at it is my main method of self-care.

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  2. My knees have been requiring physical therapy and at-home exercises since September- 3 times a day although the last one of the day is just a short stretching set. Boring? Absolutely. Most mornings I turn on one of the episodes of Bondi Vet – I can get YouTube on my tv. This or something on tv is just mindless enough. I’ve tried audiobooks but either lose count of my exercise repetitions or I lose track of the book.

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  3. Prednisone: tell me about it. Was on it for most of January. Now suddenly I cannot drive. No equilibrium. Daughter is coming over today to drive me, but she cannot keep doing that. I spend about 4 hours a day on self care. How do I manage my life without driving? How do I get to appointments if my equilibrium cannot be fixed? These things I am about to learn.
    Clyde

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  4. I am doing PT prescribed exercises for my hip with improvement noted-climbed stairs for 1st time without pain on Friday. Plus I zoom with my trainer 3 x per week-my 2nd bedroom (sans bed) now looks like a gym. I recognized my addiction to chocolate, chips, cookies etc (can’t eat just one) so they are out of the house. I am now on Bright Lines diet with no sugar, no flour products, and weighing out protein, grains, veg, fruit. I really enjoy my mostly whole foods plant based diet. This has resulted in much decreased cravings and weight loss (20 lbs away from my target weight not seen since I was in my 30’s!!!). The whole point is to age & move with less pain, decrease risk of heart disease, etc. Why did I wait so long? I am 78 (tho brain feels younger)-“too soon old, too late smart!”

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  5. my sister calls these conversations we old folks have organ recitals. meds doctors appts aches and parts that dont work. good thing retitement gives you an extra 40 hours to fill but look what we do

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  6. I feel like I’m in excellent health for my age, but still have plenty of old age aches and pains. Back mainly, but an arthritic toe, and occasional hip and knee pain that may or may not worsen.

    I was lucky to make a best friend 40+ years ago who is a fitness and health fanatic. He inspired me to stay active and eat healthier. I’ve gradually done the food evolution to include more beans, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruit, and concentrate of the anti-oxidants, fiber, protein, and micronutrients. I still enjoy my pastries and wine, (and a good steak now and then) but exercise lungs, muscles almost daily, and stretch almost daily.

    My new thing is balancing on one foot. AARP said it’s one of the prime indicators of good health if you can balance on one foot for 15 seconds (or 30? I go for 30). I have a good foot (right) and not so good one (left). Funny how it’s 2x harder to balance on my left foot. I thought it was my dominant foot. Apparently all that kick-it-and-run and soccer as a kid never helped my balance. Oh well.

    Bottom line: start yesterday to live a healthy lifestyle and minimize the inevitable health issues. If you didn’t start yesterday, start today. And baby steps if you’re new to this. But lots of baby steps because at our age, we don’t have all that much time ahead of us.

    Chris in Owatonna

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    2. Just for the heck of it I tested my balance – and surprised myself. My right foot (fractured ankle 2 years ago) lasted 2 minutes. My left foot lasted 1 minute 15 seconds. I probably could have stood longer on each foot but they were getting pretty wobbly by the end. I guess my overall health is very good.

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    3. I am having to “re-learn” balancing on one foot now that my hips are both in good repair. I am able to do it, but it took some practice. I also had to re-strengthen core muscles. But that is coming along too. My challenge is carrying the laundry basket up the stairs, which I do very slowly.

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  7. The instructor of or exercise class plays music while she leads us, usually songs with steady, but not too fast tempos. She said she would take requests. I jokingly suggested Khatchaturian’s “Saber Dance”, but warned the tempo would probably kill us.

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  8. I have a daily home workout routine that involves light weights, stair climbing, stretching, and core strengthening. I don’t always like doing the exercises but as the saying goes, “if you stop moving, you will stop moving”. Other self care includes monthly 90 minute massages. I started acupuncture 8 years ago to address shoulder issues, kept it up to address hip and ankle issues (post fracture), and now am at a maintenance stage. Two sessions of ear acupuncture have kept my seasonal allergies at bay for over two years. I do take over the counter supplements (especially calcium & vitamin D for osteoporosis) and am on 2 prescription meds (the osteoporosis med is just weekly).

    I guess my music activities and travels could also be considered self-care.

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  9. I really hate repetitive exercises. I find them so boring. My mind wanders and I lose count. My physical therapist told me not to worry about the count. My OCD side tells me that I have to do the exact same number of reps on both sides or my day will be ruined.

    I do enjoy walking outside. As Maggie gets older and bigger, and as the weather warms, she stays interested in the walk longer than she used to. I think she’s a bit nervous about the things she smells and hears. If a dog barks somewhere, she tucks her tail between her legs and pulls for home. I sometimes carry her past this point for a ways, then I put her down and proceed with the walk. I want her to be familiar with her neighborhood and be exposed to a daily walk. I would like to move our walk to the local trails along the Cannon River. This will come but I need the exercise now!

    I’ve been relaxing and knitting a lot up here. Not much exercise, for sure, but knitting is a wonderful way to relax.

    I liked the Jonathan Drori book, “Around the World in 80 Plants,” so much that I ordered my own copy.

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  10. I have my seven-minute yoga-&-stretching routine, and a once-a-week t’ai chi class (another thing good for balance). We’re finally getting an indoor walk a couple of times a week at a building on campus, but we really should be doing more of that.

    I consider singing to be self-care, and we do some of that at our little weekly rallies – just put together a new sheet of call-and-response songs…

    I also think my happy hour group (meets sporadically, every 2-3 weeks) as a form of self-care, and any time I can get together for a “therapy session” with a good friend.

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  11. Better Late than Never, Baboons,

    I have been engaging in self-care today which makes me lates to the party. Water Aerobics is three days a week (the classes I like and that I find interesting). It amazes me that 36 people show up for this at 8am on a Monday morning when the outdoor temp is below zero, but there we all are! And that class is one you have to sign up for the next week, immediately after it occurs on Mondays. Very popular.

    I add walking to that, as well. That will increase as the weather warms. McGee is such an outdoor boy who loves a walk which helps my self-care. I also love a massage. My neighbor and friend is also my massage therapist.

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  13. I spent the day dealing with my messed up balance. No real solution after visits to two doctors. Right now I cannot drive. With all the things going on I think I am done driving. But it may be my brain getting used to my new hearing aids and my very different vision in my two eyes. I have gone from very deaf to hearing very well in an instant. I am arranging for transport to get to medical appointments. I need to get to my audiologist to make adjustments in the aids but I can’t get there. My daughter drove me today but can’t tomorrow. Take awhile to arrange handicap transport.
    Clyde

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  14. my self care includes taking grandson to piano mondays taking mom to the movies on tuesdays
    guitar circle on wednesday after a day of watching grandkids but now my architecture classes are scheduled wednesday afternoons after grandkids befire guitar until june
    cards with the boys is 1st thursday, guthrie on tuesday of each guthrie play and minnesota orchestra thursday coffee concerts with my mom
    morning workouts snd physical therapy on hand hip snd back issues(im a 7 or 8 but want 10) chiro every 3 weeks and a full time delivery schedule where saturday and sundays are audio books podcasts and mpr loved shows so it feels like me time saturday 7 am to 7 pm
    sounds like a lot but my new addition will be looking after my autistic grandson 8-1 20 hrs a week to give daughter some time to breathe.
    my lawsuit is coming up soon and may effect my bottom line and let me get to my selling hats and stuff on a daily basis on ebay and craigslist but i havnt put a lot of time into it although i did sell a hat and a roof rake on ebay over the weekend. i love ebay and will do that forever too.
    i just finished a book by martha beck called finding your north star and it has me fired up to do a couple of the start ups im excited about.
    im also trying to get some sleep. ive ignored that most of my life but it appears i cant get by on my past schedule forever.
    i sound possesed but i just feel like i have lots on my want to list and need to prioritize my schedule

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  15. I’ve had a history of dizziness and unsteadiness, and an episode of debilitating vertigo. Went to be evaulated for dizziness, and was given some PT exercises to do. The goal of the exercises was to repeat motions that induce dizziness and hope that you just get so used to it that it doesn’t bother you anymore. I was not on board with this approach.

    Lots of other PT exercises have been assigned to me. I remember and try to employ some of them. Back, neck, knees, arm, shoulder, thumb. If it hurts, move it…in specific ways.

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  16. Self care is so important and I really think a lot of people stigmatise it, especially for women. I think the first step to self care is to realise that you deserve it and some parts of it might be difficult (like exercising) you have to find ways to get your self motivated. Liking yourself first is the breakthrough as for a long time I didn’t value the older version of me. You deserve to take care of yourself.
    As for myself, I try to improve a little everyday and stay consistent no matter what. I have gained and lost weight, gained it again and had bad skin and mental health at one point. Now that I am giving myself time and taking it slow, I feel like my concern isn’t what other people are achieving. It is about being better than I was. In the future you will thank yourself.

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