OT - Caring for the Caregiver

[Starlette]

Good afternoon all.

Man, I miss being on the forum. I am home till dinner time. I have a question.
As you may recall from my previous post, I have driving restrictions till the end of this month due to discovery of seizures.
Since Mom has had shingles, I have no where to go but to stay at their house unless Hubbs comes to pick me up for a day or two.
Also, I have recently discovered that I have blood pressure issues and have been put on Lisinopril (sp???), 5 mg.
I REALLY need to watch my bp.

QUESTION: What can I do to lessen stress so as to reduce bp issues?

I won't be able to respond till this Wednesday. I'll be home all day on Wednesday.

I really do miss you all.

Starlette

[BlackSpinner]

Good afternoon all.

Man, I miss being on the forum. I am home till dinner time. I have a question.
As you may recall from my previous post, I have driving restrictions till the end of this month due to discovery of seizures.
Since Mom has had shingles, I have no where to go but to stay at their house unless Hubbs comes to pick me up.
Also, I have recently discovered that I have blood pressure issues and have been put on Lisinopril (sp???), 5 mg.
I REALLY need to watch my bp.

QUESTION: What can I do to lessen stress so as to reduce bp issues?

My personal solution is Chocolate, books and knitting. Unfortunately the chocolate is not helping with the weight loss. I am almost finished knitting my youngest daughter thigh high black lace stockings - I can't nibble while knitting.

[greatunclebill]

chocolate also contains caffeine which could be bad for blood pressure. i'm not saying don't eat it because i do too and really shouldn't, but it does have an effect. not sayin', just sayin'.

[pats]

QUESTION: What can I do to lessen stress so as to reduce bp issues?

I won't be able to respond till this Wednesday. I'll be home all day on Wednesday.

I really do miss you all.

Starlette

Try to get Internet access at your Mother's house. If you can do that, you will be able to vent to the group whenever you have a few minutes. Social contact, even on-line, is very important. You will also have the world at your fingertips, and may feel less restricted.

[JohnO]

QUESTION: What can I do to lessen stress so as to reduce bp issues?

Exercise works best for me. It helps clear my head. Walking outdoors is my favorite, but maybe in your situation you could walk up and down stairs at your mothers place (assuming she has stairs). My BP has dropped from a typical 135/85 to 120/75 since June, with no other changes. I bought an odometer, which helps me keep track of steps walked. I've missed 10,000 steps only one day since June.

[BlackSpinner]

Walking outdoors is my favorite.

Yes I got my dog with me now and it gives me a chance/excuse to get out of the house now. It gets walked 4 times a day whether it wants it or not. My sister is a lot better now so I no longer feel guilty leaving her with mom for 15 -20 minutes. In the mornings we sometimes even JOG!

[MaxDarkside]

Exercise works best for me. It helps clear my head. Walking outdoors is my favorite, but maybe in your situation you could walk up and down stairs at your mothers place (assuming she has stairs). My BP has dropped from a typical 135/85 to 120/75 since June, with no other changes. I bought an odometer, which helps me keep track of steps walked. I've missed 10,000 steps only one day since June.

I, too, walk about every hour. If you have a smart phone, there's an app for that ... you can measure walking distance and set a goal of walking a wee bit more each day than the day before. Shed pounds and mm of Hg. I'm on 40 mg Lisinopril, by the way, from the day I started on it, and a wee bit of HCTZ too.

[kaiasgram]

Simple and free: When you can grab five or more minutes to yourself, sit in stillness, slow your breathing down a bit, and get quiet with yourself. Slow, easy breathing. When your mind starts getting distracted with thoughts, try to just let them go. Nothing fancy, no "goal" for this kind of meditation, just getting quiet with yourself and breathing mindfully. Will help with stress and can lower blood pressure if you do it as a regular practice. There are also some great guided imagery CDs for stress reduction and relaxation -- got an iPod? You can download some of these.

[BlackSpinner]

Another thing I find relaxing is baking. It is a double whammy as I can make tasty healthy stuff and the act of baking makes me feel good. I used to love making bread, kneading bread is Sooo satisfying, but gluten free bread doesn't need kneading and I don't want to contaminate the air anymore then I need to. So now all my bread gets made in my new Kitchen Aid Pro 600 power mixer.

[dragon672]

What relaxes me is playing video games. I either play on my PS3 or play something like Tetris or Bejeweled on my smartphone. Neither help with weight loss but it works for me. I also like to read to relax.

[McSnoresalot]

BP - pretty sure my pressure goes up in direct relation to the amount of background noise being dealt with.......

Mother-Inlaw in town - pressure goes up a couple points
Mother-inlaw at the HOUSE - pressure goes up a few more
Teen daughter has some Hipster Doofus with a soul-patch and attitude show up to take her on date - pressure up
Another Teen Daughter burns up the third clutch on her car in two years - pressure up
Roofing contractor cries the blues that he underestimated his bid and wants to re-quote halfway through job - pressure up
Brother borrows the boat and calls from a cell phone 2 miles off shore saying the he hit something and the Sea-tow bill is going to be heinous - pressure up
Check engine light comes on - pressure up
Gas is over $4 a gallon - pressure up
Mittens Romney and Barry are the ONLY choices - pressure up
Mariners suck - AGAIN - pressure up

Personal experience dictates that Vodka and/or beer helps quiet down the background noise, not sure if it is helping BP though.

Mac

[chunkyfrog]

Can you get someone to give you a massage?
It is amazing.

[kteague]

Having someone you love be in need of your caregiving is a stressor and it may be that once your mother recovers a bit your blood pressure might too. Enjoying a pet is often said to be therapeutic. Comedy can be a good release of stress. I find myself having a physical reaction to entertainment that is too dramatic or suspenseful. Was catching up on the last few episodes of Burn Notice last night and realized my heart was racing during a gripping scene. There was a period of time that for my own sense of well being I only watched comedies on TV or in movies.

Stay in tune for possible side effects on the Lisinonpril. While I've known people who take it with no problems, both my mother and I experienced the nagging cough that feels like a dry tickle in the back of the throat, and both of us had worse swelling in the ankles. That probably had more to do with our shared genes than a high incidence of side effects.

Hope your efforts to getting your blood pressure under control bring good results.

[Starlette]

I'm here at home doing things as quickly as possible. Don't have time to post much atm.

Question I do have atm: The bedroom I'm staying lacks enough electrical outlets. Is there something I can do in terms of a cordless nightlight so I don't fall and stumble? I'm currently using the hallway light as my "nightlight" which I don't like for obvious reasons.

Starlette

[Pugsy]

How about one of those cheap solar powered patio lights as a night light? Lay in a window to get sunlight to recharge.
Or something similar that doesn't use an electric outlet?