With all the crazy crap that has been going on with me I created myself a health and food
journal to help me keep track of stuff.
With all the things I need to monitor I knew there was no way I was
going to remember everything, let alone even remember to do all of the things
I'm supposed to do.
I have to monitor my weight
to make sure I don't gain suddenly which would mean I'm retaining water, monitor
my blood pressure, my heart rate, and my O2 levels. Monitor my sleep patterns, how I am feeling
throughout the day, my energy level, how tired I am, all kinds of things. I keep track of my medications as some I take
routinely and some only as needed. And
there is always that moment when I ask myself "Did I remember to take
that?" Plus I track my food to make
sure I'm getting proper nutrition and eat healthy. Of course my doctor appointments, tests,
etc. You get the point. It's a lot of information and data. And I
don't like to do it. Not at all!
(insert foot stomp)
I am using one of the
composition books from our school supply bin because it is small, I
already had it and I didn't have to go out and buy something. Use what you have! To motivate me and make it less ominous I
decided to decorate the front cover. It
helps. The other day I glued on a bunch
of die cut hearts I had and then plastered it with a bunch of cute stickers I
like from my sticker collection. I even
added a few bits of bling. It makes me
feel better about this whole process.
It's silly and cute but it seems to be working for me.
The best part of having
this journal (yes, there is an upside) is that once I write it down I no longer
have to carry that information around in my head or worry about it. And I will admit it has been really helpful
when I've needed to refer back to it because all of this is just too much to remember. And sometimes my days mesh together. You know how that goes? Anyway, if you find yourself taking on a tedious
task you really don't want to do my advice is to do whatever it takes to
inspire you and make it more enjoyable.
Even if it makes you look like a twelve year old.
Some of the best advice I ever got from my cardiologist was to keep a simple journal. That's how we figured out many years ago that right before my period (probably hormones) and during my period I needed to up one of my meds that kept me from getting PVC's. Also you can look back and if you tell a doctor "I always get (fill in the blank) or always feel (fill in the blank) he will know what your always is. This way you can say it happens this number of times a week or last month - everyone differs in what always means to them. To some it could be once a week to others 25 times a week. So doctors like specifics like - 12 times last month my daily BP was over (fill in the blank) or even better a list of those 12 days and what the BP was. Take care and good job on making something stressful a bit easier. One thing some people tend to do is become their illness or diagnosis. They feel they are only that. We have to believe we are more than that and enjoy life!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice Crystal! One I write it down it is out of my head!
DeleteI say, go for whatever works to make you enjoy/survive the process. I also agree completely with writing things down, so you no longer have to retain them in your head. My husband writes absolutely nothing down, which I find so mysterious & fascinating. I do not operate like that, at all.
ReplyDeleteI have to write stuff down. Seriously. LOL
DeleteI am a journal keeper. I keep a daily journal of weather, happenings and maintenance of appliances. I keep a separate journal beside my placemat at the table. In this I note time of day when vitamins and meds are taken, weight, meals and any health related info. I can compare garden progress from year to year. I can know in a moment when I had my last tetanus shot. Journals are very useful and the kids will get a kick out of them when I have written my last post. I hope you will continue to journal when you no longer need to; be well soon!
ReplyDeleteI keep several journals. They are so fun. This is just another one to add to my pile. :o)
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