Oh Happy Day

This morning went off without a hitch.  My mom was ready early.  I woke her up at 5:30...

"Ma, time to wake up.  The van will be here in 2 hours."  I gently woke her.  Boy, was it fun waking her up, a nice change of pace.

Martha arrived early.  My mom was ready with her lunch and bag of snacks. Smiles.  Lots of smiles.

I was a little slow with the camera this morning but I was able to snap a shot of my mom sitting in the front seat of the van.

Oh happy day... she's off to "school" to spend the day with her new friends.

Today begins the first day of some freedom for me.   I'm excited.  I did a dance.  I jumped up and down with joy.

Time to exercise.  I know it will help lift me out of the blues.  Seeing my mom drive off before 7:30 AM definitely lifted me out of the doldrums.  Today is a great day!

Acupuncture for Care Giver Stress and Patient Dementia

Acupuncture, a Traditional Chinese Medicine that works.

Yesterday I had an Acupuncture treatment at our Naturopath Doctor's office.   Stress was causing my body to hurt and ache, the pain felt "normal."  I never gave my own health a second thought, mostly because I am a Care Giver and we rarely think of ourselves when in Care Giver mode.  I found myself putting my own health on a "back burner."

How can I do anyone any good if I am sick myself?  It's like the airplane safety instructions, take care of yourself first and then help others.  Pretty logical.  It makes sense.

If all of this makes so much sense then why on Earth are so many Care Giver's sick or feeling like shit because we are putting our lives on a "back burner."  For what?  It doesn't help us, it just makes us more miserable, feeling trapped and in a hopeless state of mind.

In Swoop the Angels... renewed hope fed my soul.

New to Acupuncture, I waited for the tiny needles to be inserted into pressure points.  Needles were gently placed on my ankles, wrists, ear lobes and one in the top of my head.  "Relax and enjoy your 20 minutes of respite."  The doctor said as he exited the room.

I laid on the table and relaxed myself.   Deep slow breaths, in and out.  Slowly I paced my breathing, relaxing on each breath, giving myself the suggestion to relax.

I relaxed.  

Tears formed in my eyes as my tear ducts emptied. No emotions involved, just tears.  I continued to breath.  Going deeper into relaxation with each outward breath.

I had 20 minutes of respite, of quiet time while I gave the stress permission to leave.

I meditate.  

My 3rd eye opened up, bright and white, lots of light poured into the window of my soul like a golden vessel of pure energy.  I felt the light, light that was becoming an elixir to my soul.

Pressure points full of trapped energy (Qi) potentially manifesting as illness, had created an imbalance in my life.  Acupuncture, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice used for thousands of years, liberated me both physical and mentally

Acupuncture relaxed me totally.

All the pain in my body left, especially the pain in my shoulder, pain that drove me mad at times when it would throb.  I felt good immediately.  No pain, none, zero, zippo, nada.  I am singing.  I am laughing with my mom again.  I have patience.

My home is in peace, finally!

Acupuncture worked so well for me that I began to wonder how it would work for my mother's dementia.  A few days ago I had read a few articles about Acupuncture for Dementia patients and asked Dr. Barton if it would be something that would help my mom.   He told me that if my mom was willing to give it a try it could help her with anxiety.  I told him about the articles that I read and forwarded them on to him.

I asked my mom, "Ma, do you want to try acupuncture?"

"Oh, I saw that on TV, sure, I know what that is, I'll do it."  My mom replied.

I read more about Acupuncture for Dementia patients and created a separate blog post with all the articles that I had found on the subject.  It was exciting.  It gave me hope, even if it's just a little, any hope is good.

"Susie, maybe it will help me, maybe it will help me to be able to change the TV channel by myself."  My mom said to me last night out of the blue.  She was thinking of Acupuncture and the possibility of it helping her regain some of her life.

This morning we were having coffee together and I asked her if she wanted me to call Dr. Barton to see if he could give her Acupuncture today.

"Oh, that's a GREAT idea!" My mom replied.

She had Acupuncture today.  Her hands are steady and void of tremors, tremors that she had because of her Parkinson-ism diagnosis.  Mom's still having trouble finding her words, but I also know she is tired.  Yesterday, after my treatment all I wanted to do was sleep.

I read that in the research studies, the patients received Acupuncture 2 times a week for 3 months.

My mom will have Acupuncture once a month for however long it appears to work for her.

It's not a cure for my mom's illness but Acupuncture does seem to help relieve the stress associated with the disease.  Stress not only on the patient but the Care Giver.  I highly recommend Acupuncture for Care Giver stress and patient dementia; it will do you a world of good.

Acupuncture left me with the feeling that I had just gone on vacation.  Relaxed with a renewed spirit, I am once more able to care for my mother and sing at the same time.