I have experienced PTSD for three decades now, mainly in November. November was the month of my son's accident 30 years ago. I have never forgiven myself. He seems to have come to terms and has minimal issues. In addition, I fear that, each year, something painful will happen. That is why I was so upset and worried when I could not reach Shelley for five hours during a significant storm on Wednesday.
For the past two days, I have kept my phone off and avoided extra stress. I've been experiencing stomach pain and black stools, so focusing on stress reduction and self-care seems best. My breathing difficulty isn't improving with QVAR; I only find relief with Pro-Air. While researching congestive heart disease, I found that supplements such as CoQ10, Taurine, and hawthorn extract could potentially be beneficial. I plan to try them to see if there's any improvement. I also learned that NSAIDs can worsen gut health and congestive heart failure, so I will avoid them for a week to observe any changes.
Lulu still awakens between 3:00 and 4:00 AM to use the bathroom. She is very good at indicating when she needs to pee or poop, but I struggle to return to sleep. Before I started babysitting Lulu, my Apple Watch showed I averaged 7 hours and 21 minutes of sleep per week. Last week, that decreased to 5 hours and 35 minutes, which is unhealthy. While Lulu's nighttime waking contributed to the sleep loss, my increased stress levels have also played a significant role in the issue.
I learned Lulu knows some words very well today. I always knew "breakfast" and "dinner" were words that made him move quickly to the food bowl! I would take Lulu to the neighbors this morning so their dog, Penny, and Lulu could play. I said, "Want to go play with Penny?" Lulu shot up like a bolt of lightning and practically ripped my arm off, trying to get to the neighbors. I know Porter, Shelley's Golden Retriever, was intelligent, but Lulu seems to exceed what I have ever experienced.
Summing up the day, an AM walk with Lulu, a play date for Lulu, football, a walk with Lulu, and then to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment