Happy 2010!

May the sun always shine brightly in your soul! 

 Let me share one of my favorite songs that I grew up hearing every 1st day of the Gregorian month!

Kishore Kumar, naturally!

Taking A Mental Vacation!

Of late, I've gotten into the habit of feeling a teeny bit envious of people who keep talking about going on vacation during the weekend or during - well - vacation time. It has been a while since we went out anywhere - because of our domestic situation.

My mom's been sick for a long time, and since the last three months, she has been advised complete bed-rest to heal her back (spinal tb) and I have been taking care of her. Naturally, there's barely any time to even sit some days, leave alone even fantasize about a vacation. It seems like the high point of my social activity is visiting the supermarket nearby...

Of course, I've had a lot of people alternately sympathizing, consoling, being indifferent, or ignoring ~ and I must admit, it has gotten me slightly depressed at times. All because I always seem to have loads to do, and never enough time. The mental and physical juggling is taking its toll - and I was wondering just how to cool off. Thinking about my blog made me feel a little worse, when I realized I could solve this by simply posting - because the infrequency of writing made me feel bad. That's when I suddenly thought about a 'mental' vacation. Ultimately, it is in my hands to  make myself feel better.

Reading some of my favorite blogs usually does the trick - that is, if I get around to doing it. I barely see any friends online either, to chat with, since I don't spend much time actually sitting at my PC even though am always online.

Believe me, all my little stresses have been freaking me out and adding up - snowballing in a way that I thought was impossible to cope with! So I came up with the idea of a "mental vacation"  - and I don't have to go anywhere to do this. You might find these work for you, too:

1. Settling into bed and reading a book. Great way to escape stress - and feel not only relaxed and happy, but also cozy and comfortable. Getting engrossed in a book is a wonderful way to forget your worries and refocus.

2. Sitting, closing my eyes and visualizing something that totally relaxes me - I love to think of the warm sun on my skin, the sound of the waves, a hill top cabin with a stream tinkling by with wild flowers for as far as I can see, combined with birdsong. I like to think of specific times when I felt particularly relaxed, and feel the tension leaving me.

3. Looking at my cache of photo albums - this is one of my favorites! I really enjoy going back in time to some amazing moments - reflecting, reliving, reminiscing, relaxing! It's fun!

4. Gazing out of the window - although I live in an apartment building, I do have a longish verandah from which I can watch pesky pigeons, traffic on the road with a little effort and hear voices from other flats. Believe me - I find it quite therapeutic to watch without being involved, day dreaming a little bit, holding a cup of coffee, smelling the soap off the clothes drying, looking up and watching the clouds drifting by...

5. Listening to music - have a few compilations - some upbeat, some slow, some to listen to with Vidur... Love to sing along with some and that's a great feeling.

6. Taking a walk - even if it is to the nearby store. Our area is quite nice to walk in and I enjoy it. Nice mental escape.

7. A long bath - bliss.

All it takes is five or ten minutes in the morning or evening. The thing is to make the time to do at least one or two of these things. After all, stress is a part of life, and when it gets too much - why pay the price with health? Am not saying no to a day at the beach or a long massage - but hey, these are easy ways to unwind - with great benefits!

If you can suggest some more easy stress relievers - do let me know.
   

Interim Pledge

•   I see today's problems as challenges
•   I see roadblocks as stepping-stones
•   My challenges help me grow and learn
•   I appreciate my challenges for their value to me
•   I dissolve all problems from my life

On Thanksgiving Day, I Thank...

God, of course...and

I also thank...(in no particular order...)

1. My husband Dr Sury and son Vidur for being such a joy in my life
2. My mother Devi for being co-operative during her treatment
3. The local medical stores for delivering medicines whenever I want them promptly
4. Chetana Sudhir, Member, Clinicom, for taking the time to call me and talk to me.
5. Dr Prasad, Member, Clinicom, for lovingly understanding and prescribing the right medication and calling up to find out how we are doing.
6. Dr Raghu Hiremagalur, Orthopedic Surgeon, who recommended non-surgical treatment for my mom for spinal TB, and who is kind enough to answer the phone whenever I call him, and visits mom at home to monitor her progress. Happy Birthday, Dr Raghu.
7. The elderly watchman outside the Hanuman Temple at Vidur's school gate who receives any food I give him, and keeps an eye on my bike while I say 'bye to Vidur.
8. Corinne Rodrigues, my best friend, who regularly keeps track of what's happening with me, no matter how tied up she is.
9. The unknown painters who have made 8th Main Road, Malleswaram a pleasure to drive by - by creating fabulous paintings on all the walls, all along 8th Main from 18th cross to Yeshwantpur circle and beyond.
10. The little boy, who is a terrific salesman at the Nandini booth on 11th main, from whom it is a pleasure to buy curd, who makes me spend three times the 30 bucks I originally intended to spend.
11. Amul - for the lovely Shrikand they make in different flavors, which Vidur is addicted to, now.
12. The Internet - for being a fantastic source of info - 24x7
13. Asheesh Jain at Creative Lipi, for being so patient
14. Ravi, for being the way he is. :-)
15. Everything...

Thank you, God for giving me the patience and stamina to do all that I have to do.

That Son Of An Itch

Winter's here. Most of us may not feel the cold - but I can assure you that the skin, the largest organ in the human body certainly does - in varying degrees.  It shows it by becoming dry. And the worst thingabout dry skin is that temptation to scratch. It is a vicious cycle, you know. It itches, you scratch. You scratch - and it itches!! Let's not even talk about how it looks, socially when you have to sneak a quick scratch in that embarrassing spot - instead, let's look at a few easy steps to relieve it. Of course, this is not medical advice and you'd do well to consult a qualified dermatologist if your problem is severe - but by and large, these precautions certainly help: (and I just couldn't resist adding this picture - whose skin is better than the baby's?)

• Avoid scratching. Scratching irritates your skin even more. Yes, so it takes some self-control, but the rewards are worth it. You can pinch the skin around the itch through your clothing - it certainly causes less injury than actually scratching the area.
  
• Keep your nails short. No point dealing with lacerations on your skin.
• Avoid bathing in hot water - as soothing as that sounds. Believe me, its temporary and comes with punishment. Instead, cool, or lukewarm showers and baths are best.
• Avoid strongly perfumed soaps, shower gels and deos. Instead, use a mild soap and apply moisturizing lotions after your bath on your skin - it will help keep it moist and hydrated. The local medical shop has a huge variety of non-perfumed lotions and aqueous creams. I like Vaseline's total moisturizing lotion with the soya extract - has a gentle fragrance and feel silky on the skin.
• Enjoy a bath with rolled oats. The itch relief is amazing - and its safe.
• Apply calamine on itchy skin - it soothes. 
• A cold compress numbs the skin and relieves itching
• Preferably wear cotton rather than synthetic, wool, etc. Sleep in loose clothes.
• Avoid spending a lot of time in hot or humid environments. Try to be in well ventilated airy places
• Sometimes mild oral antihistamines relieve allergic itches - but use these on your doctor's advice.These help you get a good night's rest
• Maintain good hygiene. Bathe regularly
• Drink plenty of fluids and follow a healthy diet
• While applying any lotion or oil - the operative word is apply - not rub. Why wake up those itches?

The age-old habit of "oil-baths" is still valid in our house. My mother prepares a herbal oil with a variety of ingredients, designed to heal, keep skin and hair healthy, with anti-fungal properties, etc. and we have the benefit of it. Health, after all, is wealth.

Finding Motivation

The last few weeks have been crazy (if you've heard me say that before - believe me - it is usually with good reason :-))

It seemed like a never-ending round of visiting the doctors, diagnostic center for tests and medical opinions - with no real solution in sight. Things then precipitated, probably because I got a bit frustrated. Let me give a bit of a background first.

My story:
My mother has been ill for over 4 years now almost continuously - with over three hospitalizations that were quite traumatic. She was diagnosed with pulmonary TB in December 2007  and was under treatment, when she developed what is called a major PSOAS abscess in December 2008, which had to be surgically drained. This was done in January 2009, after which the wound healed only around July 2009. But her condition continued to get worse with severe back pain, eventually making it impossible to even sit even through a cup of coffee. For two months, the doctor tried pain management and physiotherapy. Aside from the heavy expenses, with no benefit, we were getting extremely worried. An MRI was repeated in August 2009, which showed deterioration in her vertebral column and it was obvious she had spinal TB. Somehow - still no treatment seemed forthcoming.

Last week, I reached a high point in my tension and had a chat with a friend who is a neurologist and sent her the MRI report. She advised the resumption of anti-TB combination drug pronto with bedrest and good nutrition. Miserable, I met her doctor again, who finally suggested another MRI, which I got done immediately. On seeing the report the next day, he felt surgery was the answer. This naturally shook us up. He set up an appointment with a spine specialist, who was of the same opinion. Alarmed - as you can well imagine, since surgery close to the spine is no jokes, and neither is the exorbitant cost - I decided to get a second and third opinion. I met another neurologist, who felt surgery wasn't urgent since she was not neurologically compromised, and advised me to see an orthopedic instead.

I did - and was pleasantly relieved when he said surgery is not an emergency and should only be the last resort. He felt instead, that if she can be placed on complete bedrest for at least 2 months - which means eating, drinking and the etc. etc. in bed - with resumption of AKT4, there is a chance she could recover fully. This was music to my ears. Also, the doctor will do a weekly assessment to monitor her.

So - since yesterday, we've begun this regimen. It is a lot of hard work, but somehow I am totally motivated and enthusiastic. After the months of suffering she has gone through this seems like as if it is no big deal, probably because of the imminent benefit. Of course we can't predict the future, but we can hope. And when our attitude is positive, and with God on our side - life can be good.

I have realized many times that a healthy dose of motivation coupled with determination will get you almost anything in life. If you are genuinely motivated, the motivation will:

• get you out of bed
• constantly remind you why you do what you do

When motivation is low, here's what we do:

Step #1: Find your motivator
Motivation stems from having a goal. What is your goal? Why do you want to do what you want to do?
Once you uncover your personal motivator you'll find that motivation flows quickly your way. Find the REAL reason WHY.

Step #2: Write it down
This makes it more real and put it up where you can see it. The inspiration is amazing. Helps you visualize yourself accomplishing your goal - and gives you focus and direction.

Step #3: Be Practical.
Time for action. You know what you want - and now its time to make a plan to achieve your goal. Be practical. Weed out ideas that wont work.
Plan a routine that will fit into your schedule and you'll be more likely to stick with it. 

Step #4: Get support
Get the support of friends and family. Share your goal and you'll be surprised at the support and encouragement you can get.

I am doing it. Its working for me.

Happy Diwali To All!

May this Diwali usher in peace, prosperity, health and happiness for all!

Vidya Sury & Family