# Changing my mind...



## hawkdon (Aug 22, 2021)

today was sitting here with the "poor me's"....thats where I',m sitting in
misery and self pity....got it from my pain level in my left paw/hand....have 
had this issue before, but it seems worse and more prolonged...been using heat/ice pain patches, icy hot, and so on...also take a pain pill, but not many of them....it is
funny that I learned how to "change my way of thinking" back in 1982, when I sobered up and attended aa meetings...dunno why I startrd this as a diary  but what the heck...will see where it leads.....


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 22, 2021)

Kudos to you!
You've reminded us how we can use our minds to overcome  some problems.

Thanks for the inspiration @hawkdon -hope that paw gives you a break.


----------



## jerry old (Aug 22, 2021)

Arf, Arf all better now.


----------



## feywon (Aug 22, 2021)

@hawkdon and @RadishRose:
Back in the 70's when i learned to meditate i became aware of theories about neuroplasticity...at the time mainstream scientists dismissed it, certain the brain was incapable of change or healing itself once we got thru adolescence. Now there is all kinds of research that supports the anecdotal evidence from people who have overcome addictions, managed pain via meditation, and even regained functions the neurologists told them were lost forever after an accident or side effects from a medication robbed them of a necessary functions, like balance. 

And i hope you'll be feeling better soon hawkdon.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 22, 2021)

well managed get the dishes done...now either a nap or a load of laundry!!!!  I learned a whole lot of stuff about me when I got sober...amazing......still learning....don


----------



## feywon (Aug 22, 2021)

hawkdon said:


> well managed get the dishes done...now either a nap or a load of laundry!!!!  I learned a whole lot of stuff about me when I got sober...amazing......still learning....don


Life-long learning is a good way to live.

Oh, and wanted to mention have you tried a Capsaicin based pain relief ointment on the paw?  When the arthritis in my hands is being particularly difficult i use one, and its more helpful then pain pills.  i use medical type glove to apply it and am very careful about removing them because you don't want to transfer to anywhere on your face, it definitely produces some 'heat' which is helpful for my painful joints.  An advantage is they don't usually have a strong odor like other 'muscle/joint' pain relif ointments.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 22, 2021)

Yes I do use those creams...also like the pain patches, which
I am out of now.....gave up on the nap idea, so changed my mind again LOL....just gonna meditate a bit...take care all....


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 22, 2021)

Just now ord groceries to be delivered, main items were
frozen breakfaswt stuff, and pain patches....I don't want the
pain/agravaytion of cooking for awhile yet.....sorry for my finger typing lol......


----------



## feywon (Aug 22, 2021)

hawkdon said:


> Just now ord groceries to be delivered, main items were
> frozen breakfaswt stuff, and pain patches....I don't want the
> pain/agravaytion of cooking for awhile yet.....sorry for my finger typing lol......


Glad you got your pain patches.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 23, 2021)

Well Morning all folks...made it thru the nite at least....pain level is down a lot for which i'm grateful...feels nice not to have the patch on and the wrist brace, tho I'll put the brace on again later...had my instant brkfst 2 biscuit/sausages out of micro....
laundry is about 1/2 done....for an ole ex-drunk  i guess I'm doing okay;;;;;;


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 23, 2021)




----------



## hawkdon (Aug 24, 2021)

Morning again, here we are...baarely able to type with this left paw again...this is not a great day...oh hell why complain, will change most likely...frying breakfast in stead of micro, sausages burnt cause had unplanned trip to bathroom, one egg was stuck then parted ways with its yoke left in the carton, what a mess...but managed to wolf it all down...hand hurts enuff to know I won't be using it much today...got to have light bulb in kitchen ceiling changed out by someone, too scairt to get on ladder myself...I think I can get my mail boy to do it tomorrow when he comes....well heck may try to change my mind and get sometrhing done...don't really have the energy to try anything tho, but just do it and see what happens....some days thats how it is....take care all......don


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 24, 2021)

hawkdon said:


> Morning again, here we are...baarely able to type with this left paw again...this is not a great day...oh hell why complain, will change most likely...frying breakfast in stead of micro, sausages burnt cause had unplanned trip to bathroom, one egg was stuck then parted ways with its yoke left in the carton, what a mess...but managed to wolf it all down...hand hurts enuff to know I won't be using it much today...got to have light bulb in kitchen ceiling changed out by someone, too scairt to get on ladder myself...I think I can get my mail boy to do it tomorrow when he comes....well heck may try to change my mind and get sometrhing done...don't really have the energy to try anything tho, but just do it and see what happens....some days thats how it is....take care all......don


Don, you may be eligible for a part time aide to come in a couple times a week to help out with cleaning or light bulb changing.

Some of our members do have assistance. Why not contact your local Department of Aging and see if there's anything like that available for you?

But I'm still happy you try to do things for yourself in most cases.


----------



## Mr. Ed (Aug 24, 2021)

I changed my mind and ceased to be who I was.


----------



## katlupe (Aug 24, 2021)

I would not take a chance on that ladder. Preventing a fall is my number one priority. The ambulance comes to my apartment building more for falls than anything else. Not happening to me. 

I am with you today, having the worst days of my life this past week. I do not take anything but Tylenol and Icy Hot but that does not help everything, so going to the doctor Friday. In the meantime, I listen to music and do one chore and then sit down with my feet up. I am overwhelmed with chores that I got behind on but I can't do them. I strongly rely on the "art of positive thinking" especially when I am troubled. Just don't give up and persevere.

Yes, apply for an aide. Like RadishRose said. They are a big help to seniors and is not always based on income but age and condition.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 24, 2021)

Actually I have an aide, but she only comes every 2 wks for cujple hours....cannot afford it more than that...she does a great job of cleaning, and that is all I ask of her.....


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 24, 2021)

Mr. Ed said:


> I changed my mind and ceased to be who I was.


Who are you now?


----------



## RadishRose (Aug 24, 2021)

katlupe said:


> I would not take a chance on that ladder. Preventing a fall is my number one priority. The ambulance comes to my apartment building more for falls than anything else. Not happening to me.
> 
> I am with you today, having the worst days of my life this past week. I do not take anything but Tylenol and Icy Hot but that does not help everything, so going to the doctor Friday. In the meantime, I listen to music and do one chore and then sit down with my feet up. I am overwhelmed with chores that I got behind on but I can't do them. I strongly rely on the "art of positive thinking" especially when I am troubled. Just don't give up and persevere.
> 
> Yes, apply for an aide. Like RadishRose said. They are a big help to seniors and is not always based on income but age and condition.


Sorry you are in such pain Kat!


----------



## katlupe (Aug 24, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> Sorry you are in such pain Kat!


I will be better when the weather gets cooler. The heat always affects me like this.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 25, 2021)

Well, I got the light bulb replaced, that is my mail boy did
it for me today....I'd set the ladder up earlier, and took a step up the bottom step, but knew I shouldn't go any further, so anyway that is done....and just now I called the barber shop
I use and a barber lady is coming sat afternoon to chop off my salt/pepper mane on my head....my hand is some better today, but got to watch what I do...so even tho I woke way too early I got a bit done and don't feel too down.....


----------



## Tish (Aug 25, 2021)

God bless, you are an amazing person to have conquered your addiction.
Never forget how brave you are and how strong.


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 26, 2021)

Morning...surprise, my hand is about 90 percent better feeling...
whoopee...still some sorness....got to thinking (there i go again)
and it is indicative of my "left" side problems...all most all my pains and problems are in/on the left side of this old bod.....
Left ear 100%deaf, birth defect, left hand as indicated, previously have had two surgeries on left hand for "trigger finger", (which may be part of my pain prob now)////left side of heart needed a stent in the vein 7 yrs ago...Left side of spine 3 surgeries over the years due to severe problems....my left eye is the weak one, so just call me Lefty !!!!!


----------



## katlupe (Aug 26, 2021)

I have that happen, one day I am in miserable pain and can't walk a step. Then wake up the next morning and forget till later that I was even in pain the day before. One day is the right knee and the next day the left and the next none at all.


----------



## Tom 86 (Aug 26, 2021)

Don, I'm going to therapy twice a week for the problem in my right leg.  They put some kind of stretchy tape over my knee & that sure helps.
  Course as you know I get a shot in my knee every 3 months, as the partial replacement is giving me problems I had surgery back in 2003.   Now getting shot in the hip for pain there also.  Same Cortozone.  Sure helps.    Course dumb me.  My brain says I can do stuff.  Then my body says try it & I'll show you what pain is.


----------



## feywon (Aug 26, 2021)

i actually have more issues from being 'still' too long:  Part of the reason i spend at least an hour on computer most every morning is because it exercises my arthritic fingers while also accomplishing other things. i am a person who really dislikes exercise just as exercise--i like to see some results (like a stack of firewood, a newly mopped floor, weeds removed as needed, progress on my project converting an old shed) right away.


----------



## Serenity4321 (Aug 26, 2021)

feywon said:


> @hawkdon and @RadishRose:
> Back in the 70's when i learned to meditate i became aware of theories about neuroplasticity...at the time mainstream scientists dismissed it, certain the brain was incapable of change or healing itself once we got thru adolescence. Now there is all kinds of research that supports the anecdotal evidence from people who have overcome addictions, managed pain via meditation, and even regained functions the neurologists told them were lost forever after an accident or side effects from a medication robbed them of a necessary functions, like balance.
> 
> And i hope you'll be feeling better soon hawkdon.


I have been reading and listening to u-tube tapes on neuroplasticity..it is a fascinating topic and makes a lot of sense. The placebo effects helped me understand the real possibility the mind can have great influences on the body.


----------



## feywon (Aug 26, 2021)

Serenity4321 said:


> I have been reading and listening to u-tube tapes on neuroplasticity..it is a fascinating topic and makes a lot of sense. The placebo effects helped me understand the real possibility the mind can have great influences on the body.


The term 'placebo effect' itself annoys me, it was the 'hard science' peoples way of condescendingly dismissing the mind/body connection.  
i've been interested in neuroscience and psychology since my teen years, and have watched the paradigms shift, ever so slowly. If you have Amazon Prime Video you might want to watch 'The Brain That Heals Itself' narrated by the author of book it is based with same title.  His name is Norman Doidge, MD.  DD got me the Book for my birthday and i'm reading segments at a time, because they don't have to be read in order they appear. The chapter on applications to pain management has further supported things i learned in my meditation group i belonged to in the late 70's.

You also might want to check out Mayim Bialik's Breakdown website and podcast series which is viewable on YouTube. (i subscribed and am catching up. It will take a while because i like to sort of process info before moving on. (Both with non-fiction books and science shows.) While much of it is about psychology, with Bialik having a neuroscience degree, she often cites studies that shed light on the things being discussed that day.

https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/about


----------



## Serenity4321 (Aug 27, 2021)

feywon said:


> The term 'placebo effect' itself annoys me, it was the 'hard science' peoples way of condescendingly dismissing the mind/body connection.
> i've been interested in neuroscience and psychology since my teen years, and have watched the paradigms shift, ever so slowly. If you have Amazon Prime Video you might want to watch 'The Brain That Heals Itself' narrated by the author of book it is based with same title.  His name is Norman Doidge, MD.  DD got me the Book for my birthday and i'm reading segments at a time, because they don't have to be read in order they appear. The chapter on applications to pain management has further supported things i learned in my meditation group i belonged to in the late 70's.
> 
> You also might want to check out Mayim Bialik's Breakdown website and podcast series which is viewable on YouTube. (i subscribed and am catching up. It will take a while because i like to sort of process info before moving on. (Both with non-fiction books and science shows.) While much of it is about psychology, with Bialik having a neuroscience degree, she often cites studies that shed light on the things being discussed that day.
> ...


Thank you! I am totally with you in this interest! IMO the placebo effect *is *a mind-body connection..the person thinks they may have taken something that will benefit them. The body heals but the participant was only given a 'sugar pill'
 I have been reading and watching u-tube tapes on mind-body connections and will check out Doidge and also Bialik.
I have been reading 'self-help' books since the 60's and keep discovering more all the time. Thanks again!


----------



## hawkdon (Aug 28, 2021)

Good saturday morning!! Sunshine and 77 deg already...another hottie in store today....back when I was a kidling and ignorant, for the most part, I had a bad habit of daydreaming...about evrything I guess...mind u a lot of this stuff
has been realized in last few years, as my mind was still in alcoholic frame for several years after quitting....and i think the
worst thing that could happen to a "daydreamer" was that TV came along...Yep, I was hooked at about age 9 or so...I thought I could believe everything that I saw and heard on what little tv was available back then...that stuff allowed me to fantasize to no end...
I'll get into more of this later, but my hands are hurting too much to continue now...have a good day all !!!


----------

