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Spirit Matters: Taking charge of health at midlife · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Spirit Matters. Taking Charge of Health at Midlife written by
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  Jerrelyn Zivada Novak and Spirit Matters. This article is being
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  read by an automated voice brought to you by Everlett.
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  Many of us sail through the first half of our
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  lives with generally good health without having to try too hard.
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  But as it has been said, the body keeps the score,
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  and once we reach a certain age, the effects of
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  our lifestyles and or hereditary components begin to sound the alarm.
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  At the end of May, I turned fifty four. I
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  am in fair health, but longstanding chronic conditions have become
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  noisier in the last few years, and knowing life will
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  only become more difficult as I age if I don't
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  do my part to address them, I am tackling them
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  one at a time. In February, I began physical therapy
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  for lymphidema in my early thirties. This genetic condition triggered
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  chronics dwelling in my lower right leg and dramatically impacted
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  my walking regimen. When this happened, I had no idea
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  what was happening or why, but I was prescribed compression
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  stockings to wear. I have since learned that Lymphidema is
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  one of those conditions that many medical professionals don't know
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  a lot about, But if you can find a knowledgeable
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  physical therapist, as I did, you can learn how to
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  manage it effectively. Lymphidema patients have lymphatic systems that don't
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  work efficiently, causing fluid to pool in their extremities, which
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  cannot only be unsightly, but also cause lethargy and make
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  it difficult to do simple things like climbing the stairs
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  or walking short distances, which of course can negatively affect
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  the cardiovascular system. Admittedly, I haven't been as compliant as
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  I should with wearing prescription compression stockings. They can be
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  difficult to get on, and in hotter humid conditions they
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  can be miserable to tolerate. This, along with not understanding
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  the problem itself, left me in a chronic state of
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  frustration and resignation to just having to live with it. Fortunately,
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  my physical therapist, Kelly at OSF Center for Health and Striator,
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  sought to treat not just the condition itself, but to
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  understand how a chronic condition like this impacted my quality
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  of life. To reduce swelling, I spent twelve weeks in
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  compression therapy, having my leg wrapped each day. The swelling
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  did subside fairly quickly, but to keep the swelling down
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  we had to order compression stockings custom made for my leg.
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  Kelly also taught me manual drainage techniques, which I now
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  do at home every day. I wear the stockings during
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  the day and at night I wear custom made leg sleeves.
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  Since I began treatment, my stamina level has increased remarkably.
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  This past week, I began treatment for sleep apnea. I
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  had originally had a sleep study done in twenty twenty
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  one and was prescribed a sepap machine, but supply issues
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  during COVID made it challenging to get one. I met
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  with a pullmanlogist recently, and using the results of that
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  sleep study, I have begun nighttime therapy. Chronic sleep apnea
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  can have myriad negative effects on one's body and health,
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  which I am only learning of now. Compliantly using the
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  SEPAP machine can help reverse much of the damage that
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  has been done, although wearing a mask at night can
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  be awkward. I am at the point where I know
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  it is up to me to do what I have
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  to do to hopefully prevent serious issues from developing, like
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  heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and more. When multiple conditions start
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  mouthing off at once, it can be frustrating and overwhelming,
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  and returning to a baseline state can seem like it
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  takes forever. But the sooner we deal with the conditions,
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  the better chance we have of stopping and reversing damage.
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  I am young at heart and God willing. I want
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  to spend whatever time I have remaining living the best
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  quality of life I can. But the reality is each
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  of us has to take responsibility for ourselves by living
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  healthy lifestyles and taking responsibility for addressing issues when they arise.
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  I am not a medical professional, but if you have
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  a condition that has negatively impacted your quality of life,
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  I encourage you to seek the advice of a medical professional.
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  Her bodies are marvelously designed, and in many cases, it
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  is never too late to address dysfunction enough to make
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  a positive difference in our health and in our lives.
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  Spirit Matters is a weekly column by Jerlyn Zovada Novak
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  that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her
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  at jay Z Blue three three at yahoo dot com.