Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 76

Coming to the Clinic, Part 11 - The Elusive Good Night’s Sleep

     On one of my blog post’s last week, I lamented about my lack of sleep. At the time, I realized that some of you would be willing to offer me advice on how to get a good night’s sleep, or probably more likely, you all wanted to share in my angst. It dawned on me that I should be offering solutions here, so I present to you, after over a year off, a new episode of “coming to the clinic”.
Here is the long list of solutions which insomniacs have at their disposal. (Disclaimer: Even though everything I’m writing about can have merit, don’t consider anything here as medical advice, talk to your personal health care provider for help with this or any other problems you have.)
     1)     Prescription medications. The number one drug prescribed for sleep is probably Zolpidem, the generic for Ambien. Others include Rozerem, Belsomra and Sonata. All of these are available by prescription only because they have long lists of side effects, should be taken with caution, and are not usually meant to be taken every night. Even though you might get a good night’s sleep, you could still be sleepy the next day. Other side effects include dizziness, imbalance, memory issues, and addiction.
     2)     Over the counter sleep aids. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and Doxylamine succinate (Unisom SleepTabs) are probably the oldest non-prescription sleeping pills. As with the prescriptions, they can also cause daytime sleepiness. Melatonin is the one I see most recommended by health providers as being the safest to take, which means it is pretty mild and may not get everyone who takes it to sleep.
     3)     Self-medicating. The distinction I’m making between these and OTC meds is that by “self-medicating” I mean taking something to help you sleep that wasn’t designed to do that. Such as drinking alcohol or smoking pot. Sure, you’ll be relaxed and possibly fall asleep, but really? Do you really want to do that to yourself?
I’m also going to put in this category benzodiazepines (aka “benzos”), which include Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). These are mostly prescribed for anxiety, but also for a wide range of other things, from relaxing muscles to controlling seizures to lessening the effects of alcohol withdrawal. And even though they can be prescribed for sleep, they are highly addictive and should only be used very occasionally for sleep. (OK, I should fess up at this point. Alprazolam is the one thing that helps me get the best sleep [and I’ve tried everything!], but my 30-pill prescription lasts me an entire year. I will go for two or three nights with very little sleep before I resort to taking a half a pill.)
     4)     Oils. I include essential oils and CBD (Cannabidiol) oil here. This would be a long discussion and more research than I am up to right now. But just so you know, these are options, but you really need to look into them for yourself. Proponents of both essential oils and CBD oil will say they can cure everything, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that.
     5)     Non-medication alternatives. These are the best option. There’s very little danger in any of these, they are mostly all natural, you can’t get addicted, some are free and others are still inexpensive. I’d love to go into the whole list in detail (and sometime I probably will), but here they are: a.     Meditation and/or other relaxation techniquesb.     Guided imagery (this works well for me sometimes and other times, not so much)c.      Massage therapy (if only my massage therapist could come to my house and tuck me in bed when she’s done)d.     Physical therapy (again, you can’t do it right before bed, but it can help to relax those achy muscles, in case that is what’s keeping you awake)e.     Chiropractor (I know that some people swear by chiropractors and some think they are witch doctors, but they can help with sleep for the same reasons as c and d can) f.       Aroma therapy (probably part of the essential oil discussion)g.     White noise, such as a fan on low or soft music
     6)     Lastly, Sleep Hygiene. This always throws me off because I see the word “hygiene” and think to myself, “but I brush my teeth every night”. But the definition of hygiene is conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease. So this can apply to things other than cleanliness.
These are things you can get into the habit of doing which are conducive to a good night’s sleep:a.     Go to bed and get up at the same time, even on your day offb.     Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperaturec.      Don’t watch TV or use your computer, phone or other electronics in the bedroom or just before going to bedd.     Don’t consume large meals, sweets or caffeine before bedtimee.     Get enough exercises throughout the dayf.       Decrease areas of stress in your life (yea, right, like this is going to happen)
So those are some of my thoughts on the subject of sleep. And none of them are concrete answers. No single thing is going to work safely for everyone or work for any individual all the time. And I should know. It’s way past my bedtime already.   Example of poor sleep hygiene - too many dogs in the bed. Better sleep hygiene, only one dog in bed. 

Strength

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

So, the other day when I started telling you about what my word of the year was going to be, I think I mentioned that the word (in one form or another) is found 232 times in the New International Version of the Bible.
“Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Isaiah 33:2
Here’s new information for you. It appears 27 times in the Book of Isaiah alone.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29
I really can’t think of much more that I can say about it.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Except that some of these are our most beloved Bible verses.
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11
I must have chosen a pretty amazing word for this year. Only with the help of God can I make this year just as amazing.  Draft horses always impress me with their strength and gentleness (in general). 

Word of the Year, 2020

 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 New International Version)
Once again, I have a new idea. After looking at the date, duh, shouldn’t we all pick something like 'vision' or 'seeing' or 'perfect eyesight' as our word (or words) of the year.
Nooo, don’t be silly. Or totally unoriginal. I was thinking about something like "soar" or "fly" or "rise above". When I did a search of Bible verses with those words, I came up with the verse above. 
So, that is my verse for the year. And my word is 'Strength'.
I think most of us want to be strong. Work-out and get in shape, have the ability to kick some butt if the opportunity ever arose.
Or mentally and emotionally strong. I’m not going to cry at the end of the sappy movie. I’m not going to let some bully get the best of me. I’m not going to fall apart when things go awry.
Maybe being strong, having inner and outer strength is all of those things. Yes, maybe things I’d like to strive for this year.
But mostly, I want to seek the place where that strength best comes from. Stay tuned. . . 

Word of the Year Teaser

     Since 2014, I’ve chosen a Word of the Year. A word to guide me, to inspire, to maybe keep me on track or bring me back.
Throughout the years, those words have been: Acceptance, Anticipation, Possibility, Peace and Serenity, and Purpose (the Lord’s purpose). The word for 2019 was Gift. That one didn’t work out so well, as the year seemed to be anything but a gift. Or maybe I missed the boat on the whole concept. Maybe I didn’t see the Gift in all the bad things that happened over the year, or maybe I didn’t ask God to show me the Gift in all of that. Or more likely, I totally forgot about the Word of the Year thing and focused more on just getting through each day.
But here we are a week into a new year already. And here I am at one a.m. typing this, wide awake for yet another night, unable to sleep, my mind all over the map. My husband says I have too many boxes open in my head. Perhaps. But I work to close all those boxes, put to rest all my thoughts and cares, and still I lay there awake, with a peaceful mantra going through my head or even counting sheep (believe it or not, I have resorted to that, but looking at all those sheep, my head goes off on another tangent).
Last week, I chose my word for this year, but I’m thinking that maybe I should change it to Sleep.  When you lie down, you will not be afraid;    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:24 (New International Version)
Along with my Word of the Year, I find a Bible verse to go along with it. I just checked my BibleGateway source and there are 111 verses containing the word sleep. I could keep digging and find an even better, more inspirational verse. Maybe.
So I searched for the word that I had already chosen, and that one is in 232 verses. I think that one is the winner, hopefully, the one which I can carry with me throughout the year. Which might be inspirational enough to allow me to sleep on nights like this.
You’ll have to check back on Friday for the big reveal.  When I started looking for pictures of a bed to go with the theme of sleep . . .  . . . who would have thought I would have taken this many pictures of beds from my last trip to Kenya. 

Finally Finding the Answer

This is the final installment of this year's series of Christmas inspirational blogs. Since the first Sunday in December, I have been reposting an updated version of the blogs I posted in 2011 and again in 2016. I thought they were kind of cute, so decided they were worth revisiting. All the pictures were taken when either I or one of my kids was in Kenya over the years.  
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24 (New International Version)
Dove 1: What are you doing out there?

Visitor: Who me?
Dove 1: You’re the only one out there. The rest of us are stuck in these cages.
Visitor: I’m sorry about that. What are you doing in there?
Dove 1: I asked you first.
Visitor: Well, see that couple over there, the one with the baby?
Dove 2: The people who are looking to buy one or two of us?
Visitor: Yes. I have been following them all over the country side for months.  Their baby was born about six weeks ago, and I think he is the reason I have been tracking them.
Dove 1: But you don’t know why you are following them?
Dove 2: That doesn’t make any sense.
Visitor: I know. I just wish I could talk to them. Find out who the baby is. Other animals I have talked to have said that he is a savior and a king.
Dove 1: All I know is that if you don’t want to end up in one of these cages with us, you should fly away. You should appreciate your freedom while you have it.
Just then a man lifted the cage with the two doves in it and handed it to Joseph.
Dove 1: Fly away now!
The stranger who had been following Mary and her baby raised his wings and did as the caged bird had commanded. He flew high into the air above the crowded city. Yes, indeed, he had his freedom. Looking down on all those people in the market place on their way to the temple, it dawned on him. That’s why the baby had been born. That’s why he was called Savior and King. He had come to grant them all freedom, the freedom from sin that only came from believing in him, in Jesus Christ.
(This picture is of my daughter when she was staying in Saikeri, Kenya in 2010.It remains one of my all-time favorites.) 
I hope you enjoyed this series of blog posts. Have a happy New Year and may all your travels be safe.

2019 Christmas Letter, Part 10

Here we are, three days into the New Year already. We had a good Christmas and were able to spend plenty of time with family and friends, while even remaining healthy. We were at four family get-togethers in eleven days and four different cities. Yikes! Not gonna do that again. Just saying.
First up was my cousin's annual party (that's her on the floor on the right).  My daughter was happy with her pizza stoneware from the gift exchange.   My son was happy, also, with his, until it got stolen in the stealing frenzy.   This little pumpkin got a great present, but no one would dare steal it from her.   Christmas morning at my house.  Even Dino thought there were way too many presents, again.   Way too many.    Way, way too many.   Help, I'm drowning in presents. Does this mean that we really love each other that much?   Hubby wasn't sure if this present was given in love or not.   Over at Grandma Kincaid's house.   Her tree was beautiful as ever.   Then that Saturday between Christmas and New Year's, my daughter had her first real holiday party at her house. I took a few pictures and then promptly misplaced my camera. I came to realize that it wasn't the end of the world. 
On New Year's Day, everyone was back at my house. Hubby and his brothers with their mom.   Grandma with some of the grandkids.   And what's the holidays without a picture of the rest of the family.   I'm exhausted. You may be saying the same thing . . .
I guess now that the year is over and I look back at all my pictures, dredge up all the memories, yes, we had a lot of bad things happen. But at the end of the year, I can still smile, tell myself that I made it through and came out on the other side. And look forward to all that 2020 will bring. 
   God bless,    Chris

2019 Christmas Letter, Part 9

Okay, it’s crunch-time. Last post before the new year. 
The last four months of the year were as busy as ever.
I went to Kenya for the sixth time the last two weeks in September. I think it was my best trip there; everything went off without a hitch for a change. A week after coming home, I bought a new car (only new for me, a 2015). Then I got my hair cut. Still working on getting it to do what I want. Hubby’s nephew got married, and it was fun getting together with his whole side of the family. A few weeks later we saw a lot of them again at his aunt’s ninetieth birthday party. Our annual Thanksgiving dinner was another success. Yikes! More family! Oh, but right before the snow started, the power was out again for 18 hours and the tree that fell half-down back in the spring, completely came down with a crash. Then there’s poor Dino. His hips have been getting worse, and then he fell and messed up his knee. He’s on anti-inflammatories and hobbling around with at least a little more energy. But he didn't even help everyone open their presents Christmas morning.  I’m not gonna lie, I’m looking forward to the New Year. It’s gotta be better.

What the Camels Know

      Welcome to this year’s Christmas edition of my Sunday inspirational blogs. For six weeks, starting the first Sunday in December, I have been posting an updated version of the blogs I posted in 2011 and again in 2016. I thought they were kind of cute, so decided they were worth revisiting. I’ve been updating the pictures from my most recent trips to Kenya, but unfortunately, for today’s post, these are the same weary camel pictures I’ve posted before. That first trip to Africa in 2006 is the only time I was up close to camels.
 When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 (New Century Version)
 Visitor: Hi, there. You guys look tired.

 Camel 1: Not so much.
 Camel 2: Really? We just trekked half-way across the world, loaded down with all sorts of stuff.
 Camel 1: Are you truly whining? We are camels, we were born to carry heavy loads for days on end. We do not whine.
 Visitor: I didn’t mean to start anything. Why did you come all this way?
 Camel 1: Our masters were on a quest to find the new-born king. We have been following the king’s star for a very long time. Our masters are well-educated men who knew the meaning of the star and it brought us here.
 Visitor: Something brought me here too, but it wasn’t a star.
 Camel 2: What was it then?
 Visitor: Something drawing me to the baby. You say he is a king?

 Camel 1: The king of the Jews.
 Visitor: Hmm? But I’m not a Jew, so why do you think I care so much about this child?
 Camel 1: Maybe he really came to be the king of all.
 Visitor: Wow, but he’s so little, so young. And his parents are so poor. How can he be a king?
 Camel 2: We are just camels. How should we know? We don’t need a king. We have our masters who care for us and feed us. And then work us half to death.
 Camel 1: Stop your whining. All I know is that our masters are good men. They have brought expensive gifts to this boy-king. You need to just keep following him. You will get your answers.
 Visitor: Thank you so much. I have been questioning all the animals that I have met along the way, but you have been the most helpful of all of them.
 Camel 1: Good luck on your own quest. Have faith.

2019 Christmas Letter, Part 8

(Hoping that you all had a happy and healthy Christmas. New Year’s is right around the corner, which means this Letter only has a few more episodes left. Today’s episode, however, is a bit of a bummer.)
1983, at my other sister's wedding I mentioned back on Part 5, I believe, that my sister’s husband Claude was diagnosed with brain cancer in April. The doctors gave him 12 to 18 months if they attacked this thing aggressively with chemo and radiation. If not, they guessed six months. Claude decided not to chase it; if it couldn’t be knocked out completely, what would be the point in just buying himself more time, time spent running back and forth to doctor’s appointments. With my husband, at my brother's picnic in 2011On July 27, they drove up to our house, and Hubby and I took them for a ride around some lakes up north. Claude seemed pretty good, more quiet than usual and a little unsteady on his feet, even more thin than he had always been. We had some laughs, though, and my sister got to see some loons. It was a good day. Just three weeks later, my sister called to say he was going downhill fast and hospice was only giving him a few more days. I thought, what? He’d seem so good the last time I’d seen him. 
Hubby and I went down to see him. And my sister was right, it was getting close. And two days later she called to tell me that he had told her he loved her and then God called him home. Their wedding in 1968A few weeks after that, on a chilly, dreary day, she and I went for a ride up north, once again looking for loons. I think they may have all already gone south for the winter.

2019 Christmas Letter, Part 7

     (I don’t usually post on Mondays, but since I won’t be writing on Wednesday due to Christmas, I have to add an extra day somewhere or I’ll never finish my Christmas letter by the end of the year (Note to self – plan better next year.).)
 Summers are for traveling, road trips both long and small, and it seems we took our share of them this year. 
 I just looked back at my pictures and see that I totally missed the quick trip I took to Minnesota in June with a friend. She was in the process of moving and wanted me to join her in looking at some apartments. It was such a quick trip that I didn’t have a chance to take many pictures. This one is at the Acoustic Café in Winona where we had lunch.  The middle of July we took our yearly weeklong camping trip to Michigan. Not sure how many more summers the shoreline at McLain State Park will hold up, or how much longer Dino will be able to join us camping.  He got pretty worn out this year, but he’s still a trooper. He’s my inspiration when I feel like giving up. Talk about giving up, our last night of camping, a storm blew through back home, knocking the power out, once again, and taking down a few trees. Not the best thing to come home to.  The first weekend in August, I returned to Green Lake for a Writers Reunion. I made a ridiculous amount of stops on the way, suddenly wanting to track down covered bridges. This one is at the Red Mill just outside of Waupaca.  My time at the Green Lake Conference Center was as relaxing as it always is. And I’m loving the zoom on my new camera.  The second weekend in August we drove to Iowa to visit Hubby’s brother and sister-in-law. We would have made more stops along the way, but the skies were cloudy and rain looked imminent most of the drive down. This was a quick stop at the petroglyphs at Roche-A-Cri State Park.  While in Iowa, we toured the German American Heritage Museum in Davenport.  But the John Deere Tractor Plaza is where I lost it. Really? Farmers get to drive these beasts every day? So cool. I took two more rides in the late summer and early fall, but those will have to wait for next time. That will be Friday, two days after Christmas. So let me now wish you a blessed holiday, be safe and healthy, don’t fight with the relatives, life is short, as you’ll read on my next post.