Alameda Lupus Support - Meetings                         
Next Meeting:  April 2, 2008. We meet at the Alameda Free Library.  Due to a change in library hours as of Jan 1, our meeting time has changed.  Meetings will be from 6:30 - 8:00pm. 

The Topic for April meeting will be Good Humor:  How laughing helps us cope.

Our meetings are open to all lupus patients and we welcome family members or supportive friends.
  For more information email Nanette at nanettestewart@gmail.com

Summary of Meeting – Feb 6, 2008

Lupus and Heart Health was the topic of discussion.   Four of us presented information on heart-related issues. 

5 Things you need to know about Lupus and the Heart – Nanette

Young women with lupus can have heart attacks because the inflammatory process contributes to atherosclerosis or hardening of arteries.  Here are some things you can do. 

  1. Exercise:  Cardio vascular exercise for 30 minutes 4X a week.  Physical exercise reduces pain as well as increases heart health.
  2. Diet:  Control sugar intake.  Be aware of glycemic index.
  3. Stop smoking
  4. Take meds to control lupus
  5. Follow up regularly with your doctor and report any new symptoms. Remember that women sometimes experience heart problems as shoulder pain or indigestion.

Heart Health and Nutrition – Lorene

  1. Eat when you feel hungry and take time to enjoy it.
  2. Mediterranean Diet is the best
  3. Foods can affect your moods.  There are several books on the subject.  Here is a link to some of them   

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_/002-9651060-3089663?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=foods+and+moods&x=0&y=0

Stress Reduction Tips – Adrienne

  1. Take on less work/fewer responsibilities- Learn to say NO
  2. Address relationship conflicts – invest time in improving those that you think are important and fixable
  3. Take more time for yourself, breaks, vacation.
  4. Add pleasurable activities to your life: crafts, dancing, music
  5. Do volunteer work
  6. Take a media break from newspapers or television news
  7. Stay connected to people by going out with friends or inviting friends over, joining a club or a group.  Those with strong human connections experience less depression. 
  8. BREATHE – Adrienne led us in a breathing exercise for relaxation.

 

The Importance of Exercise and How to Start when you feel unfit – Tina

The 10-minute exercise workout you can do while watching TV

  1. Marching in place 2-5 min.
  2. Leg extensions 10 – 12 times forward, side, back
  3. Lunges for strength and flexibility
  4. Seated leg lifts
  5. Calf raises
  6. Sit on an exercise ball while watching TV for better balance and killer abs!

 

Summary of Meeting – Jan 2, 2008

New Meeting Time.  Due to changes in the Library's hours of operation starting January 1, we have decided to move our meeting time up to 6:30pm.   Our group will still meet on the first Wednesday of the month but the time period will be 6:30 8:00pm.  The library will be closing at 8pm.  Everyone present agreed that they liked meeting at the library so we will try this new schedule and see how it works. 

Volunteering at the Lupus Foundation. 
If you'd like to help organize the first Lupus Walk in the Bay Area sponsored by the Lupus Foundation of America, there will be a kick off  meeting on Saturday, January 19 at the San Mateo Public Library from 10am – noon.  For more information contact the LFA   office at 650-692-2091 or visit the website, www.saclupus.org

Also, during the month of January some of us are going to try to make a weekly visit to help out at the office in Burlingame.  For more details contact Nanette at nanettestewart@gmail.com

Getting Organized
Lorene and Nanette shared Medical Resource binders that they have found to be useful.  If you want to make your own you'll need:

  1. A three ring binder with front and back pockets
  2. A calendar with binder size pages so that it can be inserted into the binder.
  3. Dividers with tabs.

I use the front pockets for appointment cards, prescriptions that I haven't had filled yet, and miscellaneous stuff that I need to put into to binder but haven't yet.

I use the back pockets for prescription stubs so that I have the refill information handy.  The calendar is the very first thing in the binder and I write all my doctor appointments on it.  Lorene also write down symptoms on her calendar so that she can record and track patterns.

We have tabs for dr. notes; lab results; exercise;  meditation pictures;  interesting articles about lupus and related things;  and insurance information.  When applying for disability or dealing with insurance problems, having all this information at my fingertips has been invaluable.

 

Next meeting will be Wednesday February 6, 2008.  The discussion will be Lupus and Heart Health.


 

 

 

 

 








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