Tillie, I'll get back to salt water rinses. I remember my great-grandmother having me do that with the hottest water I could stand. It did feel good!

I am trying to put this into action but so far it is hit and miss still, and I like the salt water rinse, too, I learned that from my mother and it is good for gums and inflammation.

I brush my teeth at least twice every day using tooth paste.
I floss daily too.
But I never buy mouth wash.
If I need to rinse my mouth I put a little bit of salt in some warm water and use that.
An old fashioned remedy but it kills germs and is what we tell people to do after having oral surgery to help prevent infections. 🙂

Hey Roxie, yes teeth brushing is going well. I missed two days in August.

Now I'm just brushing with toothpaste. Once that's more solid I'll add in the flossing and later the mouthwash. Anybody know of a very gentle one?

This will sound terrible but still I cannot find my toothbrush so I have been using a cloth and I do like a clean mouth more and more, thank you Roxie I had forgotten about these posts in here.

Just dropping by the check on everyone's personal care goals and progress (or not)!

I have continued to brush my teeth, but have fallen behind on my litter box scooping. I'll get there yet. It was a struggle with the teeth for awhile, too, but now I am used to feeling that clean mouth once a day and I like it!

I have found that, for me, only taking tiny steps at a time is working. For instance, I set the goal at brushing my teeth once a day and marking it on my calendar. With false starts, missed days, etc., I finished out July having brushed my teeth 30 days in a row. I plan to continue the calendar marking. Now I have added scooping cat litter to the daily mix so I end up with an asterisk * instead of an X on the calendar if I do my meds, teeth and litter box that day.

Tiny Steps is good for me as well... I started with actually finding the toothbrush, as bad as that sounds... Wow that is really commendable. I will be doing my journal and charting my progress again, too... I will say its difficultdifficultdifficult but I find setting myself as accountable here REALLY helps me a lot. I like your system, yes.

I need to figure out what personal care issue I need to work on next and I'm reluctant. I think I'm reluctant because I need to work on the bathroom in which there is a shower. And working more frequent showers into my routine will become important. See how mess and squalor can get in the way?

Yes I do. I have access to my shower but getting in can seem like such a chore. I take impulse showers... I will think of it out of the blue and then just get in no matter what I am doing. Having to go see people is also a prompt as I am too embarrassed to go anywhere looking too terribly filthy. Baby steps!

Thank you so much for sharing here so freely.

I have found that, for me, only taking tiny steps at a time is working. For instance, I set the goal at brushing my teeth once a day and marking it on my calendar. With false starts, missed days, etc., I finished out July having brushed my teeth 30 days in a row. I plan to continue the calendar marking. Now I have added scooping cat litter to the daily mix so I end up with an asterisk * instead of an X on the calendar if I do my meds, teeth and litter box that day.

Yes small steps! I am trying to do the same routine things such as wearing clean clothes, deodorant, more showers, brushing my teeth and even though it seems simple and normal for most people, we often have to really push ourselves into doing them.

I have a personal care issue. Not putting on Deodorant. It is just not in my routine.

Just starting to wash my hair and brushing it regularly. small steps hey Mare.

Keep it up.

Thank you so much for this where, ladies... so informative, encouraging and personal.

I, too, have a problem with personal care and its been something I keep secret and just hope noone notices, but they must.

I really need to go to the dentist for one thing, and since I have been having problems there I have neglected the basics. I will add that to my goals for the day and start a change for the better.

Self-esteem has also been a huge problem, thankfully I have an excellent therapist who is even willing to come to me on days I cannot get a way to her office. Priceless.

See you soon...
Mare

Congratulations Roxie!!!

Keep up the great work!

Except for July 1, I have not missed a day this month on brushing my teeth. Yeah!

😀

See Tillie, we really are sisters from other mothers!!!

Wow Diane 🙂

I was born in Detroit and lived there till I was five when we moved to Arizona. But spent a lot of time returning to Michigan and Canada to spend summers and other occasions.
My hoarder's family comes from Minnesota.
Such a small world. 😉

Fun reading about Michigan and Mn. My dad was raised in Escanoba (sp) Michigan, northern peninsula and mom in Detroit. reading my moms journals today, found out my great grandma was Fox Indian, and my dad only spoke French, he was French Canadian. I went to nursing school in Mpls., Mn. So felt like you are almost my sisters!!

WAY TO GO! Roxie:D
for all the tooth brushings! 😀

My people are from the Quebec area. I was born in Michigan.
My Grandmother had a lovely little cottage on the shore of a small lake in upper Michigan and being there are my most cherished memories. 🙂

So, why did we stop posting here?

I have only missed July 1 on teeth brushing, but so far have done every day of July. Yeah!

Diane, when I got sick with CFS I had a lot of problems with when I would be asleep. I got so freaked that someone would ring my doorbell and I'd be in my night clothes that I started sleeping in my clothes. I've continued that to this day. So I really get your wearing clothes day in and day out for days. I personally don't really care whether I change that but it is something to look at, I agree.

Tillie, it is interesting to me that you are Ojibwe. My only encounters with Ojibwe have been in Northern Minnesota where there is a wonderful lodge and restaurant filled with Ojibwe decorations and lore. It is just outside Grand Marais, MN. My family cabin is an hour's drive out the Gunflint Trail that starts in Grand Marais and ends before you get to my cabin. You get to the cabin by boat. And yea, being Finnish-American, we have a wonderful old-fashioned Finnish sauna there.

I too do not brush my hair every day but mostly just stick it up in a clip to get it out of my way. Of course I brush it before leaving the house, but how often do I leave the house? Not often.

How is everyone doing in this area?

Hi Lynn, yes I know you are not a hoarder, and I know you are looking for work daily, so meant I hope you are getting lots done in the job search onlline, since you can't do much else. I know banging my toe slowed me down and got to focus on small stuff.

Thanks but remember I'm not the hoarder, my mother is. I can't walk on my own yet so I can't do much of anything yet. The heating pad really helps relax my muscles that need to be.

I see the doc tomorrow afternoon and see what he says. It's been since Wed since I fell.

I am getting better though. I can't wait until I can bear all or most of the weight on my leg.
Take care diane.

Lynn, I hope you are feeling better today and getting lots done. After banging my toe yesterday, I have slowed down too, but nothing is stopping me from getting things done, just more rest breaks and elevating my foot. We are in hoarder hospital where the work never stops for long!!

I'm massaging, relaxing, icing and resting and unstiffining my leg. I hope all will heal sooner so that I can do some cardio later after I'm able to start walking but not too soon. Heal first then cardio.

Dianne

It's definitely not easy. Especially now that I have to take two weeks off of my training. I'm replacing swimming with dancing to at least keep my cardio up and doing some mild weight training, at least what is approved by my physical therapist.

Had a nasty run in with a man I don't know last weekend. My personal space was invaded and violated. I thought I was ok, and was able to get through this, but recently started having nightmares and my anxiety levels have gone through the roof. Normally at this state is when I start to break down and retreat into myself and it's the moment like this that get me into these situations of doing nothing. So instead I'm trying to channel those feelings into positive, and hopefully ill be able to get to the VA hospital and speak to a mental health counselor.

This is gonna be really tough for me, and at least once I day, I feel like giving up, usually at night when I'm alone. My boyfriend is a guard drill this weekend, and most of my friends are out of town. So I'm pretty much left to my own devices and that's when the emptiness and vulnerability sets in. I am constantly looking over my back, and I haven't been able to take a shower since Tuesday. I keep telling myself I need to, but by not doing so, it helps me think that maybe no one will touch me.

That guy really did a number on my psyche, and all I want right now is to get past this.

Being honest with each other also makes us be honest with our selves.

I never can understand why my hoarder won't allow me to wash some of his dirty clothes.
He says "no" don't wash them because I plan to wear them again and they will just get dirty.

Being fresh and clean and wearing fresh clean clothes feels so good and improves our self image.

In this modern day & age with most people having showers/tubs and washers in their homes we can have this. 🙂

Today I took a shower for the first time in a few days, it felt so good and really didn't take that long, not sure why I don't want to take regular showers. I tell myself, you will just get dirty with all the gross work you are doing, so why shower. 1 or 2 showers a week is just not enough. Amazing how honest we can be on here.

OMG! Today while I was getting my hair cut, I accidentally got mistaken for a 17 year old.

The girl who was cutting my hair asked me if I was getting ready to graduate from high school this year. I told her no. And then I told her that I actually graduated from high school back in 2008. After I told her that, she asked me how old I was; and I told her that I was 23. After I told her that, she was really shocked. And she told me that she thought that I was 17. 🙂

I have no idea why, but for some reason I always love it when people think that I am younger than I really am. 🙂

I think the funniest part about her thinking that I was 17 was the fact that she is around the same age as me. 🙂

Hi Dianne,

Thanks. 🙂

I've never clogged the drain after shaving my legs before. But one time I did go without shaving my legs for about a month; and after I finally shaved my legs, it looked like someone got into a fight with a yeti in my bathroom. LOL. 🙂

Tillie how cool that you have a vintage dollhouse! It must be fun looking in and knowing it's just right! 🙂

But it was a great start and I definitely plan to keep up with taking care of myself physically. 🙂

Hey Kclynne,

Yeah when it happened my boyfriend and I thought it was pretty funny too. And when we told everyone the story about how I got us kicked out of the gym for eating a slice of chocolate cake while on one of the exercise bikes, they all laughed their asses off. LOL. 😀

I'm a bit of a rebel. 🙂