Meditation and exercising.

And I will start meditating properly and things like that again soon. People've been speaking to me about it and I know they're right.

I'm doing a few of the exercises I used to do with mum. I obviously can't do all that much at the moment but I can work out which exercises should help and try to do some. I mean they're very gentle. I'd never have thought, so soon after helping her with them, that I'd be doing them myself. I'm very glad that I know them.

And I've been doing breathing exercises to help me get through some of the pain. I bought a pack of cards from the health shop here and found that some of the exercises were the same as those the rehab hospital had taught mum. I went back and bought another couple of packs to give away as presents. I also have some exercise sheets that were devised by Charing Cross hospital for people with Parkinson's Disease that should help me as well. Looking after mum has taught me a lot that now is helping me with my own illness.

I said that I wished that I had the skills that the people who worked in the home she went in to eventually had. As she got progressively sicker the kind of care she needed changed and I was amazed watching some of the care she was given. I guess I'm learning some of it by having to look after myself through this illness now. Obviously some of what I have to do takes quite a bit of skill and care and has to be very gentle too. It's very different from the kind of care mum was given but it's still learning to do the same sort of thing.

I'm glad that I learnt to massage too. I think it was one of the highlights of mum's days and I know it helped to relieve the pain a little for her. Now I can help myself too. I've an article to read about helping to relieve your own pain through massage which I guess I should read. I know all the basics but there might be something new and it'll be a good read anyway.