T
he topic of self-care for the caregiver may seem like a nonstarter: Which caregiver has time to care for her- or himself? When people told me I should do this, I thought they were well-meaning but clueless. Taking care of myself was a luxury I could ill afford.
I saw doctors a few times about symptoms that seemed truly alarming, but most of the time, I attributed those symptoms to stress, worry, and exhaustion, and pretty much ignored them. There was too much else to do.
Taking care of myself — which should have included more attention to physical ailments, eating a healthier diet, exercising, and sleeping more — was far down on my to-do list. Like all caregivers, I practiced triage, prioritizing the needs of my husband z”l, which always seemed more pressing than my own and demanded my immediate attention.
On one memorable occasion, I woke up in the middle of the night with numbness on the left side of my body, but I hesitated to go to the emergency room because of my concerns about how this would impact my husband.
