Although April 5 is National Self-care day, I  make strides to care for myself everyday of the week. A big part of my effort is knowing my numbers. When I know what my numbers are I have more control of my health and well-being. Resulting in better decisions and peace of mind. This is a direct connection to self-care because I am doing things  to improve my life, reduce stress and be happier.

So, what are these important numbers? How do I access them? Everyone is different but for me it is my weight, blood pressure and amounts of medication. Accessible medical devices help me to know these numbers and take care of myself.

Talking Bath Scale

The bath scale  can be a friend or foe. Believe me I get it. Who wants to step on the scale  and look at their weight? I used to weigh myself  frequently  but today I do it a few times a month, just to see where I am. I am no longer a slave to the scale but I do like to check  to be sure I am not gaining anymore weight. I use a talking bath scale. I just step on and get my weight  verbally.

Talking Blood Pressure Monitor

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to all kinds of medical problems like heart attacks and strokes. Do you know your blood pressure numbers? Do you know the differences between normal and high? Just like the talking bath scale, I check mine with a talking blood pressure monitor. And since I take medication I  go a step farther by tracking my numbers on a spreadsheet. This allows me to see on a regular basis how I am doing  and make needed lifestyle adjustments.

Accessible Medications

Mismanagement of prescriptions  can easily happen, especially if you have vision loss.  Knowing what dosage to take. When to take it. What you are even taking  in the first place can be overwhelming and confusing. Errors like taking the wrong pill, missing refill dates or taking expired medication  are unsafe and can lead to a medical emergency.

Typically, prescription information on the bottle and documents are in small print and not very accessible. But help  to know your numbers is now available. Since 2012 legislation was passed to make prescriptions more accessible. Resulting in changes to how medications are administered to people with vision loss.

Today, we have multiple options to access medications. Prescription information is provided in braille and large print. I shared about all of this in a previous post you can read for more details.

Talking Thermometer

Another important number is body temperature. During the height of the pandemic  we were all checking our temperature constantly. Remember those days? Whether at home or in public everyone  was Lazer focused on this number. During that time I purchased a talking thermometer . Although I don’t check my temperature as much anymore, I am glad I have it on hand. I never know when I might be battling a cold, fever, flu or even COVID-19.

Self-care is not selfish. Rather it is making yourself a priority so that you can care for others. If you are not emotionally or physically doing well and don’t know your numbers  how can you give and contribute to others and society? You can’t. So use this day and everyday  to care  for yourself.