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Session 3:

May - 03 - 17

Brenda:

Today we have body maps. We have been talking a lot about wellbeing and wellness, a some of you, for example Nelly and Carmen have talked about knee pain and certain discomfort in their body, and we thought that this diagram would be a good way to illustrate where you feel discomfort and how you feel in your body. For example if I pick my head, I can point out that my head and write that my mind is for daydreaming or thinking about my family. Or if you draw a heart, you can say my heart is… so it can be mental health or physical health.

 

Margaret:

So I should draw my heart here?

 

Brenda:

Yes!

 

Carmen:

Yo estoy muy enferma!

 

Olga:

You don't look sick!

 

Mariana:

You don't look sick at all!

 

Brenda:

Or you could write about wellness: how do you stay healthy? Maybe walking, or activities.

 

Nellie:

We can put where it hurts?

 

Mariana:

You can put where it hurts, or were you feel strong, why you feel strong there, or parts of your body that remind you of certain things or certain people.

 

Margaret:

Do I need to write the words?

 

Brenda:

No you don't have to, you can draw.

 

Gregoria:

¿Bueno y qué es lo que hay que hacer? Pintar donde uno tiene dolor o qué?

Vicente:

No solamente el dolor. Piensen en qué tipo de emociones, memorias o ideas relacionan con las diferentes partes de su cuerpo. Por ejemplo yo cuando era chico, mi abuelo me llevaba siempre a jugar fútbol así que voy a escribir esa memoria junto a las piernas.

 

Carmen:

¡Pero si este dibujo es de un hombre!

 

Vicente:

Sí, es cierto, pero piensen que es un dibujo neutro del ser humano, y transfórmenlo.

 

Margaret:

My shoulder is in pain, that is way I paint it. My heart is not strong… my eating not strong…

 

Gregoria:

Por ejemplo si a mi me duelen las rodillas, ¿hago una marca?

 

Carmen:

¿Puedo poner del uno al diez?

 

Vicente:

Claro.

 

Brenda:

You don't realize until your body starts breaking down, that… oh no, I took it for granted! Your health is everything.

 

Margaret:

If I take out the glasses, I can't see. If I take out the glasses, everyone is beautiful! We have to write down some words?

 

Brenda:

No! It's just that I work better with words.

 

Margaret:

Today we have three teachers!

 

Brenda:

We are all teachers! We are just facilitating. If it helps you can think of colors. For example when I think of my belly, I think of balance, so it's purple to me. If you want to color the body parts that symbolize something…

 

Olga:

Tengo problemas en la planta de los pies

 

Carmen:

Yo también!

 

Vicente:

Qué tipo de problemas?

 

Olga:

Lo que pasa es que ya los pies se han cansado

 

Vicente:

Y usa plantillas?

 

Carmen:

Yo de noche cuando me acuesto, siento como hormiguitas en los pies.

 

Mariana:

Cómo hace para aceptar y manejar el dolor.

 

Carmen:

Yo el dolor no lo puedo aceptar, tengo que resignarme que es diferente.

 

Olga:

You take tylenol, lets face it. In the beginning, you feel better. But later, maybe have an hour, it comes back. It keeps coming and keeps coming…

 

Nellie:

The middle of my bones, from here to here, it's where it hurts. Because of osteoporosis. My heart is good. And the bottom of my feet is my main problem. Besides I have diabetes. But the main thing of me is the bottom of my feet. I mean i have pain everywhere, but the bottom of my feet…. But i can deal with my pain. It's not the meat, it's the bones.

 

Brenda:

How is the sensation?

 

Nellie:

It's like when you get cramps, very painful. You what I do? They told me to cut some onions and put them in the bottom of my feet, and I felt good. And i've been going to the doctor but it doesn't help.

 

Margaret:

Doctors want you to come again and again and again.

Nellie:

I have diabetes

 

Margaret:

Don't eat rice

 

Nellie:

I know.

 

Mariana:

So you think the doctors are not giving you what you need?

 

Nellie:

The doctor has given me an appointment that is helping me. They gave me some pills for the pain, but that I only take when it really really hurts. But right now my feet are like that… and I deal with it.

 

Mariana:

Can you tell me what's happening in your head with all of this.

 

Nellie:

Over here I am explaining that in my back I have osteoporosis. That hurts a lot,  but i deal with it. I take the pill…

 

Mariana:

How are you feeling emotionally?

 

Nellie:

None of this bothers me, just this. Because I can't do without walking. Because usually at my age you get the knees. But my knees are alright. But it scares me sometimes, because it really hurts. Everything that they tell me I do. The onions… I put red onions in my body. The onion is true… so it's good, but they stink. But i'm going back to the doctor to see where the pain is coming from. Because the funny thing is that as soon as you have a sickness, the doctor blame everything else to the main one, and they give you pills.

 

Min 16: Speaking in chinese.

 

Mariana:

What are the solutions to make the pain less disturbing?

 

Olga:

I try to forget about it.

 

Mariana:

How do you forget about it.

 

Olga:

I occupy my mind.

 

Mariana:

And how do you do that?

 

Olga:

Reading books….. You get used to it.

 

Mariana:

What about you Nellie?

 

Nellie:

When I am home, I sit down and I read a lot. I read and I do puzzles and I do crossroads. I see TV, but only things that I really like. I leave it on, but I do other things. I also like scrambled words, and sometimes…

 

Brenda hands out information about natural health remedies and detoxifying foods.

 

Nellie:

Yes! Ginger is good! When we were young, our mothers gave us castor oil when we felt bad. Now it comes without smell, but in those days… she used to give us too spoons and an orange.

 

Brenda:

Maybe we can all share a remedy that we have.

 

Nellie:

This one, we used to have… In my house in Puerto Rico, they used to give us too spoons of the real Castor Oil, the one that stinks, and an orange, and there was no way that we could throw it out, because we used to respect our mother so much, we had to do it. It cleans you inside. They told me turmeric is good for the pain in your bones. You put ginger in it?

 

Brenda:

Turmeric and lemon is usually good.

 

Olga:

I hate olive oil

 

Carmen:

Olive oil or castor?

Olga:

If I have olive oil i burp. I don't have it in my house. Even now if I go to the store and I see it…dramáticamente me pongo bien histérica.

 

Nellie:

I used to buy Virgin Goya. And I used to have 1 spoon every day and go to work. But now I can't drink it no more. I use garlic in everything! It's good! You know what I do with the lemon? My friend told me. Take the lemon and put the juice in the icecube. And then when you want one to put it in the water, you take it. If i'm going to have a scrambled egg, i use the garlic powder. And i put it there.

 

Gregoria:

Uno tiene que salir a caminar! Porque si uno se queda en la casa ahí coje depresión. Hay que salir a la calle.

 

Carmen:

Tu sabes que me da depresion a mi? Que el dolor me de aquí, y se me pase y me suba acá.

 

Gregoria:

Hay que buscar distracciones.

 

Nellie:

A mi me da depresión cuando una se queda sola en la casa.

 

Mariana:

¿Les gustó hacer esta actividad?

 

Carmen:

Sí!

 

Gregoria:

Sí porque uno se entretiene e intercambia palabras, dice lo que siente…

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