Does anyone have any good tips for simplifying the housework? I have no one to delegate to so it's a simple choice; do I have the energy or not to do any. outside, I've gravelled over two flower boarders and am getting rid of any plant in a pot that doesn't look after itself, in order to reduce the work outside.
I can't do any! I'm virtually bedridden, live alone, my house is like a tip and my garden's like jungle so I don't know why I'm replying. The little energy I have I use up in making sure I eat.
Have you tried to get a carer? It's very difficult these days but it might be possible for you.
I do everything myself and have done the entire 21 years of having this condition. I do what i can when i can. Prioritize ... whats important gets done first.. i.e. food and basic cleaning and personal hygiene.. I break it up into 30 min to an hour what ever i can manage.. set my self one extra task a day.. Things like cleaning the oven etc get done once in a flood.. haha.. As for outside.. yes keep things as simple and easy to look after as possible.. but dont go tat far that it now looks boring and uninviting so you end up thinking whats the point. Slow and steady wins the race.
It's all about pacing and resting in between, something I'm not good at doing so I boom and bust all the time and never get as much done as I need to.
Georgia, you do make me laugh. I don't feel so bad now! I've found that if if I don't put my glasses on, I don't see the dust! I try to do 15 minuit efforts. As for oven cleaning, I did that once, even unscrewed the glass panel on the door... now I pretend it's a smoked glass door.
If you are on benefit you can apply for items that are necessary for your illness. Either via a grant or loan.. Social fund ..
dish washer ...fantastic..
microwave ..
tumble drier
ring adult social services ask to be accessed as u can't cope with looking after yourself. A social worker will be assigned to assess your needs . You then are allocated money to hire someone as a personal assistant to shop, tidy house , prepare meals , etc if u are really bad to shower and dress ...
when u worked you Paisley national insurance ...insurance to cover you for illness ...its out there ring up ..and get the help you deserve ..
We have this disease to varying degrees littleme. I can't possibly do what you can do but I can do more than a lady who lost the ability to move her hands and had to have someone with her when she went to the toilet to wipe her.
The lady that runs the local ME group told me that and it gave me some perspective of the differences in physical abilities that we all have.
Mary I've had ME for nearly 10 years and I still can't get my head around pacing! All I can do is what I can manage to do at the time and that's it. I sleep and rest most of the time and things like getting to the toilet and getting something to eat are it.
How do I pace necesseties; I just do them when I have to do them.
Forgot to say I read a report the other day saying that the medical profession is now saying that graded exercise, pacing and CBT are no longer considered to be useful for ME patients.
I could've told them that years ago!
Hi tired-physio;...know exactly what you are saying; I thought i was going to "do what had to be done" on Thursday, as we had new blinds installed on Friday, and the curtains had to be taken down, as no-one here at present (hubby working away...and all the others are out of home, and always busy with their lives), so yep, I did the job...and today's Sunday, and have only got three curtains back up...just the usual....no energy left...and yes, I am upset/frustrated...and the fact is I'm too b....stubborn to ask for help (feel that if they wanted to help, they would come and do so).....I Have Not achieved what I preach...delegate the work....it is hard living on your own, and knowing these things need to be done....but how? Let it be said that I DO understand, and feel for you and each other who is in this position....but don't really have any answers.....as was said, apply for help from the government....but I don't qualify for that, and if I did, I couldn't even bear the thought of having to sit down and fill out the forms (the way I feel at the moment)....yep, having a good old whinge today...... Bron
Ha ha a brilliant way to get a smoked glass door.
I found a way to not have to clean my oven. Put a bowl of water at the bottom and the oven steam cleans itself when you cook in it and the food gets partially steamed too.
Just make sure it's pyrex or something oven proof.
Great advice Sally but microwaves aren't a great idea, especially for sick people who need nutritious food rather than nuked food.
When my son lived here it was so hard to ask for help because he didn't believe I was ill, even after the diagnosis. And I felt that because I was his mum I should be looking after him so I'd force myself to cook his tea etc and burn myself out even more.
Having ME has taught me how hard it is to accept help but that it's even harder to get it!
Thanks GeorgiaS....exactly....xx
Like with many of the others, most of the time only the important things get done an I manage to find most things not very important..
One thing I do on days that aren't as bad as some of the others is to cook large batches of meals and then freeze them in portions. It takes very little more time to do six portions than one, and then I know that on bad days I only have to heat something up to have a decent meal, rather than cook from scratch.
I like the steam cleaning idea, not heard of that before.
I don't have care. I manage to work part time but then I'm done and spend the rest of my time resting. Those are my priorities with very occaisional socialising. Most of the time that suits me. I stay away from social services and the medical (i originally typed 'madical', freudian slip??) profession, but that's the choice i've made for me and not what others would chose.
So, it's glasses off, burn essential oils to make the place smell nice and view the mess from the inside of my eyelids! Simples!
I can't have a fridge or freezer because the gases give me headaches and nausia when I open the doors, but when I'm able to I cook a stew in my slow cooker and add preservatives, i.e. rosemary, lemon and olive oil and it lasts for days.
For me everything else can be neglected apart from eating.
Sounds lovely, I didn't know about rosemary (got some of that outside in a pot, also sage and thyme, do they have special properties?) lemon and olive oil. My freezer is in an out building, so i switched it off months ago! I eat a lot more veg when it's in a stew. Thanks
Madical!!!! I'm in hysterics!
I had care through direct payments, first my sister then when she got another job (she already had one), I found another carer who turned out to be a friend of my mums but she got cancer.
The complex care team are trying to get some care in place. I wish I could do without it but I really can't believe me.
Hi tired-physio; Yesterday when I first read re the Water in Oven piece, was thinking of adding "that if you add Washing Soda to the water", it does an even better job....it is the cheapest and best way to remove any built-up grease....and then I just wipe over with a cloth/paper towel....no offensive odours, just plain clean oven....good luck and keep up your part-time work, as we all know that is what this Fibro/ME does to us....it seems to take away a lot of our social life too...and we all need other Human Contact......Bron