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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Chores and what it feels like

Trying to complete household chores and other everyday things is a battle for one with a demyelinating condition or Fibromyalgia. I am going to try to explain examples so that people who are not sick can understand:


  1. Folding clothes: think of lifting weights. In the beginning of folding think of lifting a 1 pound weight. By the time you get to the bottom of the basket, you are now lifting 20 pound weights.
  2. Bending over: think of a small child on your back. Don't forget the sweating like it's 100 degrees outside in a 70 degree house. 
  3. Grocery shopping: think of going into a library, trying to find a certain book but not using the Dewey Decimal System. Memory and Cognition is difficult. Plus the noise of other customers talking, kids screaming...even though it is spread out through the store, it feels as though it is right next to you. Pushing the cart?? Think of pushing a wheelbarrow full of bricks. Don't forget about the sweating on this too!
  4. Washing dishes: think of standing in front of a hot sauna and having to move back and forth 10 pound weights. So, you have the heat from the water, weight from the dishes and the motion of cleaning them.
  5. Washing hands: ok this is a weird one but it happens to me. Washing hands with soap and water. Then drying them off. It feels as though you dried your hands with a jelly soaked dish towel. Hands get so sticky.
  6. Driving: (Which I do not do anymore) You can not judge your distance. You have no idea how close you are to another car, curb or stop light. Can't focus at the car driving in the opposite direction. It looks like it is coming right at you. Going down the road and you are wondering how did I get here or where am I? Think of taking a nap in the car and you wake up not knowing where you are. 
  7. Vacuuming: think of pushing a shovel with snow. It starts to get harder and harder the more you go. Using the hose to the corners, you have to bend over. See number 2.
  8. Cooking dinner: trying to follow a recipe but you have to keep checking because you can't retain the steps. Lifting the skillet or draining spaghetti feels like lifting 50 pounds. Your arms get so tired. By the time dinner is finished, you don't want to eat it because you are tired. Think of being outside, doing yard work, 100 degrees. All you want is to sit, have a cold drink, not eat a hot meal.
  9. Scrubbing the bathtub: Yeah right! Bending over...see #2 Motion and strenght of scrubbing...no way. It could take all day to scrub the tub. Think about scrubbing motion for a hour. That is what 5 minutes feels like.
  10. Writing this blog: Think of it like a puzzle. Concentration, cognition and wordfinding is difficult. Writing this blog took almost a hour. I have to step away and rest my mind. I have backspaced so many times to correct what I am typing because sometimes my fingers don't want to work, they tend to have a mind of their own. Losing your thoughts. Reading back what I just typed and see that I am repeating myself. What is in my mind doesn't necessarily sound correctly. I have to think, very hard! 
So this is a few things I thought of. Please add comments on what you feel is difficult. I could have added showering. But I really don't know who to explain that one lol

2 comments:

  1. I agree to everything you have stated here. You nailed it girl. Love you, Jenn!!!

    ReplyDelete