What are you up to today if you have chronic illness? Thread 3

[MewithME]

Link to last thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5406424-what-are-you-up-to-today-if-you-have-chronic-illness-part-2

Can't believe we filled another one.

Hi everyone, sorry for the late start to the new thread. Last week was just so so rough. Our respite foster placement ended, I had a heavy cold but my husband he got strep throat and was really bed bound with a fever and chills and lethargy, he is my biggest helper with managing everything round the house especially cooking and so everything fell to me including collecting his antibiotics and remembering how often he'd had painkillers etc. Thank god it's over now but I'm left with the after effects in my body. These things happen and we are a team.

Hope everyone else's November has gotten off to a better start than mine did. How are you all today?

@Realisation14 that sounds super hard. Are you all on the mend? I write Ned times on the bathroom mirror in pen when the kids were little.

So pleased youre seeing a little bit of progress @TeaAndStrumpets That’s reassuring at least even though it’s always painstakingly slow. I totally get that feeling of ‘ oh no I’ve done it now’ I think when you’ve had a severe spell, you’re always terrified of going backwards again and just grateful for any baseline that’s even slightly better!
I’m in the stage of feeling less dreadful than a few days ago at least when I’m resting but then I try and do a small thing and the dreadfulness returns meaning total rest again. I got frustrated yesterday and there were tears but I just need to be patient and keep resting and pacing. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.

Wishing everyone a calm and peaceful day.

Oh no, that sounds so incredibly hard. I hope you can recover soon but yes it’s tough when someone you rely on to help becomes ill and you have to take on double your load.

Welcome back @Realisation14 that all sounds a lot to take on. Glad your DH is on the mend. Hope things are looking up now. Are you signed up for any more fostering?

I'm not sure there are enough resources for rheumatology. Our local department is in a prefab building in the hospital grounds. The consultant is very nice though. I am under his care for osteoporosis but haven't seen him for years.

I hear you! Yes every tiny gain takes so long.

I really frightened myself this time. As I waited for the ambulance I thought oh shit this is serious. I had been thinking about what if I popped off and nobody knew my tablet password, so sent my daughter a mysterious text. I didn't want to alarm her so sent the password and said it was for my tablet. Got a confused response so I texted "no point telling your Dad" and she said Ah OK fine...thinking I'd bought a new tablet. I spoke to her once I was home!

DH is like a jailer and has stopped me doing anything daft. I know if left to my own devices I will push through. I'm sure I could manage a house viewing but he's cancelled them until next week.

So is ours! I actually don't mind that as it avoids me having to go into the main hospital building.

@FuzzyPuffling yes actually it has a little used car park which is convenient. Bloods and scans unfortunately are all in the main building so miles of corridors to contend with. I always get lost!

DH invited over my mil. She has bunion surgery two weeks ago and her partner (complicated, non romantic? No idea) isn’t coping with the anxiety around looking after her. She doesn’t really need or want looking after! She’s had some lunch with us and I spent an hour or so chatting with her and then I’ve retreated to my sofa in the lounge. She’s on the sofa in the kitchen with a cup of tea and watching the Witcher. I feel very rude but I am in a very bad pain day and used my spoons making red cabbage for Christmas.

She’s informed me that her partner wants to be alone on Christmas Day with her. So my SIl who is moving with her two kids (adult and near adult) on the 19th is now not going there. I guess we’ll be offering them a space! I’ve already got plenty of food And over cater, so it’ll be easy enough. I’ve ordered and paid for a big turkey. I’ll just have to cook and freeze some more carrots and potatoes! But I’m having surgery and not sure how I’ll be, but Christmas will happen and they are a very easy family to have Christmas with, I’ve just always be just us since we had kids.

i was going to paint Christmas cards but now I have mil I don’t really feel like it.

@FurForksSake it sounds as if you have everything well in hand! Obviously you need a cosy nest to escape to, but if you have a house full for Christmas they can all entertain each other!

That’s what I’m thinking! I can disappear upstairs if it all gets too much!!

@FurForksSake it can be your Christmas boudoir! A mini fridge with snacks and drinks, and a teeny tree ;-)

I love that! I had a tiny tree in there anyway 😱🤭🤭 I really do want a mini fridge. I don’t know how much pain I’m going to be in after Friday so it would be a good purchase for my special drinks (I only drink one thing; it’s very outing but let’s just say you know if I’m around as there will be bottles everywhere of a specific sugar free soda 🤭).

And some fairy lights!

Oh I’d love a mini fridge upstairs! We have a reasonable size landing with a low cupboard currently there and I’ve often thought I could do a little hotel style tea making set up on top of it but no sockets nearby!
Sounds like a plan for you after your surgery @FurForksSake Is it on Friday or did I make that up?

Yes, Friday! I’m already panicking they’ll cancel it. It’s private and I don’t know if that’s safer for cancellations? I’ve had pre op and nothing seems to have come from my bloods so that’s positive, but the nhs has strikes so…

In a crash at the moment. So nice to read this thread and know that others are similar. Though i hope you're all doing ok.

Thinking of convenience, we have a two tier tea trolley which I often use. It's probably 1950s or 60s, gold frame (of course!) with deep pink aluminium trays. When I'm alone at home I load it up with teapot and snacks and trundle it through to the sitting room. Really handy when I'm based on the sofa all day. Mine was £20 from eBay but I recently saw an identical one on there for £95! Collectable! That's me, always on trend.

@BerfyTigot hope you feel better soon!

Just catching up, sorry to hear of ups and downs, fingers crossed for a more stable time for those who need it. Sometimes it can seem as if it all hits at once, can't it?

Drizzly day here today, made it to aqua aerobics (downgraded to local sports centre as can't afford the gym anymore) which was quite good - I like it because you can just do what you can, most of the people there are in their 70s so it is nice to have a class that suits everyone. It's much cheaper at about £30 a month which isn't bad if you can go say twice a week, which I will aim for if I can.

Might need to cut down some other stuff (MIL, for example) to manage that bit that might be do-able.

Got back home to find the washing not hung out, dinner still to get / cook, which is annoying, I'm resting now anyway.

Hoping for a peaceful evening for all

Hi everyone. Well I had a right brain fart of a day. Pulled up at work. Opened the boot and found I had no laptop bag in it 😭 😂

Managed to get into the meeting room first and styled it out logging into the presentation computer so I just ran the meeting .haha. just about got away with it. Came home at lunchtime and I am conking out early. In bed right now with my heatpad. I've had v bad heart palpitations again all afternoon.

I have at least got a GP appointment now to get my ECG results. Nobody blinking tells you! I had knee x-rays months ago and I don't know those either. Still in pain and struggling with stairs though.

Urgh. Anyway, despite work nonsense feeling relatively ok in myself. I mean it IS relative because I have joint pain, tinnitus, heart palpitations, internal buzzing, feel exhausted and clearly brain fog....but apart from that..I'm quite cheerful 😂🙈

Yeah we are thankfully. I used a little notepad app on my phone after the 2nd day as my brain was no longer functioning to remember everything. I felt so sorry for him!

@Orangesandlemons77 that does sound good value, and gently paced so you don't get worn out. It's nice to meet people, too.

Thank you! We're down for respites only at the moment after a long term placement ended back in June this year. We were asked for two more respites after little boy left but with hubby being so sick we had to say no.