OS ways and Poor Health

ArthriticOldThing

WCS, thank you for the info on the Morphy Richards cordless vacuum, I'll investigate. Will also look at e-mops.
I'm fortunate that I live in a flat so don't have to worry about cleaning stairs. The problem there is it's a first floor flat and on the days the lifts give up I'm stranded.
And Suki, I don't go pleasure shopping either - is no pleasure at all - and usually use online ordering for groceries.
Thanks for that quote Polly, a good thing to remember.
So much good advice on here. Thank you all.

Larumbelle

Morning friends :wave:

I also online shop. It takes me days to complete an order, and I rely more on frozen and tinned foods than I ever used to, but I manage. Food is a huge issue for me as I lost five stone in eighteen months just from loss of appetite/lack of motivation to cook and eat. I have a brilliant friend now who messages me constantly to make sure I eat properly. When I feel up to cooking 'properly' I do a huge batch that tides me through times that I don't. But I do also rely on things like baked potatoes to eat properly when I wouldn't otherwise.

OS has given me a different kind of problem in this respect, in that my support worker still doesn't think I am 'coping' with food but bases it on very arbitrary things. Such as the fact that I don't have a cooker. She wanted to apply for a grant to get one for me, but I told her not to. I have a halogen cooker that I brought from my old place, a friend gave me a microwave, and I bought a two-burner hotplate (total cost £19, about a tenth of the grant she wanted me to put in for). As far as I am concerned, that covers all bases in a far more economical and energy efficient way, but she still uses the fact that I don't have a 'proper' cooker as proof that I am not managing properly! And she says that I am not spending enough money on food. I spend a lot more than before I got ill and was a black-belt OSer but I have literally had to justify what meals I can make with what I have. I know she is trying to be helpful and supportive, but it does get to me sometimes.

Sorry for the mini-rant just then. A different kind of "OS and poor health" problem I suppose!

Larumbelle

Also something I have been pondering as a few people here have mentioned that they struggle with their Henry cleaners. I have one too and I love him Although he doesn't get as many outings as he should.
Anyway, I don't know if it would help but I find the nozzle that came with Henry takes a lot of effort to vacuum the carpets with. I have a brush nozzle like this one that I use instead and it makes it much less effort to push around as it glides very smoothly.. I know that it doesn't make the vacuum any easier to lift but I wondered if it might make it easier for peeps if theirs is already on the floor that they need/don't have stairs to manage?

pollyanna_26

Fingers are now working so here I am .
Suki Thanks for the info on the slicker brush , just had a quick look online and will have a word with middle daughter when she gets home from work this evening . She owns a big dog and may well have one so I can try a trial run . Why did I never think of sitting on the stairs ?
I either kneel or bend over which is stupid and puts me off my feet for days - thank you , I love the mix of ideas on here and I for one am picking up things that will be helpful .
Going back to your first post I do the two flat sheets like others here and am fortunate the mattresses are no turn , that was something I did think through before buying . However if you ever try the bed making thing alone again I shall have to SHOUT at you ! I don't think Kim and Aggie will come banging on your door if you leave it until your oh is around
Larumbelle . You know yourself best love . Calmly but firmly tell the helpful person your way works for you . Which should be obvious anyway as you don't have to deal with a big cooker which in my case I can grab a hot shelf with bare hands if the head is fuddled . The things you use have timers and I assume turn themselves off and will be at the right height . As for not spending enough on food direct her to the os forums she may be so absorbed she may never be seen again :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Back later
polly

VfM4meplse

ariarnia wrote: »

With a duvet, if you get fatigued or you're not very strong (or just short, like me), try this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1IzS2oBBN0

Turn your duvet cover inside out and spread it out on top of the sheets with the opening on the far side (away from you).

Spread the duvet over the top - I put a couple of stitches in each corner to keep it in place.

Roll up the duvet and duvet cover - working towards the opening.

When it's all rolled up, pull the opening over the roll - like rolling together socks, and do up the buttons.

Unroll the duvet. :cool:

I can attest that this is a bl**dy brilliant tip. I'm fully able bodied but tried it with success (right after I'd Kondo'd my smalls ).

pollyanna_26

Larumbelle That wasn't a mini rant , it actually highlights the many different aspects of ill health . I'm a great believer in looking at the whole picture because big or small they are important .
Thank you for the Henry information . I do have the turbo head it was a recent addition to the range when I replaced my ancient model for a new one . One thing it took me years to realise is the fact the power can be varied . I had one carpet and rugs that used to lift with the power of the suction and put up with it for years until I did the sensible thing and really read the instructions with the new one .
As there are a few Henry users on here already your mention of the extra head may help them .
Jacket potatoes with a protein filling and a bit of green and some tomato if possible are a very good choice . I love them and they are far easier to make than a lot of other meals . When my eldest daughter was at uni they and wholemeal pasta and veg packed sauces with cheese on top kept her fit and healthy on a tiny budget .
polly

elona

Larumbelle

In your shoes I would be tempted to lie about how much you spend on food instead of having to go into a long explanation and justify yourself to someone who just does not get it!

The harping on not having a proper cooker must be really irritating as you have covered all the basics safely on the equipment you have. Is it worth a short explanation of why a conventional cooker is not suitable and is actually dangerous for you. Or another white lie and say a therapist recommended what you have especially for your condition?

I must sound like an awful person but keeping having to justify yourself must be frustrating and tiring which cannot be good for you.

I don't have too many health problems at the moment just hypothyroidism and depression, overweight and sore knees (because of the overweight) which I am working on.

At the moment I am trying to get my new house ready for winter and prepping as much as I can so I don't have to go out if it is icy and slippy or I feel not up to it. I have stopped shopping for clothes in stores as it gets hot, busy and noisy with a wait for changing rooms etc. I have found a few online sites with good deals so get things delivered like trousers , tops, a winter coat and rain jacket etc as well as a couple of smart dresses for special occassions at a quarter of the rrp and no hassle.

Hugs to all

Larumbelle

Pollyanna and Elona thank you! Because it is entirely true that the set-up that I have works better for me than a conventional cooker. The microwave obviously works on a timer, and the halogen cooker does too. If I forget them, or lose concentration (I sometimes get a fuzzy brain from medication), they will just switch themselves off once they are finished and no harm done. Also, they are quicker cooking methods than a conventional oven, so I am more likely to go to the effort of making food when I am really not feeling up to it. So when it comes down to it, they are better given my condition, I had just never thought of it that way before. So thanks both

The hob does not have a shut-off other than its own thermostat, but if I use it I stay with it constantly as usually it is to make something that needs looking after anyway. The only way it differs from a cooker hob is the lack of attached ovens, so there is nothing to be gained there either.

Part of the problem is that I find it very hard to be assertive. I know that it is something that I have to work at! But she is entirely sincere, and I can't blame her, I haven't managed properly in the past and she is trying to do her job. My other support worker has minimal contact and isn't very helpful even when I do need it, so I am grateful that she actually bothers!!!

Larumbelle

elona wrote: »

At the moment I am trying to get my new house ready for winter and prepping as much as I can so I don't have to go out if it is icy and slippy or I feel not up to it.

This is a very good suggestion, thankyou!

Oh, and you don't sound like an awful person to me at all!

elona

Larumbelle

I thought that as my first suggestion was to lie to someone it made me sound a bit dodgy. As the helper means well then a reasonable explanation should suffice and not upset anything. Maybe "I can see why you would think that but because of so and so I need such and such or medical guidance is that such and such."

At the moment I am trying to "use my head to save my feet" and ordering things online as much as possible, tidying away stores so they can be found, making sure I am up to date on medications and am about to investigate energy saving blinds for bedroom, living room and kitchen so I don't have to draw full length curtains. I found a site with a good sale and also have the builder getting back to me with someone he found was very good.

I bought this place six months ago and it needed everything done to be safe and comfortable - new kitchen, bathroom, two downstairs bedrooms knocked into one and new electrics. It just needs a few finishing touches now like blinds etc. The idea is to have things safe and modern so family do not worry about me on my own.