OS ways and Poor Health

lessonlearned

Larumbelle.....

Your support worker might mean well but she is talking a load of old cobblers.

SInce when does not having a "proper cooker" preclude the ability to cook a meal, "cookers" as we know them are a relatively recent invention......as recently as the 1970s an old lady of my acquaintance did most of her cooking on one of those old ranges. She refused to have electricity in the house. :rotfl:

I agree with Elona, a couple of little white lies might help you to assert yourself. Your set up works for you and that's all that counts. What you have works for you and is perfectly safe.

Actually your setup reminds me of one of my clients when I was a manager in a sheLtered housing complex.

She was 98 so bending down to an oven was out of the question. She had a small remoska, a microwave combi oven (roasts as well as microwaves) a slow cooker, a mini hob and a George Forman grill. They were at a convenient height on her worktop, no stretching or bending so very safe to use.

Thanks for the tips about the turbo head for the Henry and the magic brush for the stairs. Will definitely try them out.

lessonlearned

Elona.....I,love the sound of your new "nest". It all sounds fab.

And yes "using your head to Save your feet" is good, in my case it also saves my back.

I have really embraced online shopping now, especially for clothes. I hate changing rooms with a passion.:rotfl:

I have found a couple of websites where I know The sizing works for me and as long as I read the description of the fabrics very carefully then I know I will be ok.

I buy things like knitwear and underwear from the supermarkets in passing because I don't bother trying those on.

I too have a bit of a problem with very large shopping complexes or mega stores, they always give me a blinding headache. Probably the light and like many on here I don't really like crowded spaces.

Anyway doing your shopping whilst sitting on the sofa with a cuppa seems very civilised to me.

elona

LL

It is not just the ability to shop while sitting comfortably with a cuppa but the fact that when things arrive I can take my time to try things on and even get a second opinion from a dd when they pop in if I am not sure about the length etc. It beats struggling to drag things over your head or do up a difficult zip knowing there are people outside queuing for a changing room . I used to get so frazzled and hot and bothered I would sometimes buy something just to get out of the place.

At the moment the "nest" still has a skip outside and is full of empty boxes to be flattened etc. because I have had a lot of deliveries ready for winter. It is coming together and should be properly sorted in the next couple of weeks. The more I do the messier it seems to get right now.

Hugs to all

VfM4meplse

Larumbelle wrote: »

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.

it sounds like somebody needs to get her brain into gear. Maybe she needs to chat to her boss so she won't get into trouble for applying reason to the situation?

Tink_04

I just want to join in, I have MS, 2 small children, work part time and try to keep up with the house!

I love being OS I currently have sausage casserole in my SC, will do for tea tonigh for me and DH and the tea tomorrow for the kids after school. I try and prep my own stuff, some days I can cut up a whole bag of onions, grate carrots & corvette & chop peppers all for the freezer, other days I buy them prepped as its just like that at times. I do try and batch cook when I can but again we do eat some meals that are not home made as its just important to feed everyone really.

I have learned to
*accept help when offered
*be kind to myself
*stop when I need too
*take the wins when they come

It's a harder life for anyone with an illness, but doing what we can when we can is a great achievement and beats not doing it! 😊

westcoastscot

Larumbelle, my son has the same set up for cooking - largely because as a student he couldn't afford a cooker. He has a halogen thingy which I think is great! a microwave that gets minimal use and a hob - it's one of those induction ones where it's only hot when the pan is on it - really clever. He cooks from scratch on these, but we don't need to worry if he "forgets" there on or something, as the halogen has a timer. He cooks lovely meals!
Thanks also for the Henry tip - I'm tempted to try one of those heads, as it's the actual hoovering that kills my back, rather than moving Henry around. I find with the bristles up it just doesn't pick up, and with them down it's hard work. Shall ponder it!
Nice to meet you Tink - sounds like you have an excellent attitude to your MS!

Nomoonatall

Hi,

Just me here, but I'm very wobbly with balance problems!

I batch cook when I can...stews, curries and chilli type stuff. I try and do enough for a week or so of each type. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

You just get used to doing what you can. I always keep 'last resort' food in...bread, butter, grated cheese in the freezer and tins of beans in the larder etc. Even though I don't like it too much...I keep a jar of coffee whitener in case I run out of milk for coffee!

Sorry. I'm not much help!

pollyanna_26

Well since my last post the day rapidly went pear shaped . In fact when I have had a quick catch up here I need to eat
Welcome to our new friends Tink and NMAT you both sound to be doing pretty well and posts don't have to be helpful , chatting or maybe spotting someone else has posted that may help you . I know I've already picked up a few things .
Hi to VMP your road test of the duvet solution is good feedback so thanks . I think it may become a trend . Thanks to to the original poster - brain fog on your name but you know who you are .
Hi to Elona and LL good advice there to Larumbelle and anyone else with similar dilemmas . Elona you must be so looking forward to waving off the final workman . Over the past couple of years you've moved mountains love . Your husband would have been so proud and I'm sure the family are too x
Nice to see you're still with us AOT .
Larumbelle I hope you feel a little more confident about expressing the things that are most appropriate for you . You've been given good advice from a number of those here and I hope you will come to realise that your voice has to be heard as to my mind feeling upset because you are being told what is right for you when you manage in the best way is not beneficial to your health or self esteem . You seem to get on well otherwise with her but a calm and quiet reason why you need to do things your way is the way to go .
I can understand she will have one eye on the past but this is the present and unless you faint at her feet she needs to choose her battles better .
WCS You made me laugh out loud with the table legs - brilliant idea and well done to your son but I have been wondering since last night what type of table legs . Spindly ones , square ones or massive chunky turned ones like my farmhouse table . The mind has boggled ever since :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:What the heck did you make ? I've thought rugs , blankets who knows . Anyway hopefully you are now in the land of nod so I will hold my patience .
Signing out before hunger overcomes me .
See you all at some point tomorrow another of those days in prospect .
Night all polly

elona

pollyanna

Years ago there used to be a craze for "big knitting" using thick yarn and the sticks that fit onto broom heads.

Thanks for the compliments and I have gone all pink but I do hope that he would be relieved that I am somewhere easier and cheaper to manage but still have spare rooms so family can stay over.

I have started to use my remoska rather than the oven and used it earlier to make chicken, onions, mixed peppers and mushrooms in a spicy herby stock. I added a carton of bulgar wheat and cous cous near the end of cooking and it thickened up nicely. I had a portion earlier and have another three portions in freezer and microwave safe lidded containers.

I have some long life individual tiny cartons of milk in the cupboard for emergencies and when the weather gets worse I will freeze some pints of milk. I have a bread maker and have started to get back to making my own bread and rolls now and again. I also have things like dried peas, stock cubes, cans of tomatoes, mushrooms, packets of pasta and rice and noodles and meat in the freezer.

pollyanna_26

Elona I remember the broomstick knitting , never tried it bur these days I favour big needles and chunky and super chunky wool . Long gone are the days of 3 ply very fine needles and complex lacy knitting !
Is the Remoska what you opted for when you were looking for a multi-cooker for the kitchen refit ? You have no idea how often I stood in LL stores from Edinburgh to Devon and many places in between wondering whether to buy one . So many on the forum seemed to use them . I was about to get one when they changed the model and the reviews were very mixed . Is yours an original or the new version ? It seems to be working well for you so I thought I'd ask .
I got to sleep finally just after 1am and woke just after 4am hot and sticky - the joy of disturbed nights ! Alarm is set for seven so I will get up in a few minutes have a cup of tea and stagger into the shower . Will need to get the arms to raise enough to wash my hair as it's sticking to my head after another sticky and humid night - not a good look !
I'll make sure I have something filling for breakfast as I need to concentrate while out today .
Hope to see you all later today .
TINK and NMAT Sorry for missing out "something " before "someone else " last night . I am pretty well the worst poster on MSE for typos , missing words and losing my punctuation !
polly