Work-Arounds

I have a long grabber I use to get things up off the floor.
I use a long handle cat pooper scooper.
My laundry hamper has wheels and a handle.
If I have to unload my car I either have someone help me or I park my car near the front steps. I have two steps to climb there instead of the eight in the back.

I use reuseable bags for shopping. They hold more, and are less likely to cause pressure pain than plastic bags. Plus, I can fit the size of bag to the item purchased. I have smaller cloth bags for soda, and large bags for veggies, plus smaller reinforced ones for cans.

For years with fibro i could still do the grocery shopping but when the vit d crashed i couldn't for a while, now i can on my good weeks..slowly making progress with the d i think...

I hate carrying laundry baskets too : )

I bought collapsible laundry bags at Wal-Mart for $1.97. I got three: one for whites, one for hubby's work clothes, and one for all other clothes. We sort our clothes as we take them off. When I get ready to do the laundry, I just pull them along by their handles. We have a plastic trash can in the laundry room where we throw towels, so they are already there. When it gets full, I do a load of towels. I only do four loads of laundry a week for me and my hubby.

The collapsible bags are also convenient to travel with. You don't have to keep your laundry in a plastic bag or throw it in the corner of the room. And they fit in my suitcase perfectly.

However, AFTER the clothes get out of the dryer is where I have troubles. The repetitive motion of grabbing clothes, hanging them on the hanger, and then hanging the hanger up really hurts my shoulders and upper back. I'll do almost anything to get out of hanging clothes up.

I could never navigate three floors. I'm glad we sold our tri-level house, which had two half staircases.

We are still split level, but 1 of the levels has everything i need daily. We moved our laundry up years ago..i do a load most days..

My big thing is finding ways to take care of my home so I can be independent. I am a widow so if something needs to be done I have to do it or hire it to be done. Ouch!

Okay. I mopped all of my tile floors yesterday. Between the vacuuming and mopping it took me two hours. I was tired but not sore. It used to kill me. The sweeping motion of sweeping the floor just about did me in and then the bending over with the mop was horrible. So I bought an inexpensive Shark vac. It doesn't have suction but it does have a spinning brush that picks everything up on the surface of flooring and carpeting. It weighs about 2# and I just love it. I use it on my carpeting for quick pick ups of threads, cat hair, and things the dog has tracked in too. Takes just a few minutes to make my family room look like I ran the big vacuum. It works great on tile!

So, I got the sweeping taken care of so now I needed to find something to help my back with mopping. I came across the Libman Roller Mop. It has a angled handle so you don't have to bend to apply pressure to get the dirt mopped off the floor. The angled handle gives the necessary leverage needed. I can use one hand with it! There also is a handle in the middle of the handle that is for wringing the mop out. No more bending over the bucket to do that. So these two things have made my life easier and my back has thanked me many times. I still hate to mop but I can't change that!

When I carry groceries in, I pick up a couple of bags with one hand and then find a couple more that are about the same weight to pick up with the other hand. This balances the weight so it doesn't pull my muscles or have me leaning to one side. I carry them in with my arms straight at my side and use good posture and this makes it so much easier. Give that a try. It does work!

I use the long-handled Swiffer duster so I'm not reaching and leaning into things so much. It's much easier than a dust rag.

When I make a casserole I double the recipe and make two. What I do is put one of the prepared recipes in one casserole to bake and I have a second casserole (1 1/2 qt. round) that I put a Baggies bag in it. The Baggies are not a zip lock bag. They have a twist tie. They were one of the first plastic bags sold decades ago but are still sold in the groceries. Anyway, I then put the prepared food in the Baggie that is in the round casserole and use a twist tie and pop it in the freezer. Once it is totally frozen, I put in on the shelf or tip it upside down under running hot water to release it from the casserole dish. I then remove the frozen casserole from the plastic bag and then vacuum seal it. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, then just leave the casserole in the plastic bag and stick it in a freezer bag. I then put the casserole back in the freezer. I have a stack of casseroles in my freezer that are labeled and dated for times I don't feel like cooking.

I wash that 1 1/2 casserole dish and put it back in the cupboard. When I want a casserole for dinner, I just head to my freezer, pick one out, spray the 1 1/2 qt. dish with Pam, remove the frozen casserole from the plastic bag/s and pop it back in the dish. It fits perfectly. Dinner is ready in a little over an hour and takes me 5 minutes to make!

One of the biggest things is to pace myself when doing things. Sometimes it's so darn hard because I'm one that when I start something I want to finish it. I know about how much my body will handle now. I also know that if I do overdo and have more pain, I will be better in a few days. That makes it easier for me.

This is all I can think of for right now. Hope some of these ideas help others.

Sherrine

My room and office are on the second floor - I have a small kitchen set up in my office - I have spent days without leaving this floor during a bad flair. I have a huge balcony that overlooks Los Angeles Harbor. Due to poor planning my two year old grandson has the room above me, he does make for a reliable alarm clock, seven days a week ;)

We have hardwood through out the house - I keep brooms on the landings & do the stairs a few times a week as I go up or down - I also bought an old school dust mop to get under things and the corners/edges easier - my light weight jr size shop vac uses attachments and is great for pet hair (we have three dogs, two cats) - and cutting the girls' long hair from vacuum brushes is a thing of the past

I haven't conquered mopping but that could just be my dislike in general - for now I bribe or threaten the offspring - I have a Swiffer that I use several nights a week on the stairs, I'm not impressed with it (wet or dry) but I do like the handle

I haven't conquered the dishwasher either, I'd like to have one that sits on the counter with no bending over to load or unload

I fold/hang clothes while sitting on my bed, (place clothes on hanger, stack on the bed) less reaching, only to hang the clothes in the closet

Crock pot!! five minute prep, six hours on low, and dinner is served - roasts, ribs, chicken (a dozen different ways)

Little things make a difference - an egg slicer works great to slice mushrooms

just a little thing - but I have trouble opening jars even with the rubber circles. I found a battery powered jar opener at my grocery store. It works like a little robot! It is a real life saver if I don't have anyone around to help me with bottles or jars I can't open. It wasn't that expensive.