Thursday, March 29, 2018

Nudgings and Keep On Keeping On

Doofy cat on his throne (the back on my recliner) after wreaking havoc all over the house.  You can see some of his handiwork on the floor there.

Do you feel it?  That nudging to stock up your pantry, medicine cabinet and everyday household needs like toilet paper, shampoo, deodorant, etc?


I don't feel "safe" unless I have a good stock of things here in our home.  Maybe it is because of having so little in times of financial crisis in the past.  Maybe it is because of being raised on a small island where everything had to be shipped in and having lived through shortages.  Maybe it is because I know that my reality, living in a small town with no grocery stores and dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome among other illnesses on a daily basis means that I may not be able to get to the stores to get what I want and need at any moment.  But maybe, it is God nudging me to have my storehouse in order for any and all possibilities.

My crazy fur babies depend on Jeff and I to keep them fed, groomed and taken care of.  We need to make sure that they have what they need.  Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about things like they do?  They trust that we will always take good care of them, that their food dish will be full, their water bowls will have fresh water and that the kitties will have a clean litter box.  Treats will be handed out on a regular basis...just because...  😁

Those nudgings also push me to keep on keeping on.  Living with the illnesses that I do means that my energy is limited and that at any moment, I may crash and/or have a flare up.  I do try to pace myself and I look at what I have coming up activity and commitment wise each week and plan accordingly.  

This week I had Rachel and Steven over yesterday and Praise God, I was having the best day with the lowest amount of pain I have had in ages.  I also had quite a bit of energy.  That both thrilled and scared me because it meant that I could get a lot done, but it also usually means I will be having a crash soon.  Yes, it is one of those weird Fibro things again.  I took advantage of that though and got my grocery shopping done in the afternoon, cooked a nice meal for dinner and then retreated to my recliner for the rest of the evening and early morning hours while dealing with dog with an upset stomach.

Today I am working on getting the laundry caught up, doing some more baking and working on a few little projects, making sure to take lots of rest breaks in between.  I am aching and my pain level is steadily getting worse.  Yes, I knew this was coming...I felt it.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest for me for the most part.  I will need to get a huge pasta salad made to help feed the moving crew that will be helping Rachel and Jaysn move on Saturday.  I will have Steven with me on Saturday while the chaos of moving is going on and I need to be well rested to keep up with that little munchkin.  We had planned on going to church with Jaysn and Rachel on Sunday, but I am thinking that I will be in crash mode at that point, so we are playing that one by ear.  I do not do well with big effort and energy output days back to back and usually need a few days in between to recover and get ready for the next one.

I am really trying to work on listening to both those nudgings from God and to my own body about what it is that both He is telling me and what my body needs.  I am admitting defeat at times (that is the hardest thing for me, admitting that I can't do it all and that I need help) and coming to terms with my new "normal" and that I am not the person that I once was.  My amazing family has been totally supportive of me and are willing to help me whenever needed, including knowing that if I can't make an event, that it is not because I don't want to, but that I just am in too much pain to do so.  That is a huge gift from them to me...giving me grace.

We just keep on keeping on around here, doing what we can to make life easier for both of us.  My hubby also has chronic pain in his back and hands (what a pair we make) and I worry about him.  He and I both try to do what we can to ease the burden on each other and we push through pain as much as we can until one of us tells they other to stop and rest or we come to our senses on our own.  One of us is better at doing that than the other...just saying. 😉  I'll let you guess which one that is.


Update:  Well I went into crash mode big time and the baking did not get done.  I managed to get the laundry washed and dried, but Jeff had to do the folding for me.  I did also get some ground venison made into taco meat, so that is ready for us to use but everything else has been put on hold for the moment.

14 comments:

  1. How is the new medicine working out, Debbie? Is it helping at all? I can't imagine all you go through, how awful to live with that pain on a regular basis. Happy Easter!!

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    1. Hi Debbie, the new medication has been wonderful to help with the depression and anxiety issues and for that I am very thankful. :) Now is we could only do something about the pain that will not cause all kinds of damage to my body.

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  2. So happy to hear that Jasyn and Rachael are moving this weekend!! I'm glad everything worked out.

    I'm finally learning to pace myself - six years into having CFS. I still don't ever do it perfectly but I'm better then when I started for sure. And for me, I have no 'push' at all. There are many things I want to do and just can't. Like last night, there was a community meeting for raising veggies to donate to the food bank. It's annual event, about 3 hours long with great speakers and awesome door prizes. The thought of just driving there and finding parking was enough to keep me home.
    Hope Caesar is on the mend.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. Thank you SJ, I am too! YOu have learned a lot faster than I have about how to say no and pace yourself. As for Caesar, he is eating carrots, which he loves, but is refusing to eat his dog food. Jeff had put the crumbs of some tortilla chips in his food yesterday and Caesar hates that brand of chips (but loves the ones from Costco), so we had to dump all that food out. I think he may still smell the chips that we in his bowl so he won't eat the food, but happily searched through it to find the carrots. UGH! At least we know he is hungry and eating the carrots, so he is not "off" all food. Praying that he will eat more later tonight.

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  3. IU feel pretty comfortable with our situations at the moment.
    I am like you - we talk about the kitties too. Hubs wouldn't be able to et out and take care of the outdoor babies, and couldn't do all I do for al the kitties. That is a worry.
    I am continually adding to their food and liter stock. That is where I lack the most.

    We just never know from moment to moment what could happen. every time I leave the house - I sit in the car and pray for safety before I leave the drive. I need God's blessing always, as hubs depends on me for everything as do many others.

    LISTEN to your body. It tells you what you need to know. Don't over do and wishing you all a Happy Easter.

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    1. Happy Easter to you too my friend and I am trying to listen more to my body. ;)

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  4. I have severe arthritis in my knees, and it hurts so bad that by the end of each day i am just completely worn out and frazzled. I have been making myself get some things done by working around the house for about 20 minutes at a time on my feet then I sit down and rest my knees, and then another 20 minutes up and about until about 3 in the afternoon. Then it's all downhill, pain-wise, from there. If I have to do errands one day, that usually means the day after I am no good for anything. I would never have imagined I'd be in this situation. Will be having Total knee replacement surgery on one knee later this spring. I hope after a while I will have some relief from this constant pain. I am pretty sure people who don't suffer with pain issues cannot even imagine what each day is like.

    Your post reminded me that I need to order some food for our little Pomeranian, thank you. I talk to my little Pom all of the time. He may not talk back, but he smiles back, and wig wags or spins in response. He is my little shadow, always right behind me in the house, and constantly keeping an eye on me. He seems to know when I am hurting real bad and is especially watchful over me at those times.

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    1. Hi Susie, I hope you get some much needed relief with your knee replacement surgery. I know that has greatly improved my father and many friend's quality of life. I love hearing about your Pom...he sounds like a wonderful companion. :)

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  5. Debbie, it's a good feeling to know that there's enough in the pantry and cupboard to see us through for awhile, isn't it? Over here, we are constantly urged to be ready with emergency supplies if there is a big earthquake - one that can damage roads and buildings and knock off the electricity. When grocery stores won't be open or won't get restocked because supplies can't be brought in, due to damaged roads, etc. I try to stock up on certain things so that I have enough for at least several weeks. Always assuming that the house withstands such an earthquake and I survive! Unfortunately, I can't stock up on my medications, so who knows how long I'd be able to survive without them? On that cheerful note, I hope you have a lovely day, tomorrow, watching little Steven and a happy Easter. :)

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    1. HI Bless, medications are the hardest things for me to stock up on too. I can stock up on my supplements and one of my prescriptions is for a 3 month supply, but the other is 1 month at a time.

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  6. I am sorry. My knees were weird yesterday which gave me a scare. Isn't life with an auto immune grand? Just do what you can do, to He!! with the rest. You have a wonderful husband.

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    1. I am so sorry to hear about your knees. Mine are being huge pains (literally) today along with the rest of my legs. And yes, I do have a wonderful husband. :)

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  7. People who don't have chronic pain, fatigue and all the other things that go with it can't even imagine and I hope for their sake they never have to experience it. My worst is at night with the restless hurting legs and the unsettled feeling. Pain is a constant some of us live with. It has taken me almost 20 years to learn to slow down. And it won't all get done in one day unless I want to pay for it for a while. Errands - I used to do 10 places in a day. Now it's one or two and maybe three on a good day but that's it for the day and the next. Cleaning - well I'm happy if the bed gets made, the dishes done (and yes we do use paper plates often) and a little laundry. These are things I can do in very short time bursts all day long. Today my husband vaccumned the whole house when I broke a glass jar. So yay me I love it when the house is done and I have such a hard time with that. Asking for help is the worst but necessary to our well being. Glad you have a loving caring understanding family and husband. Take care.

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    1. Crystal, you and I are much the same I think. I can't even manage the dishes anymore but I still do most of the cooking and my husband does the dishes. I really should break out the paper plates more often though to give him a break. We do use them when we have family over because we are turning into a rather large crew at this point. ;) I'm glad you have a sweet husband as well. Take care and know you are in my prayers.

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