For any who suffer a long term chronic condition, it is learning to live with it or rather it live with you!
There will be days when it will feel like it is winning and days when you feel a bit like your old self again but different for deep down we need to accept we are not going to be the same as our old selves completely again.
I read a recent article quoting a well known doctor, who stated with the limitations on our mobility, fatigue and pain, it is quite likely for a person to gain 25 to 30 lbs in weight in the 1st year of diagnosis.
Here I was HORRIFIED, no one, I repeat no one wants to gain that much weight and have no control over it. Anybody reading this who has a chronic condition needs to learn to pace themselves.
What does that mean? To you? Or to me?
Well it will mean different things for everyone but the key is we need to learn to do things differently.
These are some of the things I have learnt so far and I hope by sharing they can help you.
Initially I would rest during the day, maybe put on some washing, come back to writing and then cook a meal, eat it and then BANG! Energy gone, the plug had been pulled, it was as much as I could do was to leave the table, so that clearly was not working even though I thought that was pacing.
No pacing to a professional is breaking that task into smaller bite size chunks! I was told peel potatoes in the morning, rest, prep meat rest and totally rest even meditate!
Sorry! We don't eat meat and 2 veg everyday these days, that maybe belonged to our parent or grandparent generation. We eat rice, pasta, some dishes only take 20 to 30 minutes to prepare and cook and you can't leave a stir fry to rest can you?
So how does it work?
Well yesterday being Sunday, I could do just that, prep the potatoes, rest, prep the meat rest, prep the vegetables etc. Resting in-between but we can't do that every day so:
A key is on a good day, if your making something that can freeze, make double, freeze half so you have a ready prepared meal for those not so good days.
Yesterday we had a lovely roast Chicken, why is that of use to you?
Well I did twice the vegetables and today was able to put the extra veg into a slow cooker with some beef and make a casserole then you guessed it rest!
I then stripped the chicken carcass from yesterday, made myself a chicken sandwich, good lean protein is good for us apparently. With the meat left over, I prepared a sweet and sour sauce, combined with the meat to marinade, cover and placed in the fridge for a lovely stir fry tomorrow.
So by pacing myself yesterday with the preparation of vegetables, I had enough prepped and stored in fridge overnight to quickly assemble a slow cooked casserole today of which there should be enough to freeze a couple of portions for another day. The chicken spare not only gave a nice lunch but is now ready prepared for tomorrow's meal so I don't need to worry about it.
This gave me sufficient energy left to use my food processor to whizz up a crumble to cover my frozen rhubarb I had previously prepared, which is now sitting in the fridge waiting to go into the oven later.
So if you take one thing from this Post today. Use the kitchen gadgets to help, rest in-between and with a little planning pacing is possible with good healthy food with a home cooked meal in the freezer, waiting for those not so good days and we all have those. It beats picking up the phone for a takeout!
Later I will share with you some of my healthy meals, which you can double or half and freeze to make life a little easier.
If you have any pacing tips, cooking or baking, so we all don't gain the dreaded 25 to 30 lbs. Love to hear from you.
That's a really interesting post, Lesley. My friend was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago, and learning how to manage it, once she'd fought against it, was the most important thing, obviously. And I noticed my depression get so much easier the day I stopped fighting it and I started learning to manage it as you would any other chronic condition. And the way we manage these things will change over time, but learning to listen to our bodies and our emotions is a really good upside of chronic conditions, I think (well, that's what I tell myself, anyway!)
ReplyDeleteChronic Fatigue Syndrome causes some patients to be bedridden; others consider themselves fortunate if they can't work or attend school at least part time, since any exertion typically expertos their symptoms. Many are denied disability insurance benefits because doctors and employers believe they are lazy or have a mental illness rather than a serious physical condition.
ReplyDeleteYes so much of the time you want the old me to come back when in fact we are evovling all the time with our conditions. I could write just about writing but I wanted to connect more with my readership and the only way to do that was to share what I am passionate about, what effects me as it will effects others. Hopefully that will also be reflected in my books. Thanks for popping by! Lesley
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