POTS And House Cleaning

[Carrigon]

I finally decided to start cleaning in here again, and so far, all I got done was some of the bathroom before the POTS stuff kicked in on me. So queasy, dizzy, sick. So now I'm back on the bed again. And whenever I feel a bit better, maybe I can actually attempt vacuuming. POTS and cleaning do not mix. And this heat is not helping. Even with the air conditioner running night and day, it's still not cool enough in here right now. Too much of a heatwave going.

The mind is willing, but the body is not. I would love to clean this place up, but it's going to take me months at this rate.

 

[SOC]

I finally decided to start cleaning in here again, and so far, all I got done was some of the bathroom before the POTS stuff kicked in on me.
[snip]
The mind is willing, but the body is not. I would love to clean this place up, but it's going to take me months at this rate.

Yup. Ya gotta laugh or you're gonna cry. Dr Lapp kept telling me to do 5 minutes and then "rest supine" (lie completely flat with eyes closed) for (I think) 15 minutes. It works, in a general kind of way, but my mind struggles with 5-minute-at-a-time cleaning. And it takes forever to do anything. **sigh**

Sucks, doesn't it?

 

[taniaaust1]

5 min at a time is frustrating but at times necessary if that is where your limits lay to prevent symptoms.

Ive found it helps the mind to accept limits better if you break down your chores into things you could do in whatever time you usually are okay for. eg inside of putting "do dishes" on the list of to do things and never end up getting that crossed off the list.. you could break it down to "wash glasses and cuttlery" "wash glasses" "wash plates and bowls" "wash saucepans" .. at least then one feels like they are slowly working way throu the to do list and feeling a sense of achievement. (better still with dishes.. if doing them are an issue, buy disposible things you dont need to wash).

Also dont have too much on the daily lists.. keep them small enough that you arent overwhelmed by them.. eg only try to include what you can do in one day or two (i thou always seem never to even get throu most my list thou i try to keep lists small.. what i've usually planned to do for day or two usually ends up taking me a week).

Also with POTS analyse how you are doing things as often the methods you do something may be able to be changed to a more POTS friendly method. For myself that used to be doing the dishes while sitting or kneeling rather than standing which for me used to be a real no no as POTS would then hit super fast.

Timing may also need to be looked at. With POTS which is affected by heat, there are some things i used to do only at night as being cooler, i could last out longer. You may want to consider doing the house stuff at night.

 

[SOC]

5 min at a time is frustrating but at times necessary if that is where your limits lay to prevent symptoms.

Ive found it helps the mind to accept limits better if you break down your chores into things you could do in whatever time you usually are okay for. eg inside of putting "do dishes" on the list of to do things and never end up getting that crossed off the list.. you could break it down to "wash glasses and cuttlery" "wash glasses" "wash plates and bowls" "wash saucepans" .. at least then one feels like they are slowly working way throu the to do list and feeling a sense of achievement. (better still with dishes.. if doing them are an issue, buy disposible things you dont need to wash).
[snip]
Timing may also need to be looked at. With POTS which is affected by heat, there are some things i used to do only at night as being cooler, i could last out longer. You may want to consider doing the house stuff at night.

Thanks, taniaaust! Although I've always been able to break big jobs into little jobs, my mind rebels at breaking little jobs into miniscule jobs, but you're right, that's the way to do it.

I think my Don't-leave-a-job-half-done upbringing is playing against me here. Maybe if I actually write a list of tiny jobs, I'll convince myself I'm actually completing something instead of leaving everything undone. *grin*

The rest supine thing, although critical if I'm going to get anything done, is also mentally demanding for me -- the thought that it takes 20mins to do a 5min job drives me up a wall and down the other side. Maybe I need some CBT to help me adjust to my "new" lifestyle. Just kidding!

 

[Carrigon]

Baby Steps are torture for type A personalities. We want to do everything and multitask. If I had my health, I'd have this place fully clean within two days. With no health, it's gonna take forever.

 

[Sallysblooms]

My husband hired a couple to come clean. He is too busy with work and all he does for me to do it. The couple DEEP cleans, under furniture, dusts all of the blinds, mop floors etc. They are wonderful. I can't do it. My doctor said even when I THINK I can do something, do not clean. Lights stuff only.

 

[SOC]

My husband hired a couple to come clean. He is too busy with work and all he does for me to do it. The couple DEEP cleans, under furniture, dusts all of the blinds, mop floors etc. They are wonderful. I can't do it. My doctor said even when I THINK I can do something, do not clean. Lights stuff only.

I used to have a cleaning person who could keep the house spotless and a person to keep the yard under control, but between them and meds and supplements and increased food costs because I can rarely cook, etc, etc, we've run short of money. :sad: So now I'm down to trying to figure out how to do the bare minimum myself in 5 minute increments.

I was a everything-fast multitasking organized-house homeschool mom pre-illness and I really struggle with the limits of ME/CFS. I have learned to slow down to the point where I don't keep getting worse and even made some small progressions, but that means I do almost nothing. That makes my body happy, but my mind rebels.