• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Energy saving tips for the moderately severe patient

BEG

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Location
Southeast US
I've accumulated these over the years. I hope you will add your own.

1) Sit to do everything.
2) Place a stool at your kitchen sink and countertop.
3) Place a stool in your laundry room and fold clothes right from the dryer.
4) Sit for showers.
5) Hair care: put your blow dryer on a stand or let it air dry.
6) Get a head set for your phone which will let you keep your arms down.
7) Empty the top of the dishwasher, rest, then empty the bottom.
8) Get a vanity stool and mirror for the bathroom countertop.
9) Have someone else carry the heavy laundry baskets or get a rolling laundry cart.
10) Instead of changing the whole bed, just change the pillowcases. It really feels fresher!
11) When sitting, make sure your legs are propped up. When you sit upright with your legs down, it's no different than standing.
12) If you must run an errand, use the in-store riding carts. They're really fun!
 

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
I love the headset for phone. That is so important. I get so tired of talking on the phone with my arm bent. Real problem for me. I think I will get a headset! Thank you!
 

Andrew

Senior Member
Messages
2,513
Location
Los Angeles, USA
Here's one I do. I take a lot of supplements and prescriptions. It is too hard to keep opening and closing bottles. So what I do is fill up pill boxes with three or four days worth. I keep my supplements in a plastic bag in my bedroom closet next to my bed, so I can fill them while I'm in bed. I keep the pill boxes in the night stand, and I have a water container and disposable cups there too. IOW, I don't have to leave the bedroom or stand up to take my pills.

If you take a lot of supplements, here's a pill box that holds a lot. I have four of these (in different colors), but usually only fill three at a time (to last three days).
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
These are great tips. I'm going to get a headset too.

Pill boxes are great, but I think I may have gone a little overboard with mine.:D

Something that really helps me pace is a pedometer. You know how sometimes you don't know you've overdone until it's too late? I can check the pedometer and get a pretty good idea of how much energy I have left to expend for the day. The number of steps I can get away with each day is surprisingly consistent.
 

spindrift

Plays With Voodoo Dollies
Messages
286
OMG, Camas I am so jealous of your cool pill box. I love that you can fill it for a whole month. That way you know long before hand when you are running out of something. I also like that you can take the individual day portions out for when you are out for a day or traveling. Unfortunately they are sold out :worried:
 

serenity

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Austin
these are good tips. my husband has been on me about gettin a headset. i just don't use the phone anymore, i really dont' have time.
the pedometer is interesting...
Brown Eyed i love your attitude about the carts - i never thought of them as fun! i'm trying really hard to make myself use them
my husband has been doing all the grocery shopping & i hate it but i cant' make myself use the cart
(again, i'm short on time anyway - when you sleep 12 hours a day, work out at least 4 hours a day very gently & take care of a house & pets, there isn't a lot of time left for much more.)
umm... my best tip, well, if you can afford it ... a maid, a Roomba (robot vacuum) & disposable everything when it comes to dishes.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
OMG, Camas I am so jealous of your cool pill box. I love that you can fill it for a whole month. That way you know long before hand when you are running out of something. I also like that you can take the individual day portions out for when you are out for a day or traveling. Unfortunately they are sold out :worried:

It is handy, but a real pain to fill once a month. So, like Andrew, I lie in bed surrounded by my prescription and supplement bottles and go to work. Too bad that they are sold out. I hope they have some in stock again soon.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I do weekly pill boxes for my scripts and supplements. I used to have a jack on my phone for headsets, but missed that when I purchased a new set of phones. Real help especially when you are on hold for however long companies like to do this to us!
 

BEG

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Location
Southeast US
missed that when I purchased a new set of phones. Real help especially when you are on hold for however long companies like to do this to us!

ggingues,

When I'm on my cell phone, I use the speaker button, lay it in my lap, and carry on the conversation.
 

serenity

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Austin
they have these little boxes that you can put in front of areas you dont' want it to get to. it is a bit of hassle, but better than vacuuming. i mean yes i do have to chase it around a bit to make it go where i want it to go, & you have to clean the brushes. it weighs enough to be a bit heavy for having to pick up - but overall i'd say yes to it, for me at least. i am able to do what is required to use it, & unable to vacuum. so for me it is helpful.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
I thought of this but the reviews I read said you have to put down barricades to keep it from running over wires. I was afraid of all the work this would create each time.

Andrew, I have an older roomba and you are right about the amount of work it takes. I had to move it and its sensors from room to room, it made quite a racket on my hardwoods, sometimes got stuck, and the rollers were kind of a pain to clean. I keep it in the kitchen and still use it there from time to time, but in the end I decided it was just as easy to dust mop the rest of my small house.

danib, sounds like maybe it's better on carpets than hardwoods!
 

kerrilyn

Senior Member
Messages
246
Right this minute I am resting between vacuuming sessions (just a bit at the time) because my roomba broke. I miss the roomba!!! And I curse my animal's fur that is accumulating around here.
 

serenity

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Austin
i have all tile & hardwood (well Pergo) Camas. i have 7 cats, so the Roomba is a godsend for me :)
ooh Kerrilyn, did you call about your Roomba? if you call iRobot they are good about sending replacements or at least giving you a deal on a new one.
 

Martlet

Senior Member
Messages
1,837
Location
Near St Louis, MO
When I was at my sickest, I used to take Heat In A Click heating pads with me wherever I went. I found that warming my muscles would give me a bit more energy if I was pushing my limit and was somewhere other than home. They are a bit pricey on the US side of the Pond, and you feel a bit like a reptile, needing to warm up before you can get going, but it helped me.
 

camas

Senior Member
Messages
702
Location
Oregon
i have all tile & hardwood (well Pergo) Camas. i have 7 cats, so the Roomba is a godsend for me :)

That's a lot of kitties! I don't miss all the sweeping I used to have to do when my old dog would blow her coat, but I sure miss how spotless she kept the kitchen floor.:Retro smile:
 

serenity

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Austin
yep i'm the crazy cat lady - haha! except i'm married so my husband says that saves me a bit... one of the cats is his! but i admit the rest are mine.
i like to use a Swiffer to dust & even mop but i find the Roomba easier - as long as the maids come & mop once a month. if i didn't have the maids i'd have to look into a Scuba - the roomba that wetmops too :)
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
I LOVE my grabber thingie. I get dizzy bending over sometimes and the grabber is great for picking something up that you dropped etc.

Having an angel hubby that will do all of "my" work that I used to do around the house is PRETTY wonderful too! He works AND does all of our cooking, food shopping, washing clothes, etc. We have a maid to do deep cleaning every three weeks. THAT is so expensive, but important. I hope I get well and can do all that again before too long. For now, it is wonderful and makes me very happy to have a super clean home.

I have a very large bathroom which I love, mainly because I can have a really nice wicker chair in there. I use it to brush my teeth, curl and brush my hair, make up etc. I just got out of there. I felt like getting my clothes on etc. Hubby will be pushing me in my w. chair on a nice walk when he comes home from work. I can't walk long distance but I am better since starting the Dzugan Program.