Tips & Tricks
JAWS
I taught my hubby that using the vacuum cleaner, AKA Jaws, can be fun!!
HOUSEKEEPING 101
I have this rolly chair that I use at my computer desk. All the bending required to do the GOOD vacuuming and base board and stuff was killing my back. So I sit in the chair and roll myself around with the wand and get all the floor level stuff done. Tip, doesn't work as well on carpet as tile which I have an abundance of. Tip #2, If all else fails make the kids do it! He He!
COPING WITH FIBRO
I decided long ago that it is too hard and does too much damage (in pain
levels) to stand up to do the dishes or for cooking. So we use paper plates
and bowls to eat on (which also saves on my waterbill) and I have one of
those rolling secretary's chairs in the kitchen that I use at what I call my
workstation.....which is where my tools and my cutting board and my stove are
located. I can just roll backwards a few feet to get something out of the
fridge and a few feet more to wash something in the sink. At that height of
my chair, I can also access anything from the lower cupboards, as well as the
lower shelves of the upper cupboards.... and can also roll with my chair over
to the kitchen table. It hasn't done much for my linoleum in the kitchen,
but oh well, those are the breaks. When I sell the house, I will probably
have to replace it anyway..... and in the meantime, it keeps me from
aggravating my pain everyday, three times a day.
KITCHEN TOOLS
A little bit at a time I have purchased kitchen tools with the bigger handles that are sold for people with arthritis. ie. potato peeler, zester, spatula, slotted spoon, apple corer, etc.. They are much easier to hold on those days when your hands are sore.
PETS
I have a little metal board by the kitchen door. I divided the board in half, marking one side 'in' and the other side 'out'. Then I took a picture of each of our cats, mounted them on magnets and use the pictures on the board. Now everyone in our busy household knows where the cats are at any given time.
HELP FOR MY ACHING BACK 
THE BEST "PICK-UP" STICK IN THE WORLD...
When I was going through back therapy years ago before we found I did
not have a back problem - just FMS, the therapist recommend a pick-up
stick. I wish I knew the brand but I got it at one of those Organized
Living places. It's made in Italy. It's about 5 feet long but very
sturdy and has two handles. Not only can I use it to get things from
high shelves and low shelves, I can use it with a wet paper towel to
clean those low/high hard to reach places. It works great in the yard
for clean-up. I just set-up a trash can in a wheel barrow and use the
stick to pick up all the yard debris. If I am very stiff in the morning,
it works great to go out to pick-up the paper. Sometimes, the Sunday
paper can be a bit of a challenge but I have found that I can use the
stick to roll it up my leg. It is a master tool for getting at hard to
reach places. Even for things that are too heavy for it to pick up, it
serves as a very good leverage tool. I just could not live without it !
I have had it for 8 years and it was the best money I ever spent.
CADILLAC CONVERTABLE
One of the hardest things for me was shopping. My lower back hurts and both of my knees hurt if I stand too long or walk very far. Most of the big chain stores have electric scooters for their customers to use. I have my own personal electric scooter and a lift to lift it in and out of the trunk of my car. I will never be without one ever again. I would not be able to go shopping without it. Everyone should try using one of the electric scooters and see how much easier it makes your shopping. Last week when I had to go to the airport to pick up a friend, before you can go into the parking garage, a security guard has to inspect your trunk. After he looked in my trunk, he came back to my window and said, "did you know that you have a Cadilac back there in your trunk, and it's even a convertable". We need to take advantage of everything that helps make our lives easier. My Doctor wrote me a prescription for my electric scooter, and I didn't have to pay taxes on it, and it can be a tax deduction for medical equipment.
IT'S ALL IN THE WRIST
This is how I manage being a student with fibro. There is always a lot of
writing to do so I use big, chunky pens that are easy to hold and soft B or
2B pencils. My big fountain pen is my favourite because it is so easy to
move across the paper. I've found that wearing a wrist brace helps, perhaps
it takes pressure off of the trigger points so I can use my hands longer. I
also bought a mini tape recorder for days when I just cannot take notes in
lecture. My best help is my laptop: the keyboard is small so I don't have
to reach far and the keys depress easily. It takes a lot less energy to use
than a regular keyboard. It's also easy to type while wearing a brace so I
can usually manage to get my essays done with a lot less pain and hassle.
CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE
Before Fibromyalgia, my job used to be chief housekeeper, cook, and gardener. Due to FMS I have given myself a promotion to Supervisor of Household Chores. I have bestowed all chores to my retired husband. It has taken me eight years to gradually teach him the fine art of cooking and ordering good take-outs which he does fairly well. My efforts to teach him to clean the house were in vain as he thinks if the floors are vacuumed, the house is clean. He destests gardening. As Supervisor, I put on my thinking cap (on a day when the fog lifted) and hired myself a nice cleaning girl who keeps my house looking shiny and a lawn service to maintain the outside. It's the only way to retire with FMS, keep my marriage intact, my pain level as low as possible, and try to keep my husband and I positive and happy about the future. As you get older, you really do get wiser!
ACCEPTANCE
One of the biggest struggles I have had with having Fibromyalgia is accepting the fact that I can no longer do many of the things I once loved so much. I guess my tip is to face that fact that your life has changed, much like someone who has bee diagnosed with a terminal disease. After all, life itself is terminal - it begins with birth and ends with death. Few of us can do everything we could do twenty years ago and we have to face the fact that the Fibro has also changed our lives in some ways. This is not to say that we have to give up on life, just change the way we face it. One of the best things anyone with Fibro can do for themselves is to learn to ask for help. As many of us have expressed, doing that is something that comes very hard for we type A personalities, but we all need to learn that we still are a valuable person and deserve the help we need, whether it come from a family member, co-worker, physician, nurse, etc. Fibromyalgia does not diminish our worth, although I know most of us at one time or another have felt that we have become worthless to our family and friends. It is very difficult to be upbeat and cheerful when your body is filled with pain, but one thing I've learned in dealing with Fibro is that nothing stays the same. Things can improve with time, even if the improvement comes from our own acceptance and necessary adjustments to accommodate for the changes in our life. In my opinion one of the worst things we can do is to try and pretend nothing has changed. Always fighting to keep up with all the things we used to be able to do can wear you down very quickly. Your acceptance of the changes in your life can be a great gift to give yourself. It certainly is a gift that no one else can give you.
MONEY HONEY
My 15 year old grandson cleans our two bathrooms once a week and I pay him $20 dollars a month for his work and that is called his allowance...and I don't have to do the job and we are both happy.