Do you remember the days before ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia whenyou were able to run all of your errands in one day? With the price of gas it would be nice to be able to go back to doing everything in one trip, but we always have to stop and think of what the physical repercussions will be for overdoing it. Running errands, and being able to run several at one time, is yet another example of everyday life that healthy people take for granted and are able to do without giving it a second thought.
Today I needed to run four errands and I had to quit and go home after the third. I could not push myself to tackle the fourth. When my symptoms flare like they did today when I am out and have to drive, I know that I need to take other people’s safety into consideration, not only mine. This is why I seldom go shopping with anyone else. I know that I can only be in stores a certain amount of time and that I can only make so many stops before my body shuts down. It’s not only physical, I also experience the mental exhaustion. I will feel as though I am just too foggy to drive or to pick up what I need at the store.
Now that I am going back to work a few hours a week I have also have to continually remind myself that I have to watch what I am doing at home and how much I’m on the go because I need to keep my energy for my job.
I think it can get very stressful having to always be thinking ahead one step so that I don’t physically or emotionally crash. I always have to be thinking that if I do this errand/clean the house/go to this place/not get enough sleep that I may not be able to function tomorrow.
I can really relate to this post. I have to think about how much time, energy and endurance it will take to get the errands done. In addition, at each stop I have to unload and re-load my scooter. I don’t have a ramped entrance to my minivan, so the loading and unloading requires more work, bending, etc. There is only one parking lot that has two of the stores I go to frequently. For everything else, I have to decide if it’s worth the effort for just one store.
I struggle every day just to get simple task done. A shower nearly does me in. I had to get a bench to sit on. I used to run circles around my coworkers at work and now I can hardly get across the house without becoming short of breath. I hate having to run errands and now my boyfriend’s grandmother is needing help at home and guess what, I’m the nurse so who do you think they expect to tend to her? I really do love her but I am not able to even tend to myself. I struggle just to get my 30 pills put in a box much less worry about someone else’s meds right now. jane.