Prioritising Household Jobs

As you will know, if you have been reading this blog, I do intermittently suffer with neck problems.

Just recently I have had another two sessions with my practitioner and it would appear that I had a trapped nerve in my neck. I had one treatment and then monitored my progress for any ill-effects for three days and then after a telephone discussion returned for a second treatment. Again I monitored my progress and thankfully, all came good.  

Once I had got completely over my neck problems I re-started a second Saeboglove trial: http://www.saebo.com/saeboglove/
Once again has increased my hand functionality to the extent that I am considering purchasing one. I am hopeful that in time, with continued use of this product, that I will regain more meaningful use of my right hand which was affected when I had the stroke some six years go.

When I went to have the glove fitted I had a discussion with my Neuro-physio about my neck problems and I was given the advice to start prioritising household jobs.

The idea is to grade all the chores into two categories:
A-C (or D)  for how they affect the body
1-3 (or 4) to grade their priority
This will enable me to work out which I can do easily and without any ill-effects to the ones which will affect the  neck, which seems to be my weakspot.

For example:
Washing the dishes - A1
Ironing - B2
Vacuum - A2
Clean windows - C3
Dusting and polishing B1
Clean Bathroom - A1 & 2
Making a simple meal incl peeling vegetables - A1

I have found this advice to be really useful and makes me think about the household jobs - all of which I would like to do, but I know that some household chores will affect my neck.

Whilst preparing food, I will either use this special piece of equipment or hold the vegetables in my right hand and peel with my left if I can.

It is called a butter board/kitchen workstation and can be purhased from retail outlets that specialise in eqipment for the disabled or on-line.

Sleep & Stroke

When I returned home after spending six weeks in hospital the challenges at that time were huge. Initially, I was scared to sleep incase something occured which presented all manner of other problems. These days I try to be active and lead as normal a life as possible during the day and if I need to go to bed early then I do.

 My sleep is very cyclical: I can have unbroken and long periods of sleep for a few weeks and then it can be disturbed sleep where I will wake during the night and not be able to get back to sleep. I do not let this worry me but just accept it as another consequence of my Stroke. I have found an article called: "Tired of Post-stroke Fatigue" by Lisa O'Neill Hill, of which the following are extracts:

As a stroke survivor, you may be struggling with fatigue. That’s not surprising. Strokes are physically and emotionally exhausting. Most stroke survivors grapple with some sort of fatigue and many have trouble sleeping.

 If you’re a stroke survivor and you never feel rested, consider these recommendations:

Wake up at the same time every morning.

Go to bed only when you are ready to fall asleep. Bed time isn’t as important as the time you wake up. Don’t go to bed until you feel really ready.

Don’t worry about the number of hours of sleep you’re getting. There’s no right amount of sleep in terms of a number. In general, sleeping seven to nine hours is a really healthy duration,some people need more and some need less. The key is whether you feel refreshed.

Avoid sleeping on your back. Sleeping on the side can make a huge difference. Sleeping on the back may not be right for everyone. Ask your doctor if it’s OK for you.

Consider pillows. They are not just for your head. Using a body pillow can be helpful and keeping a pillow behind your back may help you stay on your side.

Get exposure to light in the morning. “It could be a natural source—sunlight—or a light box. Morning light will reset your time clock in the brain.

Sleep is really important in restoring function back.