Well, I had to ditch Plan A today and go to Plan B. Just one of those days.
I woke up feeling quite good - no obvious symptoms - and assumed I could go ahead with my plan to go to the grocery store. The fridge and cupboards are pretty empty after our week away. I got Craig off to school, did the dishes, and grabbed my laptop to check my e-mail. That's when I noticed my heart was pounding. I was just sitting on the couch (with my feet up even), and my heart rate was sky high, as if I'd been running! I laid down and drank two huge glasses of V-8 juice, but my OI was still off the charts. I didn't do that much yesterday, so I'm guessing maybe my immune system is going a bit berserk from being exposed to Ken's cold (he's still home sick).
So, it was onto Plan B. This is actually one of the side benefits of living with CFS. I've become a lot more flexible because I've had to. In my past life, I liked to stick with my plans (some might even say I was a bit controlling), and I would get upset if I couldn't do what I'd planned. Now it's a daily occurrence. At first, I still got upset every time I had to change my plans, but not anymore.
Now, when I start to feel sick like I did this morning and realize I can't do what I want to, I just think to myself, "OK, what's my Plan B?" Today, even though I initially thought I HAD to get to the grocery store, I thought about the alternatives. I realized I had enough food in the house to cobble together one more dinner (thank you, Trader Joe's!), Jamie could take a ham sandwich tomorrow instead of his usual peanut butter and banana (no more bananas), and we could grab some juice from the drugstore on the corner. There. Done.
So, I laid back on the couch, rested, and am hoping to get to the grocery store tomorrow...unless I have to go to Plan B...
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Love those Plan Bs and Cs even! Hope you're doing better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteGood on you!
ReplyDeleteLove Leanne
Yes I know this feeling. Good for you to listen to your body and NOT go.
ReplyDeletePlan B....sounds like a good one to me. Here's hoping your OI settles quickly and you are back on track tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteSo wise! I'll have to keep a bunch of plan Bs in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteI usually keep a food stash in the freezer for plan B and C days. Ham and beans is the most popular one. Ravioli is another.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon. I have days where my heart races like crazy and i didn't know what it was. Thanks for clearing up that mystery.
Plan Bs are soo important! Any shortcut you can make to take care of yourself is important! The other day I had the same predicament. Instead of going out to buy food, I thawed out some chicken sausage. I sauteed them with frozen cut peppers and an onion for dinner. Thank goodness for frozen veggies from Trader Joes!
ReplyDeleteI've had the very same thing happen to me! I've come to accept having to have alternate plans often in my day to day; as a matter of fact, today was one of those days for me as well and I am okay with not having done what I had planned to. Not to say I won't have a day when this upsets me terribly, but I'm glad that doesn't happen as often as it used to. Hope you're feeling well again soon so have a Plan A day!
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone can relate to Plan B's! Just a part of life for us...
ReplyDeleteAmanda, thank goodness for frozen EVERYTHING from Trader Joe's!! We eat a lot of their chicken sausage, too - always a good Plan B.
We are so lucky in the UK that supermarkets deliver for £5 a month - so you can do it from your laptop and get it delivered to your kitchen. This is a great energy saver.
ReplyDeleteI try to make some extra and freeze for the bad days.
I have given up planning and just do what I can as it always takes you unexpectedly.
Had a weird one recently was feeling great went to play some volleyball in local village hall (this is low active volleyball) but straight away I could smell a strong floor cleaner (most others couldn't smell anything at all). I lasted half an hour and then spent the next hour by a door ajar with snow outside whilst I waited for my lift home.
Now I don't know if the chemicals brought on a crash or I was extra sensitive because I was going to crash anyway but I ended up sleeping for the next 2 days.
I am actually very grateful that I picked up on that the chemical sensitivity is a side effect of CFS (not everybody has this) and it wasn't me going mad. I will faint eventually and feel unwell. I have had to move away from people with perfume on stay out of candle shops and the yoga teacher can no longer burn scented candles if I can make her class.
Alice - there are some grocery stores that deliver in the US but none near us :( Ours used to but stopped.
DeleteI am lucky not to have the chemical sensitivity too bad (can't stand scented things though!) - that sounds like a rough experience you had!
Yes, best to just go with the flow...
Sue