DIARY – COPING WITH COVID-19 WHILE IN CHRONIC PAIN…

For many of us in chronic pain just trying to keep in control of it can be an uphill daily battle but with the COVID-19 here it makes it twice as hard.

We have been in self-isolation for two weeks now after our children felt we were in the high risk category. For me, they felt I was high risk due to the amount of drugs I take and chest infections I’ve had in the past and for my husband because he is in his late 70’s.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 the government stressed over 70’s in particular were high risk so we felt sure we had done the right thing but it has been quite a struggle. Although “I” would probably have been ok popping into our local shop with gloves and mask on, I don’t think my husband should do this so then we have a problem. I never go into the supermarket without someone as I can’t bend to get certain things, shouldn’t stretch for anything and couldn’t pack or lift the shopping bags so it means we need the home deliveries.

Our first delivery which we had booked ages ago came last Thursday and we had a local green grocers who dropped of fresh fruit and vegetables but since then it’s been my daily task to try and get another slot with a supermarket.

During the week I get up first and make us a cuppa then take it back upstairs to start our day so my morning started with me going straight onto the websites to see if there are any delivery slots or even click and collect slots but so far no joy.

I also decided last week that I was determined to “get fit, not fat” and told my husband I wanted to lose a pound a week which if all goes to plan would mean a 12 pound weight loss over the 12 week isolation.

In my diary most of my days in the first week were spent catching up on washing and ironing as I have to pace myself for this and I definitely spent a lot of time online reading and watching videos about COVID-19. You can’t help it really, it’s so new to us all. I also decided I was going to re write my Complimentary Therapies book as I have so much more information and contacts I want to put in it but I have to admit that at the time of writing this all I have done so far is to download the old pdf to decide where to start.

We also go on a daily walk as we are lucky enough to have access to several South Downs walks from the back of our house. My new Joya Shoes have certainly taken a battering over the last two weeks but I feel so much more confident and secure walking in them. One day we did walk just over 5000 steps and although I thought I was fine I was in a lot of pain when I got home so we have planned our routes much better now.

Every day I fill in my C-19 health questionnaire from the symptom checker app which I wrote about on a post last week. Check the post out as you really should do this and it’s very easy to fill in and download. I am sure like me that some of the symptoms for COVID-19 we endure ever day so we just have to understand the important symptoms.

I had one day where I spent the morning looking for low fat biscuit and cake recipes and had an afternoon before and after my rest making sugar free cookies, apple and blueberry crumble made with oats and a fat free and sugar free fruit cake for my husband.

After my rest every afternoon I would try and get a slot from a supermarket but I still haven’t managed it and with the governments new criteria for vulnerable and elderly my husband just didn’t seem to fit in their list so this morning I decided to phone our GP to see if they had sent the letter they keep saying you will receive. The GP said they have nothing to do with that it’s the government bodies that deal with it (which seemed a bit strange to me) but which means we cannot get any ‘special case’ slots.

It’s now beginning to become quite a chore doing the same thing twice a day to find a slot but I won’t give up. Our local vegetable shop has now become so busy they won’t deliver for another week but I found a butcher in another village who would deliver where we are so I managed to get a few bits from him. I also had a card through the door from someone living near us offering help with shopping or picking scripts up etc so I asked her if she could pick up our scripts from the chemist today and pop in the local shop for some bread, milk and eggs. She had kindly dropped the food bits before we were even dressed this morning and is dropping the scripts off later for us.

I am on the waiting list to join the chemist delivery service and I had to wait a little longer for my paracetamol as they had sold out but if I can sort home delivery it will be another one off my list to stop worrying about. I kept wondering where the hours disappear to in a day but I can see after writing this just how much time is spent online. The mixed up weather over the last couple of weeks has caused a few flares but as long as I get my afternoon rest I am usually fine. I did wonder if I should try and manage without the paracetamol in case I caught the virus and needed it then but having only recently got myself down to 50mg Tramadol and paracetamol I don’t want to need to start taking it again.

I’m sure once I have a supermarket slot booked in my diary I will be able to concentrate on sorting my book out but at the moment that just seems to preoccupy my mind 24/7. How are you coping in isolation with your chronic pain? However you are managing the main thing is to stay safe. Ending on a good note, I’ve lost one pound on week one of my 12 week weight loss plan so I am very happy with that.