Great news that came from my daughter coming over for a visit yesterday. The last time i had seen her was before I was diagnosed, so roughly 8 months ago.
She noticed that things around the apartment weren't as they usually are on previous visits.
I knew she would be checking on things when she came, she always worries about us. (husband also has chronic kidney stones and high bp and tries to self manage chronic pain from the kidneys) I asked if she'd mind coming with me to get groceries. So off we went. She noticed how quickly I slowed down just walking the 2 blocks to the transit bus stop, then she noticed I had gotten us on the wrong bus at the switch over (I only noticed 2 blocks later, panicked and got off the bus) She got off at the next stop and ran back to find me quite upset and terrified. I was so sure we had boarded the right bus! So back we go to the switch over point and finally got on the right bus. At the grocery store I hung on to the basket, my legs hurt quite badly by then. My back was beginning to give me the "if you take one more step, we'll give you such a twinge" threat. She ended up taking the list from my hands, and I just followed her around. She was really sweet to check with me on each item as she knows we both have dietary restrictions, diabetes and IBS for me, and kidney stones, high bp and IBS for husband). She learned a few things along they way. Like, don't trust what you bought last month to still be safe this month as she read and compared labels on cans and boxes. When we finally pulled up to the cashier, she started unloading the cart, I squeezed by and started loading the cotton grocery bags I use and she finished helping me out as the last bit was rung through. I paid, she manoeuvred the shopping cart out the door while I called for a cab.
While we waited for the cab, she checked the time and gasped. We'd been doing groceries for 3 hours! and we weren't home yet. That boggled her mind. She didn't realise just how long it took me to get groceries done. She kept thinking, dash to the store, grab what you need, dash back home, done... an hour tops?.... She finally understood why I'm so exhausted just getting groceries.
When we got back home, she helped me get everything put away. She noticed that the vegetable crisper drawers were in need of a bath as did the rest of the bottom shelves. The pain I experience when I kneel on a floor, I can't even describe. It shoots up and down, my knees turn into bits of stone floating in a lake of lava. I just avoid anything that requires my kneeling, let's put it that way. So my darling daughter washed out the bottom of the fridge. I helped by sorting what went back in and what went to recycling. I was so happy when it was all done. It had really bothered me but the thought of the pain that would be caused by kneeling made me just ignore the fridge hoping it would just go away.
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