Busy with 5 children!

iamme

I am newly diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees.

With 5 children (3,5,11,14,16) it's hard...........tips would be really gratefully appreciated.

I can't complain, they do help, a little hoovering, dishes away etc etc

Advice about fitting your life araound arthritis or is it fitting arthritis around your life would be good!

Thanks

Folara

Heya iamme,

Not sure I can suggest much other than try to pace yourself and if you ever get 5 mins use it to rest.

See if you can get a rota going of who does what and even the 2 little ones can help a teensy bit. Sit down and explain to the 3 older ones what is going on. Kids are amazing when you confide in them and I bet they will jump at the chance to help mum if they know poor mum is hurting.

Google the spoon theory and read it and then ask the older kids to read it as well. It's brilliant.

Don't carry on in pain either, insist with your doc about painkillers that wil help to keep you moving.

Big hugs.

Fols x

stickywicket

Your final sentence is an interesting one, iamme. I think it obviously has to be a bit of both. Some things in life are there to stay – the children, for example, at least for a while yet. Others you just have to be flexible about, deciding which to keep and which can go. The arthritis won’t go so we have to change our routines to fit in with it – not overdoing things, stopping when you still feel you’ve a bit of mileage left in you, resting when you can see dozens of jobs that need doing. You have to pace yourself.

Folara's suggestion of googling The Spoon Theory is a godd one. It's a very simple way of explaining to others how tired and drained arthritis makes us feel.

dreamdaisy

Hello iamme, it's lovely to meet you but I am so sorry you have had to find us. I honestly don't know what to say as I have no children, but I think you are already on the right path, as you say that you are delegating some tasks to the children (and this is good for their learning responsibility) and I hope you are also able to build in one or more rest periods during the day to give your poor joints a break. I now cook and iron sitting down, (I have OA in both knees and ankles as a result of damage caused by my other arthritis) and I find this helpful. I break other tasks down into manageable chunks - OK on the bad days it takes all day to change the bed but at least I get it done!

What medication has your GP given you? It is GPs who deal with osteo in the first instance, in the later stages orthopaedics may become involved. There is not a great deal to the meds, admittedly, just pain relief and maybe and anti-inflammatory, but these can provide some ease to the affected areas. Some people find applying heat helpful e.g. resting a hot water bottle under your knees or wrapping a fleece balnket around them. Try to sit with your legs supported whenver you can as that also eases the stress on the knees. I always sit with my legs up on the footstool and a pillow under my knees. I hope things are not too bad for you today, and I hope we hear from you again soon. I wish you well. DD

ironic

Hi iamme,

Welcome to the forum, you have had some good advice already and there is a Simple Ideas thread at the top of this page which might give you some pointers.
I hope that you will be posting again soon and let us know how things are going with you.

iamme

Wow! What support..........

Thankyou all for just answering!

I have read the Spoons Theory - what a magical piece of writing, I think my children would benefit from reading it.

I will learn to cope/adapt/smile! Today I had a mountain of washing to put away and had a brainwave, put washing basket on a chair, sort washing into piles on kitchen table, kids home in under an hour can put it away; saves me lugging it upstairs and kneeling down to sort it!

I will keep posting away from time to time. Your advice and support is much needed, and here I can be me, and know that there is someone who understands how many spoons we have used today.

So, once again thankyou! x

stickywicket

Coping and adapting is good. Smiling? Well, not if you don't feel like it. Not here, anyway. Just be yourself and tell it like it is.

Well done on your brainwave! I promise you, you'll have a lot more. When we had stairs I used to leave loads of stuff top & bottom ready for taking down/up when I, or anyone else, was going. Much easier than doing them several times.

dreamdaisy

Ah yes, stairs. I leave little heaps of stuff at both ends and still somehow neglect to move them either up or down - I am very adept at walking past them! DD

tkachev

I try to rest during the day so that I am able to cope when my 3 little ones come home from school. My kids just dump their coats and lunch boxes all over the place but I am in the process of encouraging them to tidy away as picking up is so painful.I also do the piles of items at bottom of stairs but find they get ignored unless I complain. You have to make yourself heard if you want anything done although nobody wants to listen. Guess they want an easy life.

At times I have hoovered by sitting on the bed and have a light Dyson which is easy to maneuver. I use the tumble drier a lot(expensive I know) so not to-ing and fro-ing with wet washing.

I found competitions helped with the little ones. Who has the tidiest bed, who gets dressed the quickest etc.

All the best
Elizabeth

barbara12

Hi Jamme
And welcome to the forum
Im with Elizabeth on this one, if you can grab a nap any time, you go for it..even 10 mins power nap will help.
You take care x

iamme

Thanks everyone

I too leave piles at the bottom of the stairs - annoys the husband - but hey ho, every cloud has a silver lining

The kids are getting better, the older ones are at an age where I can sit them down and explain what's happening and why they have these extra little things to do for me. So far they are all still smiling. They have now agreed that one of the girls will hoover thier room, the other will hoover the toddlers room and landing, whilst the eldest boy will look after his shared room with the 5 yr old.......... Mmmmn, wonder how long it'll last!

I can't complain, i'm not in as much pain as some of the other sufferers on here, but have decided to try and get all this sorted now so it becomes second nature. Good days and bad ones, today is a good day and the sun is shining over Wiltshire

sugarbuttie

I try to employ the following rule in our house:

NEVER GO UP OR DOWNSTAIRS EMPTY HANDED

So...when you go upstairs..take something that needs to go up (eg clean washing) and when you go downstairs...take somethings down (eg cups, dirty washing etc). There is usually a pile at both ends but at least stuff gets moved!!!

It is usually only me that employs said rule but it helps!

I have got a FIVE STAR thing going on in the mornings but mine are only only age 5 & 7:

1) Eat breakfast
2) Clean teeth
3) Put uniform on
4) Put pyjamas in basket
5) Put breakfast things away

They get 5/5 if they do everything on their own without me asking. Mornings are difficult so everthing the kids can do for themselves, the better esp. as I have to get ready for work & leave the house for 8.45am!

The more you teach your kids to be independent, the better for YOU and them ultimately.