Why "Living by Spoons"?

Spoonies

If you are here reading my blog, you probably know what a "spoonie" is. If not, or if you just want to know where the term came from, here is a link.

Spoonies know that we don't get to choose what gets done in a day. We are limited by our allotment of spoons each day. Some days we can get everything done (and maybe then some!), and other days our 'to do' list is left a mile long.

This is why I named my blog, Living by Spoons. Spoonies spend their day acutely aware of their spoons and how many are left. Plans, time, etc don't come into play in our lives nearly as much as our spoons do.

What is affected? 

Everything! In the last year that I've been diagnosed, I have needed to work out ways to adjust meal preparation, homeschooling, shopping/errand running, caring for my kids, housework, gardening, and more that I'm not thinking of right now (thank you brain fog!) 

I plan on sharing tips and stories about all aspects of spoonie life.  

I hope you, my dear readers, will find these tips helpful and will feel welcome in sharing some of your own tips as time passes. :)

Hugs, Leigh

Where do you start?

For some people, the moment they became a spoonie is clear. Perhaps they were involved in a car accident, or they had a bad fall. Maybe they were diagnosed with cancer, or got an infection with major complications. Somehow, their life changed, all at once.

Others, like me, almost didn't notice it creeping up on them. Life changed, little by little, until it wasn't their life anymore. They find themselves looking for answers as to why. Some get them right away, others search for years.

When that happens, you don't know what to tell the doctors and other people who ask, "When did it start?"

I don't know if I count the stuff when I was 20 and a friend mentioned fibromyalgia to me and I brushed it off. I'm not sure if I count 8-10 years ago in my mid-twenties when it started to be hard to run more than a couple errands at once. Maybe I start three years ago, when the shit really hit the fan and it felt like my life fell apart.

I had been finally exercising regularly. I was losing weight and had been consistent for over twenty weeks. I was so proud of myself. Then, suddenly, I could hardly get out of bed for almost two weeks. Once I felt better, I would try to work out again and end up paying for two days every time. My joints started hurting. I could hardly walk because the joints and tendons in my feet hurt so badly. I was having a migraine 2-3 times a week.

I dealt with this for two years, trying everything I could find online to help me, before I finally started seeing the doctor looking for answers. I never thought the answer would be something permanent.

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