kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
I have been able to do the laundry on my good days once again now that I have a washer and dryer in my apartment.
But, the laundry is now stacked to the top of the chest of drawers and the top of the chest of drawers is covered with clean laundry that needs to be put away.
Can't figure out why it is so difficult for me to fold and put laundry away.
Is it because I am on my feet? Is it the multi tasking?
How have you with similar brain problems overcome this problem.
I do have a housekeeper coming Wednesday so she will be able to fold and put some of this away.
I would just rather do it myself. I like the way I fold things and I like knowing where things are.
And I like having like things together.
It seems to hurt my brain to try and do the multi tasking of folding the clothes.
Looking for suggestions. It has been a problem since I came down with this in 2001.
I am able to sort and wash and dry now. This is an improvement.
I keep thinking if I just do a little at a time. But, it seems to be more of finding that window of opportunity when the brain is working.
It took me 3 weeks just to have that window of opportunity to do the laundry the past few days.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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lymednva
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9098
posted
Kam,
I do my folding while sitting on my bed, so it saves my limited standing time for things like putting the clothes away, actually putting the laundry into the washer and dryer, etc.
I still go in spurts, so it's hard to say why. Perhaps it is multi-tasking , which is difficult for those of us with neurocognitive problems.
Good luck with the housekeeper!
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
For a long time I couldn't make my arms do the folding shapes. now i can fold if sitting down, but the bigger things like towels that require standing I may only do every couple of weeks because of confusion.
As for putting clothes away, that can put me into tears. the clothes will sit upstairs in the basket for sometimes two weeks before I can sort them out enough to put them into the dresser drawers.
And then the best approach is to sort out everything on the bed arround me, while I sit on the end of the bed oppisite my dresser. Then, I open my drawers one at a time while still sitting and put the piles away.
I would be completely stuck if I had a large bedroom and hard to stand for everything!
This is so much better than last year though. Last year I could only sort the dirty laundry so hubby could wash things without bleeding colors!
Now I can do it all, it just takes all week! Posts: 663 | From NH USA | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I have this same problem. Who knew it was a symptom of Lyme! My clean laundry gets piled on a chair in the living room. When I need an item of clothing, I just go to the chair and rifle through what's there.
If I am expecting company, I dump everything in a basket and hide it in the closet. But now it all just sits on the chair because my closet is full of full baskets and I've run out of empty ones.
This may sound funny but it's true.
I have an appraiser coming tomorrow because we are refinancing. The clothes are still on the chair. I hope it doesn't reduce the value of our house!
-------------------- Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired Posts: 185 | From Colorado | Registered: Sep 2006
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
It is frustrating. But, it does help to know others also have this obstacle.
Don't know if I will be able to make head way on the laundry today or not.
plan on washing a couple more winter blankets.
Hoping to be able to fold them and put them away.
We shall see. At least my
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Thank you all for this thread. I really was thinking I've just turned into a total slug!
I'm so bad that I do a load of wash and forget it is in there until the next day. So I have to rewash it.
Then there is the phase of putting it in the dryer but forgetting to turn it on. Since it sits for so long, it starts to get musty sooooo? I have to rewash it all again!!
I too have a pile of laundry on my bedroom chair that I pick from as needed.
What is sad is I used to be one of those people who took such good care of my things.
Now I'm just a failing washer-woman! Posts: 867 | From PA | Registered: Jan 2006
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5dana8
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7935
posted
Laundry is a tuff one for me. With lyme it should be considered an olympic event along with grocery shopping
Doing it in small incraments is key. Lately been taking me on average 3 days.
The only tips I could add is if I leave a load in the dryer & don't have the energy to fold right away it tends to sit in there & get wrinkled.
So when I have the energy to tackle the folding part I put a wet hand towel & throw it in the dryer & let it tumble for a while.
This will help get out some wrinkles left behind by letting the laundry sit in the dryer.
Another tip for the tired is if I pull my shirts ect.. of the dryer & they are too wrinkled & I am way to tired to iron. Take an empty spray bottle & fill it with water & just spay the cloths to dampen & let them hang. This will help alot with wrinkles.
* Important to put fresh water in my bottle otherwise it will get funky after a while.
Take care & hope this helps Dana
-------------------- 5dana8 Posts: 4432 | From some where over the rainbow | Registered: Sep 2005
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Hubby has to load, move and unload the clothes. Most of the time I can fold the smaller things, but towels and sheets are just impossible for me.
We sit on the bed to fold, too, and as I fold I put the clothes into piles for different drawers - all jeans in one, all socks in another, my shirts in one, my little boy's in another, etc. so when we're done it's easy to just stick them in their drawers.
Easy, but we *always* have a stack of clean clothes not put away in this house. Whether they sit on the dresser they're supposed to be in or the couch in the living room, they're there.
I think sometimes leaving them out is easier because we know deep down it's easier to find them if they're not tucked in a drawer hiding.
We've been thinning the herd so to speak, bagging up clothes we never wear for charity, which has made us have a lot less laundry and more space for putting away.
Don't even get me started on the dishes I can no longer hold long enough to wash.
Remember, laundry is such a *small* thing. It may seem big at times, but in the big picture, it's *nothing.* Perspective has gotten me through a lot of heartache.
Sarah
Posts: 91 | From East TN | Registered: Mar 2007
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HEATHERKISS
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6789
posted
Folding and sorting clean laundry while sitting on/in bed is definately the way to go.
after that.......
it's a matter of just putting them in the drawers.
for things that need to be hung up..... I sit in a chair near a door knob so I can just put the hangers on the door knob instead of being on my feet the whole time.
Then I just have to transfer to the closet.
I've fallen asleep on clean warm clothes from the dryer before folding. Lifes too short! So take a warm nap.
-------------------- HEATHER
Posts: 1974 | From ABERDEEN, NJ 07747 | Registered: Jan 2005
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Sat on the bed today and was finally able to get caught up with the piles of clean laundry.
But, I had help. The housekeeper was here today. Even with her help, I still need to do a little, lie down and do a little more.
It feels good to get the job done.
It also helped take my mind off of things with her here. She doesn't talk so this is good. We just do the job.
It seems to be really difficult on the brain to do this sort of task. I am hoping that will clear up with treatment. But, it has been 3 years of treatment now I think. 2003 YEP
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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