The Grocery/Cooking Dilemma

 

Life in China with fibromyalgia means we don't have a car so I walk or take a bus when I need to go out. It also means five flights of stairs going and coming. There are quite a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available when I can get to them, though. And, ordering takeout is really convenient. Which isn't always a good thing.

The thing about having fibro and grocery shopping in China is that it usually involves walking a block or two to the bus stop or the store or the market. It may involve a bus ride. I carry all of the groceries home rather than putting them into a car and driving. And then, I carry them up five flights of stairs to the apartment. Grocery shopping takes a lot of spoons.

It's not often that I feel up to grocery shopping. But, if you only go grocery shopping once a week or once every other week, you kind of need, well, everything. That's a problem. Because of a bad shoulder, I need to keep my grocery bag to about 30 lbs if I don't want to cause pain. How many groceries do you think it takes to get to 30 lbs? And that's not even counting the non-grocery items like dish soap, laundry detergent, dog food, cat food...you get the idea. 

I'm getting better at keeping my groceries limited to one or two bags that are under 50 lbs because if I carry multiple bags home that weigh more than about that, I get a migraine the next day.

Now, on a day when I feel up to a trip to the grocery store or market, I have a tendency to get all excited about VEGGIES! Yay, we get fresh veggies! It's hard not to overbuy when my body is craving veggies. 

You've probably guessed by now that by the time I get home with the groceries and get them put away, I'm out of spoons and I need a nap. If I did too much, despite having a full fridge again, now I don't have enough energy left to cook dinner, so we order takeout.

Takeout always has stuff in it that makes me hurt more and my husband has stomach problems that limit what he can eat, too. It can take several days before I'm able to cook and by that time, some of the veggies aren't looking so hot. I try to use them up before they go bad so I cook everything and that makes lots of dirty dishes. 

Then, the fridge is empty again and I don't have the energy and hurt too much to go to the grocery store so we order takeout and that makes me hurt more.

I'm convinced that if I could just get this one area figured out, it would be life changing. A Chinese friend has offered to set me up with an app for ordering fresh veggies and I'm going to take her up on the offer. 

If I don't have to shop, maybe I'll have energy to cook. And, if I eat my own cooking instead of takeout, I won't hurt as much. And then, I'll have energy to go grocery shopping!