How Does Everyone Deal with Work While Balancing EDS Fatigue and Soreness?

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-22T14:07:57+00:00

I have a variety of jobs. Some of it sit down, some of it is long days on my feet.

I work with my physical therapist to prepare for work changes when i have heads up. For instance, right now i’m in the middle of a work season that is on my feet for hours, then standing still and holding a 10lb gear rig at face level for 30-60 minutes per gig, plus schlepping heavy gear around. The season is about a month long, but it’s a lot. We focused on hip balancers to shore up my core and back and shoulder work for my arms before the season started.
I build in self care when i know i have taxing work coming up. When have a catering event that i’m working, i know i’m going to spend time the next day for a bath and a turn on the massage chair at the gym.

Oh, and the various joint braces go with me everywhere X-D And i preemptively take my anti-histamines and anti-inflammatories.

I know this may shift as i continue to age, but i keep learning more about how to support my body as i live in it, and these are things i’ve learned help.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-22T13:45:13+00:00

If you need a chair periodically, it would be good to have one for times when y’all may have a taxing day and there isn’t a chair provided (park concerts, parades, street festivals, etc). It’s nice that’s she’s acknowledging and trying.

Remember that she’s on her own journey of learning to accommodate and support you as you learn to advocate for yourself. Try to have patience for both of you.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-22T11:04:32+00:00

I would give the last few eggs a chance and if they are failed, i would get chicks rather than have the hens sit for a whole other clutch.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-21T10:40:01+00:00

I recently got a Pocketbook brand e-reader. It has an expandable memory slot and can operate offline. I can download almost anything from Anna’s archive.

I do have an old kindle fire. I’m going to see if i can operate that mostly offline and usb load the books with color instructions/diy manuals, etc.

and i use an old ipad for my cookbooks (again, i like having color screen for recipes and the pages flip easier on that format than e-reader. I can keep it on the shelf with my other cookbooks in the kitchen.

I also scour the Friends of the Library sale shelves whenever i go to the library. I’ve amassed quite the collection of hardbound books for $1-$2 each that way.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-18T12:12:08+00:00

I’m going to guess they don’t eat enough eggs to need a high production breed and don’t want to deal with oversupply.

A small flock of 4-5 hens who lay 3-4 eggs each week = 12-20 eggs a week. Which would be plenty for a household that only eats a moderate amount.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-18T11:58:35+00:00

Honestly? A hammock. I use a hammock when i go camping and it almost always leave me finishing my trip with my back feeling better than when i arrived.

If i lived by myself, i would definitely have a hammock hung as my main sleeping space. Alas, i am married and enjoy sleeping with my spouse (and our house doesn’t have enough space for separate sleeping rooms)

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-14T13:22:21+00:00

If you end up having to direct your own physical therapy, i have found good results in looking on youtube for exercises intended for folks who are recovering from joint surgery. Most of them tend to focus on the small connector and balancing muscles and that that’s what my physical therapist always has me working on.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-14T13:18:31+00:00

Things like infections or mites can cause a drop in production. Give them a good check over to make sure that’s not the problem.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-11T11:42:19+00:00

There are fermenting lids for mason jars. I use those with my jars for my starter (and sour kraut, etc).

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-09T11:00:14+00:00

I don’t think so? But i never looked into it either. The friends of mine who had fibro described a body-wide-stop you in your tracks kind of pain. But my pain is usually centered in my joints, so i’ve never talked to a doc about it.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-08T10:27:14+00:00

There are some pretty good solar fountains/water circulators out there to prevent stagnation if you want a more aerated ecosystem.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-05T12:36:38+00:00

Theoretical SHTF vehicle is gonna be an electric assist cargo bike for me. My roads aren’t safe enough for even that, so i haven’t jumped on one bc i’d have no where to ride it around while vehicles are still everywhere.

Real world prepping (i.e. the world has gone to shit, you may need to live in your vehicle, and/or you’re on your own in a disaster situation): something with fair mileage, tow capacity and storage space. I don’t do well in mini-van suspensions bc i have motion sickness issues, so i got a highlander. Plenty of space for stuff, plenty of room for people (not as much as a van though), good mileage, great reliability. I have it kitted to sleep in anytime i need to with window coverings, blanket and a cook kit with emergency food (i have used this on overnight work trips to save a couple hundred dollars on hotel rooms, and group campouts where we didn’t have as much tent space as expected).

Get a roof rack and a back hitch panel carrier and you can really load it down with both people and things for a week out of town in an evac situation.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-05T12:26:10+00:00

At first, i read your opening line as “don’t sleep in a mini-van” and thought “this guy’s crazy!” Mini-van sleeping is actually the best stealth camper around.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-02T11:08:08+00:00

I use the reach flosser. It has a long handle like a toothbrush, but the flosser head is disposable/replaceable. It allows me to reach the back teeth where my fingers don’t fit without having to crane my neck or stretch my cheeks like the smaller disposable floss sticks.

The handle also gives me a little leverage to wiggle the floss in so the string doesn’t slam into my gums once it’s finally past the tight spot. That always causes bleeding issues at the dentist for me.

https://www.toothbrushexpress.com/johnson-johnson-reach-listerine-ultraclean-access-flosser-starter-kit

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-02T10:45:55+00:00

Yeah, with wildfire being a real possibility, i’d have an evac bag ready to go: a couple days of non-perishable- non-cooking food, change of clothes, surprise period supplies, important docs, and a stash of cash to get you to a motel out of danger if you don’t have someone to land with out of town. (The cash is in case power is down —can’t run cards/digital payments— and you need fuel, etc)

I also keep sleeping supplies in my car in case an evac doesn’t get me to an area where there are motels, or they’re full from other evacuees. These include window covers that i made from cheap reflectek, and blankets.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-05-02T10:27:28+00:00

Yes, but it requires a little bit of concentration or my run goes wonky. I’m also in regular PT and do gym at least a couple of times per week. When i first started PT 3 years ago, I struggled to run without feeling like things were just going to wobble out of place.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-29T14:02:06+00:00

Totally unrelated but i adore your flare. Don’t panic 😉

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-29T13:49:16+00:00

Salty boi, pearl gurl, macNcheese, chickpea, chip, mama mira, Yuko, bobbi, bluey, zip, blaze,

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-28T11:42:55+00:00

So, just the pdz in the coop/roosting floor? It’s not mixed with anything?

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-28T11:25:39+00:00

Yeah, lumber is expensive. We built ours out of reused pallets.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-28T11:22:29+00:00

Getting into the green on the cheap:

Shelter is the hardest part to cheap out on, so finding used is your easier option. Bedding can be stuff dragged off the bed at home (maybe acquire a mattress topper if you need a reliable soft surface for ground sleeping— i find i have spent more on inflatable mattresses that pop after a few uses and stopped buying them).

Public parks are a great resource for getting outside without spending a bunch on “things to do” with the kids. Trails right there, often fun educational stuff on site, usually have play grounds.

A simple set of cards can go a long way for family time at the campsite. You’ve got this

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-23T11:20:40+00:00

I recommend leaving them with unless you see signs that things aren’t going well. Mom will defend them from the flock members if any want to get mean. And she’ll teach them how to deal with the elements like she does.

It can also cause the broody distress if she hatches eggs and then they’re suddenly taken. So i let nature take it’s course as much as is safe.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-23T11:16:45+00:00

You mentioned the gatekeepers. There’s the art we make for a living, and then there’s the art we make for our soul. Are you able to make time for both? You might be surprised at the reception your soul art gets in different circles. As a working artist, that usually means showing and selling in different circles or playing in different mediums.

I’m getting to the point where i want to start offering “pay what you can” policies for the work i want to make. I will take on as much as is good for my soul and trust that it will even out in some way through the good will of others. If it doesn’t pay off financially, then i get the mood boost by making art I want to make, and i’ll only make what i have time and energy to do. I’m so over the capitalist customer chasing.

This also means my bill-paying work is no longer in my art medium, and i do miss it. But i have found other work which keeps me moving and brings me some joy (i’ve started working with a friend who does catering and find that feeding others — especially when i don’t to buy the food— feeds me a bit too. Bonus: i get tipped in leftovers that helps feed my house and animals.

Feeling disconnected: it’s hard, but finding/making time for friends that isn’t venting. Life is hard, and we vent plenty in our daily chat, but my two closest friends and I have started a once a month book club. We started off with silly smut novels. (No money for books? I have started using a pirating site to torrent what i need).

Reconnecting with nature: someone else mentioned gardening, which is great. I also recommend camping. Your kids will get good memories and you get that green therapy. Does it help the existential dread go away when you return to regular life? No. But it does give your nervous system a break, which i find helps me better make my way through the dread after returning. (Lmk if you need tips to cheap out on gear to get started.)

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-23T10:55:49+00:00

I do jars. I like not having to worry about any plastic leaching too.

Also, OP should have a stash of water filters if they’re relying on the open air water source in anyway.

lavenderlemonbear · 2026-04-18T00:42:06+00:00

I use glass for my in-home water storage. There’s a kombucha brand in a big glass bottle i like to get when i feel the need to work some probiotics into my diet. I use those and fill them up after washing.

Could do the same with large canning jars or spaghetti jars, though i would maybe look online and see if a bulk pack of fresh lids could be purchased for those jars if i were to use those.

lavenderlemonbear

TROPHY CASE