To answer those who are wondering, no, the cleaning is not going well. I have been testifying under oath for years that I can manage 4-6 square feet a day (that's about half a square meter), and no one believes me. Well, here's the proof: I have been cleaning every day for over a week, and I still have not managed to finish even one room. Not because the room is that big a disaster, but because I really cannot manage more than 4-6 square feet of cleaning before I'm wiped out and in pain. There have been some days this week that, because I haven't wanted to take a day off, I've gotten to the house from the motel, and accomplished even less because I started the day so exhausted.
A friend who used to be a social worker and therefore knew the right questions to ask called Social Services and got the same answers that I did: I'm not eligible for a government-paid housekeeper because there's always some criteria that I can't meet. No one has yet declared me officially disabled seems to be the big stumbling block.
Another friend contacted several churches, but not a one of these fine Christian organizations was interested in doing an act of charity for someone who's not a member. She was kinda surprised; I was not. Again, the same response I got whenever I tried to get either some charity or even offered to hire some church member who needed a little extra cash.
Contrary to popular belief, I *have* occasionally pulled together the cash to get agency cleaners in, and they've generally made the situation worse, by putting a box of stuff that I need to sort where it blocks a door or drawer. Not only can I not carry it from there over to the couch, but now I can't use the storage behind it. Then there was the gal who spent four hours puttering in an already clean kitchen, and I don't know what she did, only that she did NOT clean the oven which I had paid extra for. The last one spent three or four hours cleaning the fridge. She assured me that she had taken everything out and only put back the good stuff, which I don't believe, since the next day I pulled out a package of dinner rolls that were totally green. Again, since I am physically unable to stand over someone for four hours, I have to trust them that they are actually working hard, and not goofing off.
And let's not even talk about the hidden costs of the independent cleaner who couldn't tell the difference between an unpaid bill and an old newspaper. The cleaning was fairly inexpensive, it was the hundreds of dollars of late fees on bills that apparently went in the trash that was the problem.
I've finally gotten my financial situation on an even keel to where I *can* afford a cleaner once a month, maybe twice, but most of the cleaners I've contacted, when they hear that *I* intend to do the light dusting, I'm looking to hire someone to do the heavy work that I can't manage, they're not interested. The only one who was willing to do what I needed, was not available on the day before trash day; her only available day was the day *after* trash day, when any food she'd clean out of the fridge would have a whole week to attract vermin. That wasn't acceptable to me.
4 comments:
And YES, I do know WHAT it is like to live with CFS. Until she died 10 months ago, my sister lived a FULL LIFE WITH this disease. She was just 22 when she died. The disease made her organs collapse and fail all at once, and she she died from extreme internal bleeding. Although CFS is NOT fatal, it contributed to what happened to my sister...
Oh and FYI, Karen is NOT asking for charity, she asking for a RELIABLE EMPLOYEE to clean her house. And before you ask, I am on the other side of the world and right now saving up EVERY PENNY I can spare so I can travel over there and help Karen at her house for a month or so... and I plan to help her around the house despite my own ill health and bad back... And I am doing it because I CARE about a fellow human being... NOT because Karen was begging for it... supposedly...
For anyone who is reading this from RCTN, let me clarify some stuff...
And just out of interest... is Karen also responsible for having to clean after friends who live at her house supposedly to help and clean, THEN leave it in worse state than before they moved it. And then this SAME person calls up the police in a panic and make them break into the house whilst Karen was at the DOCTOR!!!
Karen has been after a RELIABLE cleaner for over 5 years now. Any chance YOU know of one??? And frankly, with TWO jobs Karen has DESPITE her illness, I think Karen can afford the costs IMPOSED on her due to the actions of another person.
Oh and before you start saying that I am defending only because I am her friend. I have known Karen for just over 5 years. I have known about this disease since 1993 when my sister was diagnosed. My interest in this reply is as someone who is DISGUSTED of by the obvious lack of knowledge about the disease and by the posted opinion of "get off your ass and try to be a productive member of society". Someone with CFS HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER! THEY GOT AN INCURABLE DISEASE! Instead of attacking Karen on RCTN, go educate yourself a little more first.
I am just hoping that the reports I heard about them doing genetic research will be fruitful. Any resulting treatment and/or cure will be too late for my sister, but it can change the lives of over 100 million people worldwide... of which there are about 30-40 million in the US. That's 5% of the population there. So if you work in an office with 100 people, there may be 5 people in your office who have CFS who don't know they have it OR don't want to let their work colleagues know they got it. So be careful about the claim that people with CFS are lazy.
Just for JV's information (and to counter her claim Karen is not ill or something). Karen has two jobs as well. JV, you got your health, don't you?? What if tomorrow you were told you got an incurable disease that's slowly wasting away your body... I have seen my sister waste away... At least you are healthy. Karen, my late sister and about an estimated 100 million people around the world live every day with CFS. World Health Organisation says on their website this disease does not get recognised for the debilitating disease it is... I guess that in JV's case they are RIGHT?? And JV, you still got your health... be THANKFUL of that!!!
Frankly I find JV's message of "get off your ass and try to be a productive member of society" more harrassing and an insult to anyone with CFS. I think anyone who has disease will appreciate you saying that they "should get off their ass". Not Karen, not anyone else... Your statement is an INSULT to the memory of my sister who by the time she died had done 10 years of charitable work for 7 different charities, who had finished secondary school despite her illness and who was at the time of her untimely death getting HIGH accolade for being as knowledgeable as a 3rd or 4th year student at one of Britain's TOP universities. Her lecturer said she could have graduated EARLY! People with CFS are NOT lazy people, they are disable people... and maybe JV and others on RCTN would want to learn more about the disease...
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