When you start trying to find ways to live with an Auto Immune Disease you start looking for things that can make it a little easier. Here are five items that I found to make my days a breeze.
No Tie Shoelaces for Tennis Shoes or Slip on Shoes
I don’t know why this one took so long for me to look into but, I recently purchased some and these things are amazing. What a way to save my hands and fingers. I was having so much difficulty getting my tennis shoes tied in the morning. Like most folks who have joint pain in the legs, feet or hands or have difficulty bending down, slip on shoes are my choice of footwear 90% of the time. But when I exercise I really need to wear a tennis shoe. When tying my shoe laces my fingers felt stiff and uncoordinated. Now all I need to do is slip my tennis shoes on and I’m ready to go! No tie shoelaces come in a variety of styles to fit your style or preference in look.
Jar openers
My husband was on a business trip and I was home alone with my son. My son loves apple juice and I could not get the bottle open. My hands were screaming with pain as I tried to fight with the cap on the bottle. I eventually got it open, but the joints in my hands and wrists were hot, painful and useless for the next couple hours. Not what I needed while I was trying to make dinner and get my son through his nightly routine. I went online the next day and found the jar opener you see below. It has been a hand and wrist saver so many times. There are many different types of jar or bottle openers. From handheld to under cabinet mounted to fully electric there is a jar opener for just about everyone’s preference.
Electronic Reader
I love reading, but once I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis holding a book became really difficult. While holding a book open doesn’t take a lot of pressure, it’s enough tension on my joints that I could only hold a book for about 15 minutes. An electric reader helped a lot because I no longer needed to hold the book open. There are reader apps like Kindle so if you already own a tablet or smartphone you can download the app and continue to enjoy reading.
Tablet Pillow
So I actually bought this for my son when he uses his tablet, but I found it very useful for when I use a tablet or read from my electronic reader. It has three different viewing angles and can hold different size tablets or electronic readers. In your lap, on a tabletop or even on the counter while you are cooking. This device allows me to reduce the need to use my hands, thus reducing pain in my fingers, hands and wrists.
Compression items
Oh my goodness. These have really helped over time. I have compression socks and fingerless gloves. They helped with my swelling and reduced my pain. They won’t make the pain completely disappear, but they will get it down to a reasonable level for me. For socks, there are different levels of compression so take the time to read up. Plus they come in a lot of fun colors, patterns and styles.
I hope these ideas help you as well as spark some of your own on what can make life a little easier. Remember, we need to try and find new ways to continue to do the things we enjoy. Adjust, don’t give up.
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