Dizzy’s tips on making life a little easier with MS

Dizzy and I have been on the task of thinking about ways in which we can save energy, and just make life that little bit easier when living with a chronic condition, such as MS. 🙂 

Make lists and use post-it notes

Whenever a job comes up that we need to do, Dizzy pops it down on a little post-it note and sticks it up somewhere where we will not be able to miss it. 🙂 This enables us to easily keep track of any little tasks that we need to complete. 🙂 They also come in lots of pretty colours, and if you are super technical (unlike Dizzy and I), there are even apps available, which you can use to pop digital post-it notes on your desktop! 

If post-it notes are not really for you though, there are also lots of other ways of helping to remember jobs or tasks that need to be done. Lists are always a good idea (although we always seem to lose them – I think Dizzy might be nibbling on them when I’m not looking…), and you can also use the calendar and create reminders on your phone. 🙂 

Shop online

Shopping online makes life so much easier, and you can find nearly everything on the web! Visiting shops can be really tiring, stressful and can even cause an increase in symptoms. For Dizzy and I, being in a place with lots of people and artificial lighting means an increase in dizziness, and the last thing anyone wants when in the supermarket, trying to find the ginger nut biscuits, is to feel as though they are about to topple over at any moment. 

Bulk, batch cooking

I keep telling Dizzy that this is her job, but she has still not got round to actually doing it! However, it is a great idea, especially if you work in the week. Cooking in bulk means that you can do a lot of your cooking on a day when you have free time (or a couple of extra spoons). You can then just pop the prepared food in the fridge or freezer all ready for the rest of the week. 🙂

Make upstairs and downstairs cosy and easy

If you live in a house with stairs, like me, it can sometimes feel impossible to get up them! I always keep a little comfy, cosy blanket downstairs, so that I can have a little nap downstairs if I ever need to re-charge. There are also other options to help with stairs for people with energy and/or mobility issues. You can avoid moving home by fitting a stairlift, having equipment that you can hold onto, and by making sure that there are no slippery surfaces. 

It is also a great idea to have food (maybe a mini fridge) in rooms you spend most of your time in. This can avoid unnecessary travel, and can help to conserve energy. Dizzy insists on keeping ginger nut biscuits in most areas of the house. 🙂 

Talk to your computer 

Using the computer can become a bit tricky for a number of reasons, including fatigue and mobility issues (or if you are a donkey, you soon discover that keyboards are not designed for hooves…). However, there are lots of voice-activation programmes now available, which means your computer cleverly types for you! This makes using the computer much easier and more enjoyable. 🙂

Make driving as easy as possible

Dizzy and I have a blue badge, which makes an enormous difference. It means we can park super close to wherever we may be heading, and takes away the stress of worrying about if we will be able to park or not. 🙂 This is something that anyone with a long term medical condition can apply for.

There are specially adaptable features you can have installed now too. For example, if you have a loss of mobility in your legs, you can get hand controls to use instead, meaning that you may be able to carry on driving for longer. 🙂

Medication

I only have to take one tablet a day, and I still manage to forget it half the time! I have no idea how people manage more than that. But there is help out there. You can now get apps on your phone to remind you when it is time to take your medication, and you can get pill boxes to put your medicine in. These are usually marked with the days on, enabling you to easily check on each day whether you have taken all of your tablets. 🙂  

Ask for help if you need it

This one is the most important! If you need help with something, then please ask for it. Usually people are more than happy to help, and just a small amount can make a huge difference. 🙂

What are your tricks and tips for making life just that little bit easier with a chronic illness? xxx