13 Chronic Illness Must Haves for Comfort and Health: What You Need to Know
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Living with a chronic illness can be challenging and require adapting to an ever-changing regimen of treatments. People managing a chronic illness need to ensure they have the necessary comfort and health must-haves to maintain their well-being.
Such items may include things like reliable medical supplies, supportive family members, comfortable clothing, or up-to-date technology – but there are many more options available that can help you manage your condition and live life as normally as possible. In this blog post, we will explore key Chronic illness must haves that could make your journey with a chronic disease easier and more enjoyable.
I live with a variety of different chronic illnesses and I strive to have important things in my home to make my life more manageable. Some of these are used daily and others are just as needed. These items make a huge difference in my everyday activities and pain level.
13 Chronic Illness Must Haves
Everyone will have their own list of chronic illness must haves. What works for one person does not always work for another. Even our chronic illnesses differ from person to person. The following list is just things that I personally found that help my life. They are now part of my must have household items.
1. Rollator
I can walk on my own and do so a lot. However, it is nice to have my rollator when I am walking for a long time as it has a seat attached to it. I also put my grandson's infant carrier on it so that I can safely carry him around. He is 11 months old and is getting heavy!
I am also able to carry things on it such as the trash to take to the garbage shoot in my building down the hall. There are a lot of mobility aids to choose from to help you get around and be more independent when living with physical limitations. I live alone so I have to be independent as possible.
2. Shopping Cart
A personal shopping cart I feel is one of the must have household items no matter who you are. I do not drive, so I rely on public transportation to get around. Thankfully my area has a great bus system and the bus stop is literally across the street from my building. We all know how heavy groceries can get. Having a personal shopping cart allows me to go grocery shopping on my own and safely carry my bags back home.
I also use my shopping cart to carry my laundry basket to the laundry room. My laundry basket is one of those tall ones and it fits perfectly in my shopping cart. I can then just push it down the hall to the laundry room and not have to worry about carrying a heavy basket.
3. Tens Unit
When you are living with chronic pain you are always looking for ways to relieve your pain. No one wants to live on pain pills because they can do more damage to your body over time. I know since I have stage 3 kidney disease that I need to watch what medications I take. A tens machine is a great way to help with pain. It uses electrical pulses to block the pain signal from reaching your brain.
A lot of chronic illness patients either have their own or have used one as part of treatment/therapy at the doctor's office. There are many on the market to choose from. My current favorite is the one from Comfytemp. I love that it has numerous leads for it depending on where I want to use it on my body and a very convenient drawstring carrying case for it. This makes storage easier, and it is easier to take it with you when you leave home.
4. Online Grocery Delivery
I mentioned having a shopping cart for when I go grocery shopping. There are days when my medical conditions are flared up, or frankly, I am feeling lazy, that I don't have the energy to go grocery shopping. Ordering groceries online from places like Walmart+ and Instacart make it so much easier.
I simply go to their website and add the items I need to my shopping cart and purchase them. They will then deliver them directly to my door. Both services have a monthly service fee but if you order often enough, it is worth it. I feel the extra cost a month helps to make life easier.
Depending on the stores in your area that are part of Instacart, they even take EBT. If you would like to try Instacart but you are on EBT you can get a discounted membership of around 50% off a month for 1 year. After the first year, you will then pay the total price. Another option is to see if a friend or family member is a member and have them set up a family membership.
It does not have an additional cost, but more than one household can use it. For example, I have a family membership on my account and share it with my daughter. After a long workday, she can now order groceries to be delivered to her door. She also doesn't have to try to grocery shop with the baby at the same time.
5. Kizik Shoes
When you have chronic health issues, bending over can be hard to do. It is a good idea to have shoes that are easy to put on. My favorite shoes are Kizkick shoes. They are slip-on tennis shoes. I can now quickly put on my shoes and never bend over to put them on. This is a major game changer.
Kizik shoes are regular tennis shoes, the heel just bends to allow you to step into them and then goes back into shape. I can not tell you how many shoes I have “ruined” by bending the heel down when they are not made to do that.
Before I started to use Kizik shoes, I would wear slip-on shoes a lot. While they are convenient, they did not always supply me with the support I need. I now have the support of a sneaker, with the ease of a slip-on shoe.
6. Ninja Blender
Ninja makes some great kitchen appliances that save a lot of time in the kitchen. One of my favorite products is my Ninja Blender. I have an older version but they have similar ones still available. My blender is more than just a blender. It works as a food processor as well.
What I love is that with this one machine, I can either make my favorite homemade Starbucks frappuccinos or chop up food such as eggs for egg salad. Different-sized processor bowls are depending on what I'm making. One is short and round, the other is tall. Having one machine that does multiple things makes my day-to-day basis in the kitchen easier to do.
7. Pill Organizer
When you have chronic diseases you tend to have to take various medications to treat them. It is important to have a pill organizer to keep all of your medications together so that it is easier to take them. Having an app to remind you is a great advantage as well. This is why I love the Sagely pill organizer system. You can organize your medications by AM or PM.
You can also easily take your medication with you. We all know some conditions such as heart disease, you need to take medication at the same time of day every day to keep your medication levels stable. Being able to easily take your medication with you with a timer to remind you to take them on time is essential.
8. Planner
I do not know what I would do without my daily planner. I use it for keeping track of doctor's appointments, my daughter's work schedule since I watch my grandson, my social media schedule for work, and any business meetings I have scheduled. What I love about the one that I have is that it is good for 2023 and 2024. There is a 2-page monthly calendar and also daily blocks for writing in more detailed events.
That is where I keep my social media schedule at. I have tried many on the market before. Since this one is a 2-year calendar, it is a bit bulky since I purchased the 8.5×11 size but I carry a large purse so I have the room to carry it with me to doctor's appointments to make my follow-up appointment.
9. Vacuum
Having a vacuum is a must have household item for every home. However, I feel one of the important chronic illnesses must haves is to have a lightweight vacuum. We often live with chronic pain and it is often difficult if not downright impossible to maneuver a big heavy vacuum.
I am thankful that I have a great lightweight vacuum that can get to all of my carpeted areas and is bagless. The extra attachments make it easy to get to those typical hard-to-reach places with ease. A robot vacuum wouldn't work in my home as it would be a waste of money as I have an extremely small living space.
10. DoorDash
There are times you just don't feel like cooking, no matter who you are. I love to go out to eat but there are also times I just don't want to do anything because I am not feeling well. Having the option to order dinner from DoorDash makes my life easier. It's the little things in life like treating myself to lunch or dinner that helps me feel better. We all need some self-care and ordering out is my favorite form of a splurge item. Right now if you sign up now and earn $30 off each of your first 3 orders.
11. Kindle
I use to be an avid reader, but these days I'm an avid book collector. I need to make more time to read. Having a Kindle is great for anyone that loves to read and has chronic conditions that make you prone to eye strain. Depending on the style of Kindle you purchase you can have one that is e-ink. It looks and reads like real paper but it is still a screen. It is easier on your eyes and you can increase the font size.
A Kindle is also great for anyone that has joint pain in their hands or wrist. It is lightweight and a great way to carry all of your books with you. I carry my Kindle with me in my bag at all times. I can easily read a book when in the waiting room of my endless doctors' appointments.
12. Google Tablet
A good tablet goes along with my advice of a Kindle. There are times I want to look something up and do not want to use my phone or laptop. I can sit in bed and use my tablet. You can also use it for social media, and for streaming a movie or TV show. I have all of the popular streaming services so I can lay in bed and watch them when I do not feel like turning on my TV.
The advantage of a tablet over the TV is that I can lay in any comfortable position and still see the screen. I also use it for recipe storage. All of my favorite recipes are stored on Google Drive so that I can access them anywhere. I can use my tablet in the kitchen with me while I'm making dinner.
13. Hospital Table
My hospital table is my number 1 must have household item. I use it as my desk and a table for eating or prepping dinner. I do not have much counter space in my kitchen. I can sit and prep dinner easily with my hospital table. Since I use it as a desk, I can work anywhere in my apartment. I usually have an office area against one wall. Sometimes I also work from bed, or even on my balcony with it.
Having a chronic illness can drastically alter one's day-to-day life, and it is important to have the right tools to cope. Through proper diet, exercise, medication, and support from family and friends, those living with a chronic condition can feel empowered. Additionally, having items such as comfortable clothes or a medical alert system that are specifically tailored to individuals with a chronic illness can provide peace of mind and a sense of security.
Ultimately, having the right chronic illness must haves can make life much more manageable for those living with long-term conditions. By taking the time to research and invest in such items, individuals can find ways to better manage their symptoms and enjoy life as it comes.
What are some of your favorite must have household items for someone living with a chronic illness? We all have various conditions and illnesses that make life more difficult but not impossible. Being properly prepared with the correct products and medical services anything is possible.
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