Helpful odds and ends

[kaberett]

I keep finding myself recommending this set of things to people (having been recced them in turn!) and overall feedback tends to be pretty positive, SO. Here are some things I use that make my life easier:

• Medimemo 7-day pill organiser - 7 small boxes which fit easily in pockets & take all of my drugs.
  
• folding walking sticks are available extremely cheaply (starting at well under a fiver, with price increasing as max load increases, but still generally available at less than £20)
  
• Chris Boyle's timer app, for Android (or, if you ask REALLY nicely, PalmOS ;) - it does awesome stuff like letting you set the interval between meds, choose whether or not it should keep nagging you before restarting the countdown after it beeps at you, etc. (Chris hasn't yet implemented the "FUCK OFF" button I keep asking for, but that is probably actually reasonable of him...)
  
• my prescription pre-payment certificate. They're ~£100 for 12 months in the UK. If you've got more than a couple of drugs on repeat it's almost certainly worth looking into it, if you're under the aegis of the NHS.
  
• my pharmacy's ability to collect scrips from my GP. It took approximately 5 minutes to set up and the difference in manageability is ENORMOUS.
  
• your very own prescriptions for neat codeine & for amitriptyline (NB side effects may apply, this is probz most appropriate for other people with chronic pain, etc). More details on request.
  
• silicone jar openers.
  
• glass straws that can be used in hot drinks, for days when I REALLY WANT SOME TEA but don't feel totally confident lifting mugs full of hot liquid.
  
• my Bambach saddle stool, bought second-hand via the eBays (price new ~£500).
  
• WHEELCHAIR. Like, we are here rapidly getting into the realms of "proper expensive" - my titanium sports chair was £500 off eBay - but if you are even slightly thinking that maybe you'd like to know what one is like, then I have two chairs and can arrange to loan one out (depending on queue length), have people round to try sitting in them, etc. And at later stages I can help shout at Wheelchair Services until they are useful.

Comments

[squigglefish]

Hee, thank you for this, I've been looking for several of these for a while, especially replacement pill boxes that aren't made of FAIL.

[kaberett]

I really like them! The dividers are shiftable so you can change compartment size according to med distribution throughout the day, etc etc etc.

[jeshyr]

I adore my MedCentre dosettes, I have a weekly one (seven separate strips, plus the canvas holder) plus a single daily one which has an extra strip plus the canvas daily holder:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DTO4WW/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i01
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JAGGO8/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00

I used these for ages and nothing ever broke - highly recommended!!

[forthwritten]

Pill organisers = also called dosset boxes. And there is a huge range available - my mum has a seven day one with compartments for morning, noon, evening and bed.

Also, telling your pharmacy to get the script from your GP is great; I heartily recommend.

[pseudomonas]

I second this last one. Also, my pharmacy is great and will take requests over the phone for them to put in a repeat form to the GP.

[mfb]

*looks at walking stick entry* I'm wondering how useful this would be as someone who sometimes gets stuck in situations where they have to stand when it's excruciating. I mean, a wheelchair would be better but...

[jeshyr]

Walking sticks are helpful even if they aren't "physically" helpful because they're a good signal - young person + walking stick = disability in many people's eyes. If you have one in your bag you can drag out you're more likely to be able to claim a seat on public transport, ask somebody to hold your place in a queue while you sit, etc.

[kaberett]

That's certainly how I started using them - being able to tripod is something I found MASSIVELY helpful. Be aware that using walking sticks isn't super-recommended as a long-term full-time strategy for people with hypermobility because it encourages development of RSI and other fun shit like that, but like jeshie says there are lots of other ways it can be useful. <3

It might also be worth you looking into the kind of walking stick that's also a folding seat, but those tend to be less easy to just store in a backpack.