Alice Turing
Dealing with a chronic illness or disability doesn’t involve one massive decision; it’s a collection of countless choices that you make on a daily basis. The following eight tricks come from actual strategies used within the disability community – from the specific apps used to the specific text cards to keep on hand.
1. Stock a ‘Flare Kit’ in a Clear Tote
Forget the drawer, a clear tote keeps contents visible. Rescue meds, a microwavable heating pad, phone charger, electrolyte packets, and water should be easily within reach. Even a taped-on list of the contents can be helpful for someone else to access these contents for you. Place the tote in an easy-to-reach area such as your bedside or next to a couch.
2. Use Dictation to Easily Take Notes
This is not something to configure mid-flare up. On Apple devices head to settings, accessibility, keyboards and enable dictation. On Android devices you can simply tap the mic icon on the keyboard. If you need to remember exactly what your doctor says during a visit, be sure to get a portable dictation device such as Plaud Note Pro or Tonfarb Digital voice recorder.
3. Log Symptoms Using the Same Format
Free apps like Bearable and Flaredown require roughly 15 seconds to log pain and sleep with simple sliders instead of written sentences. This builds reliable data, so you and your doctor have concrete patterns of your symptoms, instead of guessing when symptoms start and what factors can lead thereto.
4. Autopay and Automatically Receive Refills
Pharmacy programs like CVS ScriptSync and Walgreens have automatic refill services where your prescriptions are batched to fill on the same day each month, with a text notifying you it’s ready. Combine this with a subscription service such as Amazon’s Subscribe & Save for medication that doesn’t come from the pharmacy. It eliminates the need to decide when to reorder.
5. Complete Workers Comp Forms
If you have a workplace injury, get to work on your workers comp claim forms quickly. The Ontario WSIB system requires strict compliance with Form 6 and Form 8. The window to report an injury and the additional 30 days after the diagnosis to formally claim disability benefits, can start the moment you are injured. Having a dedicated WSIB paralegal guide you through these forms can save thousands in saved costs and prevent future difficulties.
6. Automate Your Explanation
The best words are the one you’ve vetted to be accurate and concise and don’t require mental effort to formulate on the spot. Save a standard script on your phone such as: ‘I have [condition], and this means I can’t do [limitation]’ or ‘I don’t need help with [task], but if [specific situation] happens, I could really use a hand.
7. Bring Questions to Doctors Appointments
Bring your top three to five questions on a 3×5 card, not your phone. Some appointments are squeezed in and are limited to 10-to-15 minute slots. Write down three questions to ask your healthcare provider as you don’t have to worry about a flat battery or forgetting where your notes are saved. Hand the card over to the medical provider at the very start of your appointment and use it as your anchor.
8. Schedule a ‘Not-Available’ Day
Designate a day each week as your own personal rest time. Label your calendar event exactly like this. This day is not an option open to debate your to wiggle out of because a friend wants coffee. Preemptively securing your rest day protects against crashing and taking time to recover means you are looking after your health.
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I'm Alice and I live with a dizzying assortment of invisible disabilities, including ADHD and fibromyalgia. I write to raise awareness and end the stigma surrounding mental and chronic illnesses of all kinds.
