Hello Everyone,

Welcome to The Invisible Vision Project’s blog.

A few years ago when I first started blogging, I primarily focused on sharing my journey of living with vision loss. In one of the very first blogs I’ve ever written, I wrote a piece on low vision aids and adaptive technology I use as a visually impaired person. That blog was meant to be an educative and informative one. In today’s blog, I thought of writing something similar, except that this is one about my chronic illness essentials. So, let’s get right into it.

This first item I introduce is one that is familiar to a lot of people in the chronic illness community. Many people with chronic illness also live with chronic pain. So, this first item is on pain management, with the help of heat and cold therapy. As you can see from the image, I have several here in display, including two different heating pads, a hot water bottle, as well as two hot and cold packs. Now, you may be wondering, “Do you really need all this?” Well, I use them interchangeably and for different purposes, and of course, I don’t use all of them all at once!

The second essential item for me, is surprisingly, also an essential item for a lot of other chronic illness warriors out there, and that is- comfortable clothing and/or pyjamas. For me personally, I think, wearing comfortable and soft clothes on a day when I don’t feel well makes such a difference than wearing tight and uncomfortable clothes. And this is not only true for room wear but also for everyday wear as well. I find it extremely hard to walk and to breath in tight clothes, especially on a day when I feel unwell, and when wearing tight clothes could really be restricting my breathing. So, a solution for that is, to switch to a more lose fit and comfy outfit instead.

I don’t know about you but, I’m a tea lover, and I can’t not have tea. So, tea is a big part of my life and daily routine. During the past few years since I got into drinking tea, I’ve also been looking into teas for different “occasions.” For instance, these teas in the photo (which are not my entire collection by the way), are just some of my go-to relaxing teas. I drink these teas either before bedtime or, at a time when I don’t feel so good. So of course, they are a part of my chronic illness essentials that just can’t be left out! Also, I hope I’m not exposing myself too much for being a David’s tea fan!

I got into the habit of wearing a mask when I go outside about 3 winters ago. At the time, when I was really struggling with stepping out into the cold winter air. My body, and my lungs just couldn’t handle the cold and dry outdoor air, and, wearing a scarf against my mouth was also really uncomfortable. That’s when, I decided to give wearing a mask a try. And, I’m glad I did. I’ve also found that wearing a mask is also something that a lot of people in the chronically ill community had also adopt.

Also, when I first started wearing a mask, I didn’t want to wear just the plain hospital masks that doctors and nurses wear.  So instead, I looked into other options, including masks with fun colors and patterns, cotton masks, and of course, by far my favorite, are the Vogmask and Cambridge mask.

Okay… now we’re finally at the last item on my chronic illness essential list. Now, this may not be an essential for everyone or anyone, but, it is at least for me. In case you didn’t know this about me (I guess you wouldn’t unless you know me in person, or have visited my living environment. I’m a HUGE fan of stuffed toys, and when I say HUGE, take my word for it, it’s HUGE). I love stuffed toys, because they give me a lot of comfort and a sense of security. But anyways, the ones in the image are the ones that I picked, as a part of representing my chronic illness. And, they do bring a smile to my face and make me ‘feel better’ when I snuggle with them, especially on days when I struggle. 

Before closing, I thought I should also mention just one more item that is also a part of my essentials but not pictured or mentioned yet, and that is, hand sanitizer or wipes. I think this is a crucial item in self protection and common illness prevention. I use it especially when I’m out, even when water and soap is available, because for me, I have to be extra careful when I use things in public (like, hand soap in a public washroom, for instance) because, I’m sensitive to a lot of (scented) products so, I prefer to use my own instead. Just to be safe.

So, here we have it! Here are My chronic illness essentials- things I’ve found are helpful for me as a chronically ill person. Are you also chronically ill? Do you find some or any of the items I listed helpful to you or could potentially be of help to you? Do you have a list of essential items for your chronic illness that is completely different from my list? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thank you for reading to the end!

By: The Invisible Vision Project