Lightening Your Load - Check it out at the Right!

As you'll see on the right side of the page, I've added a new scroll feature called "Ways to Lighten Your Load with Lupus." Here, I've listed a few of the ways that I've found to make my life with a chronic illness just a little bit easier. It doesn't always take much - in fact, just purchasing a simple letter opener one year eliminated the agony I used to experience each time I tried to get my swollen, arthritic fingers underneath the envelope flaps of the letters that came in the daily mail. I can't tell you how happy I was when that opener arrived in my stocking one year (from Santa Johnny.) It made all the difference - as did the other things on my list.

Can you think of any other ways to save your joints? Let me know and I'll add them to the scroll. And keep checking back for new ways to save a little time, a lot of energy, and maybe even a little suffering.

Here's a highlight from my list as it "scrolls" today:

Order groceries online - I'm telling you - this changed my life. I used to get downright ill when I had to go to the grocery store to fill up on weekly groceries. The combination of walking around, pushing the cart, grabbing and pulling things down from the shelves was enough to make me want (and need) to sleep for hours immediately upon returning home. Forget about putting the groceries away. I was absolutely spent, and usually in a lot of pain after the ordeal. I looked into the delivery option, and while there is a nominal fee for delivery (I pay about $6) , the service is worth every penny! You can order your groceries online, in the wee hours of the night, in your pajamas if you want to, specify when they should be delivered, and then watch as some nice delivery person hauls in every last one of those heavy, awkward bags right into your kitchen. It is the most convenient service for someone whose body is aching. I highly recommend it. A regional (albeit expanding) service I have come to love: Peapod

To find a grocery delivery service in your area, check out this site, which lists over 10 places nationwide for grocery delivery.