Holiday Gift Guide for People with Chronic Illness
It’s that time of year again! It’s Christmas (and Chanukah) shopping season. If you have someone with chronic illness in your life this is the gift guide for you. A lot of people don’t realize how a chronic illness affects so many aspects of a person’s life. These gifts are meant to solve problems no matter how small.
Stocking Stuffers and Small Gifts
Mask chains are a great way to help you not lose your mask. It’s a nice practical gift that makes a great stocking stuffer.
If this is the new normal you might as well be cute! Check out these face masks made from vintage scarves.
This is by far the best chapstick I have found. I use the plain one and the tinted when I want to add some color.
If you have trouble opening jars this is for you. I had trouble finding this particular version for a long time. The one I have I actually inherited from my grandmother.
For the friend who is always cold:
As a person who is always cold I am always on the hunt for things to warm me up. These slippers are fantastic. You warm up the heating pads in the microwave and then slip them into a pocket in the sole of the slipper. It’s perfect to curl up on a cold day with. This website also has them in a lot of cute patterns and colors.
My heated has helped me fall asleep faster. Normally I spend a few hours huddled in a ball trying to warm up. My heated blanket warms up my sheets and then keeps me warm. This one is great if you share a bed with another person. Each side can set the blanket to the temperature you want. My husband sleeps really hot so he keeps the blanket off while I am able to have it nice and toasty.
For the friend with migraines:
When I have a migraine, I can’t look at screens, or leave my dark cave of a bedroom. When I have multi-day migraines an audio book is the only form of entertainment I can enjoy. You only need to look at your phone once and you can play it softly for hours. With a subscription you can download 3 books a month.
Anyone who sees a neurologist knows that you can only take rescue medicines twice a week or else you’ll get a hangover migraine. When I get daily migraines I find icing my head really helpful. The koldtec Halo is great because it wraps the icepack around your head and comfortably keeps it in place.
For the friend who wants to get moving
My friend just introduced me to this website. It provides a lot of flexibility about the length and type of yoga, even including chair yoga. So if you have trouble getting up and down but want to get some exercise the chair yoga is a great option.
For the book worm
I always thought kindles were silly. What’s wrong with a book? Well it turns out that there are benefits to a kindle over a book for someone with chronic illness. 1. It is much lighter than a book. It’s easier for me to carry it around going to and from doctor’s appointments. 2. You can set the screen black and the words white. This is great if you have eyestrain or a migraine. 3. Because it’s backlit you can read at night. I like this because I read while my partner sleeps. This is really great when you have insomnia.
A Book
This is a list of books with disabled/chronically ill protagonists. I have not personally read these books. But I know that when you are feeling like the only one in the world dealing with a problem sometimes a protagonist in a book can help you feel less alone.
For the friend with chronic fatigue or tires easily
You can vacuum without getting out of bed. I personally struggle with vacuuming. As a person with chronic migraines a chore with a really loud machine is the worst. Vacuuming is remarkably exhausting so if you get tired easily the Roomba will be your best friend.
Grub hub or Postmates gift cards
This is a long the same vein as the Roomba except for cooking, and much less expensive. Treat your friend to a meal or two that they don’t need to cook.
For the person you want to make your best friend
You do not know luxury until you are covered from head to toe in cashmere. Trust me no matter how bad the flare up you feel better when you are wearing cashmere. If you buy this for someone there is no way they will not love you forever.
For LITERALLY everyone
Have you ever gotten into bed, forgot to turn off the light, and then had to get back up and turn it off. It’s the worst right? Well fear no more! Lutron light switches are smart switches with a remote and an app. We use them in almost every room in our house. If you are worried about losing a remote you can get a faceplate and have the remote mounted on the wall wherever you like. We have the remotes mounted on the wall by our bedsides. You can also get one where the remote controls a plug. So, if you have lamps you can turn them on and off from your phone or from the remote. They are easy to install and will make a huge difference in your life.
