Being so ill I am some what of an connoisseur of what can help make you feel better and for me a Hot Water Bottle should be on your must buy list, if you don’t already have one of course.
Having Myalgic Encephalomyelitis leaves my body feeling like I have been dragged over an army assault course by a rope attached to my feet. Pain for me very rarely goes under a 7 on the pain scale. On top of ME I also have Endometriosis which causes me a lot of pain in my hips and at the top of my legs, pain peaks at the time of my period with immense cramping.
Bad days feeling severe pain that is exasperated by the slightest chill that nothing will help and knowing that I have to get up to go to the bathroom is enough to leave me in tears. It isn’t like a normal cold feeling that first shiver starts off a chain reaction of events of unimaginable pain that in most cases will leave me sobbing uncontrollably.
Over the years I have tried several hot water bottles, small ones, large ones, ones that come with a pouch. For me the absolute favourite has to be my YuYu. My YuYu has a luxury fleece cover perfect for me to run my hands over but the magic comes from the strap. On the website, they say that the strap is the game changer and I have to agree, having a strap allows me to wrap it around my hips on days when I have awful cramping, it also allows me to put it across my shoulders to help relieve muscle pain after laying funny. If I am having a bad day through pain or discomfort I will have my YuYu around me somewhere, yes it’s great for helping relieve muscle pain but I have also filled it with ice cold water on hot days to help cool me down or had it wrapped around my head the time my face swelled up due to a tooth infection spreading.
Since I bought my YuYu many more have tried to do something similar at a lower price point some missed the point completely and failed to include a strap to allow you to wrap it around you, instead adding a pom pom or two. It isn’t cheap but then again quality seldomly is. I have had my YuYu since 2019 and I use mine weekly, with this summer being hot I used it cold daily refilling it several times a day in the winter I will have the Hubby refill it as soon as it gets cool.
I chose to write about this today as I fear that this winter many of us will have to make difficult decisions due to the increased price of gas & electric bills, I fear further that our decisions will leave many of us hungry and that scares me.
Many people who live lives with chronic pain cannot work and heating a house for the whole day just isn’t an option for a lot of us, many of us live alone or will be alone for the majority of the day. I know last year I decided against putting on the heating when I was home alone and this year with prices so high its something I need to make a decision on again. I just want this post to help people think of alternatives that will still help reduce pain if cash is stretched thinly for your family and while many of us have to make difficult decisions we still need to put ourselves down as much of a priority as you do others.
My YuYu cover is a luxury fleece in a lovely grey colour to match my bedroom but you can get lots of different colours and designs on the website https://www.yuyubottle.com right now they have 15% off if you join the community.
Helpful information – Did you also know that if you live in Liverpool and you are housebound you have access to a dentist? Read more about it at https://alishawhittam.com/dental-service-for-disabled-people-in-liverpool/
Sending love always
Alisha 🥰🥰🥰
Don’t forget to donate and share my GoFundMe page, I am looking for help to allow me to purchase a car that is suitable for my wheelchair. Donate Here – Help me get back my independence