What accommodations have you had to make in your life specifically because of MS?

I buy smaller containers of liquid laundry detergent. I just can't lift or handle the larger containers.....even though they might be more cost effective the savings just isn't worth it to me any more. I buy smaller containers of just about everything now. It's just me so I don't need the giant economy size anymore.

I buy pre-chopped onions and other veggies. I've had too many close calls with the knife while chopping things. If it's available pre-chopped then I buy it.

I have a tool that helps me open pop-top cans. The canned cat food I buy has pop-top cans and there are days when I just don't have enough strength in my hands to pull them open. This tool helps with that and also helps to open 2-liter bottles and also soda cans. The can opener that comes with it is also great and easy to use. http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/v...-Parrot-Opener

Pre-cooked hard boiled eggs. Sometimes while peeling the hard cooked egg they slip out of my hand and down the garbage disposal they go. The feeling and sensitivity in my hands - especially my right one - is nearly gone and I have a hard time holding onto things.

Healthy Choice frozen entrees. These are good and easy to prepare. No oven needed.....just a microwave. I miss home cooking but these are easier and safer for me to prepare and most times healthier than what I might fix myself.

I'm sure there's more but that's all I can come up with right now. What are some of the things you've had to change?

I hear you Kelly and agree with the changes you've had to make. Including most of your accommodations.....

I only use paper plates now and mostly Schwans entrees, vegs, fruits..etc, so NO, or very little, dishes to wash. My dishwasher hasn't been used in years... The silverware I use are cleaned as I use them and any necessary dishes, as well.. I very seldom use a pan or skillet anymore.

I do not get up to answer the door. If it's a stranger, I ignore them. Friends, family and neighbors know better, they call first, to give me time to unlock the door for them. If they just drop by to tell me something or check up on me (the mailman), we holler through the door.

I don't wear shoes around the house, actually never did..LOL. I wear caftans and loungers everyday at home. Nice enough for the unexpected or expected visiter.

My old puppy, Pal is now an inside dog as I can not, easily, let him out any longer. He misses going out but, has adjusted pretty well to the routine.

DD does what little laundry I have, since I don't feel safe going to the basement anymore. I don't wear underwear, unless I go out. hehehe.

I do all my bill paying, banking, info gathering and any and all shopping online. Thank you God for the internet and my Laptop.

There's probably more, but I won't bore you any longer.

I'll have to think about this one...it's been a few years and gradual enough that it all seems "normal" at this point.

Sally, we used to ignore strangers knocking (the old hide behind the curtain trick) but in our area there's been an increase in daytime burglaries where the bad guys knock first...if you're home, they ask for directions or something. If nobody answers, they try to break in. Grrrr.

Sorry for the hijack.

I use a nutcracker to take off soda bottle tops or in my case water bottles.

I sit down each morning to put socks on...put socks on the floor...squeegee your toes in them & they pull up easier.

An elastic hair tie (ponytail) cut in half threaded into a zipper can make it easier to pull up when my fingers are numb.

Still learning how to adjust to walking differently & using different hands/arms for different tasks like driving & typing.

Online shopping has become a G-dsend.

Sally I don't think kn owing that you don't wear underwear would bore anyone!!!! LOL. My Mom used her dishwasher to store her paper products in. Her kitchen was pretty small and you had to make use of every space you had.

I think it would be very difficult to carry a large laundry detergent bottle but I like it that you put it on its side and it has the little spicot on the side. My husband does most of the grocery shopping, not because I can't but because I don't want to. It would be hard for me to do it by myself and since he retired, wherever I go he goes. GRRRR So i stay at home and make a list and give it to him and off he goes and I have some time to myself!

A cashier at Walmart gave me a tip. She told me, she was told by a person in a scooter, that if you buy a gallon of milk, etc and tie the ends in the handle it makes it easier to carry because the weight is more evenly distributed. I tried it and it worked much better.

I'm still thinking about this. A lot of my accommodations are that my husband now does things I used to do. He carries the laundry basket downstairs for me, for example. He opens the pickle jars, stands on the stepstool, etc.

Food is certainly one area. I'm not crazy about so much prepared food, but there it is. Yesterday, when I was making cookies, I noticed my arms got really tired and achy before I was half done stirring the dough. I'm more apt to make bars than cookies now, things with batter instead of dough. I do things sitting at the table that I would prefer to do standing at the counter.

I've added way more phones, and I pretty much have a cordless phone with me wherever I go (don't use my cell phone at home much). I have a small purse with a shoulder strap that I use for my phone when I go outside or down cellar and want both hands free to hold on to walls and railings.

I have a kitchen tool that stabs veggies for me so I wont cut my finger off. it will also reach into hot pots to stab things.

I use a tool to pop open cans when we use a can, and I have a jar opener because I cant open them.

I have laundry tablets instead of laundry soap or liquid bottles. Several brands are available right now. I start the laundry and the DH drags the basket where I need it to be.

DH makes all the beds in the house now. Sometimes I am strong enough to help, but most times I cant.

I have grips in the shower because I cant close my eyes to wash my hair without falling over. I tend to sit on the floor of the shower to do it, and then will rise to finish my work.

I have a velcro grip around the handle of my hair brush and the cat hair brush. I keep dropping it.

I still go quite blind when I go walking so i take my blind cane with me. I drag it out to find my way home, but I wont let it stop me from walking.

Loads of little things.

One area where I realize I've made a LOT of accommodations is clothing. I was just getting something off my dresser and noticed a small jewelry box. It dawned on me that I haven't worn jewelry for...? Months? Unless it's a necklace that just slips over my head, jewelry is a pain to fiddle with, and just One More Thing.

I haven't worn pantyhose for...? Years. I don't wear things that need ironing, I don't buy things that say "hand wash" or "dry flat", and I don't even know where the nearest dry-cleaner is.

I wear dark colors. I LIKE dark colors to begin with, and you can get two or three days out of a dark sweatshirt. If clothing doesn't have buttons, they aren't going to fall off, and you won't have to sew them on.

Nothing that fastens in the back, including undergarments. Cardigans, vests and jackets with big pockets. Loose fitting things that don't aggravate my skin or startle my muscles. And that can be removed quickly as I'm stumbling through the bathroom door.

I can't deal with "outfits". I'd buy three navy blue sweatshirts and three pair of pants, and who CARES if people think I never change clothes? As if anybody really notices.

I haven't worn shoes or boots that have laces or buckles for years. It's One More Thing.

And nothing that has to be straightened, adjusted, aligned, or fussed with.

I plan where I am walking and calculate the amount of effort it will take me to get back when I walk somewhere. I also look everywhere for obstacles and trip hazards. I no longer feel confident when I am carrying a cup of tea or coffee. The harder I concentrate on keeping the contents in the mug, the more I spill.

I am now ridiculously aware of the location of toilets, and the number of stairs at a place in relation to my fatigue level. I have to be very careful that I don't get lost because I tend to lose my sense of direction very easily. I have trained myself to physically move my head (more than usual) when I am driving - if I just look to the left with my eyes (and don't turn my head sufficiently) double vision sets in.

Happy days! Still, at least I have found practical ways to avoid mishap.

Lyn

This is an interesting thread. Making accomodations is very difficult for some people to do, IMO.

I don't have MS, but I do have mobility issues, with my PN feet and my severe arthritis, which gets worse by the year!

Like BTY, I have a very helpful husband who I does some things for me. Carrying stuff up and down stairs, lifting heavy odd things, etc. He does the wash, and I fold.

He plants, and I grow the plants from seed, and decide what and where they will be. Basically I organize and he helps.
I try and do most things for myself, and only ask him for big things, since I know he gets tired of helping me some days.
Many projects now are both of us working in our own ways to get something done...as he appreciates having me as company without any nagging.

I use a walking hiking pole now for outside, and up and down our steep outside stairs down to the street. This is mostly for balance.

I do some of the same tricks mentioned here, except I do wear underwear still But I wear easy to wash and care for clothing, and have minimal shoes that my feet will tolerate. With my left foot scar on the instep ..many shoes that hit that spot are now off limits for me. It is rare when I find a shoe or slipper, or slide that I can safely wear!