My wheelchair and I: shopping with the family

I actually left the house this week! Leaving the house is not something that happens very often when you have a chronic illness as debilitating as ME/CFS. Months can go by without seeing the other side of my front door. I have reached a point where I’m able to walk around the house daily without causing too much payback, but going out is still so utterly draining that it usually takes me days to recover.

This week I was able to leave the house for the first time in months. It’s my mum’s birthday today, but we celebrated a little early as our parents were here for their weekend. We went shopping together for the first time in ages!

It was a gorgeously sunny day, so I got dressed in a pretty floral dress and hopped on my wheelchair where I stayed all day. Knowing how taxing an outing is and how much sensory stimulation affects me, I tried to prepare as best I could:

Are You an Unchargeable or a Spoonie?

People often wonder what we mean when they hear us talking about spoons or that we are unchargeable. These are words I never used before joining the world of the chronically ill and disabled. In this post I will try to explain the meaning behind these terms and which one I identify with most.