[I am not being paid by any of these companies to promote their products, nor did I receive any free products in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own. Consult a medical professional before using any supplements or other treatments]
Vitalyte Hydration mix – A lot of us POTSies struggle with dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. I like Vitalyte because it doesn’t use any artificial dyes, flavors, or sweeteners. It also doesn’t have a ton of sugar per serving. Personally I like the fruit punch flavor, haven’t tried the lemon flavor. I even put it in the flush bag on my feeding tube set.
Thermotab Buffered Salt Tablets – A high sodium diet is part of my POTS treatment routine and I use salt tablets to help with that. Thermotabs don’t give me heartburn like the unbuffered salt tablets do. SaltStick is another good brand, but they are more expensive so I don’t really buy them anymore.
Oval8 Ring Splints – These plastic rings help keep the hypermobile joints in my fingers from bending too far while I am trying to do things with my hands. Very important for an artist such as myself, as I am always working with my hands. There is also the Silver Ring Splint company, but they are way more expensive. Some insurances do cover them though.
[sidenote: so far as I know Oval8s only come in the light skin tone color. They really should start making them in darker skin tone colors because it defeats the purpose of making them the color of skin in order to make them more discreet if someone has a darker skin tone and has to get the light colored ones. Also, I think they should make them in fun, bright colors like purple for people who don’t care if the splints are more noticeable. Maybe it’s just me that wants purple ones… :p ]
Crazy Compression socks – I wear compression socks to help prevent blood from pooling in my feet as much. I don’t like the boring beige ones, and this company makes lots of fun patterned compression socks. I have the skull print ones and some stripy ones. They also sell ones that are themed for different holidays seasonally throughout the year. [I want some jack o’ lantern ones next time Halloween rolls around]
Biofreeze Gel – The most effective topical pain relief I have tried so far. It has a nice cooling and numbing sensation from the menthol it contains.
Salon Pas Patches – Similar to the biofreeze gel, but in patch form for a longer lasting effect. Patches can be worn for up to 8 hours.
Handle Extenders – One thing I didn’t take into account when choosing the specifications for my wheelchair was the height of the people who are most likely to push me. I self-propel as much as possible, but let friends or family push for me when I get tired. My boyfriend, my mom, and one of my best friends are all somewhat tall and had to hunch over awkwardly to push me because I didn’t get high enough handles. I bought Handle Extenders on Amazon and mounted them to my chair so it is much more comfortable for people to push me.
Ortlieb Frame-Pack – I wanted a bag I could mount to my wheelchair under the seat, right behind my legs. It’s easier to access my essentials (wallet, keys, phone, water) when I don’t have to twist around to dig through a backpack on the back of my chair. I also feel more secure having things like my wallet in a location where it’s harder for other people to access it. I found my Ortlieb Frame-Pack in the bike section of REI. I tested mounting it to my wheelchair in-store and it was perfect! It was pricy, but since I am an REI member I could use my dividend and member discounts. The bag is sturdy and waterproof, so it should last a long time.
A Bike Bell – People are surprisingly sucky at getting out of the way of wheelchairs and will bolt right into your path. I now have a bike bell affixed to my wheelchair’s frame right in front of the seat, next to my knees. It makes that classic and lovely “brrring brrring” sound to gently tell people to get the !@#$ out of the way before I run them down.
NuDrive Air – These attachments mount to your wheels and make it easier to self-propel without hurting your shoulders. I can go so fast with them! They are essentially big levers you push with to give you a mechanical boost over what you could do with just your pushrims. There is also an anti-rollback feature so as long as you are holding onto the lever handles you will not roll backwards down a slope, so handy! So far I have only found one distributor in the US that carries them, and they are quite expensive, but saving up for them was so worth it.
Lauren’s Hope Medical IDs – This company is known for its sleek, stylish medical IDs for people of all ages and genders. It is so important to wear an ID when you have medical conditions. It is a lot easier to get yourself to wear it when it is a piece of jewelry that you actually like.
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