Wheelchair side bag

I recently got my power chair (post on that and my other mobility aids coming soon) and I soon realised how inconvenient it was to try and reach behind my chair to my handbag for items I needed. So I looked around at various bags that were designed for use with a wheelchair but there were two problems:

1. They were all expensive, i've found anything mobility related tends to cost double what you think it will cost, sad but true.

2. They are all really boring, the majority of bags I found were either plain navy, black or red with no unique patterns or designs.

So I decided to make my own. If your aware of my Etsy shop you will know I tend to have that attitude to most things, cant find one I like, ill make one!

My power chair is red and black so I decided I would use a fabric that would go well with those colours but also show my personality (this is no grandparent bag). I settled on black cotton skull and crossbones fabric. Ted also approves.

Next I decided I wanted pockets on the front for essentials, a covered pocket for my phone and a large hidden pocket on the back that I can keep my purse in and only I can get to it.

I machine sewed it all together using a zig zag stitch for extra strength........

and here's the finished product on my chair....

I'm going to be taking orders soon for custom made wheelchair side bags where you can choose fabric, size, pockets and add-ons such as Carabiners or loops to attach extra bits and bobs like sunglasses or umbrellas. Check back regularly for updates.
Let me know what you think or if you have any preferences or ideas for fabric in the comments.

Laura :)

keeping it clean spoonie style (and getting up again afterwards!)

So I took almost a week off whilst I finished recovering from my op. If you missed my post about having a hospital grab bag for emergencies and how I prepared to go into hospital, including what I packed in my hospital bag and why you can read it here. I also wrote about my experiences in the recovery room and the first 72hours after surgery. It actually felt like all my conditions took a number and joined the queue to flare up once I was home, it was not fun and today is the first day I've felt like myself again, 10 days later.

This post is part of a series about aids, adaptions and gadgets that I thought might be helpful. If you missed my cooking and cleaning (housework) post its here.

This Is all about what aids adaptions and gadgets I use in the bathroom. My bathroom is tiny, there is just enough room to get in, turn around and do what you need to do, this has its pros and cons. there's things to sit on and lean against everywhere (good for my POTS) but if I fall or faint in there I am really screwed!

I have a bathtub and an over the bath power shower. My sink is positioned right next to the bathtub which means I can sit on the side of the bath to brush my teeth and wash my hands etc.

The council recently renovated my bathroom and kitchen as part of some scheme called better homes. They did this to all the flats in my area not just mine but it was really handy as it came right when I was needing to use a wheelchair more and was struggling with my mobility and day to day tasks.

So when they refurbished my bathroom they gave me a new sink, toilet and bathtub. The new sink had a different shape making it easier for me to reach if I was sat on the side of the bath or on a perching stool and had taps I could actually use:

The new toilet was quite high of the ground meaning I didn't need a toilet raiser. My OT noticed I tended to grab hold of the sink to pull myself up, putting strain on my joints and putting the sink at great risk of been ripped off the wall :/ so she gave me a support frame with handles I could use to push myself up:

I tend to only use it if I know I'm weak as its quite bulky and it does have a tendency to get in the way.

Next were on to bath / shower. Now I have to be incredibly careful if I have a bath. I have to sit on the shower bench swing my legs over then lower myself down. I then use the shower bench like a bath shelf. I cant have a bath unless there's someone to keep an eye on me as if the water is just a little too warm for me that day or my heart is just feeling extra special I will start to see stars and be at very real risk of blacking out / fainting.

It is much safer for me to shower sitting on my shower bench however Epsom salt and/or aromatherapy baths really help my fibromyalgia so sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks!

I have quite a complex set up to get into my shower as you can see here:

I have two grab rails on the wall to steady myself getting in and to pull myself forward to stand if I need to. The best thing I have is my shower bench. Its removable so Dom can still have a normal shower and I can take it with me if I'm staying somewhere else. I sit on it sideways then lift my legs over the side of the bath and voila I'm under the shower.

If I'm POTSie I'll make sure there's someone home just in case I faint getting in or out, otherwise I wear my falls alarm as you never know with me (next post will explain more about my falls alarm)! If you don't or cant have a falls alarm I was reading somewhere about a lady with POTS and she used a wireless doorbell in her shower so if she felt dizzy or had fainted and come round / fallen she could push the button and whoever had the receiver would know she was in trouble. I think this may be a good idea if you have a shower cubicle that's too small for a shower seat. You could have two, one at your standing height and one close to the floor that you could theoretically push it if you had collapsed/fallen (if your reading this and it was your post please let me know so I can give you credit).

To get out the shower, I swing my legs back over the side of the bath and I have another grab rail to support me standing up from shower bench:

Now even if I've been really careful I can still stand up and feel as though I've just been skydiving, so I have a nice cushy bath mat that's more like a rug so I can sit comfortably on the floor until everything stops spinning.

That's it for aids adaptions and gadgets in the bathroom for me. I have thought about some gadgets like an electric toothbrush if the movement hurts your wrists, long handled sponges if your upper body movement is restricted and shower feet if you struggle to reach your feet or bending down makes your head spin:

Finally its not always possible to shower for many reasons, you could be bed bound, unable to climb  the stairs to your only bathroom, too exhausted or dizzy to even attempt it or stuck in a hospital bed.

For these occasions baby wipes, dry shampoo and facial wipes are your best friends. Simple even do exfoliating face wipes so you can cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturise all from bed, if you have the energy of course! If you anticipate been unable to shower for quite a while I came across these on amazon. Waterless body wash and shampoo/conditioner. Also wet toilet wipes are good for keeping those *cough* areas *cough*fresh, especially if you have bladder/bowel issues.

             

This has been a really long post so well done if you've carried on until the end. Although all the gadget links are from amazon that's just because I do most of my shopping online, I'm sure there are probably other places you could find things which may be cheaper and/or more convenient for you.

Do you have any suggestions for making showering / bathing/ personal care easier or safer? If you do just pop a comment below and ill add it to the list.

Thanks for reading

Laura :)

Recovering after an operation

When you first come round from a general anaesthetic your disorientated, confused. You're not sure where you are as the last thing you remember is been wheeled into theatre and now you're somewhere else - the recovery room.

As soon as you open your eyes in this room it's the start of your recovery. When i came round i was in quite a bit of pain. I'd been given morphine in theatre but my high tolerance for opioids meant that they needed to give me more once i was awake. The amazing recovery nurse (i wish i had been awake enough to get her name) explained where i was and reassured me that she was giving me morphine through my cannula straight into my bloodstream but there were some issues with my oxygen levels so she was having to give me some bit by bit whilst she checked my breathing rate and oxygen sats. I Think i had an oxygen mask on to start with which was later swapped for a nasal tube.

I think after where am i and OW! came where's my husband?! i want my husband! i was disorientated and couldn't understand why he wasn't there. i was reassured he was waiting for me on the ward and knew i was out of theatre. Eventually i had come round enough to get my bearings, remember my own name and be able to think thoughts other than OWWW and what the hell have they done to me!? i was wheeled back onto the ward and reunited with my husband and mom who had been climbing the walls. (turns out i had been 4 hours, when i was supposed to only be 1 hour and a half).

I was drowsy on a cocktail of anesthetic and morphine and was fighting to keep my eyes open but the lovely recovery room nurse had positioned pillows under all my joints and wrapped me up all snug. The recovery nurse and the consultant anaesthetist had been quite knowledgeable about EDS and POTS and both were excellent at ensuring my joints were supported and cared for throughout my operation and recovery. I had some time with my family to reassure them i was ok and then i drifted off to sleep.

Before i went down i had been fitted with very sexy compression stockings, two hospital bands and two cannulas, one for fluids and one for pain relief. During surgery i had another cannula placed in my other wrist for the anaesthetist to use. My surgery had to be postponed by an hour as i hadn't been given enough fluids and due to my POTS i needed a litre of saline pumped in before they even started and another 2 litres during surgery.

I woke up a few times during the night and was promptly given more pain relief. My oxygen levels, heart rate and blood pressure were monitored frequently throughout and in the morning i was stable enough to be allowed home, YAY!!

 

So a bit more awake i waited patiently for my various tubes and cannulas to be removed and my husband and april to take me home.

I left with a souvenir though

 *****(if you have a delicate stomach stop reading now)****

As i was being wheeled back to the ward i was given a tube with my Gallstones in, in my groggy state i asked what do i do with these?! The porter informed me there's actually a place in London where they will embed them in your nails?! I really hope he was just messing with my drug addled brain!

Here are the little beasts that caused me all this grief:

There were two larger ones, the biggest been half the size of a 5p. I cant believe something so small can cause so many issues!

Anyway i'm glad to be rid of them! I have five wounds in my stomach, i won't post pictures of these as they have not got dressings, the nurses opting for surgical glue instead due to my allergy to adhesives in most dressings. 

Since been home i've needed regular pain relief and haven't been able to walk without assistance as i cant straighten up yet, too much swelling, bruising and fluid around my wounds, instead i've settled for been propped up on the sofa with lots of fluids and snacks. 

Once you're moving about a bit you can take your surgical compression socks off. These are to prevent blood clots. It's worth keeping these if you know you're going to be bed bound once you get home. Whilst laid up it's also important to keep moving your legs and feet occasionally to keep the circulation going also minimizing the risk of blood clots. You can't bathe straight after but once you're up to it you can shower. You cant drive for a week or longer depending on how soon you can tolerate wearing a seatbelt and manage an emergency stop. It will be about 2 weeks before you can try lift, bend and stretch, slowly!

I'm just hoping to stand up and move unaided about the house by the end of the week. Leaving the house may take longer. I still feel groggy even though i haven't had any morphine today. Someone told me it takes a week for the anesthetic to leave your body completely. I hope they are wrong as i don't like feeling so out of it.

Laura :)

Home

Hi and welcome to my Blog - Sending Spoons.

If you want to know a little about me and my motivation behind this blog you can click here.

This blog is about living with chronic illness and crafting. I'm afraid its not all sunshine but its not all doom and gloom either.

 It is possible to have a life with a disability just a life redefined where you set your own goals, hopes and dreams and don't allow anyone else to impose their idea of a "normal" life upon you.

This blog follows my life, the ups, downs and random moments. As you can probably tell from my Selfies I don't wear make up everyday (if you do or don't there's nothing wrong with that, its a personal choice) neither do I have amazing photography skills just yet (I'm working on it ;) ) but I try to write posts that can be helpful to others going through similar things to me and that show a unique perspective into the life of a Spoonie to raise awareness.

I also use my blog to showcase some of my crafts and things I make for Spoonies in my Etsy store (linked through my social media buttons under "Follow me"), these posts are under the "crafts" tab. As my blog progresses I hope to make some tutorial videos on how to make some of the things I create.

I'm fairly new to the blogging world so if you have any hints or tips or just want to say hi, leave me a comment below,
having said that all trolls will be prodded back under their bridge from whence they came and vanquished to the evil land of "blocked" kingdom.

Enjoy!

Laura:)

Hospital grab bag

last week i wrote a post about preparing mentally (or not) for an operation or hospital stay if you missed that post you can read it here

This post is about the practical side of things when preparing to go into hospital or when you're needing emergency medical attention at short notice. This is where a hospital grab bag comes in handy.

A hospital grab bag is literally a bag you keep nearby, ready packed should you need to go into hospital at very short notice.

For me this came out of necessity, having frequent falls, faints and Supraventricular tachycardia attacks meant that i was needing emergency medical treatment quite frequently and without any time to prepare. Once you have spent a night on a ward with nothing but the clothes you're wearing and a phone, then had to have tests in day old underwear you take precautions so you're never in that situation again!

So here's what i have in mine:

Obviously this is just meant to last me 1 or 2 days, by which time friends or family would hopefully have brought me supplies and more clothes.

I'll start at the top, with my clothes. You may not think what you wear to the hospital or in hospital matters. I'm not talking about been fashionable but practical, although if you can do both go for it!

I have cotton yoga bottoms with a wide stretchy waistband. This is particularly good if you're having surgery around your abdomen as you can roll the waistband down or have it higher so it doesn't rest on any stitches, scars, wounds etc. Cotton is a good choice as your probably going to be sat or laid down for a while and anything with top stitches, seams or rear pockets may be uncomfortable. Mine came from asda (cheap and cheerful) but they're no longer doing the same sort of trousers, the closest i've found is these from peacocks. The same idea goes for your top. i chose my biggest, baggiest most comfortable cotton t-shirt. 

You may be wondering why there's a photo of my bra in there too (this obviously will not apply to everyone!) this bra is special. It has clasps down the front instead of back, completely removable comfort straps and posture support in the back. This allows access for ECG pads, central lines etc... and makes it easier to get on and off. You can buy various versions and brands of them from amazon (UK) here, some go up to 44E and come in black, white and nude. I also take a pair of slipper socks with me (the kind with little grips on the bottom) due to my dysautonomia my hands and feet are ALWAYS cold. Slipper socks are easier to pack than full slippers and you can wear them as bed socks.

Essential toiletries, dry shampoo as you may not get a chance to wash your hair for a while, face wipes, body/baby wipes to freshen up, i also take lip tint, spot cream, soothing eye gel, just because i'm ill doesn't mean i have to look dead! I also have some miniature perfume roll ons that i got ages ago, unfortunately the store no longer exists but the closest thing to them are the perfumes from lush here.

Next on the essentials is something i should have probably mentioned first, medications!!! The hospital will eventually give you your medications, if your admitted onto a ward, however this may be after a long wait in A and E or at the next medication round. If your medications are time sensitive, rare or needed quickly it's a good idea to take your own and any supplements you may also be taking. Just make sure you inform the nurses / doctors taking care of you that you have taken them. Its also helpful for the hospital staff if they know exactly what you've been taking. If you want to be super helpful pack your repeat prescriptions. 

The next thing i personally consider an essential is sanitizers. 

I take alcohol hand gel, a miniature surface disinfectant and some antiseptic wipes, for me this is because my immune system is lousy and hospitals are full of Germs. I know that hospitals have their own cleaners and ways of sanitizing things but it's for my own peace of mind, the surface disinfectant is good for spraying on toilet seats and tray tables before using. The hand gel is particularly useful in situations where you can't get out of bed to wash your hands before you eat or if you have to use a commode. I take antiseptic wipes as i'm allergic to plasters and micropore so usually have to try hold cotton wool on where they've taken needles/cannulas out. it can get messy.

Now onto the home comforts....

Its really hard to sleep in hospital, it's unfamiliar, noisy, nearly always too hot and they always wake you up nice and early to ask if you want a cup of tea - i love this so much I take noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask. This means i don't have to wait for lights out to sleep and the tea ladies don't bother trying to disturb me for tea or coffee. 

I also always carry a spare phone charger as my phone is literally my life line and some concentrated squash as i can't stand tap water, don't ask me why i, i don't know i just can't. I tend to put some in my water jug once it's filled up so i actually drink it and stay hydrated.

For some reason hospital air always dries me out i don't know if its air conditioning or the chemicals they use to clean with but i always end up with sore dry lips, sore throat and dry eyes, to counteract this i pack these:

Halls soothers for my throat, chewing gum to keep my mouth from drying out and to cover up nasty medication tastes, dry eye drops (just from asda) and some lip balm, this particular lip balm is an amazing brand called crazy rumours, its vegan and tends to work really really well. It also comes in lots of funky flavours like gingerbread, raspberry sherbert, amaretto and lots of other and this one's Mocha. I have a slight obsession with lipbalms and have some everywhere i go. You can buy Crazy rumours from lots of places but i get mine from Holland and Barrett. If you have Sjogren's or something similar these may also be essentials.

Lets face it hospitals are boring. If your conscious and "with it" enough it's always a good idea to take some form of entertainment. If you cant use it visitors may. I take an adult colouring book, colouring pencils, my beautiful journal (paperchase £12), some crafts and my phone. My phone always has at least one playlist on spotify and usually one or two audiobooks from audible. The Bloglovin app is always good as i can read all the latest posts from my favourite blogs. Just saying.... if you did yknow like this blog, i have a Blogloving button in my "follow me" section *hint hint*!

Finally to make my life and the doctors and Nurses lives easier i take a folder with my medical notes, repeat prescriptions and a map of the hospital. You can get what's called a medical summary notes print out from your GP that lists all your confirmed diagnoses, this is handy and is usually free.  If you have EDS i recommend getting a medical info card from EDS UK here. Not a lot of medical professionals have a good understanding of EDS and how to manage it. These cards explain the condition and warn medical professionals what to look out for and how to treat someone with EDS without putting them at unnecessary risk. If you don't have EDS or are curious what it is click here

This all fits quite nicely into my anna smith purple skull laptop messenger bag, its quite tatty now as i used to use it for university and then as my laptop case but i still love it. It sits just inside the bedroom door and my family and friends know where it is so anyone with a key can just grab it for me. I've asked paramedics to grab it before they wheel me away to hospital and they have been quite happy to do this as the folder also makes their lives easier.

continuing the theme of practicality, if your heading into hospital for a planned stay or op make sure you have planned for the big stuff, it sounds silly but make sure you know how your getting to the hospital and how your getting home. Having plan A and plan B for getting home and to the hospital may also be good. some things to think about:

* will you be well enough/ alert / safe to drive yourself?

* will you be able to use public transport?

*if you have a ride is there someone else that could also give you a lift if anything happens to plan A?

*Do you know if you will be travelling with any equipment aids / medical devices etc?

*have you got change for the car park / blue badges

When you get home will you need someone to take care of you, have you got enough food/ water / meds to last if you cant get out to the shops. Do you have a plan B if your stay ends up been longer than anticipated, have you got someone that can babysit / pet sit / house sit if you need it?

Lastly going into hospital is never pleasant, i dont think its supposed to be but with some foresight and planing it can be bearable.

I hope this post has been helpful. If you think ive missed anything important or have any suggestions / questions just comment below. If your reading this as your anticipating a hospital stay i wish you a comfortable stay and speedy exit!

Laura 

Sending spoons

Cooking and cleaning when your a spoonie

I've gathered and been given various aids/adaptions/gadgets over the years that are all helpful for something. I thought id share the ones I currently use in a serious of posts looking at different areas of living, as you can probably tell by the title this posts about cooking and cleaning.

Now a lot of the movement and concentration involved in cooking and cleaning I struggle with, for example, hovering, mopping, dusting, chopping, grating, using an oven all cause me issues. Depending on your abilities you may find some or all domestic tasks too much, but I will show you what I use to do what I can and why it helps.

First of all I have somewhere I can quickly sit down in every room, this is in case I'm about to faint so I can quickly sit down and recover. For the kitchen I have a perching stool this enables me to do most things sitting down.

This is how I manage to do bits of washing up at a time or heat something on the hob. Mine came for the NHS equipment stores following an OT assessment. Most health professionals and social workers can refer you to Occupational Therapy for an assessment. some health authorities allow self referral, others don't. The perching stool has adjustable legs allowing it to be high enough to reach your counters or low enough so you can get on it as you can see it also has two handles either side these are quite useful to hold onto to keep your balance if your having to stand for something. For washing up I pre-rinse everything in a hot soapy bowl and then do a few bits at a time, stacking them on the draining board to dry naturally, this reduces the strain on my hands and minimises fatigue.

Onto the next task...Laundry. Doing the laundry is difficult for me. I use a grabber to push and pull washing in and out of the machine and in/out of the tumble dryer.

I really struggle with carry loads of washing so I don't. I have one pop up laundry hamper that once its half full I can drag into the kitchen then use my grabber to move the clothes around. I also use a tumble dryer all year round when I'm doing the laundry myself, this is because I cant carry the washing out into the garden and I really struggle bending over and lifting my arms up to peg the clothes on the line. If April or Dom is available to help they will peg it out for me. I understand that this isn't very cost effective or environmentally friendly but its the only way I've found of doing it
myself without triggering my POTS or causing me additional pain and significant fatigue.

The Grabber is also good for picking up mess and reaching up to do or grab things like closing the curtains or picking something up off a high shelf without losing your balance, especially helpful if I'm in my chair!

Next comes sweeping up mess, sweeping large areas kills me off as does trying to bend down to use a dustpan and brush. I found a long handled dustpan and brush in my local Pound land. its a life saver, especially when I keep dropping things! This is good for small areas but also starts to hurt my hands if I try to use it for larger areas.

Cooking is trickier. I buy most things like my fruit and vegetables ready prepared and frozen, supermarkets have a really good selection now and I have chopped mixed peppers, garlic, spinach, Avacados and berries all ready to go in my freezer.

Unfortunately not everything comes ready prepared, for blending, crushing, chopping and grinding I have a mini blender, there are lots of models out there, B&M sell one for £20 but they are quite similar to the Nutri ninja's

mine comes with containers that have handles and different blades that you screw on the top as the lid.

I also struggle with opening jars and bottles so I have an automatic tin opener and one of these handy things:

You squeeze it round the lid your trying to open and it takes the strain off your hands. This one came free from amazon with my tin opener, unfortunately the tin opener stopped working but this still works really well.

Finally the actual cooking part, I mentioned that I use my perching stool to use the hob. I don't use the cooker as I tend to forget I have anything in there, go off, have a rest, maybe a little sleep then wake up to the smell of burning! Since the day I did that and then left the house I have used a halogen cooker. These beauties sit on your work surface (no bending next to hot oven), you set the temperature and they wont turn on without setting the timer too. When the timer stops the heat turns off. The worst that happens now is overcooked or cold forgotten about food. I love mine and it is well used (you can probably tell).

 

 

I'm hoping some of this is helpful, I plan on writing some posts showing my bathroom aids / adaptions and my mobility aids soon. we are quite lucky that new technology is been developed all the time, making different and/or easier ways of doing things.

What's your favourite aid, adaption or energy saving gadget? let me know in the comments below.

Laura :)

Cooking and cleaning when your a spoonie

I've gathered and been given various aids/adaptions/gadgets over the years that are all helpful for something. I thought id share the ones I currently use in a serious of posts looking at different areas of living, as you can probably tell by the title this posts about cooking and cleaning.

Now a lot of the movement and concentration involved in cooking and cleaning I struggle with, for example, hovering, mopping, dusting, chopping, grating, using an oven all cause me issues. Depending on your abilities you may find some or all domestic tasks too much, but I will show you what I use to do what I can and why it helps.

First of all I have somewhere I can quickly sit down in every room, this is in case I'm about to faint so I can quickly sit down and recover. For the kitchen I have a perching stool this enables me to do most things sitting down.

This is how I manage to do bits of washing up at a time or heat something on the hob. Mine came for the NHS equipment stores following an OT assessment. Most health professionals and social workers can refer you to Occupational Therapy for an assessment. some health authorities allow self referral, others don't. The perching stool has adjustable legs allowing it to be high enough to reach your counters or low enough so you can get on it as you can see it also has two handles either side these are quite useful to hold onto to keep your balance if your having to stand for something. For washing up I pre-rinse everything in a hot soapy bowl and then do a few bits at a time, stacking them on the draining board to dry naturally, this reduces the strain on my hands and minimises fatigue.

Onto the next task...Laundry. Doing the laundry is difficult for me. I use a grabber to push and pull washing in and out of the machine and in/out of the tumble dryer.

I really struggle with carry loads of washing so I don't. I have one pop up laundry hamper that once its half full I can drag into the kitchen then use my grabber to move the clothes around. I also use a tumble dryer all year round when I'm doing the laundry myself, this is because I cant carry the washing out into the garden and I really struggle bending over and lifting my arms up to peg the clothes on the line. If April or Dom is available to help they will peg it out for me. I understand that this isn't very cost effective or environmentally friendly but its the only way I've found of doing it
myself without triggering my POTS or causing me additional pain and significant fatigue.

The Grabber is also good for picking up mess and reaching up to do or grab things like closing the curtains or picking something up off a high shelf without losing your balance, especially helpful if I'm in my chair!

Next comes sweeping up mess, sweeping large areas kills me off as does trying to bend down to use a dustpan and brush. I found a long handled dustpan and brush in my local Pound land. its a life saver, especially when I keep dropping things! This is good for small areas but also starts to hurt my hands if I try to use it for larger areas.

Cooking is trickier. I buy most things like my fruit and vegetables ready prepared and frozen, supermarkets have a really good selection now and I have chopped mixed peppers, garlic, spinach, Avacados and berries all ready to go in my freezer.

Unfortunately not everything comes ready prepared, for blending, crushing, chopping and grinding I have a mini blender, there are lots of models out there, B&M sell one for £20 but they are quite similar to the Nutri ninja's

mine comes with containers that have handles and different blades that you screw on the top as the lid.

I also struggle with opening jars and bottles so I have an automatic tin opener and one of these handy things:

You squeeze it round the lid your trying to open and it takes the strain off your hands. This one came free from amazon with my tin opener, unfortunately the tin opener stopped working but this still works really well.

Finally the actual cooking part, I mentioned that I use my perching stool to use the hob. I don't use the cooker as I tend to forget I have anything in there, go off, have a rest, maybe a little sleep then wake up to the smell of burning! Since the day I did that and then left the house I have used a halogen cooker. These beauties sit on your work surface (no bending next to hot oven), you set the temperature and they wont turn on without setting the timer too. When the timer stops the heat turns off. The worst that happens now is overcooked or cold forgotten about food. I love mine and it is well used (you can probably tell).

 

 

I'm hoping some of this is helpful, I plan on writing some posts showing my bathroom aids / adaptions and my mobility aids soon. we are quite lucky that new technology is been developed all the time, making different and/or easier ways of doing things.

What's your favourite aid, adaption or energy saving gadget? let me know in the comments below.

Laura :)