9 Things in My 'Spoonie Room' That Just Make Sense

I was sent a TikTok with this title and even though I refuse to give in to making an account, I wanted to jump on the bandwagon somehow. Before I start I should mention that along with HSD and fibromyalgia, I also have ADHD, so a lot of these sprouted from the necessity of avoiding losing my mind. Here are my favorite items for managing chronic illness that I keep in my “spoonie room.”

1. Cute Basket

I need a place for all my braces, tapes, and random physical therapy/yoga equipment. With hypermobility spectrum disorder, I have quite a collection of braces and tape to try to keep my joints behaving. I have also accumulated massagers, stretching bands and God knows what else to try to alleviate my pain. It became a treasure hunt every time I needed anything. So to keep it all organized I picked up a cute basket on a trip to Target. It is wrapped in canvas because I just end up throwing everything in there and it prevents my room from looking like more of a disaster than it already is.

2. Medicine Cart

Due to my insurance, I have to get three months of my prescriptions at a time. This leaves a lot of backstock of meds and nowhere to put them. Inspired by the movie “Five Feet Apart,” I got a cart to keep all my meds organized. It’s all open so everything is easily seen and accessible. The top is daily meds, the second shelf is backstock and PRN, and the third is bandaids, alcohol prep pads, and disinfecting wipes. It’s right next to my bed so I don’t have to get up when I need something. Which is good on bad days.

3. Bedside Table

On the same note, on the other side of my bed. I have a bedside table with three drawers. It’s the same concept, to know where everything is and to make life convenient. Because I never have the energy to stand in the bathroom to do my skincare, I do it in bed. Yup, my entire skincare routine is set up for bedside use. Along with everything nails and hair. It’s also important that my medical notebook and journal are within arm’s reach when something pops up.

4. Heating Pad

Something else that is never beyond arm’s reach is my heating pad. It never moves. It never gets unplugged. It’s always in sight. It’s one of the only tried and true methods of pain relief for my fibromyalgia.

5. Air Purifier

My newest addition to my spoonie room is my air purifier. Like so many, I have chronic allergic reactions to everything. My allergy/immunologist recommended I get one, along with hypoallergenic sheets. They have made such a difference. My eyes don’t swell, my nose doesn’t get congested, and my hives outbreaks have been under control.

6. Laundry Baskets

I have three different laundry baskets in my room. Not to separate my whites, lights, and darks because I refuse to use that many spoons on laundry, but by hierarchy of need. One basket for “needs to be washed ASAP,” like underwear. One for “when you have extra room in a load” like lounge clothes, and the last one for “eventually” like extra sheets. Laundry was always a struggle because with everything in one basket, it would take too much energy to do it all, so I would just keep pushing it off until I’d have no clean clothes. This way, I know which basket to grab first so that my essentials are always the first to be done.

7. Two Trash Cans

One for regular, everyday stuff and one for medical packaging. I use single-use eye drops twice daily and medicated face wipes at night. I wanted somewhere to throw them out close to bed, but didn’t want a gigantic can next to my bed. So I got a small one for medical trash and a big one for everything else. It has made a surprising difference.

8. Maternity Pillow

I still to this day cannot sleep without my maternity pillow.

9. Grabber

I use my grabber on a regular basis, especially now my left knee keeps subluxing.

I love reading lists like these because I’m always looking for new ways to make life with multiple chronic illnesses easier. So I hope there’s something that might help someone else here. Or if you’re just getting started on your journey with a chronic illness, this could be a jumping-off point. We all function differently and this is what works for me.