It’s Official! Last-Minute Shopping is Here!
Some years ago, before the age of computers, I was in so much pain from my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, I had to get a cortisone injection in my ankle to go Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, the injection didn’t work and I was left with going Christmas shopping in extreme pain. That is definitely not a time that I want to re-live.
The wonderful thing we have today is technology. Hooray! We can shop for gifts from the comfort of our own home at any time of the day! I love it!
So, for those of you with arthritis that have been putting off buying Christmas presents due to flare-ups, pain, stiffness, or just plain procrastination, never fear…online last minute-options are here.
Purchase gifts online and choose overnight shipping
According to USPS, the last day to ship via overnight Express Mail shipping is December 23rd by 5pm. Your package will arrive on Christmas Eve. Now, this option is still a bit risky considering your merchant has to ship it by the deadline.
Purchase online and pick-up at local store
Some stores (such as Best Buy) offer the option of purchasing your items online and picking them up at their local brick-and-mortar location. Your order is ready to go when you pick it up. No shoving your way through the crowds and aisles to find that must have product. It’s great!
A word of caution though: make sure you check the policy of the pick-up service first. Some stores prepare your order within 24 hours; however, others can take 2-3 days. Make sure you know before you purchase.
According to BestBuy.com, you can order online up until Christmas Eve at 3pm for in-store pick up. You may even be lucky enough to live close to a Best Buy with reserved parking spaces for order pick-ups! What a bonus!
Purchase gift cards that can be sent via e-mail
Some online stores (such as Amazon.com and HomeDepot.com) offer the option of sending gift cards via e-mail. No shipping necessary! You can even select the date you want the recipient to receive the e-mail. HomeDepot even allows the recipient to print the gift card e-mail out and use it in the brick-and-mortar store or it can be used online.
If you’re not sure what type of store to get a gift card at for that special someone, then go to GiftCertificates.com. They offer the e-SuperCertificate. The recipient receives it via e-mail and can redeem it for a gift card of their choice. For instance, I receive a $25 e-SuperCertificate. I can redeem it for a $25 Macy’s gift card. It’s that easy.
Purchase Visa gift cards from your local participating bank
Some banks offer a Visa gift card. Just go to your local bank to purchase. This is an easy way to get your gift and have the recipient choose where to spend it. It’s a win-win!
What are you waiting for? Get comfortable, get your fingers limber and finish that shopping!
Merry Christmas to all!
All I Want for Christmas is…
Have you thought about what you want for Christmas yet? If not, you better get a move on!
I have some ideas of what I want this Christmas. Of course, some are serious and some are for fun. I hope you enjoy it.
All I want for Christmas is:
-a reasonable price for arthritis medications
-reasonable cost for health insurance coverage
-an understanding and knowledgeable rheumatologist
-for disability insurance companies to recognize arthritis as a debilitating disease
-an assistant to wrap Christmas presents
-no morning stiffness
-fingers that cooperate
-my ankle replacement to provide bionic super strength
-no-pain injectable medicines
-to walk as fast as mall-walkers
-to open a jar without it being a main event
-a personal butler for my every need
-a secret Santa to keep the Lexington, KY Arthritis Foundation branch open
-of course, a cure for the many forms of arthritis
Well, that’s my list. What’s on your list? Let’s hear it.
Arthritic Hands Don’t Need To Fumble With Neckties Anymore!
According to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately 17 million men have some form of arthritis. If those men have arthritis in their hands or finger joints, then tying a necktie can be an enormous task. Asking someone else to put his tie on may be difficult because some of his independence will be lost.
Instead of fumbling with the necktie or losing some independence, try using a Zipper Tie instead. Zipper ties have pre-tied knots and allow you to put your tie on in seconds. Just put the tie on over your head and slide the knot up to the desired location. That’s it!
Zipper ties are available in various styles. Whether you are going to church, a special event or work, you are bound to find a zipper tie to suit the occasion.
Zipper ties are also available in boy sizes for boys that have juvenile arthritis.
Have a tip on managing life’s daily challenges? Share it with us.
Are Medical Bills Drowning You in Debt?
When you have arthritis, medical expenses can be costly. Paying for rheumatology visits and procedures, lab work, prescriptions, surgery, physical therapy, etc., can be an enormous task and that is just for your arthritis. We know that if you have arthritis, you are at risk for other conditions and being more susceptible to becoming sick if you are taking an immunosuppresant drug. So what do you when you are drowning in debt from your medical bills and finding it difficult or next to impossible to pay them off?
eHow has some great suggestions you should go through first. Some of their suggestions are that you should detail review your bills, hire an expert if necessary to analyze your medical bills, and even ask the medical provider(s) to reduce your balance. For more details and suggestions, see eHow’s “How to get help paying medical bills debt“.
If you find that some of your expenses should have been covered under your health insurance policy, but your health insurance provider refuses to cover it, there is something you can do. Contact your health insurance provider first. If contacting your health insurance provider via telephone gets you nowhere, then write a letter to them indicating why you believe the charges should be covered under your benefits coverage. If the situation still remains unresolved, then contact your state insurance board. Document all of your efforts in writing to the state insurance board including why you believe the health insurance provider should be honoring your benefits coverage (i.e. your benefits coverage indicates…). Note in your letter that you are copying the letter to the insurance company and make sure you send a copy to the insurance company. You should hear back from both organizations fairly quickly.
If you were incorrect in what you thought your benefits were, then you will still be responsible for the bill. If you were correct and the insurance provider should have covered some of your medical expenses, then you should receive an adjusted bill from them after the state insurance board is involved.
If you decide to contact a debt service to help you manage the overwhelming bills, then please beware. Not all debt assistance companies are reputable. Make sure you check them out with the Better Business Bureau and RipOffReport before doing business with them.
After you have a plan of how you are going to resolve your medical debt, then you should write to your Congressional representatives. Be brutally honest with them and let them know how you struggle to pay for your medical expenses. Let them know that you have arthritis and how the disease affects you financially. Our Congressional representatives are our advocates. They can only help you if they know what you are going through. The more people that contact them, the more they will be willing to listen to and act on health insurance reform, change income tax regulations as it relates to medical expense deductions, and vote for more arthritis research funding.
Mounting medical bills can be very stressful. Take a look at all of your options to reduce your bills, then decide on which options are best for you. Just remember, that whatever you decide to do, you must keep your providers in the loop as to what you are doing before collectors come knocking!
Good luck!
Arthritic Fingers Turn Pages Easily With This!
Many people with arthritis in their fingers struggle to read books, magazines or even newspapers. Arthritic fingers just don’t seem to cooperate. They may be painful, distorted or just not coordinated enough to turn that little piece of paper.
Instead of giving up, try using a rubber finger tip to easily turn the pages. It is an inexpensive solution and it works wonders! The typical cost for about a dozen rubber finger tips is approximately $2.00.
For your initial purchase of rubber finger tips, you may want to go to your local office supply store rather than purchasing online. If you go to an office supply store, such as Office Depot, you can try them on to determine which size you need. Once you know your size, then you may want to purchase them online for future purchases to save time and money on gas.
Rubber finger tips are also great for anyone that works with a lot of paperwork throughout the day. You may just want to purchase some for home and work!
Rubber Fitness Ball Users Beware!
If you manage your arthritis by exercising with a fitness ball, please use caution. On April 16, 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of rubber fitness balls due to a “fall hazard”.
The brands affected are Bally Total Fitness, Everlast, Valeo and Body Fit Fitness Balls. The recall applies to the 55, 65 and 75 cm in diameter rubber balls.
The hazard is associated with the fitness balls being over inflated. If the ball is over inflated, it may burst causing the user to fall and possibly sustain injury.
Valeo has already released the revised inflation instructions for their fitness ball. If you have one of the other affected fitness balls, please contact the manufacturer, EB Brands for updated inflation instructions.
If Nothing Else, Try Exercising in Water
If you struggle with exercising because of stiff and painful joints, you are not alone. Many people with arthritis know they need to exercise, but doing it is another story.
Some exercise programs are too intense and full of high impact movements. Even though the exercise would be beneficial, using one of those programs may just be harmful to your joints. So what is an arthritic to do?
Try a water exercise program instead! Exercising in a pool allows you to be weightless and, if done properly, does not cause any impact on your joints. Check out this news video about a water exercise program in California.
Please note that in the second part of the news video (below), they do show someone jumping up and down in the shallow end of the pool. I would not recommend doing an exercise like that if you have arthritis in your feet or ankles.
To find water exercise programs in your area, contact your local Arthritis Foundation chapter, fitness gyms or rehabilitation centers.
Good luck!
Tips for a Bad Flare Day – Part 2
In Tips for a Bad Flare Day – Part 1, we went over various tips to help you deal with an arthritis flare up. Those tips primarily concentrated on various hot or cold treatments.
Here are even more tips to help you get through the day:
Reschedule priorities: If you have plenty of tasks scheduled for the day, but you feel terrible and know that you will not be able to manage it, then the first thing you should do is reschedule your priorities for the day. Postpone what you can and only complete the tasks that are absolutely necessary or make arrangements for someone else to perform those tasks. If you do this early in the day, you will not feel guilty that you could not accomplish what you originally planned on.
Hot tea: Try warming up your body by drinking hot tea. Green tea provides antioxidants and traditionally has less caffeine then coffee. There are also many different types of herbal non-caffeinated teas that will warm up your body and help you to relax.
Relax: Do something that helps you relax. Listen to music, meditate, etc. Everyone is different. Just do whatever works for you.
Rest: Try taking a nap or lay down for a while. You may just find that you feel a little bit better after resting for a while.
Use assistive aids: Use a walking aid, such as a cane or walker, to help you move with less pain through the day.
Enlist your family: When dealing with arthritis pain, many daily routines can seem monumental. For instance, doing laundry, making dinner, shopping for groceries, shuffling children to and from school, activities, etc. On these days, enlist your family to take on some of your daily routines. Talk about it ahead of time and let them know that you desperately need some help on those painful flare days.
Independent play for younger children: If your pain is too much to deal with and you just need some time to regroup, have a list of activities your children can do independently. For instance, quiet time in their room, watch a movie, art activities, etc.
Easy dinners: Keep some frozen food on hand for easy dinners. Save those for days you just can’t bear to cook. Choose from family size casseroles, pizzas, individual frozen dinners, etc. There are many healthy options to choose from. Have a salad on the side by using the pre-made salad options in your local grocery store.
Get moving: You may just want to curl up into a ball when your flare hits, but at some point in the day, you need to get up and get moving. Keeping your joints stiff is not the answer. Try some tips to warm you up and then take advantage of that by moving around a little bit.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get through your day with a little less difficulty than normal.
Good luck!
Tips for a Bad Flare Day – Part 1
As arthritics, we all have those bad flare days, weeks, years, etc. It is just a part of life. But some days just seem to be unbearable. What do you do on those days?
Here are some tips that may help relieve some of the pain:
Take a hot bath: This sounds like a no-brainer, but in today’s world most people would rather take a shower due to time constraints, busy lives, etc. Taking a hot shower can help because of the heat. However, when you take a bath you receive two benefits. First, your body soaks in the heat which helps your joints feel better. Second, due to the buoyancy, your joints are not weight bearing which relieves the stress on your joints.
Epsom salts: If you have tried hot baths and they do not quite relieve some of the pain, then try adding some epsom salts to your bath. Epsom salts tend to reduce inflammation and relax muscles.
Use a heating pad or electric blanket: Try a heating pad on the worst offending joint or an electric blanket if you have multiple joints in pain. Just make sure to not leave them unattended or sleep with them on.
Hand gloves and socks: If your hands hurt or are cold, then try wearing gloves to keep the heat in your body. That goes the same for your feet. Wear thick socks or socks with shoes or slippers on. Keeping the heat in your body assists in relieving the pain.
ThermaCare heat wraps: Try ThermaCare heat wraps on your joints if you need a portable heat source. They are designed to provide heat for about 8 hours once activated.
Cold treatment: If you have tried the tips above and you still do not experience relief from pain and stiffness, then try some cold therapy by placing an ice pack or cold pack on the painful joint. You may even want to try alternating between cold and hot therapies.
The overall message here is for you to find the treatment that works best for you. Everyone is different. When you find the combination of treatment that works best for you, jot it down so you know what to do the next time.
Tomorrow, we will give even more tips for those unbearable flares in Tips for a Bad Flare Day – Part 2.
Want to Save Money on Arthritis-Related Products?
Individuals with arthritis need arthritis-related products from time to time, but we also want or need to save money nowadays. ArthriticJoints.com now has a Special Offers page to help you save money on the products you may need!
When we come across sales, discounts, electronic coupons, coupon codes or rebates for arthritis-related products, we will post them on the Special Offers page. The offers are from various manufacturers and stores.
We look for discounts on arthritis-related books, aids, assistive devices, mobility products, health care products, heating pads/blankets and other general products.
Make sure you check our Special Offers page frequently or subscribe to our newsletter for notification of new offers!