To What Extent Can You “Help Yourself” When Adapting To A Medical Condition?

One of the worst things you can do when dealing with a new medical condition is to push yourself, to overstretch, to not get the rest you need. However, the worst thing you can do is subvert or ignore medical opinion if it’s been given by multiple practitioners, except for extreme circumstances.

As such, it’s important not to make your willingness to try and do what you can harm your ability to rest and heal. Sometimes, you just have to go through the difficulties of a medical condition and find the reprieve you can when you can, working towards managing the symptoms and being mindful of your needs.

But for those who do wish to be proactive, within essential and necessary bounds, and with the approval of your doctor, may find benefit in doing so. In this post, we’ll discuss some efforts your healthcare professional may accept and allow you more of a sense of control. But always, always check by them first, and ignore all the following advice if it at all contradicts what your official, personal medical guidance tells you:

Consider Simple Medical & Lifestyle Aids

Small aids from medical supply near me can be extremely helpful. For example, pill organizers seem so basic until you’re juggling multiple medication, or shower chairs might look unnecessary until standing for long periods leaves you dizzy and it’s affecting your hygiene. It’s also good to have any compression bands you can wear where appropriate.

Your doctor might have recommendations specific to your situation, but you can find it cheaper and better if they can’t refer you to a free option. Maybe they know about a particular brand of compression socks that works better, or a type of heat pad that doesn’t get too hot like some others do. It’s worth asking what small additions to your home setup might help you manage day-to-day.

Set Your Routine

Our bodies tend to value routine and predictability when it’s in heal mode. Going to bed and waking up around the same time helps more than most people realize, and the same with eating regular meals and taking medications consistently.

A routine doesn’t mean your life becomes boring or rigid, actually it can help you make use of the energy when you have it, which can come in shorter supply at these times. You may find this helps you have some anchor points in your day, like gently walking the dog in the morning or having time to adjust to part time work in the afternoon, remotely.

Adjust Your Diet & Put Very Light Exercise In Place (Where Suitable)

It’s good to eat healthy but make sure if you enact any changes, you tell your doctor. If you’re unsure, tell your doctor. Generally, focusing on whole foods such as  fruits, vegetables, proteins, and sticking to your maintenance of calories each day gives your body better building blocks for recovery than processed intake.

You don’t need to become a health food fanatic overnight of course, but enjoying simple and healthy meals based on what you can take is great, and it works into the routine we mentioned. Small changes help. You might just add an extra vegetable to dinner or swap out soda for water a few times a day. Your doctor might have specific suggestions based on your condition, so always prioritize that.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily help yourself within appropriate boundaries, even when adapting to a medical condition.