One day, it was finally clear to me.

I couldn’t do this shit by myself anymore.

What couldn’t I do?  This is going to sound pathetic, but it was putting on socks.

I would haul one leg over the other and struggle, then throw the other leg over and ugh…

Don’t even get me started on tights. Or boots.

Washing my own feet in the shower (never a bath, because I’d never be able to get out of the tub without help) is nearly impossible.

See, it took me a bit to realize that I would need my cane if I was going to be walking or standing a lot. It took me even longer to realize that getting a disability placard was a good idea. Same with bring a folding chair when I go to escort (and actually using it). Asking my partner to carry my laundry basket to the basement still bothers me.

But this? Basic activities of daily living? It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to write this. But, just as I’m getting over it to keep typing, I had to get over it if I wanted my life to be less of a struggle.

So I got this a few months ago from Amazon.

Yep. I got a doohicky to help me put on my socks and tights.  Works pretty good, too.

I also got this at the same time.

No more having to ask my partner to reach under/over/behind most things, especially shit I manage to knock over. We already had a long shoe horn, I just had to ask for it and actually use it.

There are a few more things I need to get that I didn’t even know were available to help me: a foot scrubby thing that sticks to the tub floor, a loofah long enough to scrub one’s back, a pumice stone on a long handle.

It’s rough admitting this shit. I’ll have to update the form that my rhumatologist makes me fill out before each appointment that asks me if I need assistance with this basic shit. I’ve always said “no”, when it was increasingly a lie. Hell, when I was asked to join The Orbit, I had to confess that I needed a harder push to get shit done, because I’m just not good at prioritizing the important stuff due to executive dysfunction issues. Getting over my pride and actually telling people I need help with my disabilities is hard.

But it’s necessary if I want to have a life. And for you, if you’re reading these words and wondering “Should I get this/ask for that?”.

YES.