I Started Using a Walker for my Fatigue

Within the past year of my life, my chronic fatigue has taken over. It outshines the pain to the point where my everyday pain is manageable. Chronic fatigue has stolen the show and decided it’s here to stay.

When I started to realize it was getting worse

I started Humira in April of 2020. I didn’t notice much of a difference on the drug, but I continued on Humira until January of 2021 because of insurance issues. From November 2020 until February 2021, I suffered greatly from my fatigue.

Before November, I never fully considered myself to be a disabled person. I had a cane for my bad pain days, but my flares were few and far between and I barely used it anymore.

When my chronic fatigue took over, that’s when I started to realize this was something big. I stopped being able to shower because it was just too much effort, even with a shower chair. Doing yoga also became quite impossible, something I loved doing.

I found myself stuck in bed a lot more than I already was. Walking up and down the stairs in my house would leave me out of breath. I was unable to play with my cat. Life became a lot more depressing and boring over the holiday months and into the new year. Sometimes even breathing would be more difficult if I was extremely fatigued. It was scary.

What I decided to do

February was when I decided to do something big to help myself with my fatigue. The idea of getting a walker popped into my head. My cane is great and all, but it doesn’t provide that stability that I need on the days where my chronic fatigue leaves me weak and unable to walk on my own.

I know there are ways to get mobility aids through the government, but with my experiences with trying to get disability coverage, I was too scared to be told by someone that I didn’t need a mobility aid. So I decided to go about it my own way.

I went online and found a walker with good reviews. It wasn’t too expensive because it wasn’t a heavy-duty one. I ordered it and became excited that something would be helping me daily.

It was everything I needed

My walker is everything I need on my bad days. My walker helps me get in and out of bed and to the bathroom and back. It provides me with stability and helps me move more than I would if I was just using my mom or my cane to help me.

It was definitely a hard decision to make, getting a walker at the age of 25. Part of me didn’t want to because I didn’t want my peers or strangers thinking I was too young to have one. I didn’t want that judgment.

I use it to go on walks because I know if I were to go on a walk without it, I would regret it a half-hour later. As hard as it is needing a walker at such a young age, it’s provided me with a lot more mobility than I had before I got it. It’s been a godsend to have a walker for the days where my body feels too heavy to move. Having something to lean on is so important for our bad days.