Generally speaking, if I am ill and you are physically in my space,
Have I eaten in the last 4 hours? If I don’t have an appetite,
It’s because I can’t stomach the idea of food. The trick is to get me excited about some food.
Sometimes I don’t like the idea of anything from outside, or want to avoid the expense.
I might not want a big meal. Some snack options
It might also be worthwhile to encourage me to leave my location, and walk around to find something to eat. This might be especially prudent if I haven’t left the house so far, if I have spent a lot of time on the screen that day, or if I am being anxious about a specific thing.
June 2025 edit: I am off of gluten and dairy for the next two months to observe the effect it has on my inflammation. All food and ordering options will need to be screened for this and I might run out of options and get frustrated faster. All food options in the above categories are indicative. If you could actively suggest items that fit the scenario that are also gluten/dairy free (or can be modified to be so) that would be incredible.
If you know how to identify knots and can offer to remove them for me, that is very helpful during this time. I will not ask for you to do this unless I’m in a large amount of pain, but if you notice me massaging myself and offer - even if it’s just a thirty-second quick rub - know that it goes a long way.
Hydration is the biggest one here. If I mention I have a headache coming up and you hand me a bottle of electral1, I will love you forever.
I could also have a headache if I haven’t eaten. See Food. I am more likely to eat food I am handed than seek it out myself.
Can I breathe properly? When was the last time I saline cleansed my nose? If I don’t have my spray with me (there’s generally one in the car) can/should I take an antihistamine?
Sometimes the headache is an offshoot of the neck/shoulder pain, in which case the cold press often really helps.
The right neck/shoulder is disproportionately affected by my redacted, and often leads to pain in the whole arm on flare days2 or on high usage days3. It helps to hold hot things (mugs!) or cold things (I will keep an ice pack around)
This is unfortunately a recurring issue. In 2024, I had Laryngitis 4 times, and was on voice rest for a cumulative 10 weeks. I had acute laryngitis without realising it for two months at the beginning of the year for over two months. In 2025 I managed to stay away from the throat infections but unfortunately got hit in the first week of February in 2026, and that infection followed me the whole month.
I know some (very little) ISL, and it would mean the world to me if you make an effort to learn it during this time. I will also aim to minimise my talking as much as reasonable, so keep an eye on your phone - I will text you even if I’m right next to you. During voice rest I will often have long coversationns with friends where they are talking to me and I am responding via text.
Here’s a log from when I had to consume exclusively liquid food for 5 days.
Hot water will make lots of things better4. Electral will make better what hot water alone will not. Ice packs are best wrapped in a bit of cotton cloth - one of my slips from the laundry bag is just fine, or one of the nice kitchen towels.
The only correct electral is the WHO formula one, available in powder form to mix in water for Rs. 4/- (makes 200ml) and Rs. 20/- (makes 1L) respectively. In general if I am feeling unwell of any kind electral is a good helper. ↩
Flares are not a separate topic here because they can’t be treated. We can only get rid of the individual symptoms, not the flare as a whole. The flares are cyclic. Sometimes they will be responses to osmething going on in my life. Sometimes they will exist for no reason. We just have to remember that we’ve had flares before and they’ve all gone away eventually, so this one will too. ↩
High usage days are when I’m typing/gaming/using my phone for long hours. ↩
The correct temperature to drink hot water is 55C (this is why I own a temperature controlled kettle) ↩