One of my most debilitating Lyme symptoms is back pain. It limits me so much. I used to be a runner, I ran the Boston Marathon in 2009, but around 2015 I started getting so much intense back pain and overall weakness that I went from running a few miles every weekend to being unable to even walk more than a mile.
I am now a part-time wheelchair user. Day to day my pain levels differ, but on average I am unable to walk more than a mile, or stand for more than 15-30 minutes, without the pain setting in and quickly getting too intense to “tough it out”.
So needless to say – SHOPPING has become a rare occasion. It’s just too painful. Too much standing, carrying items in my arms or a basket. I’m not strong enough to roll myself around in my wheelchair up even wheelchair ramps (they’re too steep!) or through cramped aisles. Sometimes my nausea is too intense to even leave the house and get in a car or on a bus. I’ve just gotten used to not being able to shop anymore. Which SUCKS cuz I used to love going through Target and Ross and Nordstrom’s on a regular basis, and because little by little my clothes and shoes are just falling apart around me! 🙂
Cue the Amazon Prime Wardrobe gush-sesh. ❤
My old, dirty ass white Sketchers that I use as my main shoes have been in desperate need of being replaced. In the past I had been purchasing clothes on Amazon to try on, but I wouldn’t like 95% of them and would end up having to deal with getting charged up front, returning the clothes, waiting for refund, rinse & repeat. After enough times of this process I just gave up. Until they started offering a “try before you buy” approach.
If you’re unfamiliar with how it works, check out Amazon’s instructions here.
You can pick up to 8 items to ship to you, and you get 7 days to try them on, without getting charged for anything up front. Then you pick what you want to keep and return the rest, and get charged for what you keep. No more waiting for refunds.
PRO-TIP: Ask Amazon to schedule a UPS pickup if you are unable to physically bring the box to a UPS store yourself. By default it just tells you to drop it off, but for me that’s too hard most days, so a pickup is way easier.
I had selected 8 pairs of shoes to try on – and picked these as my favorite! I wore them in the house for a couple hours to make sure there were comfy and there weren’t any rough spots that would rub my skin raw or cause blisters. They passed the test. Thanks Sketchers, you rock.
Easy peasy – all from my home. No wheelchair required.
Side note: this picture on the shoe box is SOOOOO CHEESY! I had to call it out. 🙂
The Lyme Life 