High- and Low-Tech Tips to Make Life With Lupus Easier

Lupus brain fog – trouble thinking clearly or remembering things – is common. As many as 4 out of 5 people with lupus say they have it. Put your smartphone to work for you. Enter appointments in the calendar. Set reminders for all your to-dos. Use note-taking apps to jot down new symptoms, problems, and questions for your doctor as soon as they arise.

Your smartphone's app store includes dozens of apps that are designed to help you manage your lupus. They offer symptom tracking, medicine reminders, support from other people who have lupus, education, home remedies for pain, and information about clinical trials. Each app has a different combination of tools, so it might take some trial and error to find which will make your life easier.

Other health apps that are general symptom trackers and diaries might also help you see a flare coming. Pill reminder apps keep you on top of your meds. For trouble coping with lupus, more apps are helping connect users with talk therapy.

About 1 in 4 people with lupus have symptoms of depression. And 1 in 3 have anxiety. Support from others in the same boat can go a long way. The Lupus Foundation of America connects people with support groups in their area through their website. Many lupus apps also have outlets for connecting with the lupus community. Some people find the informal support groups on social media to be helpful.

You take meds for your lupus, but you also need to take steps on your own to manage the ongoing symptoms. Online self-management programs can teach you how. The Lupus Foundation of America offers two: SELF (Strategies to Embrace Living with Lupus Fearlessly) and the Take Charge email series.

Some people with lupus swear by self-massage devices to relieve aches and pains in muscles and joints. A physical or occupational therapist might be able to recommend one based on your unique symptoms. Among your many options are foam rollers, S-shaped massage hooks, and various battery-powered massage guns and other devices.

Technology has come a long way since corded heating pads. Pharmacies and online stores now carry a wide variety of both reusable and disposable moist and dry heat devices. You might want to keep a reusable one at home and a few peel-and-stick disposable heating pads in your car or your bag.

Heat tends to be best for the pain and stiffness that come with lupus, but if that doesn’t work, give cold a try. It can bring inflammation down and numb pain. And you don’t need messy, homemade ice packs. No-drip cold packs come in all shapes and sizes – from pads big enough to lie on or to cover a large area to Velcro wraps that stay in place while you move.

They’re low-tech and simple, but pill organizers are tried and true. You can separate your pills for each day of the week. Some handy boxes even allow for dividing up doses by morning, noon, and night.

If you take a handful of medications each day – or several times a day – some pharmacies will package them in separate doses rather than putting a month’s worth of pills in a single bottle. Ask if your pharmacy offers “multi-dose packaging.” It saves time, energy, and brain power that could be better spent elsewhere.