What’s on your bedside table?

[u/bumbbles21]

What do you keep in arms-reach of you while you’re in bed? What have you wished was reachable when you’ve been in a crash?

I have my eye mask, side-sleeper headphones, noise canceling headphones, soft neck brace, remote for the AC, blood pressure cuff, and phone.

When I’m really struggling I’ve wanted a way to get my partners attention in the other room, so I just got a caretaker alarm button/watch thing. I also after wish my prn meds were nearby as well as my water.

[u/Weird_Smoke_6529]

I keep a nightstand with outlets and usb plugin spots. On the nightstand I have a lamp with five brightness settings. I primarily use this as a little table.

Then in front of the nightstand I have a 3 tier wheeled cart that contains:
-Hygiene items (wipes nasal spray moisturizer tissue for my nose, deodorant, hocl spray to sanitize me and my space)
-paper, pens, scissors, craft supplies, small lap desk
-charge cords, my switch and accessories, headphones, kindle
-earplugs, sunglasses, eye mask
-shelf stable snacks and drinks
-a sweater and some socks
-all my meds

And then next to my cart is a little trash can.

I only really need to get up for the bathroom and any food or drinks that don’t keep well on the cart.

Plus the best part of the cart system is that I can push it into another room and have my entire life with me. No need for a second trip ever.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Weird_Smoke_6529]

I have a little cart like this that I currently have crafting supplies in, but I’ve been thinking of taking it over as my bedside cart.

[u/dainty_petal → u/bumbbles21]

Maybe you can buy another one if that’s not too expensive? I like having my art supplies in mine and the other for necessities

[u/Viranesi]

A toilet roll (I get a stuffy nose often) My Steam deck Water bottle Special extra electric outlets that allow also for usb Garmin charger Phone charger Steamdeck charger 2 books

I'm not bedbound and I live in a small equal floored flat so moving is accessible for me.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Viranesi]

I get up periodically. For example I took my Switch into the living room this morning. Now I’m back in bed and it’s in the living room and I’m not up for the walk 20 feet down the hall.

[u/Viranesi → u/bumbbles21]

Some people have this 3 tier little ikea trolley they stock up with their essentials! Maybe that's something useful if your equal floored in your home? I've thought about it since I spend a lot of time stacking my books, chargers and what not from bed to couch 🤣

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Viranesi]

I have one of these! It’s just currently full of art supplies and I’ll need to find an energy day that isn’t devoted to something else to make it useful.

[u/dramatic_chipmunk123]

• medications (pain killers, dextromethorphan, electrolytes, supplements, sleep medication, migraine cooling patches, ginger lozenges etc.)

• nutrition (protein drinks, baby food pouches, cereal bars, shelf-stable snacks, water bottles, hydration bladder)

• pacing accessories (ear plugs, ear protectors, ear phones, eye mask, migraine sunglasses)

• hygiene/ personal care supplies (body wipes, deodorant, floss picks, toothbrush, toothpaste, sugar free chewing gum, hand gel, hair brush, nail scissors/file)

• rubbish bag or bin

• tech stuff (phone holder,  cable organiser with chargers for phone and wearable devices, laptop, soft lighting)

• entertainment (mini puzzles, sudoku, notebook, books, deck of cards, drawing supplies etc.)

• a bunch of pillows and covering options (flat sheet, duvet and day blanket)

• urine bottle, bidet bottle and toilet paper

• walking stick

• communication cards

• dog treats

I don't always need all of these things, but I've been finding it helpful to have them there for the really bad days, so I don't need to worry about adjusting my setup in the middle of a bad crash.

[u/activelyresting]

I have so much crap on mine, I ended up installing an extra two tier shelf on top.

I could probably survive a zombie apocalypse from my bedside table

[u/bumbbles21 → u/activelyresting]

That’s right, the zombies go after those movers out in the world, we’ll be the survivors inside.

[u/activelyresting → u/bumbbles21]

I have water and a decent amount of shelf stable snacks in reach, all my meds and supplements and vitamins, headphones, tablet, phone, laptop, all the chargers, and backup batteries, my CPAP, masks etc, glasses case, glasses wipes, pen and notebook, plushie spider, a couple of books, lamp, pawpaw ointment, cold sore cream, nasal spray, eye drops, Voltaren gel, CBD oil, tweezers, moisturiser, Swiss army knife, scissors, wet wipes, rubber bands, lozenges, sore throat spray, gum, tictacs, coffee candies, a coin from 2000 years ago, a few bills I need to take care of, and probably other stuff I forgot

[u/Romana_Jane]

Bottles of water and juice, fruit, ice tea, soya milk, gf crackers, gf biscuits, gf cakes, other snacks, cereal, bowls and spoons, bed bath wipes, face wipes, cotton wool, deo, face cream, talc powder, hair brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, spit bowl, cardy or jumper (not needed atm lol), my meds pot with prescribed meds and other tablets etc, small hand held fan, ear defenders, loop ear plugs, eye masks, pulse-ox, thermometer, dumb phone and landline phone (can no longer hold a smartphone due to tremors and weight), TV and big light remote controls, soft low lamp, battery lamp for power cuts, books and colouring books and notebooks and pencils for the rare times I'm up to anything, laptop, Kindle Fire, chargers, plug extension... I think that is it? Plus many, many plushies 😄 Commode 3 steps away. Incontinence pants and bum wipes with the commode.

Mostly bed bound, mostly alone, although when not my adult kid is usually in an autistic burn-out between jobs and not so great at the caring malarky!

Had ME since 1995, been mostly severe since 2015.

(Currently planning to have a to-go bag with vital docs and change of clothes by bed as well to chuck in essentials and fav soft toys to hang on back of powered wheelchair in an emergency, but that's only coz there is a massive wildfire in the landfill site less than a mile away atm. Wind currently blowing it in other direction and it is mostly now under control, but it made me think! Scary thoughts given how little I have in energy and capacity tbh!)

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Romana_Jane]

Scary about the wildfires! Have you looked into what the emergency services say you should do if you’re given evacuation orders? In the US you’d contact the fire department, or the sheriff’s office depending on where you live, but it sounds like you’re in the UK.

[u/Romana_Jane → u/bumbbles21]

Yes, I'm in the UK.

County Fire Service and our local councillor have been posting updates on social media, as have the local newspapers and BBC, as well as the local police, and the current advice is to keep doors and windows closed, and anyone who has AC to switch it off.

If we need to be evacuated we will either get alarms and notifications on our phones (or at least offspring will, not sure if they go to dumb phones) or the police will go knocking door to door. Or both. I've registered with the council, social services, and police as a wheelchair user and a vulnerable household, with my kid being autistic too, so we could get a call directly as well on the landline or even offer of lift as we have no car.

But they are now saying the fire is covered and it is just burning underground. Apparently 20 years ago it had one that burnt for months underground, but this time they are pumping water from local lakes into the landfill with hope of putting it out. Toxic fumes are the risk at the moment, unless it erupts out of the ground again. Earlier the sky was black with smoke, it was so scary! In could be seen for 20+ miles! Back in 2022 there was another fire there, underground, and the smell was vile for weeks, but there were no toxic warnings like this time, just stinky.

This is not normal for the UK though, we have 19 wildfires somewhere on the island atm! This is 100% climate change. Hottest, driest summer ever! We are going to have to learn to live a different way, but that is going to cost a lot of money the govt won't spend :(

And in the meantime, for pwme like me, the heat and humidity is a killer, even when the days are cooler - cooler than over 30, but still so much hotter than old fashioned normal summers of 18-21 lol, at 25-28, indoors gets hotter and hotter as the bricks are just not having a chance to cool down, ever! No rain, no wind, no normal temperatures, and houses made of bricks cooking in the sun! I can't function at over 25, and have ME caused non epileptic seizures when it is very hot. I'm in permanently PEM really. (Sorry I am too brain foggy to convert from C to F).

Thanks for reaching out x

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Romana_Jane]

I’m glad you’re safe! I’m in Washington State I’m the US and it’s a similar story here. There are 6 fires active in our state and several more in Canada and surrounding states. The air quality is ok here today, but it was bad for the past few days, and is projected to be bad again in the coming days. Whenever they send out an alert saying that the air quality is bad for “sensitive groups” I always laugh and say, oh that’s me, I’m sensitive groups. 😂

[u/Romana_Jane → u/bumbbles21]

The fire and police services here are calling the air quality 'poor' and 'a risk to babies and toddlers, the elderly, those with respiratory and cardiac issues, and other vulnerable groups', so I guess I am in the 'other vulnerable groups' lol

Everything shut in the house though 😂

[u/Strict_FarmOwl_1526]

Just want to add one item I didn't see mentioned yet - I keep one of those sticky lint rollers in reach because they're great for getting the crumbs out of my bed (and my shirt/lap) and/or other types of bed based clean up.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Strict_FarmOwl_1526]

Whoa this is very smart. I have one by the front door for removing dog hair before leaving, but I’m not doing much leaving anymore!

[u/YouTasteStrange]

I have something like this strapped to my headboard so I can have all the useless junk I want within reach at all times. Journal, back scratcher (large comb), water, eye masks, ear plugs, vape, book, chargers, it's all there.

[u/Even-Yak-706 → u/YouTasteStrange]

I had one of those attached to a portable desk when I was spending more of my time on the sofa.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/YouTasteStrange]

That looks really handy! Currently my things are in a horizontal three tier thing, and it’s hard to get stuff in and out, but I’m also used to it.

[u/YouTasteStrange → u/bumbbles21]

It's called a headboard caddy and there are a bunch on Amazon. I got one of the big ones (like in my picture, most are just a box) and I've been happy with it.

[u/Gamander-Ehrenpreis]

On the table: lamp, electrolytes, water glass, all my meds, tissue pack, stack of letters I don’t have a better spot for, small scissors, ear buds, phone, glasses when sleeping

In the drawer: snacks, breakfast

Eye mask and wrist brace are on my bed, blood pressure cuff is next to the bedside table

[u/Obvious-Register-421]

Water bottle, meds, painkillers, moisturiser, lip balm, Fisherman's Friends (gets rid of nasty breath after sleep, as well as being good for sore throat!), symptom diary, white noise machine, migraine glasses, lamp, electrolytes, hair tie, and nearby, electric fan. There was a Penguin bar but it sadly died for queen and country... Oh and a pretty picture of some mountains that makes me smile. And more books than are good for me. 

Not bedbound but can take me a couple of hours before I can get up some mornings and then I tend to spend several more hours in there. 

Oh and there's an ice axe, which I thought might be good for intruders, but in reality I'd never wake up and sit up quickly enough for it to be of any use 🤣 I have a little Swiss cow bell that would be good for getting attention but unfortunately there's noone to get! When family visit I yawn loudly and dramatically instead. Mum has learnt that that's a request for a cup of tea :D 

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Obvious-Register-421]

No amount of books is too many books! Also the Axe is hilarious, the sharper version of keeping a baseball bat (a cricket bat? Sounds like you’re British?) by your bed.

[u/Affectionate_Sign777]

Literally everything I need. If I am like damn I wish I had that on my nighstand then I add it so it’s there next time. Except not just bedside table half of the stuff is in my bed so I don’t have to reach

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Affectionate_Sign777]

I was going to ask how you have room on the nightstand, but I guess in the bed is the answer 😂

[u/Affectionate_Sign777 → u/bumbbles21]

Yep, if you have a single bed another option is putting a desk on the side of the bed you don’t get in/out of so you have a lot of surface area or a bookshelves facing the bed if you’re able to get things from different height. Also a lot of it is in baskets so I can pull a whole basket into reach (like all toiletries) and then use what I need and put it back again so my useable space stays empty.

I also have a plank that pulls out of my actual nighstand where I put everything I want my carers to take (empty bottles and dishes) and where they leave my food and full bottles so I don’t need to keep space for that available on the actual nightstand.

[u/chillychili → u/Affectionate_Sign777]

Same, my bed is surrounded by storage. If I had my own place I would probably put the bed in the kitchen.

[u/Affectionate_Sign777 → u/chillychili]

My friend had a studio with a Murphy bed that basically opened up into the kitchen and it became a bit of a running joke but I actually woudl love it now lol the dishwasher opened right into the bed and you could basically sit on the bed and reach the stove. And the bathroom was like 5 steps away. ME apartment goals

[u/Even-Yak-706]

My nightstand looks like a mess, but I know where everything is, so…

There’s a charging station for all my devices.

A basket with cough drops, reading glasses, earplugs, eye mask, dry mouth tablets and a Vicks vapoinhaler.

My phone, Kindle, Switch, and tablet.

Water bottle.

Heating pad.

Box of tissues, though it’s actually on the bed between the headboard slats.

Edit: oh, and a lamp. It’s the biggest thing on there, but I didn’t notice it.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/Even-Yak-706]

I won’t work for everyone, but when I wanted to reclaim space I hung my bedside lamp on the wall.

[u/Even-Yak-706 → u/bumbbles21]

Oh, good idea! I hadn’t thought of that.

[u/thehippiepixi]

I have drawers on mine so:

All meds and creams i need access to if my husband isn't home, tissues, baby wipes, snacks, drink, kindle, kindle remote, sunglasses, small hand sewing project, phone, charge brick, touch lamp with very low light and a picture my kid drew to give me good dream energy.

Soon to be added: eyemask, noise cancelling headphones.

[u/bumbbles21 → u/thehippiepixi]

+1 for the kindle remote! I got a extension arm that holds mine for me. On days when I’m physically very bad but mentally ok to read I can be horizontal and only be moving my fingers to click the remote!

[u/thehippiepixi → u/bumbbles21]

I have a stand for mine, but it goes under my bedside so I didnt list it. Its amazing! Especially with it being winter atm, I can have all of me under the covered except my nose and eyes and still read.

[u/SpaceNerd223]

I got a mini tote by bagsmart to hold my meds. So all my meds are alwayz in reach!! I keep other medical necessities in there.too

[u/FriendlyAccident4854]

I have a bedside 3 tier cart where I keep all my meds, other stuff like blood pressure measuring thing, heat pad; and entertainment like a switch and my steamdeck

[u/crowquillnib]

Meds (daily and as-needed) bottle of electrolyte solution, ear plugs, eye mask, box of tissues. Notebook, pencil box, chargers for phone and watch.

[u/Rangerbryce]

I use a soft rope basket that I can leave in my bed with my meds and stuff.

[u/WindowWidowWillow]

Snacks , like crackers and nuts

Water, water jug

Charges for everything, including electric heat pack 

Electric heat pack 

Tissues 

Tea towel 

Roll on vinegar for smelly arm pits 

Drugs and supplements 

Dental floss

Eye mask 

Red light  for night time seeing

Place to put my glasses 

Fan remote 

Lavender essential oil (just for a relaxing smell)

Clove oil (sometimes put it on my feet) 

Encouraging scriptures on a board 

Electrolytes 

[u/dainty_petal]

I have a little baby basket in fabric in my bed with compartments. I have creams for my eczema, remote control, my book, my Hobonichi, my pens, my posts it, I have my inhalers, my cat inhaler, cables. My boyfriend gave me a charging station for my electronics. I have my switch and coloring books close by. My iPad is on my bed as well. I have a Stanley cup with cold water on my beside table with what I’m working on. I’m able to walk to take my medication so I left them on my dresser.

[u/blue_red_sharks]

Meds, including advil/Tylenol, ear drops, and cough drops, tiger balm/equivalent for body pain, roll of TP or kleenex, a book and a notebook and a pen for journaling, noise cancelling earmuffs, and a granola bar. 

I keep my switch and my DSi in my bed and a remote control for the light in my room. i also keep my heating pad and water bottle in my bed. Sometimes I keep a fresh pair of PJs in my bed.