Online Shopping

Let me begin with I LOVE to shop! I love to go up and down every aisle and look at everything. Target is one of my favorite stores and I get all excited when their end caps are filled with new products. Well, unfortunately I don't get to go shopping really anymore. Other than going to the doctor's office I maybe get out of my house once or twice a month if I'm lucky.

Just the act of taking a shower and getting ready to leave the house is such a painful agonizing ordeal. The entire time I'm in the shower I can't wait for it to be over. I'm doubled over crying out loud in pain practically the whole time. My husband helps me every time with taking a shower and getting me dressed. I'm thankful he is there to help me or else I don't know how clean I would be.

Before my disease took over my body like this I had a lot of fun going clothes shopping. Trying piece after piece of clothing in the dressing room was fun for me but now it is impossible. Not only has the items of clothing I buy changed but the way I shop has now changed. I can no longer wear cute skinny jeans or pants that are tight in the waist area. The seam on jeans puts a constant rubbing and pressure sensation on my vulvar region and increases my vulvodynia pain. Jeans and other non-loose pants put a lot of pressure in general on my bladder and lower abdominal region which causes me a lot of pain. This has made me so sad because I love to wear skinny jeans.

I've also had to be creative with what I buy. At first I just bought a bunch of the same lounge pants from Target and cotton tank tops, but this made me feel like I was always wearing pajamas. I still wear lounge pants, because they are loose around my waist and bladder but I pair them with more fashionable tops. I have been able to find tops that are cute, loose, and most of all flattering.

I mentioned that the way I shop is different now. I can no longer jump in my car and go shopping for a couple of hours anymore or even try to bear 20 minutes. Now I do my clothes shopping online. It's definitely different. There's no aisles to walk (or wheel) up and down, no racks of clothes to look through, and you can't touch or try on the clothes. I had to get used to this way of shopping. At first I had a very negative attitude towards it, but there are some positives to the online shopping that I'd like to share with you!

#1 24 Hours A Day - That's right stores don't close online. This means you can shop from the comfort of your home anytime of the
day when it's convenient for you! Even if it's when you're in your pj's wearing your pink bunny slippers. This is the biggest positive
for us because we don't have to leave our homes or even our beds for that matter.

#2 Coupons - Many stores have coupons or promotional codes that can only be used online and often times if you spend a certain
dollar amount they will also provide free shipping! If you don't see a coupon on the website do a search for a code in Google or
Yahoo. Also, many online stores/websites have an email sign up that you should always go ahead and sign up for because most of
the time you'll receive coupons, sale notices, and other specials that you wouldn't have known about otherwise.

#3 Online Only - Most websites carry items that you see in stores, but they also carry their own online only items. This is nice
because I've found many items from cute summer tops to comforters and duvets. Sometimes if you're used to shopping at the
same stores it's nice to find these online only items. It gives you more variety and it can be fun looking at the new items they have
in stock.

#4 Clearance - Always check out the clearance section of the website you're on. I usually visit that section first, because you never
know what you're gonna find. I myself have found some pretty amazing deals! Just a few weeks ago I got a couple of tops
from Old Navy for only $6 each. They were regularly $18 each but were on clearance and I also had a coupon code in my email
inbox for an additional 10% off. I got a really great deal and was happy with my purchase.

I hope this let's you know a little bit more about online shopping and maybe you won't be too intimidated to try it out. It's definitely better than the alternative which is either not ever having any new clothes or somehow dragging yourself out to go shopping. Let us know if you have any experience or tips with online shopping and what your favorite websites are to shop from!