Survivor Spoonie Edition: What's in Your Bag

Ever wish your bag could calm a flare before it starts? We empty our real spoonie survival kits and show exactly how we plan for pain spikes, long waits, and the kind of detours that come with chronic illness. From compact pain tools to mood-lifting comforts, you’ll hear how we choose items that solve predictable problems—then scale up for travel without hauling a suitcase.

We start with the everyday carry essentials: hand sanitizer, lens wipes, and multiple lip care options because dry mouth and dehydration hit hard. Ginger chews help with nausea and jitters, while compression gloves and lidocaine patches offer quick relief for aching hands and joints. We share why a sanitizer-pen is a genius hybrid, how a tiny bio stick helps settle the gut, and why two forms of Benadryl can be a lifesaver. Snacks matter just as much: roasted nuts, protein bars, and freeze-dried fruit keep energy stable when appointments run long. A favorite verse card in the wallet can reset a spiral faster than you’d think.

Then we move beyond purses to the systems that keep us steady at home and on the go. A nightstand or chair-side kit holds electrolytes, dry mouth lozenges, and a dedicated snack box so you don’t need to stand when flaring. Caregivers will find easy wins: labeled drawers, a ready-to-grab travel tote, and a weekly pill organizer that flips to show what’s been taken. For longer outings, we add a TENS unit, trigger point tool, multiple electrolyte formats (powders, chews, capsules, even pickle juice), and a bento-style snack so eating doesn’t feel like a chore. The goal is predictability, not perfection—small, smart choices that make hard days workable.

If you’re building your first kit or upgrading an old one, we’ve got practical packing lists, product ideas, and simple routines that reduce stress and decision fatigue. Tell us what we missed, share your favorite items, and help other spoonies build their own safety nets. Subscribe, leave a review, and drop your must-carry pick—what’s the one item you never leave home without?

Keep your spoons close and support system closer.

Chapters

• 0:16 Welcome And Topic Setup
• 0:41 Jen Unpacks Her Bag
• 5:28 Lip Care, Laughs, And Snacks
• 6:24 Headphones, Pens, And Pain Relief
• 8:58 Comfort Items And Inspiration
• 8:58 Essential Oils And Emergency Meds
• 10:37 Linia’s Nightstand-To-Go System
• 12:18 Caregiver Tips And Pill Management
• 14:46 Protein, Planning, And Portable Snacks
• 16:38 Scaling Up For Longer Outings

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:08

Welcome back to my Spoony Sisters. I'm Andy. I'm Lania. And I'm Jen. And today we're talking about what's in our spoonie survival kits. We polled the audience, we asked for topics, and one of the topics was what's in your spoonie survival kit? And so today, we got our bags with us. We're gonna talk about while disclosing what's actually in our bags. With that being said, Jen, what's in your bag?

SPEAKER_00: 0:37

So whatever purse I take, it's gotta be a decent size purse.

SPEAKER_01: 0:43

That purse is huge.

SPEAKER_00: 0:45

It's actually not that bad. It looks bigger than it really is.

SPEAKER_01: 0:48

Your shoulder probably hurts.

SPEAKER_00: 0:50

Okay. Well, I leave it on my elbow. Ha ha ha ha. No matter what bag I take. You keep laughing, Lynnea. I have to have some kind of hand sanitizer because people will be gross. Yep. Ginger chews are my best friend. I get nauseous in the car sometimes or nervous about going places. And something about ginger chews helps my stomach relax. I don't have band-aids, lens wipes, because my glasses are always dirty. Always have to have some kind of hair tie or scrunchie because sometimes my hair is just wild. You're gonna notice I have a lot of different chapsticks and lip glosses. So here's a regular chapstick, it's from Tilt Beauty, it's non-colored. I like that it because it's magnetic, super easy to open. I've got one of my Be Well pill cases with all the like emergency meds. If you haven't noticed, people, I have got crooked teeth. So I have one of these like little thing, toothpicky things to get in there. Because I don't want to gross people like Andy out trying to get stuff out of my teeth when we're gonna be able to get it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:50

Your hicker looks like it's seeing better days.

SPEAKER_00: 1:53

Like it it looks it looks like a pipe cleaner. That's what they are. They look like a little bit of a cleaner. Yeah. And you stick it in, and I I stick it in between the teeth and I go like and I get it out. Andy, I see the face. I have some kind of hair clips because you never know. Then I have a pair or two of compression gloves for when my hands start making jokes and getting angry.

SPEAKER_01: 2:18

The pair or two of compression gloves. Is it because you're wearing both pairs? If you have on the times that you have two pairs, is it because you intend on wearing both pairs in layers? Are we going Cindy Lauper or you wear a different color on each hand? Or are they different strengths of compression? No.

SPEAKER_00: 2:39

So these are both from Grace Enable. They're both the same exact size, same everything, it just different color. Honestly, it's if I get a pair dirty, or say get cat hair on them or something like that, that way I have a backup pair. What if I took something disgusting and I don't know? You never know.

SPEAKER_01: 2:57

You're right.

SPEAKER_00: 2:58

I have a lot of different kinds of stuff for my lips. So I have a lip plumper. I love lip plumpers and I love the tingle they give. This one is from Too Faced, and it's sparkly, and I love it. And here we go. Here comes the tingle. Do you guys think I'm weird or do you guys like the tingle?

SPEAKER_01: 3:13

Didn't you just put that on like at the start of our chat? Were I mean how plump do you want your lips?

SPEAKER_00: 3:19

I love the tingle, it feels so good. And then, of course, I've got two different flavors of Carmex for some reason, and apparently another thing for my teeth. Keychain. Wait, is the teeth thing just hanging out? Like, is it covered? It has a cover. Okay. See? Okay. Yeah. No, that would be disgusting. You know me, I'm a German. I just didn't see the cover. I just mean no, it wasn't hanging in the bottom of the now. I'm hoping this brings back memories for you guys. Holy after that. Is it gonna open for me?

SPEAKER_02: 3:53

That's why I don't get those. Those are not open. Those do not need to be in our survival kit.

SPEAKER_00: 3:58

But I love oh, it brings back memories. Okay, so if you're not seeing the video, if you're only listening to us, this is those vintage metal lip gloss containers we all had as kids. This one is Tropical Punch. Wait, where did you find that? Every time we go to the ocean, they sell them at the candy store there.

SPEAKER_02: 4:17

Okay, I'm gonna have to look downtown.

SPEAKER_01: 4:18

Because that's like a one-off. It's just always somewhere where the vintage stuff is, the vintage candies or the old-timey mom and pop like corner store vibes, like cracker barrels.

SPEAKER_00: 4:30

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01: 4:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:31

So if you go to the Oregon coast, all the little shops along there have them. But if you guys tell me what flavor, I will pick you up one.

SPEAKER_01: 4:38

I like a good tropical punch, not to feed a stereotype, but I like a good tropical punch.

SPEAKER_00: 4:43

I do. I always have a lotion. Sometimes if you do one. Strawberry sounds good. I have to have lotions. Lania, I know you can relate. I I get psoriasis on the palms of my hands. Always have to have lotions. Lots of lotions.

SPEAKER_01: 4:57

It puts the lotion on its skin.

SPEAKER_00: 5:02

So I love these roasted cashews that my husband got for me from Amazon. They are called nuts.com. So I always have little bags of these with me. I feel like Andy's trying not to laugh again.

SPEAKER_01: 5:18

You got a sack of nuts off of nuts.com.

SPEAKER_00: 5:21

You got ceravet healing ointment.

SPEAKER_01: 5:28

So you have a sack of nuts next to healing ointment. This is just wow.

SPEAKER_00: 5:33

And Bilt Puff.

SPEAKER_01: 5:36

Pistachios. You have a lot of nuts in this bag. And lotion. And lotion.

SPEAKER_00: 5:43

Wallet. What kind of wallet?

SPEAKER_01: 5:45

She has a means to pay for all the nuts. Another Bilt Puff. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00: 5:50

You're not an addiction.

SPEAKER_01: 5:51

A salty peanut protein bar for from my bag is a boring in comparison.

SPEAKER_00: 6:04

I do have one Zot.

SPEAKER_01: 6:06

Oh, those are so good. Those are so good. Yeah, my bag is boring in comparison.

unknown: 6:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 6:14

No, no. Come on, tell us what's in yours.

SPEAKER_01: 6:16

So here's my bag.

SPEAKER_00: 6:18

It's cute.

SPEAKER_01: 6:19

Right. In my bag, I have my emergency pair of headphones. Oh no so and when I get stressed out, it's also a fidget because the face frame changes, the eyeballs. We all need these. This is practical. I love it. I have a lip mask because I have very juicy lips. I have a lip gloss times two or four, depending. I have a pain cream. I have more lip gloss. So that's that's we're up to three right now. Four. I have ginger juice. I have a bio stick.

SPEAKER_00: 6:55

What is a bio stick?

SPEAKER_01: 6:56

It's in case I get uh indigestion or whatnot, or my gut feels weird. It helps balance out your gut biome. I have insect repellent. I have hand sanitizer that doubles as an ink pen. So I always have a pen. This side is sanitizer. This side is a pen.

SPEAKER_00: 7:16

Where on earth did you find that?

SPEAKER_01: 7:18

I got like they have them on Amazon, but I got them, I got an insane amount of them during COVID because I work medical stuff. And I always know people touch stuff. You want me to sign stuff? I got my own pen. I got my own pen and I can sanitize my hands and all the things. I have emergency Benadryl, I have my toothbrushes in here. I have two different types of a Benadryl. I have an emergency pair of earrings. Which ones? I have lidocaine patches, essential oils, another lip gloss. Which essential oils do you carry? I have lavender, I have joy, and I have a citrus. I have Ricolas, and then I have a card that I carry around that my friend Kendra, oops, can't see it, that my friend Kendra sent me, and it says, Let the beauty of our Lord God be upon us, Psalms 90, 17. And he sometimes God uses you to show his glory for others to see his power and favor on your life. Be the light.

SPEAKER_00: 8:18

I love that. How long have you been carrying it? Two and a half years.

SPEAKER_01: 8:21

That means um Kendra sends me, oh, and I have stress relief lotion, and it has Arnica in it. It's also great for pain if you have achy hands. So Kendra sends me a card just randomly. I know I have her cards everywhere. They're always interestingly right on time. But I have her and I I met her at my very first duty station. I met her while I was pregnant with Kyla, so she knew Kyla before Kyla knew her. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 8:47

How cute.

SPEAKER_01: 8:48

What's in your bag, Linia?

SPEAKER_02: 8:49

Well, I went more of what I keep in my nightstand, but I also take it out and put it in my bag for what on the go. So I have this little go bag and it has all these little that's set in my nightstand. But I also everything I have blood pressure issues. I have my blood pressure cuff in the top. So if we're going traveling, camping, this bag I grab it, it has everything. So my husband can grab it if he needs to, and it will have everything. So these things I keep in my nightstand when I'm flaring, and it's my snack box. So if I'm flaring or having a rough day, I have freeze-dried fruits, I have electric lights, I carry these in my purse as well. I have protein bars, and then I have a container. Uh no, this is the peanut butter and chocolate, and the Oreo one's good too. Then I have a small container. I usually keep something salty because I get these salty cravings. Today it's peanut butter and pretzels. Last week it was Trail Mix. Now, I will say, because I thought of my mom when I did this, this would be great if you have a parent or somebody you're caregiving for is having a bag like this because it would be all located right next to them and they can find it all. So, but I even have dark chocolate candies in there for sweet soup. Stuff that wouldn't go bad, but stuff I would eat on a daily. So I also in my chair, I keep a basket now in this room. And it's my snack. It's got biofremes, it's got electrolyte tablets, it's got dry mouth because our medication and stuff gives us dry mouth. I have emergency pills, I have protein flip bars, I have more dried fruit, and it sets on my night right here by my chair. So if I don't feel good, I can at least still be in here, and I don't have to keep getting up for snacks. I have everything right here. So that's a tip I would have. My mom, I did have she had drawers next to her chair, and I would put snacks and stuff in her drawers. So she would always have her pillbox was in there. So just a tip for caregivers. I also have my emergency meds right here. This is my nightstand. Now, my purse is just like your girls' smaller bags. This is just this is all my stuff for travel. I don't keep this, I don't use anything. This is a double. It's in there, it's packed, so all I have to do is grab the bag. Now, here's here's what every chronic illness warrior needs. Mine is downstairs. Well, and I missed one because it's today. So I'm redoing mine today, so that's why they're upside down. But you can have your the day of the week. I turn them upside down after I've used them. So I know where I am at. Yep. So I'll have them up. I know there's pills in those. I turn them upside down, and then I know where I'm at, and I'm like, then I start dreading when I get close to needing to fill them, where you can tell I have to fill them tonight or I have no meds for tomorrow. So but this is on Amazon, and it even came with a little bag. You can carry a week's worth of pills.

SPEAKER_01: 11:52

So on the pill cutter in that joker is amazing. I I have put been putting that joker to a lot of use as of late.

SPEAKER_02: 12:01

It's this little bag, like it is so nice. I can get all my pills done once a month. Now, I did my parents' pills boxes, and I would have loved to have something like this had individual weeks, and then we they finally came out with the you know, the morning and the night. It was more back in the stone ages, we didn't have much.

SPEAKER_01: 12:23

Yeah, and then when they finally came out with the three-day ones, it was never big enough for the giant pills that they put them on. I had to have two forms.

SPEAKER_02: 12:32

Yep, it's frustrating. Yeah, so I highly recommend that for anyone with a chronic illness that takes a lot of pills, vitamins, but also for your if you're caregiving, once a month, you're done. It's a 30-minute job. Um, but yeah, that's my bag. And I keep biofreeze in here too. I have lotions by in by my bed in my purse, a care hint sanitizer, pretty much everything you guys do. I didn't see anything that other than the ginger chews. I haven't had those for a while. I have ones that are like a hard candy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 13:06

I love them. And typically I get the flavored ones. The mango are really delicious.

SPEAKER_01: 13:11

That's what's in my bag, is the mango ones, the mango ginger juice.

SPEAKER_00: 13:14

Mm-hmm. And honestly, usually when I'm leaving the house, I grab one of my premier proteins because I just they're great for an emergency. If you know, if a doctor's appointment's going to take too long and I'm starting to feel hangry, need some protein or something, that's perfect. I I slept for the longest time on planning ahead for things like that. It was like torture. And now that I have to be super mindful and make sure that I'm getting food in my body, I am always making sure to carry all the things. So usually a premier protein drink and my nuts and my bars because those are my go-to's. Those are my favorite things to eat. And that you can sell.

unknown: 13:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 13:56

Nuts are your favorite thing to eat. Woo! My gosh. So what exactly is one done for people who can't who aren't gonna see this video but are listening, I'm very distracted. What is in your hair right now, Jen?

SPEAKER_00: 14:11

I didn't mean to distract you.

SPEAKER_01: 14:13

I couldn't tell if it was a headband or if it was like a clip.

SPEAKER_00: 14:17

These are fuzzy clips. They came in my package from Tilt Beauty.

SPEAKER_01: 14:21

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00: 14:21

And so I clipped my bangs back from my face.

SPEAKER_01: 14:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 14:25

And so I figured while we were chatting up, I would do my makeup.

SPEAKER_01: 14:29

I noticed you're doing your makeup. I was just trying to figure out how whatever it was in your hair was stained in your hair. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 14:36

Little wings. It's a great look. Yeah. Not really. I look ridiculous. I look ridiculous. Now, is there anything that either of you add to your bag for different situations or occasions?

SPEAKER_01: 14:49

Yes. So that's just what what I showed you is just my I I grab base in my purse bag. That's my purse bag. But if I'm carrying a tote, what I have on me at all times, I have a trigger point release tool. I have my blood pressure cuff. I have a tinge unit. I have lidocaine patches, the contents of what was in my small bag. I always have electrolytes in multiple forms. So I'll have pickle juice. I'll have electrolyte chews and also electrolyte capsules. I'll also have electrolyte powders. I will have some form of a meal replacement. Um in liquid and bar form. Um I will have a snack and it's complete snack. So it my snack is typically a charcuterie board that in a cute little bento box. I do bento box snacks. I pop that in my tote so I can graze without getting bored with the one thing. How about you, Linia? Anything extra that you you take? I'm trying to think.

SPEAKER_02: 15:47

You know, for me, like going to town is a half an hour one way. So I always make sure my meta my pill box is full. Like make sure I have all my emergency pills. But I always make sure I have protein bars, trail mix, dried freeze dried fruit, something to munch on because sometimes I'm not hungry when we eat, or he's not hungry. So I just need to snack. I just need to snack, or I get, you know, keep my energy up. But there was something else. I always carry some kind of paint cream everywhere I go that I can put on my hands, my feet, whatever, knees, shoulders, and lidocaine patch. Toes, yep. Hands, shoulders, knees, and toes. I'm gonna cover it all at the same time. Like I just need to be dunked in the barrel of it, you know, and then I'll be good. Yeah. That's so real.

SPEAKER_01: 16:41

We did this. Well, guys, we have walked you through a little bit about our personal life and what's in our bags. We're interested to know what's in yours that wasn't in ours. So drop us a message or comment on a post or like, comment, subscribe, all of the above. Let us know what's in your bag. Maybe it's something that we need to add to ours. Let us know if you found any of these things useful for things to add to your bag. And with that, we're out. Don't forget your spoons, y'all.