Sunday, July 15, 2007

Stupid Left Hand!

Until you loose the ability of you dominate hand, you do not realize how much you use that hand. Every day tasks now become difficult chores that take five times as long. Within the last two days here are the tasks that I now have problems.

Brushing me teeth- Try using you off hand for this. I have to lay the toothbrush so I can squeeze the paste. Then for some reason the normally fluid back and forth motion I use to brush turns into a herky jerky motion. I almost lost an eye yesterday.


Buttoning- Pants are the worst. Since I don't have a thumb, I can't really grab my pants to get them were I need them. Then it took me 10 minutes to button up my shirt today. I know I will get faster at this, but I have to train myself.


Silverware- Last night we went out for Mexican because I thought that would be easy to eat. WRONG, I could not cut my burrito and tamale. The Wife finally had to intervene because I was about to throw my plate... well attempt to throw since I probably can't do that as well. I finally had to turn my plate around and kind of half scoop half stab my now cut food and hope it will get into my mouth. Mexican food should never be that difficult.


Reclining in My Lazy Chair- OK where is the handle... go and look, it's on the right side. Every time I want to recline I have to try and use the club of a right hand to get the chair up. Usually this also creates at severe pain that makes this no longer a lazy enjoyment.


Laundry- I usually do the laundry and for the most part it's not that hard till I have to reach into the dryer with the opposite hand I'm use to.The first few times for some reason I stood sideways to reach in to get the cloths. The hardest part was folding. I gave up and now The Wife have 5 loads of clean cloths to fold.


Writing- Can't do it and I think that's enough said there.


Showering- Since I'm in a cast I can't get it wet, so I now wear a turkey base ting bag on my hand (I'm not kidding). Shampooing was not that hard, I turned the bottle upside down and squeeze a little till I have it my hand. The hard part is getting the bottle back on the ledge without loosing the shampoo. Washing was a little more difficult, I but the wash cloth on my right shoulder, grab the bottle of wash and pour some near the top and hope gravity doesn't pull most of the soap off. Put the bottle back and slide my hand underneath the cloth.


Shaving- I just keep praying that my hand goes up and down and not sideways.


Contacts- Nearly impossible, I wear my glasses at all times.


There are more tasks that trouble me, but my left hand is getting tired of typing. I miss my right hand and I want it back.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeremy,

You are the only person I know who could probably injure himself while standing perfectly still.

When I was 7, I lost my entire right arm for 3 whole months, so I feel your pain.

Get better.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about that hand thing.

Last year when I was going through the whole ankle thing, I kept wondeirng to myself if it would have been better if I had broken my arm. And even thought I couldn't walk for six weeks, the prevailing thought was that I would rather have broken my ankle/leg/foot.

And dcz, I have injured myself while standing perfectly still.

J Dog said...

All the WIFE has to say is, padded walls.

From the WIFE