New to group

[Guest guest]

I have RA and I am 56 years young. Hope to find some suggestions here

on how to cope with everyday life. It has been rather difficult for me

to adjust to a new way to do almost anything. I am open to suggestions

on how to simplify my home to make things easier for me. I also work

as a tour guide and do quilting, knitting, gardening, and reading.

[Guest guest]

Assistive Devices

http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/25/113258.htm?z=1834_00000_2244_HZ_06

http://www.beabletodo.com/StoreFront.bok

I got these links from others and they might help you. I know

nothing about them myself. God bless.

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis

[mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On

Behalf Of petooney

Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006

12:41 PM

To:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject:

New to group

I have RA and I am 56 years young. Hope to find some

suggestions here

on how to cope with everyday life. It has been rather difficult for me

to adjust to a new way to do almost anything. I am open to suggestions

on how to simplify my home to make things easier for me. I also work

as a tour guide and do quilting, knitting, gardening, and reading.

[Guest guest]

Petooney wrote: Hope to find some suggestions here on how to cope with

everyday life. It has been rather difficult for me to adjust to a new way to

do almost anything. I am open to suggestions on how to simplify my home to

make things easier for me. I also work as a tour guide and do quilting,

knitting, gardening, and reading.

Ardeith writes: Not much advice I can give about knitting. If you crochet,

wrap the handles of the hooks in big lumps of something like masking tape

(write the size of the hook on the tape.) This makes the hooks easier to

hold without cramping your hands, but you can't do that to knitting needles.

I wrap paint brushes and all my clay carving tools too. It ain't

pretty....but it works!

Find big fat ball point pens to write with....Dr. Grip is a good one....and

I swipe every fat pen I see lying around my doc's office.....they have drug

company ads on them, but who cares? I can write with them easier. But the

easiest thing I ever found to write with was a calligraphy pen.....won't do

carbon, but it's so easy. I thing felt tipped markers are easy to write

with too. I've been known to shove my drawing pencils through small rubber

balls too.......

I don't work anywhere I have to make a good impression on customers, so I

was able to throw away bras, high heeled shoes, and panty hose. I don't own

a thing that has to be buttoned, hooked, or zipped. Oh, I don't own

anything that has to be pressed either.....ironing does a number on my

shoulders and hands....

One thing my son did for me years ago, that I still bless him for....he got

me a Microsoft keyboard that doesn't cause me pain in my wrists. I don't

know precisely what this board is called.....but the lines of letters are

split from T G B on the left...

and Y H N on the right....there is a sorta pie slice shape between the rows

of letters, and they are angled a bit so I don't have to twist my wrist too

much to work this thing. When I try to use Fred's standard straight

keyboard, I have trouble with it.

Not knowing where your problems are, or how big a garden you grow.....the

only thing I can suggest there is don't go stressing your joints too far.

Make sure all your trowels and such have big handles on them that you can

grip easily.....and don't squat! That puts too much stress on ankles and

knees.....I use a five gallon bucket to sit on, and have a hoe and weeder

with the handles cut down so I can use them seated. I also have pulled a

lot of weeds bending over from the hip...yes, with my butt sticking up in

the air.....but I wear pants out there, and there's no one to see anyway.

Cleaning.....don't....DON'T....try to clean the whole house in one day. Do

one side of a room, or one corner, a day.....yes, you'll be cleaning

something everyday...but you won't be killing your joints.....which is

better? And as far as possible, sit down while doing it. My little

canister vaccuum has a long hose, and long wands and I can reach every

corner of my work room....which reminds me, the spiders are back and I need

to get the webs down........again. It's a hike from one end of my house

to the other, and I don't enjoy hiking all that much....so there's a shelf

where I put things to take back to my workroom, and a shelf there for things

I need to return to the front of the house......when I have to make a trip

either way, and have a hand free, I grab something to take along.....I'm not

hiking all the way back here to bring one roll of scotch tape back!

Cooking......if your kitchen doesn't have someplace you can sit to chop

stuff, make a place for yourself. I've got an old wooden TV

table/tray....you know....for dinner in front of the TV.....and an old

secretarial chair on wheels.....I haul them out whenever I need to chop

stuff. Then just fold up the table to get it out of the way, and shove the

chair into a corner when I'm done. I do a lot of of one-pot meals like pot

roast, or chicken and rice......and freeze half. Sometimes I put on two

meals at the same time....use one tonight, one tomorrow, and freeze half of

each. Then I can pop one of the frozen meals in the microwave when I'm too

achy to face cooking. One thing I don't do is spaghetti.....I'm afraid to

try to life a pot of hot water to drain the pasta....so I make the sauce,

and let Fred deal with the hot water.

Hope something here helps...

Ardy

PS: I forgot driving....I've a steering knob on my steering wheel....helps

enormously!

[Guest guest]

try these:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-rst/2657.html

http://www.arthritis.org

Leona

>

> I have RA and I am 56 years young. Hope to find some suggestions here

> on how to cope with everyday life. It has been rather difficult for

me

> to adjust to a new way to do almost anything. I am open to

suggestions

> on how to simplify my home to make things easier for me. I also work

> as a tour guide and do quilting, knitting, gardening, and reading.

>