Guest guest Posted July 17, 2005 Report Share Posted July 17, 2005 I have just been diagnosed with RA. My hands at the knuckles are very swollen. Doctor unable to give me meds because they are still checking out lungs and heart for some other problems. I went to church today and a man greeted me with a handshake that nearly sent me to the moon. What is the polite thing to do....not shake hands..grab his arm and shake. I also shake hands alot in my profession, I don't want to be appear rude or weak. Please let me know how you handle this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2009 Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 I can relate to what you are saying, Jackie. Sometimes my hand would ache for hours after a bad handshake. I wondered if it was doing any damage to my nerves. Men never hurt my hand, but women frequently did. It's like they confused " firm " with " squeeze hard " . Sometimes I felt like the more insecure a woman was, the harder she would squeeze...or maybe that was just my imagination. I felt funny talking to anyone about it. Not sure what you can do about it. Maybe if you wore a fashionable yet supportive arthritis glove? It's almost like you'd have to wear something to show you have an injury for them to go easy on you and even then, I'm not sure every woman would, since they view it as a message about themselves rather than consideration for you. It would be great if women could be taught that a firm handshake means hold you own hand and arm firm rather than limp. It doesn't mean squeeze the heck out of someone else's fingers. From: Jackie Sachs <jackiesachs@...> Subject: shaking hands " " < > Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 9:28 AM Here is something that has concerned me from time to time. Often i will meet someone new who goes to shake my hand. Because I have attended many seminars that teach about a firm handshake, i find that women in the professional world shake hands very firmly. I always get nervous that either they will hurt me or that i am not projecting a good impression since i can not do a firm handshake. Any thoughts. I know this sounds trivial, but curious to hear from women who have encountered this. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Why not just say, " Oh, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have an injured hand. " when someone wants to shake. No need to hurt yourself. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Jackie: Tell them your hands are sensitive and to please let you control the handshake. Take the offered hand and REALLY NAIL IT!!!!!!! Not really, but people will usually return a handshake with similar pressure. Regards. --Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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