Category Archives: Tools

Multiple Sclerosis, Technology, The Best, Tools, WalkAide, Weight Loss

Tears of Joy from the Alter-G

I got to walk SAFELY without a cane today for 10 minutes on the Alter-G treadmill made with space age technology from NASA.

I can’t remember the last time i walked 10 minutes straight without wobbling or falling.  Maybe 2010 shortly after my MS diagnosis in 2008?  MS makes exercise / elevating the heart rate a difficult task for many of the 2.5 million people fighting the chronic illness having symptoms that are as unique as a snowflake or fingerprint.

What is the Alter-G you say?  First a little history.

When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in July of 1969 (my birthday and for whom I was given my middle name), he and Buzz Aldrin got to experience the Moon’s extremely low gravity of ~16% as compared to Earth.  The Alter-G treadmill allows the user to reduce gravity’s impact by selecting weight between 20% (only ~4% more than the Moon) and 100% of your body weight in 1% increments.  This is a true game changer for many people and reasons.  For those of us with MS it is very important to KEEP MOVING!

I urge you to investigate and try this amazing piece of equipment to:

  • Rehabilitate lower extremity injuries with less pain and less impact
  • Improve mobility, strength and safety for those with neurological conditions
  • Provide a safe way to lose weight and exercise more intensively while unweighted
  • Train without pain and reduce the stress to joints and muscles
  • Recover effectively and with less pain after training or competition

 

 

Color Blind, Technology, Tools

Help for the Color Blind – EnChroma

I’ve known I have been color Blind since 4th grade during an in school test (if my memory serves me – Maybe 5th or 6th grade?). I remember other classmates finding out (no medical privacy back then) I was color blind and being harassed (asked) what color their Scooby Doo lunchbox was.

Color Blindness has not really affected me that I am aware of except for  Computer utilization.  You can find the test here:  http://www.enchroma.com/test/instructions/ .  Since I spend a great deal of time looking at monitors, I’ve decided to try a highly successful (80-85%) solution.  EnChroma www.enchroma.com has joined forces with Valspar (paint company) to bring special indoor and outdoor glasses to help the color blind in their #ColorForAll Campaign.

Most of their stock is either sold out or backordered 3-4 weeks.  I have ordered the EnChroma Cx Hawk and will blog about my findings.

hwkB3_c-1000x500

Multiple Sclerosis, Technology, Tools

Tools of the MS Trade – Part Deux – Making life easier

Growing up i was Rt hand dominant, however I Golfed lefty and batted lefty (it also gave me an extra step closer to 1st base 🙂 ). My Father said if i ever wanted to get last years clubs handed down, I’d switch and learn Righty; which I did. That was many moons ago (8yrs old and up) and well before MS Dx with optic Neuritis in 2008 at the age of 39. In the past 6 years my Rt side foot drop and Rt hand/arm Neuropathy along with Frozen Shoulder has plagued me — well, like the plague.

I use several tricks to “keep moving” and work smarter, not harder.
1. Massage Therapy (she spends a good 30 minutes on my hand, arm and shoulder alone).
2. I use a “signature stamp” from Vistaprint to sign/stamp checks and other documents where a stamp is appropriate.
3. I use a UBE (upper body Exerciser) – like a small bicycle wheel with pedals for my hands, arm and shoulder.
4. Tricep pressdowns & lat pulldowns with a velcro cuff that has a hook on it and very light weights.
5. Cable rope pulley on my door to stretch the arm.
6. I am constantly stretching my hand and fingers backwards to keep them out of the “death grip”
7. i wear a compression glove at night and a hand splint a couple nights a week that keeps my hand and fingers/thumb in a open slightly arced position.
8. I use a “Handshoe” mouse which i can move but i still have to left and right click by pushing my right fingers with my left hand’s fingers. I also have bluetooth trackpads for my Mac and Windows machines that i use with my left hand.
9. other tools i use can also be found on my blog 🙂

Hope this is somewhat helpful. I can link you to the actual products that can all be found on Amazon if you would like.

Multiple Sclerosis, NEST, Technology, The Best, Tools, Vacuum

Tools of the Trade – Making life with MS easier – Part 1

Many of my friends know how into technology and home automation I am.  I really enjoy fixing things.  I always have.  I can remember early on in life fixing things around the house.  My technology crippled parents would be amazed when things like the toaster oven or microwave were working again after I fixed them.  Or the time I ended up converting all of the hard-wired rotary phones in the house to modular jacks and touch tone.  I ended up saving them $$ on their leased phones – you know the real heavy ones with the loud hammer bells?  I also used to get hand held video games and take them apart to see what made them tick and then put them back together again.  Sometimes a screw or part might have been missed so i’d do it all over again.  I LOVED IT.

My wife asked me to fix her towel rack the other day and I was worried I’d have to call someone and pay them as this would be something I could do no problem.  But MS has taken away a lot of skills from my right hand and arm so much that I so gladly would give just about anything to have back.  It sometimes brings me to anger or tears the things I can no longer do that I loved so much.  Well I’ll be damned, I actually did fix the towel rack for her.  It might have taken me a couple minutes longer and I invented new ways of doing it or holding and propping things up but it made me feel worthy again.  I even had the energy to put all the tools away and clean up afterwards.

“Tools” were then and even now a very important part of how we can get things done.  I’d like to share with you some things that I use to try to make my life with MS a little easier.

Neato Robotic Vacuum!  Does a better job than the cleaning lady!  Cool patterns too!  http://www.neatorobotics.com/

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neato

 

 

 

 

Grabber Tool.  Why bend over if you dont have to?  Unger 92134 36-Inch Nifty Nabber Pick-Up Tool with Aluminum Handle

grabber

 

 

 

 

 

NEST – Thermostat – www.nest.com – Control your heating and cooling right from the web or your smartphone!

Nest-BR

 

nest

 

I will post more tools of my trade that make MS life much easier in my next post.  To be continued…Part 2!