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.