off-topic, but you're a captive audience

20 years ago

Hi, all. Enjoying all the posts. Just wanted to impart a few tips for living with rheumatoid and osteo arthritis, fibromyalgia, spondilytis and / or degenerative disc disease. These aren't for gardening per se, but could be adapted if you've that specific need. They are all adaptions and you probably already do them, but I went for a long time without snapping to some of them and so if it helps anyone not repeat my time lag, it's worth it.

Laundy baskets: who looks forward to lugging that thing? I finally figured out NOT to buy the short ones. Buy the tall ones and then tie a shoe lace on one side. Then drag it. OMIGOSH, that one single act saves my neck and lower back every time. I found some tall round plastic ones with large open weaves all around at the dollar store. They have tops, too, which I use to carry my clean small folded socks and undies back to the bedroom drawers.

Washer and dryer clothes removal: I bought a Gopher, and it comes in mighty handy (for more than this). But a simple pair of large stainless ice tongs will help immensely, too. I have a front loading washer, and barely have to bend over much to get the last stray socks and undies, etc.

Door Handles: switch out to those French-style handles instead of knobs. Worth the investment. No hand cramps, and elbows can open the door if hands are full or not cooperating.

Rubber garden gloves: I use my rubber-coated gloves I bought at A.M. Leonard's website for $6.99 for everything. The rubber coating provides a wonderful helper grip.

Ceiling fan pulls: make them as long as you need. It's amazing how often we touch these and how we put up with short ones, especially if you have a tall hubby who doesn't understand life from a shorter point of view. Buy some cheap chain and lengthen them. Also, find a round pull for the light chain and a paddle, bat or stick shape pull for the fan chain. If you make all your fans the same as to which pull controls which function (round for light bulb, stick shape for fan), you can see which is which as you approach the fan and then not have to crook that neck painfully upward to adjust it. Just feel to pull.

Tools (garden or otherwise): drill holes in everything that can be hung and tie a piece of leather or cording through it and hang everything you can as close to eye level as possible, on walls, fences, etc. Yourstuff is in view and in easier reach. They'll get used more and you know what you have better.

Please excuse this diversion, but more energy saved from everyday "life" leaves more energy to garden! Carry on, and add your suggests. I know I could use 'em!

baybrat the "degenerate" cripple -- thankful for every "good" day I get and happy it's not worse :))))

Comments (10)

compost_hugger_nancy
20 years ago
Hmmmm....french handles...few other things I hadn't thought of. For now I await court decisions before I do anything.

Definate idea for french handles (I assume that is good for a garden shed too right?)
Yellow22
20 years ago
My mother just asked if I had some large plastic bags. I should have guest she was using my idea from years ago, as she just washed her sofa cushion covers and it makes it so much easier when all the air get sucked out with a vacumme. Place the chusions in the bag tie it, you should have enough time to slip them it with ease. Besides it fun after struggling to get them out. No fighting to get them back inside the covers although ripping the bag can be a pain. You could always zip them up with them still on.

I also don't use a vacumme for my car but open all the doors and use a leaf blower. Get's all those dried up french fries loose that are stuck between the two front seats where no tool can reach. Water pick for the areas in the bathroom especially around the sink fausets. I have big hands and it not easy to scub.
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breezynosacek
20 years ago
I got a blower/mulcher and I never thought of using it on the van! Thanks!

Hubby many not have much longer and he's always telling me, you better learn this, I might not be here to do it for you. That was fine when I was able to walk. Now, I can't figure out how to shovel, kneel or get back up, nor can I lift anything over the weight of a 2 x 4 x 10. It puts too much weight on my knees and I hurt for several days afterward.

I got down in the floor about a month ago to clean out a shelf in my kitchen. I forgot that I couldn't get back up. I had to scoot across the room to grab something that didn't move to back up onto. Took me forever.
jenny570
20 years ago
Thanks for all the tips! Sometimes there is a very simple way to do something that just may not occur to us.
Kinseeker
20 years ago
I have found laundry "baskets" that are made from some kind of netting that is so lightweight it is unbelievable, and they fold for storage when not needed. They are fairly tall, too, and come equipped with cloth handles. Many catalogs have them now....
We have french handles on the doors in our new house, and they are just great.
julieyankfan
20 years ago
There is a special place in heaven for the person that created that "Gopher" tool! I have degenerative disc disease and had 3 discs removed and that thing has been my lifesaver. My next door neighbor loves it and he's in good shape. It really can lift a 2liter bottle of soda.

I can bend on my knees now, but I still use it to save my knees, so they last for the years to come.
okpondlady
19 years ago
I have used the rings that come on scarves for pulls for ceiling fans for my father. He has no fine motor control in his fingers and he can "hook" one of those and pull it.
:) Anything with a hole works.

Karen
theroselvr
19 years ago
The washer is about the only thing that doesn't give me a problem (long arms). Hubby put our drier on a stand so that I don't have to bend to get the clothes out. Our laundry area resembles a closet, and to make things even easier on me, we put a short shower rod from front to back to the right of the drier. I keep extra hangers on it and hang clothes as they come out of the drier. I usually make 2 trips to put things away if I do 2 loads in a day.

Hey Debbie! How are you? The gardens look great. I was driving by there the other day. Looks like you planted a few red roses :)
cyngbeld
19 years ago
We put in french handles and my cat promptly figured out how to open the door! I have to remember to lock it to make sure he doesn't open it while we are sleeping.
ntt_hou
19 years ago
Here's another tip about ceiling fans....

I had to replace all the ceiling fans when moved into this house. Luckily, I had some real good "end of summer" deals on new fans from Lowe's. I bought 5 beautiful fans (52" with lights) of the same models for only $48 each. Here's the bonus, these fans have remote controls! You can control the low-med-high speed and also can dim the lights.

No longer did I need to have long chains hanging all over from the ceilings. Besides, my niece kept getting her head knocks over these pulling chains when I lived in an apartment. Not that she didn't know, she helped me put them up, but she doesn't even see them!

Since I wanted a different ceiling fan for the living room, the one that I selected didn't have a remote control. It was the one that I needed the most because the ceiling in this room was much higher. The sale-lady reassured me that would not be a problem. They sell remote control units to go on fans that do not have one. How cool was that! Everyone that visits my house loves them:-) Actually, it's the one thing in my house that gets to be tested the most!