This will be a very brief blog. I spent 8 hours at the hospital yesterday and am still tired from the experience. The real trouble though is that they've bandaged my right hand to the point that my fingers are virtually unusable for typing. I needed to get an IV in for antibiotics and I'm what's called a 'difficult poke' so once they got the line in they wrapped my hand in gauze in order to keep it from moving. Home care is going to show up today with bags of IV antibiotics and a nurse to teach me to do it myself. OK, cool, I can do that.
What I can't do is type very well.
And pushing the wheelchair is out for the next five days.
What's frustrating is that I have a couple of blogs I want to write just from the experience of being there, but they'll have to wait. When home care comes today I'm going to see if they can cut back the bandaging just to free my fingers. So, for today, I'm giving myself the day off from blogging. If they won't remove the bandage Joe has volunteered to type my blog in for tomorrow.
See ya then.
Not too long ago I had an accident in which very nearly ALL of my fingers were injured. Not broken, fortunately, but quite dramatically bruised and swollen. For a good week or two, I was doing EVERYTHING with just the two smallest fingers of my left hand, not because they were 100% well but because they were the only fingers that could MOVE properly without pain. Plus, an occasional assit from my thumbs which weren't themselves injured but were right next to fingers that were so I still had to be careful how I used them. I got the rest of my left hand back long before I got anything of my right hand back. I still have some remaining stiffness in my right hand four months later, especially first thing in the morning before my finger-stretching exercises (had physical therapy for a while; the sessions are over, but I still need to do a few of the exercises).
ReplyDeleteBut at least I didn't have to push myself anywhere :-( Not sure how I would have gotten to work if I had been in that situation.
One thing I found helpful for me at work (where my job is, er, writing. Which means typing was not exactly something I could avoid too easily, especially not for weeks on end) was that the disability accommodations office at work told me that the computers already had a software called "sticky keys" (maybe called something else in other computers). What this does is, if you need to hold down let's say "alt control delete" (which I dare you to do with fewer than two hands the ordinary way!), or even just shift plus anything else, then all you have to do is hit the alt (or control or shift) key once, then the computer will continue to "hold" it for you until you're able to hit the next key in the sequence. A blessing when you only have two fingers to type with! And it was still helpful even later on, when I had a whole left hand and one or two right fingers to work with. Perhaps you could see if your computer has something siimilar? Is it microsoft software?
Of course for you, you might get your fingers back as soon as later today so maybe you won't need to. But in case.
I also found it helpful to go to the computer store to pick up a better mouse for home. (Disability accommodations at work lent me a tracking ball for the office.) When I only had half a hand to work with, I found a tracking ball easier to manage than a full mouse that you have to move around. I'm still using the tracking ball at home now that all my fingers are back.
The tricky thing is that, when I went looking at tracking balls, both for the office and for home, I discovered why "lefties" think this is a world designed for right-handers: some "mice" seem to be specifically designed for right-handed users and are not at all compatible for lefties. But especially not for lefties with only two operable fingers! I ended up with ambidexterous mice (both home and office) since even the rare few left handed ones still tended to assume a full set of working fingers.
--Andrea
wecando.wordpress.com (Disability, poverty, and human rights in developing countries)
Sending out positive vibes for you. Rest and heal.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a good time to look into voice activated software such as DragonSpeak (I think it is called). I gather they do take a fair amount of patience at first to teach the program to recognize your voice but after that, you are home free. A few people in my office use it regularly (they dont' want to learn to type faster) and they are fairly pleased with it.
ReplyDeleteI realize it won't help with the getting around on wheels issue but at least you could get your typing done.
Cindy
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteDo you get the feeling people want you to be able to continue to blog? :-)
I know we also very much hope that you are well and get through the next 5 days rested and well.
Lot's of love x
Dave,
ReplyDeleteSorry you're hurting. Just wanted to let you know what a disappointment it is not to have your words. Each day I wait until the end of the day to read your blog. Sort of a treat after a long day at the office. Today there was just a nibble, not the whole treat. Here's to hoping your feeling better soon.
SK
oh no! Take care Dave and hope you are back to full typing strength soon.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon, Dave.
ReplyDeleteLisa
i hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteHope you will be tapping the keyboard very soon! Get well soon Dave!
ReplyDeleteAn electric wheelchair would sort it - and voice recognition software - come on Dave, you know its not the disability that dis-ables, but the lack of equipment !
ReplyDelete