tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post323831986611102542..comments2024-02-04T23:52:15.227-07:00Comments on From This Point. Forward.: Tools of My Trade?~Mariah~http://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-21332000641467080472011-04-12T14:32:15.923-06:002011-04-12T14:32:15.923-06:00LESLIE: I actually have a voice recognition progra...LESLIE: I actually have a voice recognition program - MacSpeech Dictate (http://fromthispoint-forward.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-am-not-typing-this-blog-post.html) I find that it is useful for some things - like taking notes or maybe personal emails - but that it isn't accurate enough for what I do at work - which is a lot of in-depth editing, re-writing, and business emails. But maybe I just need more practice with it.<br /><br />LETTYANN: I am going to keep that suggestion in mind! For the time being I have moved to mousing left handed and that seems to be solving most of the major problems for now. But I'm sure my left hand will get tired of being in charge after a while and then maybe I'll ask for a new mouse!~Mariah~https://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-45591428665518655022011-04-04T07:25:57.578-06:002011-04-04T07:25:57.578-06:00Mariah, I have a suggestion. Replace that mouse w...Mariah, I have a suggestion. Replace that mouse with one that is stationery with a big red roller ball on top. You roll the ball with your forefinger and/or middle finger and you don't move your wrist at all. It has saved me. I also use a wrist rest on my keyboard. I didn't notice if you had one or not.<br /><br />Hope this helps!<br /><br />LettyAnnAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18126587706585595068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-91775348036039366282011-04-02T07:55:39.440-06:002011-04-02T07:55:39.440-06:00If you are really have alot of pain and need to do...If you are really have alot of pain and need to do a lot of typing you could consider a voice reconition program like Dragon - pricy, but it will allow you to rest your hands and let them heal while still being productive at work. It might be worth talking to your employer about.Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17639790459615698073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-10575888365779536072011-03-28T14:29:41.911-06:002011-03-28T14:29:41.911-06:00MIRELA: yeah, the paraffin is pretty great! I have...MIRELA: yeah, the paraffin is pretty great! I haven't tried it on my feet yet, but I bet it would be great there too!~Mariah~https://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-3544074524647108542011-03-25T18:59:53.986-06:002011-03-25T18:59:53.986-06:00Mariah, thank you for the paraffin wax suggestion....Mariah, thank you for the paraffin wax suggestion. I agree heat seems to work well for me even for my feet. Even on the feet, I suspect that most of the pain is caused by tendonitis and not necessarily by the joint swelling. This winter, I did daily feet baths and the constant foot pain started to disappear. I had about 2 months off from that pain:) Unfortunately, it has returned just about a month ago but I also discontinued the foot bath routine...got too busy. The other thing that helps me for the hands (if I always do it when I type etc), is those gloves with half fingers (seems like you have a pair...left side of your picture), because it keeps the tendon stable (my guess) and hence rested. My glove seems to have something hard around the palm/wrist area (almost like a splinter). I didn't yet find the "best solution", but I'll keep searching and I will let you know.Mirelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16193609202106156445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-38628435544546492322011-03-25T14:49:43.261-06:002011-03-25T14:49:43.261-06:00ZOE: Thanks for the recommendation. I have always ...ZOE: Thanks for the recommendation. I have always been a little bit wary about these keyboards that are split down the middle, because I don't think I type all the right letters with all the right fingers, so I was worried that it would mess up my typing. <br /><br />But seeing as my typing is obviously already messed up I think I will certainly look into it!! Also, I've had to change a lot of my ways to adjust to RA, so I'm sure I could re-adjust my typing skills if it would help with the hand pain....So thanks again for the post!!~Mariah~https://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-69344388320817318582011-03-25T13:33:45.618-06:002011-03-25T13:33:45.618-06:00I have to tell you I found (when I was working fu...I have to tell you I found (when I was working full time and working on the computer all the time) I LOVED this keyboard (it SAVED my hands) <br /><br />http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/<br /><br />I do not work for this company and get NOTHING for this. It is just a keyboard that I really believe in.<br /><br />I hope that you find some things that help, it is a pain to have pain in your hands.... I say as my hands hurt;)<br /><br />Oh the only trouble with the keyboard is the price (maybe you can get your work to pay for it?? cross fingers).Zoëhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03772657458089993304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-27525360259142287262011-03-25T09:44:33.994-06:002011-03-25T09:44:33.994-06:00HELEN: Rest is really hard! Particularly, as I kno...HELEN: Rest is really hard! Particularly, as I know from experience, when you are in law school and there is ALWAYS something you could be doing to be a better student! <br /><br />But we're both right - if we don't rest, we'll get run down and it will take up more time than then time it would have taken to rest in the first place. Now we just have to figure out how to listen to ourselves!~Mariah~https://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-91176118419133999752011-03-25T08:21:04.281-06:002011-03-25T08:21:04.281-06:00I'm always telling other people that rest is i...I'm always telling other people that rest is important - if you let yourself get run down, you won't be able to do the quality of work you want. I never seem to listen to my own advice, though, so this post really rings true with me. <br /><br />Lately my biggest hurdle is fatigue: my hip is a superstar after my cortisone shot, but I'm just so exhausted most of the time. Like you, I'm working at believing that rest is necessary and important and, in the end, it will actually make me more productive. Let's hope so, anyway!Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07842890893365738906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-29102645865533107832011-03-24T21:47:37.362-06:002011-03-24T21:47:37.362-06:00MIRELA: I think Suzie's book is a pretty great...MIRELA: I think Suzie's book is a pretty great resource for anyone considering parenthood and RA. There's certainly a lot of nitty-gritty, but there's also a lot of hope and inspiration there too.<br /><br />In other news, I'm pretty sure that hand pain is the WORST EVER. Honestly, all other types of pain I can at least figure out how to rest! Resting my hands makes me feel SO WORTHLESS! So if you have any brilliant ideas for how to rest your hands and still feel productive, I'm all ears! (The best one I have so far is paraffin wax - the heat feels great on achy hands and I don't feel so bad about doing nothing because my hands are covered with WAX for goodness sake!)<br /><br />Anyhow, I hope things get better with your hands soon. Thanks for the post. ~;o)~Mariah~https://www.blogger.com/profile/18167493614638596254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512094385883127902.post-5677521807474832722011-03-24T18:41:39.671-06:002011-03-24T18:41:39.671-06:00I read your last few posts and I can't believe...I read your last few posts and I can't believe how much they spoke to me...including the one about parenthood (had Suzie's book saved in my bookmarks a while back). Thank you Mariah. <br />So, I've also been dealing with the hand tendonitis problem and it is just downright FRUSTRATING. I hate it!!! In the beginning I thought using the hands more would be a good idea. I do some rowing at the gym (don't imagine a hard-core routine) and I have noticed the pain would be more intense afterwards...all the pulling on the wrist, thumb etc. When I stopped doing that, the pain was still there but it was less intense. Conclusion: try to protect the hand from strain as much as possible. However, the pain is still unpredictable: like you, almost every day I have some hand pain...it varies in degree and it won't go away. Like you, I have problems pulling my pants up (and down) and it's embarrassing when you think about where that exercise happens most often during the day. Turning knobs and typing are also very hard etc...very frustrating. I had to smile looking at all your "hand gear" because that collection looks so similar to mine. I hope that one day this hand issue will disappear for both of us.Mirelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16193609202106156445noreply@blogger.com