The Basics.

Hey guys.

Thought you might be interested in my new items that will help me maintain my independence as much as possible. 😀 I explained them in my last blog post, but I thought pictures would better show how they work as they are even a bit new for me. Why don’t we start as if I get up in the morning. I brush my teeth and take a shower.

The soap dispensers hold my shampoo and conditioner. I am trying to finish the bottles of my old ones. When they are done, I will just use the dispensers. They give me quantities of shampoo as if you were getting soap at the sink. 🙂 I have to squirt it a few times. And the handle at the right is what helps me get in and out of the shower. It was also what my arm was drapped around when the blood clot hit. Very sturdy!

I also use eye drops to help the dry eyes. I put this on the bottle today and came in the kitchen saying, “With the sound of thunder and speed of lightning- Look! In the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super-Tears!!!!” Needless to say, I think even Superman would have approved. 🙂 Because I don’t have the finger muscles to push the bottle, the clippers do it for me:

The rest of these things are random for when I need them. Such as when my back has the tense, sharp pain feeling–I heat up the rice jacket. It is flopsy (word?) but very comforting!

I might also need to cut open things in the kitchen, such as the bag in the cereal box or the covers to my tea. I also like to use paper to make special cards. Using real scissors gets difficult. It is not so much closing the blades part as it is having the thumb strength to reopen them. So, we got these new scissors that bounce back for you. All I need to do is practice, because I can’t cut in a straight line anymore. This might also be from not having the grip in the left hand to hold the paper still, but nonetheless, these scissors are great!

I decided that although I do not need this device right now, it is good to practice on. There might be a day when big pens just might not be what I need when writing. So, we found this neat device that makes your hand sturdy. It is hard, because I have always set my pens against my ring finger, and this device does not. Old habits are so hard to die. I hope to practice with it here and there to get used to it. I want to be able to at least do my signature the same with it. 🙂 That is my goal for now.

I have not had to use this YET, but it will probably be used very frequently: say hello to my new gas tank opener. 😀

This will look so much more appropriate than a pair of pliers. 😀 And lastly, what I love the most–to eat. These new silverware are fantastic! The bigger rubber handle allows me to grip the utensil like before but without hurting my hand. I have also noticed they are not ones for proper etiquette. At dinner tonight, the already used knife resting at the top of my plate kept falling off. Hmmm, I have to practice different ways to place them.

Of course the knife looks good resting on the plate in this picture (below), but that is because it was not loaded with gravy. 😉

We made our order from The Wright Stuff. Here is their website if any of you are interested for more information: www.WrightStuff.biz

What do you think? Any favorites? 🙂 I am adjusting well to these and really, they are for the better. I am not the first, nor the last to use resources like these. I am so thankful they are available for my use and independence. Now, if we can just work on the compression stocking part–I think that would just about cover all my problems. 🙂 Night everyone.

More to come…