2nd Hardest Challenge to My Independence

Learning to drive a modified car is the hardest task I had to master after my stroke.  The 2nd hardest is dealing with the New Jersey ban on stores providing and selling disposable plastic bags.  Reusable bags sold in stores and on-line are big.  They hold a lot so they are too heavy for me to carry up my front steps.  They also do not nestle together in the rolling cart I use to transport bags from my car to my front door.  Section 1.18 of the law allows customers to use disposable bags so I reuse bags I have saved until they rip.  Going to a long-term facility because I cannot get food in my house is a severe consequence.  Meals-on-Wheels supplies only 2 meals a day Monday to Friday.

Solution # 1.  I carry my plastic bags in a canvas bag from LL Bean.  The small canvas bag was not tall enough to let the plastic bags hang down fully.  The large canvas bag sags.  The medium canvas bag with short handles is just right (see photo below).

Solution # 2.  I pre-bag a few items like a half gallon of milk and packages of meat that tend to leak.  I bring extra bags to shake open.      I place one handle over the metal arch shown in the photo.  Then I drop the item in the open bag.  This allows me to work at my own pace before I get to the check-out line.

Solution # 3.  When thin plastic bags are nested inside each other, the friction between bags makes several bags pull out at once.  Hanging them side-by-side vertically stops them from sticking together.  However, when I strung the handles of the plastic bags over the handles of the canvas bag it created a messy pile (see left handle).  I had trouble finding a handle that paired with its mate. 

So I weigh down one handle of each plastic bag with a big key ring.  I hang these key rings over the side of the canvas bag where they are easy to grab.  This strategy lets me quickly find one handle so I can pull the bag open, fill it, and lift it out of the canvas bag.

Solution # 4.  Bulky items like a box of cereal and a pack of toilet paper are hard to put in a small plastic bag.  I put a cereal box on the belt last so I can put it in the empty canvas bag which stays open because it is stiff.  For a pack of toilet paper, I make a hole in the top with my car key after I take it off the shelf.  I stick my finger in that hole to put the toilet paper on the belt and in my cart.

P.S.  I am grateful to a kind cashier at Shoprite named Michelle.  When no one was behind me in line Michelle waited patiently while I made numerous mistakes during multiple shopping trips.    The ban begins on May 4th.  I am glad I had all of February to find the solutions listed above.  Rehearsal saved me again.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Joint Protection Principles Part 2

Avoid a Prolonged Grasp.  A phone with a head set means my painful sound hand does not have to hold a phone for an hour when I talk to family and friends.  

I have an Accto book holder.  Movable arms (see arrow) accommodate different size books.  A lever in the back adjusts the tilt.  I recently read for half an hour while holding a magazine.  Pain in my hand woke me the next morning before my alarm clock went off.

Lift with the Strongest Joint: I use my elbow to lift heavy objects like

cereal and milk containers.  My painful sound hand acts as a pivot to aim the container opening while my affected arm controls how far I lift the containers. homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Joint Protection Principles Part 1

I am trying not to freak out because I have osteoarthritis from overusing my sound hand for 18 years.  Xrays confirm I have bone-on-bone contact which causes pain.  I cannot count on another disease killing me before my sound hand becomes useless.  So I am using the pain in my index and middle finger to tell me which joint protection strategies are helpful.  For example, when I put away a stack of clean cereal bowls, it hurts to lift a stack of 3 bowls but not 2.  My hope is that reducing pain means I am putting less stress on my joints which will make my hand useful longer.

Slide Rather Than Lift.  I used to fill up my kettle and then carry it to the stove.  Now I put in water for only 1-2 coffee cups and slide it on a dishrag from the sink to the stove.  No pain.

I use my kitchen cart to roll clean dishes from my dishwasher to the cabinets.  This means I do not have to make multiple trips to carry all these heavy objects to put them away.  I lift dishes from waist height to only the 1st cabinet shelf.  No pain.   

Avoid Repeated Gripping.  I cannot stand to watch the same commercials 4 times every hour for months so I constantly change the TV channels with my remote control.  My remote is not heavy, but my painful thumb and middle finger have to hold it tightly because it wobbles as my painful index finger pushes a button. 
 

Now I place the remote on my palm while my sound hand rests on my couch. When my thumb reaches over to press a button, my palm presses the remote against my thigh which holds it still. No pain.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

My Final Insomnia Solution

I hope I have found my final insomnia solution.  I bought a child size weighted blanket.  I was afraid I would not be able to handle an adult size blanket one-handed.  The small size means it covers me only from the waist down.  I do not think I would be comfortable having that extra weight on my chest.  Bottomline: I occasionally wake up at 3:30 A.M., but I sleep 6 to 8 hours most nights.  A friend also ordered a child size weighted blanket and reported the same results.  The calming effect of the extra weight is not just hype.