Hi, my name is John and I have neuropathy.
When you have any type of peripheral neuropathy you must deal with far more than the everyday issues of life. One of the stresses I face is joint pain. Especially in my hands and wrists. They've gotten much more sore because I'm constantly using a walker. I wish it wasn't necessary, but it is.
To help give me a little more support I purchased some wrist braces that are black and have a velcro strip that I can pull tight. I appreciate the little bit of extra ooommmph I feel when wearing these. It helps spread out the pressure and provides some comfort.
They also cause some problems. This is because the material that velcro sticks to sticks to other velcro and other types of material. So sometimes it's like I'm caught in a spider web of clingy fabric. As amusing as it is annoying. But I've always been good at entertaining myself.
Almost inevitably, when I try something to "make things better" there's a price to pay. As night follows day, some new inconvenience rears its sticky little head.
But there are also positives. For one, my young grandson, who has more Super Hero costumes than your average Cosplayer, loves my wrist bands. He would like to have them for his very own. To him they're magnificent Power Bracelets -- something cool and fun to wear. I let him wear them when he's going for that darker look. Sometimes I have some trouble reclaiming him, but I'm glad that he sees a higher, more imaginative purpose for these practical supports.
As for my little grandaughter, she's not quite ready to wear the wrist bands. But she does love the velcro. And how. Once I get her started she'll spend a long stretch of time yanking on the sticky velcro strip and unwrapping them. And then re-wrapping them, and then un-wrapping them. A sweet simple pleasure that brightens her beautiful dark eyes and makes her smile.
And that's worth a lot to me. It cheers me up and makes me laugh. A couple cute kids have come up with a better and higher purpose for some old wrist supports. I appreciate their creativity.
Of course I wish I didn't need to use them for my neuropathy pain but it is nice to be able to share them with a couple imps. And enjoy their reaction.
Finding things that bring us light and happiness is important, especially as we daily struggle with pain, exhaustion, and so many other lingering annoyances.
I hope you have special people in your life who help you see the fun in ordinary things. Their encouragement means the world to me.
Thanks for taking the time to read my Life with Neuropathy articles. Here's to new options, more strength, and greater healing for all of us. And thanks for listening.
John
P.S. To follow my Life with Neuropathy blog, visit lifewithneuropathy.blogspot.com. Find the three lines next to the search button in the upper right hand corner and click "Follow." You'll be notified of my future blogs. Would love to have you on my core team of readers!
P.P.S. For further thoughts visit Let's Talk about Mobility, Let's Talk about Speed, Let's Talk about Changes, or Let's Talk about Giving Thanks. You can also read about Using a Handicap Placard, Walker Envy, Saying "Owww" when it hurts, Calluses and dealing with Pain, or the Humor of finding out your personal walker was a star on the TV show Monk! Here are a few thoughts on Exhaustion. If you have to grab a grab bar click here. Finally, if you ever find yourself dropping things like I do, please read this and its sequel about the difference between Tossing Something and Dropping It!
Thanks, Aditya, for the perfect picture. Photo by https://unsplash.com/@adityaromansa.
Comments
Post a Comment