Member-only story
Everything Is A Battle
When did a simple task become a challenge?
My fingers do not work. My wrist hurts. I have arthritic nodules in the palm of my hand and on my ligaments. Numbness spreads across all of my fingers on one hand and is starting on the other hand. Most days it is like I am holding on to an electric fence from the neuropathy in my right hand.
How can this be? I am only 71! I do not mentally feel older. I still have the attitude that I can do just about any task my day demands. So why the heck does the simplest task suddenly become a challenge?
Morning comes and turning on a lamp is hard to do, as I can’t feel the switch. I have trouble getting my medication bottle open. I reach for the lid and it goes skidding into the floor, thus demanding a painful bend and reach to retrieve it. I extend my hand for my coffee cup and knock the cup further from me. Once the coffee is poured I wrap both of my palms around the cup to gain some relief from the warmth.
Getting dressed brings the battle of the sleeve buttons. Even the shirt buttons are difficult depending on the fabric and the size of the button. The pants zipper on my Levi’s is stuck down at the bottom and I have to get something to pry it out, as I can’t feel the tab to get a grip!
