Give It A Finger
Multiple Sclerosis can affect so many areas of our mind & body, one needs a scorecard to keep track.
One area that MS bothers me most is…my hands.
Fingers, in particular.
Mind you, my middle finger works just fine. Simply ask the driver who rides my bumper like a second coat of paint.
Collectively, my grip strength is good, but each finger is eh, subpar.
Therefore, my MS nemesis is…
SPRAY BOTTLES!
Yeah.
Has my index finger lost so much uumph, it makes using a spray bottle near impossible?
I’m forced to go through a whole regimen of hand movements and/or bottle adjustments in order to get my finger in the optimum position to trigger the spray.
Many times (often times) a call is required to send in the back-up…..
The thumb.
The enforcer.
The heavy-hitter of digits.
Not just for hitch-hiking anymore.
The thumb is my go-to trigger finger for difficult spray bottles.
Household cleaners, deodorants, hair products, cooking spray…the thumb tackles each with confidence.
Barriers are broken.
Spraying freedom is achieved once again!
But that freedom doesn’t come without a price.
You may find using the thumb limits the ability to hold the bottle. You may be forced to go with the two-handed spray method. One hand holding the bottle while the other operates the trigger.
Two-handed spraying requires an MSer w/balance issues to either..work from a sitting position…or from a full-body leaning posture, where you lean against a wall, cupboard, cabinet, ect.
(The Scrubbing Bubble pictured here doesn’t look very confident in what is about to happen.)
Thumb spraying also interferes with accuracy as yours truly experienced using spray butter.
The nozzle shifted, showering my face with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.”
(It might not be butter, but it makes one hell of a moisturizer.)
Giving it a finger. Giving it a thumb. It is just another small aspect of everyday life with MS.
Have you faced similiar challenges? How have you conquered? Tell us about it in a comment.
MS or not, we’ll figure out a way. We always do.
Keep fighting…but use caution with spray butter.
7 Replies to “Give It A Finger”
I had to laugh out loud oddsock, because I just experienced the same thing couple weeks ago, trying to butter corn on the cob. Iooked like a 2 year old trying to make the spray bottle work. My solution….put a stick of butter on a plate and roll it,Baby! Problem solved!
Good one! Definitely my life, too. Spray bottles. Soap bottles with pumps. Hitting the home button and the other button on my iPad at the same time to take a screen shot. And the mystery – why, if I can move my finger, does having no feeling make it so weak?
Anne,
Thank you for your comment…and taking a stand with the infamous “screen shot.” (How do people take those?)
It’s a struggle, but you got this one.
Joanne,
The old “stick of butter on a plate trick”…that is how we buttered our corn on the cob when I was a kid. I didn’t have any trouble using that. Technology, huh.
Thanks for commenting.
For me, spray bottles are no longer an option. Push button remotes are a challenge. The fingers on my right hand are curled into a fist. They have given me botox injections in my hand three times to no avail. The Dr. is going to try again the end of the month. If anyone reading this post has the same problem, with a hand that curls into a fist, I suggest getting this product….. “Posey Finger Contracture Cushion or Palm Cone”, you grip it and it keeps your fingers separated and your fingers from curling totally into a fist. Made of terry cloth and super comfortable. The cheapest company I have found on the Internet is “Blowout Medical”. I have ordered several items from them. They have all the major brands at the best prices.
Margaret,
Good luck with your next Botox injection. Spasticity is a bitch. Keep it up with the cushion–MS never gives in–so you can’t either. I wear a Dyna-Splint on my leg each night to keep my foot from curling out. It’s a pain in the ass but I can tell if I don’t wear it.
Thank you for sharing your side. Very best to you!
Yes my fingers can hurt my day to day living more than the walking. I lost my dexterity decades ago but my left hand took over everything but writing. I get people to help me open things….errr. I talk to elderly that have the same dexterity loss??