Things that can be done now

All hell broke loose in my life. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.  But a thought has been bubbling up and won’t go away, so I’m writing it up in hopes of helping others avoid a bad part of it all

This mess would have been MUCH LESS bad if the habit of doing things with the non-dominant hand was a deeply ingrained part of normal life.

When a sudden injury damages the dominant hand, and brain fog from head injury and medications are involved it makes it very difficult to learn to cope.

I vote everyone practice doing everything with their non-dominant hand. Big things like writing, pouring hot liquids into a cup etc as well as small ones like brushing your teeth and wiping in the bathroom. Ever tried to use a Kleenex with the wrong hand? Can you put your clothes on, arrange your hair, eat a steak, eat soup? It’s hard. And even harder to learn it when there are other issues going on also.

Learn it now. Might be one of the best things you do for your future self.


:D

I highly recommend this thread by Thomas Rubino about The unwilling left hand users club

At school I was absolutely convinced that 'one of these days' I was going to break a wrist/arm etc.  SO, I started to learn to write with my non-dominant hand. . . and with my dominant foot.  Silly, maybe, but having that extra control has proved useful since.  
Keep smiling, Pearl, things will improve, even if slowly.

Thank you for the reminder, Pearl.
Sending healing, strength and clarity of the best way forward.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for a while is just to be, allowing our system to integrate the changes and adapt to them.

We're flexible beings, capable of so very much, but with one flaw: our Mind tends to get too loud from time to time.
And then the head traffic gets too much and we feel scattered.

I have no idea if you're experiencing overwhelm, but if you are, allow yourself Time to adapt.

My personal challenge today is processing 'the empty nest'.
My one and only child flew out of the nest yesterday.
The timing is good, he's fully capable, everything is all right - but my Heart hurts, even though we can reach out and communicate via chat.

So I take it a bit slower these days and just sit with the change.

Sending you a big, virtual hug <3

Well, Pearl....so sorry to hear this!

Yes, to using the non dominate hand for as much as possible.
Recently I even acquired a left handed scissors to help with that.
I try with most everything although scythe and sickle are both right sided and I can't switch them around.

Wishing you quick healing
and some quiet uneventful days💜💜💜

It's amazing how hard it is to do some dumb little thing like brush my teeth with my left hand instead of my dominant right.

Also, if you have a dominant hand, does it mean the other one is submissive?

Amen Pearl, and also I'm sorry to hear it!! I've always been somewhat ambidextrous, and I had a few months last year to practice before I had my surgery (followed by a few weeks without my left hand and then a few months without my dominant thumb), so I figured I was pretty well prepared, but even so it was the worst 6 weeks or so I've had in ages. I lost a few kg from the misery of having to eat with the wrong hand-- I can do it, but it was just exhausting (who knew?). I didn't realize I would need help for everything- it took me a few days to figure out how to take a shower with one hand and the other covered in a trash bag. I am also not very good at asking for/accepting help....  
The biggest problem I didn't consider was using a knife, it is the one thing I really am not comfortable doing with my right hand, and I am constantly cutting things. The day I was able to cut an apple with my right hand it was a major celebration!
In theory, I'm going to have to have a similar surgery on my right hand one day. I would like to think I'll be slightly better prepared, but I think in reality I kind of doubt it...

Christopher Weeks wrote:Also, if you have a dominant hand, does it mean the other one is submissive?

Perhaps one's an extrovert, the other an introvert? One's a strong leader, the other a strong follower?

Good vibes and healing thoughts go out to you Pearl!

I am a leftie that has grown up in a (mostly) righty world. Muscle memory is an incredible thing when you do something the same way everyday. Changing what hand you utilize through the day really activates the brain and 'humbles' you if you are not used to using your off-hand. I actually think I brush my teeth better with my offhand because it forces me to think of the movements and where I am.

Thank you all for good wishes. PRACTICE THIS. You never know when you might be REALLY GLAD you did!!

Jill Dyer wrote:I started to learn to write with my non-dominant hand. . . and with my dominant foot.  Silly, maybe, but having that extra control has proved useful since.  

Yes, me too. I drove teachers crazy by writing (often in different color pens) a line right handed and normal, a line left handed mirror, a line right handed upside down, a line left handed mirror upside down.... all the way down the page.

I don't think I can write clearly with my toes anymore, I still have extremely useful practically prehensile toes. I pick things up, move them, etc. It's great when I'm working on a motor or something like that, I can hold what I have, use my feet to pick the tool I want out of the box, and give it to my hands so I can use it.

FWIW, I'm not the patient here, I didn't get hurt. The one who did had very little non-dominant hand skills.

My neighbor had some sort of "flu" which they didn't take seriously enough until it had turned into some sort of meningitis with some sort of blood infection.

She ended up loosing parts of toes and most critically, multiple fingers and most of her right thumb. They eventually did some surgery to open a gap between her first and second metacarpals to give her a little bit of thumb-like movement. But she's simply not doing well in the function department.

Part of the idea of practicing these skills now, is then at least you might "believe" it is possible. If you managed to teach your non-dominant hand how to brush your hair, then maybe, just maybe, it can learn to butter your bread? My neighbor is struggling to even believe her left hand is capable of anything, and not much better at believing her right hand has much use either.

Attitude is a big chunk of this. I know that some people have much stronger dominance than others - I have seen some people cope much better and I'm pretty sure it is at least partly brain wiring. However, I've also seen serious stroke injuries make functional progress several years after their stroke through focused exercises, repetition, and plain stubbornness, so when trying this challenge, start with easier tasks and build up, and believe in yourself!

I just watched utterly fascinating video about neuroplasticity which has some brilliant information about left and right brain stuff and also re-wiring after injury. And a lot of other stuff including how autists often have a longer neuroplastic window of opportunity than neurotypicals.



I'm pretty much ambidextrous, though I write with my right hand as it was expected of me - at some point someone told me which hand I was supposed to hold the pencil in and it kinda stuck. My son is officially ambidextrous as when the health worker tested him she declared him to be left handed and I just bluntly told her that no, he wasn't, and to test him again. She was gobsmacked that after 20 years in the job she's never seen an ambidextrous kid before. So I told her that all the time she tested just once she's never see one again either.

I injured my right hand when I was in school and got hauled over the hot coals, with my arm still in plaster, for my terrible handwriting. I tried to protest that it was probably better than the teacher could do with her left hand and she snapped back that that was because I was left handed and she wasn't. Can't argue with teachers sometimes...

We also have a close neighbour who lost his right arm a couple of decades ago, which ended his career as an aeronautic engineer and test pilot. But he did eventually re-learn how to drive a vehicle, though he'd have to find ones where the gear lever was in just the right position. He's had to give up driving since then for other reasons, but he still rides an electric tricycle, which we modified for him so that all the controls were on the left side. He manages most things, in his own way and in his own time. He still drives a tractor, too, with one of those steering wheel knobs on to make it easier to turn.

I know I can do things with my left hand. I can even write (though it looks like a 5yr old did it) with my toes. I'll often carry my two smaller dogs through the house and do things with my feet, like opening & closing doors, picking things up off the floor, latching & unlatching the doggie gate, etc. I'll use elbows, shoulders, chin, nose, & head to flip light switches & answer the phone. I've been in situations where I only had one hand - not necessarily my dominant one, too get by, for months at a time.

I have tried putting in earplugs & topping them with noise-cancelling headphones, though it's a poor sub for actually losing my hearing. And, while I've not trained with a stick, I have worn a blindfold in the dark (just to make sure I really couldn't see anything), to get around in my house. I did ok. Not great - but I think with learning the cane skills, I would be ok.

I'd be hard-pressed to drag myself around on our land, especially with a broken leg, but I have fallen, injured myself, and had to drag myself to a tree, for support, to get up, then hobble to the house. I know that if at least most of me is functional, I can manage to do most things. But, I'm not sure I could trim my nails using my toes. If only one hand is available, how do you trim the nails on that hand? Filing could work, by trapping or taping a nail file to something, but clippers? Scissors? I could feed myself and even cook simple food, with either hand. But, some things in the kitchen, I already feel like I need a 3rd hand, so I'm sure I'd have to learn a whole new set of kitchen skills.

Taking care of my livestock is already a challenge. These steep ridges and ravines could literally be the death of me...

John made Chinese food, for dinner, and we were using chopsticks. Halfway through, I switched hands, to see if I could use the chopsticks in my left hand, and... whaddya know! I can! It's much slower, but I won't starve, lol

Pearl I'm sending all the positive healing thoughts your way. Good luck. Thanks for using your hard time to help all of us. You are a wonderful person. Thanks

Another thing that "can be learned now" is how to use a walker, a rolling, walker, canes etc BEFORE something happens and you are learning BOTH how to control a rolling walker when you get up out of a chair AND how to get up with a broken leg....

Various type of equipment like that are very different to use. Knowing what works or doesn't with you, as well as how to use them effectively, is good use of tools. So when you NEED that tool, you have it already learned.