Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find
twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:15:46 -0700, Robert Green
wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially I use the Rockwell 3Rill and like the light weight, smallness of the unit combined with lifetime battery. Not a doctor, but from experience with arthritis hitting my family, avoid ALL allergic responses to ANYTHING. The smallest thing, avoid it. Doing so, you may find that your arthritic symptoms deminish. |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
Robert Green wrote:
I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially Hi, What is causing the symptom? If cause is known there is many helps to relieve the suffering. Osteoarthritis? Rheumatoid? Uric acid problem? |
#4
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
|
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On 3/6/2014 10:15 AM, Robert Green wrote:
I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially First, I regret to hear. That's sad when you have the wisdom, the skill, and the aches and pains are holding you back. I've not yet had arthritis, but have had pinched nerve, and some other grief. I find myself taking frequent breaks at the computer key board, just let my arms lay in my lap for a few seconds. -- .. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus www.lds.org .. |
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
"RobertMacy" wrote in message
newsp.xca6hoze2cx0wh@ajm... On Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:15:46 -0700, Robert Green wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially I am not sure how this escaped my Drafts file unfinished but it did! I use the Rockwell 3Rill and like the light weight, smallness of the unit combined with lifetime battery. I need a lighter drill. I am using DeWalts with 12VDC gel cells (that cost $10 each compared to the $40 DeWalt wanted for a crappy NiCad pack whose center cells always fail prematurely from overheating as they are surrounded by other NiCad cells). Getting too heavy to maneuver easily. Lithium batteries are a god-send for weight reduction. Not a doctor, but from experience with arthritis hitting my family, avoid ALL allergic responses to ANYTHING. The smallest thing, avoid it. Doing so, you may find that your arthritic symptoms deminish. Tell me about it. The MD's put me on Glucotrol because my BG levels have been creeping up and my arthritis went absolutely nuts over it. Gotta switch to something else. -- Bobby G. |
#7
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
... Robert Green wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially Hi, What is causing the symptom? If cause is known there is many helps to relieve the suffering. Osteoarthritis? Rheumatoid? Uric acid problem? Osteo - bone on bone contact - I've seen the Xrays. )-: -- Bobby G. |
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
wrote in message
news stuff snipped I have both kinds of arthritis in multiple joints. Ouch - that's a double whammy. I found that mild exercise seems to mitigate it but repetitive tasks or forceful jamming of a joint (big drill grabbing the work) really kills me. Yeah, been there, done that, screamed like a banshee. You just have to be careful. Even so, there's always a new "gotcha." I made myself scream just pushing in a seat belt lock button. Exactly the wrong force applied to the thumb joint. )-: Some days I still have them lock up so bad I can't hold my beer bottle. Thank god for mugs with handles ;-). Yeah, I just started having lockups in my fingers and it's the weirdest (and most unpleasant) sensation. You have to pry the locked finger loose with your other fingers. I got a neat little plastic strap wrench from Harbor Fright that's perfect for opening wide-mouthed jars, something I just can't do anymore with just my bare hands. I knew getting old was going to be bad - I just didn't think it would be THIS bad. -- Bobby G. |
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
... stuff snipped Diet is big part of living with pain. Worst case, you can try Cortison shots where it hurts real bad. Wear and tear of joints are big problem getting older. I am 75 now and fortunately no pains yet. I've got bad genes. It makes me laugh when I see late night ads touting Christie Brinkley and Cindy Crawford's youthful looks. While the ads say it's this or that miracle cream the secret is getting born with the right genes. I can run with my dog, do all house chores/maintenance, gardening, etc. I can climb my antenna tower yet, LOL! When I am on the tower, all my tools are on a string tied to my tool belt. When I drop it I just haul it back up like fish. Better ease off on beer which can cause lots of uric acid increasing pain level. I had a friend like you. One day while climbing a ladder his legs gave way and after hanging on with his hands as long as he could, he slid down a few feet and then fell the rest of the way. The problem with severe arthritis is that you can't really depend on your extremities the way you used to. -- Bobby G. |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
wrote in message
... stuff snipped My uric acid and RA numbers are good. I have osteoarthritis in my toes and fingers and something they can't really identify in my knees and wrists but they call it arthritis. I went through a year of hell while they tried to figure it out and in the end a trip to the physical therapist got me going again. I should have just started there first. My wife gets pretty good results with PT for her bad hip but I don't. The wrists are the worst. The problem comes and goes, which is why I go for days without being able to type replies here. I've been typing so much 2nite I am going to have to stop and do something that doesn't involve hands. I hate it. )-: -- Bobby G. |
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:40:34 -0700, Robert Green
wrote: "RobertMacy" wrote in message newsp.xca6hoze2cx0wh@ajm... ...snip.... Not a doctor, but from experience with arthritis hitting my family, avoid ALL allergic responses to ANYTHING. The smallest thing, avoid it. Doing so, you may find that your arthritic symptoms deminish. Tell me about it. The MD's put me on Glucotrol because my BG levels have been creeping up and my arthritis went absolutely nuts over it. Gotta switch to something else. -- Bobby G. Allergic response, may have a high threshold, but once achieved, requires a much lower level of exposure for the allergic response to go away. Sometimes it is possible to lower the threshold to the point the 'high' initial threshold moves so far up, you are never bothered again. Check into anecdotal information regarding extreme hay fever victims, who during WWII were stationed on boats in the Pacific far away from the allergens. They missed 'one' season of hay fever and often were cured. After returning to hay fever country never had the symptoms again, plus general health was improved. Again, following my personal premise that "since the body is a system, doing something to one area often affects another." That's why aspirin, acetominophen(sp?) etc all reduce pain. It is my contention [and personal opinion, that arthritis starts, and is exacerbated by, a response to allergies, starts out as your body trying to tell you in a 'sideways' manner to quit inundating it with ?? whatever is causing the allergy. Your body is a system, perturbing here, causes response over there, type thing. Now back to allergic and arthritis. Jason Robards [the actor] had debilitating arthritis and became wheelchair bound, until he correlated his arthritic inflammation to his allergy of red meat, which he craved. He removed meat completely from his diet, and he was out of his wheelchair and back to working in film industry. Most of the people I met always had both arthritis and what seemed like even mild allergies. The pain of arthritis always outweighed their complaints about the slight allergies they were constantly suffering. One person at the age of 26 was practically bedridden from the pains of arthritis, would lie soaking in a hot tub every day to get over pains. Had the usual slight sniffle nose allergies but didn't think too much about it, until he realized, hey wait allergic = arthritis, arthritis = allergy, so he purged his home of EVERY allergen he could find. He removed anything and everything that was a known allergen. and anything that made hime think/feel 'sniffly'. Put in electronic air cleaners. We're talking almost divorce here, the home was austere beyond belief. During this purge, he said any visitor into his realm had like a 'dust' cloud around them. Made his eyes intantly start watering, etc.Couldn't stand to have them there. But after 18 months, he no longer suffered from arthritis, nor allergies to those myriad of home products. Now at 70 years of age, he still has little to no arthritic symptoms, still playing tennis and often riding bicycle a daunting 15 to 20 miles a day. Home has all the 'normal' ecoutrements of a home and he's still married. His family history has a history of 'adult onset' diabetes, too. Don't know if that relates or not. Note: he also noticed that after exercise, acidic levels in the blood raised due to that exercise and similarly acidic levels in the blood raised while taking aspirin in arthritic sufferers. He wanted to pursue the concept that exercise and aspirin had same effects on the body as good old exercise, but medical community would not allow 'condoned' research into that area. As in, "yeah you can do the research, but we won't pay attention to it." Just curious, I've heard the Japanese have done some wonderous therapy into arthritic sufferers by treating them with, shudder, ICE! As in, pack the knee joint with ice, exercise beyond belief, and when all warms up, person went from immobile to mobile. Real miracle. Remembering back to my neighbor who had those classic 'claw' hands and how she complained about the cold weather, always made me wonder. |
#13
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On 3/7/2014 12:26 PM, wrote:
That was my experience too. I went through a year of warnings about what I couldn't do, wrist braces and drugs that made blood shoot out my ass. The first thing the PT person did was take off my braces and tell me to do things that hurt like hell. Long story short. 3 weeks later I was OK, no braces, no drugs. Success, for sure. Glad something works. -- .. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus www.lds.org .. |
#14
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
I don't think that there is a medicine in common use today that doesn't have some bad side effects. Scary thing on virtually all medical TV commercials is the disclaimer at the end. The possible side effects are worse than whatever it is they are trying to cure.
|
#15
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On 3/7/2014 9:19 AM, RobertMacy wrote:
Now back to allergic and arthritis. Jason Robards [the actor] had debilitating arthritis and became wheelchair bound, until he correlated his arthritic inflammation to his allergy of red meat, which he craved. He removed meat completely from his diet, and he was out of his wheelchair and back to working in film industry. People now have a choice. They can pay hundreds of dollars a month to the pharmacy or they can eat some organic vegetables. http://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/arthritis.aspx |
#16
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thu, 6 Mar 2014 10:15:46 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially An anti inflamatory diet is a big help for a lot of rumatoid conditions. Lots of onions and tomatos. I haven't had to take my humira for going on 4 months since I started cooking onions and tomatoes and adding all sorts of vegies along with Janes crazy salt and somtimes a bit of cayenne pepper sauce. |
#17
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thursday, March 6, 2014 12:09:18 PM UTC-5, Tony Hwang wrote:
Robert Green wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially Hi, What is causing the symptom? If cause is known there is many helps to relieve the suffering. Osteoarthritis? Rheumatoid? Uric acid problem? Capitalism |
#18
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thursday, March 6, 2014 7:40:34 PM UTC-5, Robert Green wrote:
"RobertMacy" wrote in message newsp.xca6hoze2cx0wh@ajm... On Thu, 06 Mar 2014 08:15:46 -0700, Robert Green wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially I am not sure how this escaped my Drafts file unfinished but it did! I use the Rockwell 3Rill and like the light weight, smallness of the unit combined with lifetime battery. I need a lighter drill. I am using DeWalts with 12VDC gel cells (that cost $10 each compared to the $40 DeWalt wanted for a crappy NiCad pack whose center cells always fail prematurely from overheating as they are surrounded by other NiCad cells). Getting too heavy to maneuver easily. Lithium batteries are a god-send for weight reduction. Not a doctor, but from experience with arthritis hitting my family, avoid ALL allergic responses to ANYTHING. The smallest thing, avoid it. Doing so, you may find that your arthritic symptoms deminish. Tell me about it. The MD's put me on Glucotrol because my BG levels have been creeping up and my arthritis went absolutely nuts over it. Gotta switch to something else. -- Bobby G. Bush caused it. Violently overthrow the uS government |
#19
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On 3/8/2014 9:07 PM, joevan wrote:
On Thu, 6 Mar 2014 10:15:46 -0500, "Robert Green" wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially An anti inflamatory diet is a big help for a lot of rumatoid conditions. Lots of onions and tomatos. I haven't had to take my humira for going on 4 months since I started cooking onions and tomatoes and adding all sorts of vegies along with Janes crazy salt and somtimes a bit of cayenne pepper sauce. What about lots of garlic and extra virgin olive oil? I use enough garlic when cooking to run off all the roaches in the house and the olive oil is one of the "good" oils you can consume. When I have olive oil, I use it instead of margarine on pasta to keep it from sticking together and cook with olive oil whenever I can substitute it in a recipe that calls for butter or margarine. I like garlic bread and usually spread butter/margarine on the bread the sprinkle garlic powder on it so I've got to figure out a way to do it with olive oil. I wonder if there is an olive oil spread produced by anyone? ^_^ TDD |
#20
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Sun, 09 Mar 2014 09:25:51 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote: On 3/8/2014 9:07 PM, joevan wrote: On Thu, 6 Mar 2014 10:15:46 -0500, "Robert Green" wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Two very helpful tools for CATV work have been wrenches for the hex rings on RG6 cable. One is on a long stalk but the more useful one is shaped like a 2" funnel with a slit in the side. It increases the function diameter of the hex nut substantially An anti inflamatory diet is a big help for a lot of rumatoid conditions. Lots of onions and tomatos. I haven't had to take my humira for going on 4 months since I started cooking onions and tomatoes and adding all sorts of vegies along with Janes crazy salt and somtimes a bit of cayenne pepper sauce. What about lots of garlic and extra virgin olive oil? I use enough garlic when cooking to run off all the roaches in the house and the olive oil is one of the "good" oils you can consume. When I have olive oil, I use it instead of margarine on pasta to keep it from sticking together and cook with olive oil whenever I can substitute it in a recipe that calls for butter or margarine. I like garlic bread and usually spread butter/margarine on the bread the sprinkle garlic powder on it so I've got to figure out a way to do it with olive oil. I wonder if there is an olive oil spread produced by anyone? ^_^ TDD I use evoo on a lot of things. I also use garlic and janes garlic salt sometimes. I won't use margarine for anything but use butter on bread and in foods that I cook. If I use bread it is usually gluten free from whole foods or I make cornbread. |
#21
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
On Thursday, 6 March 2014 10:15:46 UTC-5, Robert Green wrote:
I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Get a pair of high-grip gloves, the ones with the rubberized palms, and wear 'em. Greatly reduces the muscle force you need to exert to grasp things. Less force on the joints and less fatigue. You'll notice the difference at the end of the day. Use a cordless driver instead of a hand screwdriver for any job that requires more than half a turn. Or find bit holder with a t-handle or ratchet handle that you can operate with motions other than twisting your wrist. Avoid lazy-man loads of multiple tools and parts crammed in one hand while you use the other one to open doors or climb a ladder. Use a tool apron that keeps both hands free, or a tool tray that you can carry comfortably and put down easily. Minimize exposure to vibration from reciprocating tools, or shock forces from hammering. If you can't avoid forces, try the gel-padded shock-absorbing gloves. Re-think tasks that require sustained static force from the affected joints.. Use clamps, locking pliers, straps, bungees, cable ties, blocks and shims -- whatever -- for those loads, and save your hands for the skills that need them. Engineer each job so that you can let go and give your hands a rest at any point; don't try to hold something in a difficult position with one hand while you put the bolts on it with the other. Even if you expect the weight to be manageable, if the job takes longer than you expected you could be stuck in a spot that gets less and less comfortable, and if that heavy thing starts to slip, it can take your hand or wrist into an angle you really don't want it to go. Chip C Toronto |
#22
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
"Chip C" wrote in message
... On Thursday, 6 March 2014 10:15:46 UTC-5, Robert Green wrote: I'm looking for any tips on how to cope with advancing arthritis. I find twisting motions to be very difficult at times, and that switching to set of 1/4" shank drills has really reduced the amount of chuck twisting I have to do when using the electric drill. Chip, these are precisely the sorts of suggestions I was looking for. THANKS! Get a pair of high-grip gloves, the ones with the rubberized palms, and wear 'em. Greatly reduces the muscle force you need to exert to grasp things. Less force on the joints and less fatigue. You'll notice the difference at the end of the day. I have a 6" round textured rubber mat I got from a local plumber that helps in all sorts of jar opening and similar situations. FWIW, it was from "Joe the Plumber" - just not the famous one. Use a cordless driver instead of a hand screwdriver for any job that requires more than half a turn. Or find bit holder with a t-handle or ratchet handle that you can operate with motions other than twisting your wrist. Gave up manual screwdrives a long time ago. Wrist twisting has turned into agony at times. Got an assortment of electric screwdrivers, from pistol-gripped to tubular to a tiny one that takes jeweler's screwdriver tips. Avoid lazy-man loads of multiple tools and parts crammed in one hand while you use the other one to open doors or climb a ladder. Use a tool apron that keeps both hands free, or a tool tray that you can carry comfortably and put down easily. I have regrettably found that with arthritis, the old ways of being able to hold things like screws in my hand while I operate a tool are over. It's sort of like drinking water after your mouth is numbed with Novocaine. (-: Minimize exposure to vibration from reciprocating tools, or shock forces from hammering. If you can't avoid forces, try the gel-padded shock-absorbing gloves. Never heard of those but I think I will search Google for them. Thanks! Re-think tasks that require sustained static force from the affected joints. Use clamps, locking pliers, straps, bungees, cable ties, blocks and shims -- whatever -- for those loads, and save your hands for the skills that need them. Engineer each job so that you can let go and give your hands a rest at any point; don't try to hold something in a difficult position with one hand while you put the bolts on it with the other. Even if you expect the weight to be manageable, if the job takes longer than you expected you could be stuck in a spot that gets less and less comfortable, and if that heavy thing starts to slip, it can take your hand or wrist into an angle you really don't want it to go. Yeah, sadly I know all about pushing limits with bad results. I pushed too hard when cooking and a skillet filled with hot oil just fell out of my hand - fortunately no serious consequences but a reminder that a joint failure or a spasm can occur at the worst of times. I try to lay out all the tools I think I will need and then work out the job in my head to see if there are going to be any rough spots. Thanks again for your input, Chip. It has been most helpful! -- Bobby G. |
#23
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
Tips for arthritic repair people
|
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
garage lock replacement - arthritic finger friendly possible? | UK diy | |||
OLD TV REPAIR TOOLS-permapower huebrite picture tube brightener-6-page tv set service tips tube replacement book-sylvania techs handheld colorviewer tool-vintage repair shop cleanout-$10 | Home Repair | |||
OLD TV REPAIR TOOLS-permapower huebrite picture tube brightener-6-page tv set service tips tube replacement book-sylvania techs handheld colorviewer tool-vintage repair shop cleanout-$10 | Electronics Repair | |||
Plasma TV repair tips? | Electronics Repair | |||
Tips and Tricks . Discussion and interest around Computers & Mobiles for People who are Crazy | Home Repair |