Me, The Messy One

I noticed when I was a small child that I was extremely clumsy.  Guess you could say I certainly had “two left feet”.  This picture of when I was four years of age shows the wonderful bowed knees I was sporting my childhood.

I would often say, “I get my two left feet and clumsy ways from my Dad”.  He would often fall, trip, and stumble around when others wouldn’t have any issues.

Unfortunately my Father passed away a few years ago, so I wasn’t given the opportunity to research if he might have also had MS.

Fast forward approximately 50 years and I’m still that clumsy girl, and then some!  I had came to a place in my life, where I was not able to climb rough terrain, or even walk through a mall area without bouncing off every wall encountered.  If had been stopped while driving, I would not have been able to pass a sobriety check, with my lack of ability to walk a straight line despite the fact I don’t drink and drive.

I am now rekindling my passions in life of cooking, sewing, and other crafts.  Ironically, one of the main issues I deal with is still being extremely clumsy!  When I cook, there is a hand towel in my hand, and a mop rag close by:

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I find being clumsy is now just a new part of my day.  If a day goes by without needing to sweep or mop up a disaster then it is a day for celebration! 

As a result of this pitfall of dropping everything I come in contact with I have found new ways of coping.  Laughing off today’s spill accident as I say, “of course I just SPILLED that!”

My husband has even said to me, you aren’t clumsy…. You just have MS.   He says I have the right to spill…. MS awarded it to me. His acceptance and ability to laugh with me are one of the many reasons I love him so dearly.  

So take your spills, clumsy ways and goofs in stride!  Don’t stress about the little things in life!  Keep the dishtowel nearby, and be prepared to have the cleanest floors in town, due to the constant cleaning.

In terms of dropping items, I have tried the weighted silverware and found any sort of weight or support helps a great deal.  You can find heavier silverware and wrist strap on weights to assist in tasks when the days are extremely bad.  I also use hand weights to help strengthen my grip.  You don’t need to go buy expensive equipment; even using heavier can goods or bottles around the house will suffice.  Just start out slow in trying to strengthen or do any weight training, and always talk to your doctor first for their advice.

I have also incorporated using play dough to work my fingers and hands out when sitting watching TV.  At some point I hope to use the hand grip equipment, but for now that is too tough for me.

My new best friend is my inherited kitchen timer!

When I am doing any task I found using the timer is helpful. I limit tasks to fewer than 10 minutes and when hearing the “DING”, it is time to take a rest!

I know despite how I might want to continue pressing forward with the task at hand, it is better to take a short rest, and continue a little later on. By breaking my working time into smaller increments, I am lowering the risk of fatigue from taking over.

Finding tools that help in the kitchen or our daily life, improvising with items we all have around, and watching our fatigue levels, can help us to enjoy each and every day to the fullest!

Hoping for a great upcoming holiday season for everyone, and be sure to take those breaks!  Sit down, enjoy a nice cup of tea…. And take a little rest.

-Terri Yonemura