My Funny Bone's Gone Funny

stickywicket

It's been a pain for the last few weeks and, unfortunately, I've no-one but myself to blame. I discovered, about 8 years ago, awaiting a THR and having to be plonked on and hauled off the loo by Mr SW, that I could make this experience slightly better for him by reaching backwards with my elbow and using it to flush the loo before he arrived to get me off. (And, yes, it was a leap of faith first time around :? I did fear a cold douche :shock: but, nothing ventured nothing gained. It worked and I remained dry.)

And, I've been using that method ever since - not always, but certainly in the night when, without my surgical shoes, every step has to be assessed as necessary or unnecessary and the elbow method saves me about seven small ones.

A few weeks ago, with both my brain cells still in bed asleep, I absent-mindedly raised the elbow too high and clonked it down much too hard.

And, here's the daft bit. Every time it eases off a bit I think of my feet and revert to the elbow method. Thus, not-too-amazingly, it's still a pain.

No sympathy required or deserved but any spare brain cells that you could donate would be much appreciated. And, children, don't do this at home :roll:

gilly1957

Oh dear......I haven,t tried flushing the loo with my elbow....

and as for brains cell....sorry I need the one I have left

Hope it feels better soon x

Numptydumpty

Well, my brain cell came up with this ground breaking idea,
STOP DOING IT!!!

Seriously though, I'm sure we all do silly things like this, and whether you want it or not, you have my sympathy.

Perhaps someone could design a foot operated flush

dreamdaisy

Right, get some Spentox sponge wipe thingies (some are quite thick) and ask Mr SW to tie it around the relevant elbow last thing at night then that should provide some cushioning. Alternatively do a Mr DD and don't flush the loo. (He swears he does but he doesn't.) DD

PS I'm off to try it now but sans sponge.

villier

awe sticky for goodness sake woman self inflicted pain as if you don't have enough, what about getting mr sw to fashion a big thick chunky sponge over the toilet handle to cushion it, and can be slipped off and on when required :idea: either that you stop doing it end of .........marie xx

dibdab

I have no useful suggestions- but wanted to say "Thank you and bless you all"- having had a fairly stressful day this post has made me giggle aloud- feel slightly ridiculous now as I'm home alone.

Seriously though- hope you find a useful solution to save steps and ease your elbow.

Deb x

hileena111

Hi Sticky
Well....got no mre suggestions....think they've come up with all of them.
Stop doing it Get the handle padded seem to be the best ideas.

Love
Hileena

hileena111

A suggestion from hubby.
Pipe insulation.....cut to the length of the handle and slipped over.
He hear me laughing at the replies to the posts...he was on his computer opposite me

Love
Hileena

stickywicket

Thank you all for your kind thoughts though I note that no-one was offering to let me have a transplant of any of their grey matter, the lack of which was, I think my main problem.

A sponge covering, preferably for the handle rather than my elbow, might have prevented the initial damage but now it's just there, whatever I do or don't do, my companion for some time, I guess. It's worst in the morning so maybe if I just don't go to bed....?

It's hardly major-league pain, just a constant reminder of the 11th commandment 'Thou shalt not be a prat'. It's never worked yet.

barbara12

Hileena beat me to it...pipe lagging ...yeah my hubby is an heating engineer...I even have it on crutches to help the hands....thats it Im afraid I dont have any spare brain cells... :?

frogmorton

Sorry SW

Got no brain cells to spare :?

we only have one for the WHOLE family and Daisycat usually has it

sorry

Poor elbow

Love

Toni xxx

jillyb1

My solution to this problem , Sticky , is that hubby and I agreed long ago in the mists of time ; I call when ready , you get me off the loo and balanced against the wall , then while facing the other way ~ you flush ! Not a problem when at home as the OT authorised a swiss electric loo for me years ago as I've very little movement in my arms ; the loo washes , cleans and dries so saves discomfort and embarrassment . Jillyb

stickywicket

I'm not surprised your cat has nicked all the brain cells, frog. Cats have everything worked out to their own advantage.

Jillyb, I love the idea of your all-singing, all-dancing loo though, to be fair, I don't normally need anything like that. I may have initially misunderstood your last sentence. I was going to say that MR SW has always been of the belief that ours is self-cleaning :roll:

dreamdaisy

Oh, you wanted braincells too? OK, I'll dig out one of my spares (it's currently re-charging) and send it to you. It's not only lavatories that are self-cleaning: the bit around the pedestal is too, as are basins, sinks, fridges and pedal bins and clothes also iron themselves. It's not magic - it's bl**dy hard work! DD

stickywicket

You have spare braincells You mean unused, pristine, unneeded? Or, are all yours re-chargeable? I rather like that idea and many thanks for the generous offer. Re-charged, re-conditioned, rejected, refused, redundant, refractory, re-habilitated or rebellious, I need any that's going. I'm not proud.

The one that astonished him was when I asked him to clean the underneath bit of the washbasin and loo, just above the pedestal. Why? You can't see it. At 6'2" you can't but at 5'2" you can.

lululu

SW while sitting on the loo I have overworked my brain cell and have an idea that may help. I initially thought if you tie something on the handle and leave it hanging down you may be able to reach behind you to pull the handle with that ' something'? I think the something would be better sort of chunky - a scarf may do it. Then someone mentioned pipe lagging and that set of the brain cell again - how about asking Mr. SW too fix some strong wire, maybe a wire coat hanger will do it and using the pipe lagging on that to protect you hands and give you something 'chunky' to reach for -- sorry the brein cell has switched off now but I am sure you could work on this idea.

stickywicket

Thanks, lululu. I imagine that was quite a lot of brain cells used up on my behalf. It's very kind of you and I think it's a solution that would help many people but I don't think it would help me as the pressure would be in all the wrong places - rubbish shoulder and fingers, fused wrist, the elbow was my best feature :roll:

There's no real reason, right now, why I shouldn't employ the normal method. OK, it's more steps but, hey, it's all exercise Next time I'm really in trouble I shall think about your suggestion.

stickywicket

It's OK again!

A bit of brute force and ignorance was all it required. I'd been very good, very careful, not employed it as a loo-flushing-device, exercised it only gently etc etc and nothing was improving.

So, I decided a couple of days ago that, if tlc wouldn't do the job, I might as well go back to doing my arm exercises the usual way with the 0.5kg weight. It worked first time