hi everyone Im new on here

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sarajo
sarajo Member Posts: 4
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:05 in Living with arthritis

Hi everyone,

As you know Im Sara & Im from Middleton North Manchester. I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis some years ago after a scan on my fingers which are a little bit "curved" & knobbles on them

This has weekend my strength a bit because I cant open tops like I used to because I cant grip & opening packets of things can sometimes be difficult because the strength isnt there. I cant use tools for arthritis because Im frightened of it slipping & cutting me


I no longer eat tinned food because the can rings cant fit my fingers because of the "nobbles" -which I presume are bones


Mananging wise -it only tends to hurt when the whether is really cold & I have volterol on my repeat prescription which relieves any pain & of course like any other person when I go outside in the cold I wear gloves

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  • sarajo
    sarajo Member Posts: 4
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    Hi ChrisK

    i tried to open one -on an opener thats attached to a wall but it slipped off & spilt everywhere

    Yes Ive had to rsort to using scissors to open packets

    I find it a little depressing because as a child & a teenager my mum & dad used to nickname me srong arm sara

    Thanks for your amamzing advice & look forward to meeting fellow members

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992
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    There are loads of gadgets out there to help with arthritic problems, give them a try or ask on here if anyone has tried them before you buy them. Also speak to Adult Social Care at your Council, they should be able to visit and offer suggestions. I actually hurt my hand trying to crumble an Oxo cube yesterday!

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,419
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    Hi @sarajo

    Welcome to the forum from me. I really hope you find it as supportive as i have over the years 😊

    As Mike says there are loads of gadgets to help. Ring pulls openers etc.

    I haven't got one of those, but do have an old electric can opener and a lid opening thingy which I inherited from my late Mum. It opens jars which can be tricky for anyone can't they?

    Anyway come along in and join us all

  • sarajo
    sarajo Member Posts: 4
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    Thanks a lot for the welcome -much obliged


    I look forward to seeing all members posts & replying to them all

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
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    I have psoriatic arthritis in all my fingers and elbows plus OA in my wrists and one shoulder. These are my current solutions.

    Tins are summarily dealt with by my OXO good grips tin opener or I lever a teaspoon thro ring pulls. When doing that tins are placed on gripper matting to stop them sliding. . Oxo cubes are crumbled on a chopping board (also on gripper mat) using the flat of a broad-bladec knife and my upper body weight.

    Bleach bottles and the like were handed to any passing visitor (including the postman) to be opened but not closed. Now The Spouse is retired he has to do it - well, he keeps closing them properly so his fault when I present them to be reopened.

    I have padded cutlery handles with that gripper mat stuff you can buy, glue-gunned them closed and they slide on and off as required.

    I have bought cordless vacuums and again made my own grips. I have a steam generator iron. The thing is bulky but the iron itself is the lightest I have ever had.

    Disabaility has taught me to be far more flexible in my thinking than an able-bodied person has or needs to be. It's a matter of 'how can I?' rather than the blanket 'I can't,' which I find too defeatist. Luckily, however, I am in my 24th year of the junk so have had plenty of practise in problem solving, plus I was unhealthy fom birth: the problem solving began when I was a toddler, has got easier as I have aged and as more and more good stuff is invented: anti-slip matting is a household miracle, why confine it to the car dashboard? DD

    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
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