Changing Hands?

Marc

Marc

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I'm very right handed but, as I have MS, I have a severe loss of sensation and strength in both my hands, my right one worse than my left. As a result, my left hand has a lot more strength and grip, but much less coordination than my right. One of the biggest pains is that I can't hold a pen properly so I find it very difficult to write.

So to my question. Has anyone ever changed their writing hand, for whatever reason and was there any method used to "train" that hand? I would dearly love to be able to write, it becomes so annoying when I'm out and have to fill in forms, especially in front of others, filling in recorded delivery slips for example, so it would be great to hear of any other peoples' experiences, if any.
 
Hi Marc - Sorry to hear about the MS. I'm guessing that practise, practise etc is bound to help with your writing coordination. The brain is amazing at adaptability and the more you practise writing, the more the brain will hopefully be trained to help decipher your usual writing skills into the other hand.
I'm ambidextrous, mainly left hand, but have had to adapt, through practise, to things like cutting RHd with scissors etc.
I started off playing drums right handed, but switched to LH many years ago because my right leg wasn't as coordinated as the left one.
Hope this helps a little :)
 
Marc

here's a link about LH Writing......"click"
 
I'm dyspraxic (sp?) and one of the coordination teaching things was to throw a ball against a wall and catch it, increasing speed and distance to make it harder. Maybe doing that with your left hand would help?

I don't know about MS specific issues though
 
May be worth asking to see an occupational therapist on this one. They might be able to help with this. It might even come under the remit of speech and language. Perhaps ask your GP, neurologist of specialist nurse?
 
Thanks for the replies. :thumbs:

mercedes said:
Hi Marc - Sorry to hear about the MS. I'm guessing that practise, practise etc is bound to help with your writing coordination. The brain is amazing at adaptability and the more you practise writing, the more the brain will hopefully be trained to help decipher your usual writing skills into the other hand.
I'm ambidextrous, mainly left hand, but have had to adapt, through practise, to things like cutting RHd with scissors etc.
I started off playing drums right handed, but switched to LH many years ago because my right leg wasn't as coordinated as the left one.
Hope this helps a little :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have mastered doing a lot of things left handed (scissors and using tools are examples) but writing still illudes me. Guessing it's the combination of holding and articulating which make it that much harder.

Yardbent said:
Marc

here's a link about LH Writing......"click"
Click to expand...

Thanks for that John, will have a look at that when I get home his evening.

david1701 said:
I'm dyspraxic (sp?) and one of the coordination teaching things was to throw a ball against a wall and catch it, increasing speed and distance to make it harder. Maybe doing that with your left hand would help?

I don't know about MS specific issues though
Click to expand...

That's not a bad shout, may well have a bash at that.

menthel said:
May be worth asking to see an occupational therapist on this one. They might be able to help with this. It might even come under the remit of speech and language. Perhaps ask your GP, neurologist of specialist nurse?
Click to expand...

I did menion it to my OT a couple of years ago but she didn't really know, but may well be worth speaking to another one I suppose.
 
PsiFox said:
Theere are a seies of books for teaching left handed children to write neatly. Now while I am not suggesting you area child you will need to undergo a similar process to retrain so this might be helpful

http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lh-writing-book1.html
Click to expand...

Love that website. I'm a lefty and am extremely lucky as I've been quite highly ambidextrous all my life. Can do almost anything with both hands. :)

I broke fingers in my left hand before and the "ball against the wall" routine was recommended by my physio. I was 16 though.
 
fabs said:
Yeah, I have mastered doing a lot of things left handed (scissors and using tools are examples) but writing still illudes me. Guessing it's the combination of holding and articulating which make it that much harder./QUOTE]

It's bad enough that you are let loose with a camera let along allowing you to use tools :D
Seriously though Marc, I hope you can find a method to re-train yourself to write left handed.
I'm a believer in the old saying 'where there is a will there is a way' and those of us who have met you know that you won't be defeated without a fight.
Click to expand...
 
PsiFox said:
Theere are a seies of books for teaching left handed children to write neatly. Now while I am not suggesting you area child you will need to undergo a similar process to retrain so this might be helpful

http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lh-writing-book1.html
Click to expand...

That's the same as John's link above but thanks anyway.

JDholic said:
Love that website. I'm a lefty and am extremely lucky as I've been quite highly ambidextrous all my life. Can do almost anything with both hands. :)

I broke fingers in my left hand before and the "ball against the wall" routine was recommended by my physio. I was 16 though.
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I'll definitely give it a go then as I'm only 16................ish. :p

hashcake said:
fabs said:
Yeah, I have mastered doing a lot of things left handed (scissors and using tools are examples) but writing still illudes me. Guessing it's the combination of holding and articulating which make it that much harder./QUOTE]

It's bad enough that you are let loose with a camera let along allowing you to use tools :D
Seriously though Marc, I hope you can find a method to re-train yourself to write left handed.
I'm a believer in the old saying 'where there is a will there is a way' and those of us who have met you know that you won't be defeated without a fight.
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Thanks for the fighting talk Darran. :boxer: ;)
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I suddenly completely lost the use of my right arm last Autumn and had to learn to do everything left handed.

It was a struggle at first but after a few months I was doing things left handed without a second thought.

The right arm is working 100% again now but I still continue to do some things left handed.

Occupational Therapy (not physio therapy) at the hospital provided me with loads of toys and gadgets to help me use my wrong hand for every day to day tasks.
 
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dinners said:
I suddenly completely lost the use of my right arm last Autumn and had to learn to do everything left handed.

It was a struggle at first but after a few months I was doing things left handed without a second thought.

The right arm is working 100% again now but I still continue to do come things left handed.

Occupational Therapy (not physio therapy) at the hospital provided me with loads of toys and gadgets to help me use my wrong hand for every day to day tasks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Phil. Looks like going back to the OT would be a good idea. What caused the problem with your arm if you don't mind me asking?
 
fabs said:
Thanks for that Phil. Looks like going back to the OT would be a good idea. What caused the problem with your arm if you don't mind me asking?
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Hi Marc

I just woke up one morning with a 'pins and needles' type 'dead' arm - Nothing unusual really if you've slept on it funny but instead of it coming back in a few mins it became worse and worse. Later that day I went to the hospital and they were concerned enough to keep me in for a couple of days as they wanted to check that I hadn't had a stroke.

Anyway - it turned out to be a condition called radial nerve palsy. Somehow the main nerve had been compressed in the night and had 'broken'. I couldn't support my wrist so my right hand just hung down all floppy. Whilst they don't always recover they were confident (being in my 30's) that it would although nerves do take a long time to re-grow.

Occupational therapy built me a heat moulded thing with a metal frame which fitted over my arm and supported my wrist by cradling my fingers. I was able to close my fist but no radial nerve meant I couldn't open it again. This contraption was really good as it sprung my hand open again for me enabling me to pick up and put down decent sized objects such as a pint :thumbs:

The things I found most difficult to were writing, doing shoe laces, buttons, knife and fork, scissors etc but again Occupational therapy were great. They gave me foam tubes which fitted onto cutlery, big rubber grips for sliding over pens, a wire hooky type thing for doing shirt buttons one handed, rubbery cloths for opening jar lids - all manner of things to make things easier.

Driving wasn't an option for a few months but fortunately I was able to work from home.

Photography was impossible for a wee while till I started a thread on here about 'one handed photography' and a few folk came up with a few suggestions to help. Hoppy even converted a manfrotto ball grip to left handed and lent it me which meant I could manage albeit with a tripod.

I would certainly try and get along to occupational therapy - they have so many ways of helping you to overcome things whether at work or at home. They should let you try out all the aids - bit like Bond visiting M.

Best of luck anyway

Phil
 
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Must have been quite scary for you, glad you're ok now. I remember my first symptom (Well, I thought it was the first at the time) was very similar in that my hands suddenly had that pins and needles feeling.

I have one of those wire button hooks but I can't do it one handed so I generally get the missus to do my shirt buttons for me. Those aids you mention sound like they could be what I need so will be making an appointment shortly to look into that.
 
fabs said:
Must have been quite scary for you, glad you're ok now. I remember my first symptom (Well, I thought it was the first at the time) was very similar in that my hands suddenly had that pins and needles feeling.

I have one of those wire button hooks but I can't do it one handed so I generally get the missus to do my shirt buttons for me. Those aids you mention sound like they could be what I need so will be making an appointment shortly to look into that.
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It's certainly worth going to see what help they can give you. I was lucky in that I wasn't out of action for as long as they suspected based on their experiences with other people with the same condition but they still gave me loads of things to try. Even the rubber things that fit over pens - they sound so daft but I was given about 10 different shapes and sizes to play with to see which one worked best for me. Another thing I saw (but didn't get) was a rocker kettle so you can pour the water into a cup without having to lift either up.
 
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dinners said:
It's certainly worth going to see what help they can give you. I was lucky in that I wasn't out of action for as long as they suspected based on their experiences with other people with the same condition but they still gave me loads of things to try. Even the rubber things that fit over pens - they sound so daft but I was given about 10 different shapes and sizes to play with to see which one worked best for me. Another thing I saw (but didn't get) was a rocker kettle so you can pour the water into a cup without having to lift either up.
Click to expand...

I just get the wife to make the tea. :D
 
Hello Marc,

Sorry to hear about the MS. When I was about 8-9 years old I injured my right hand and had to learn to write again with my left, I recall it felt unnatural, but possibly being young I was better able to cope and remember being proud to receive a 'Silver' star for handwriting a year or so later....... now almost 50 years on it still feels awkward to write with my left and my handwriting deteriorates badly if I am tired and the muscles in the hand go into spasm etc.

About 18 months ago, I injured my right arm, and am finding it very difficult if not impossible to do certain tasks with my left hand - I guess because I have been used to doing a task with my right hand/arm for so long, its now very difficult to change - the saying you cannot teach an old dog new tricks comes to mind...... small tasks like opening a jar of coffee, using a mouse left-handed.....I could not open the lid on the butter the other day and had to accept defeat eating a dry roll........

I think for me its the lack of patience, and whilst you can do certain exercises to improve co-ordination and grip, you cannot repeatedly do the movements that you fail on - but I remain in awe of how a truly disabled person copes to find ingenious ways to overcome obstacle in everyday life and for some go to compete in the paralympics.

Whilst it will not help you with writing outside, I could not at first type at all with my right arm as it was immobilised for several months, but I discovered that built-in to Windows XP / Vista is a pretty good voice recognition system and with a little bit of training achieves fairly good results.

I now dictate the majority of my e-mails or letters - there are some words it cannot identify correctly (my poor diction) but the accuracy for voice recognition has improved immensely. If you want to have a try, let me know and I will send you a suitable headset/mike and some tips to get you started.

Best regards

Roy
 
Marc,

My mum taught me to write with my left hand over the course of a summer holiday when I was a teenager. I developed a cyst in the wrist joint (it's still there and causes me grief sometimes) and found it really difficult to grip anything because of the buld-up of pressure. I started off with a pencil in both hands and my left mimicked my right. I lost track of the amount of times I wrote the alphabet - it was like being back in primary school. Evenutally, I progressed to spider-like pen writing and got a decent speed up. When it became legible I was really chuffed, but it did take the whole of the holiday (6 weeks and practice EVERY day).

I still use my right hand most of the time, and I probably should write a bit more with my left, but the left is there as a back-up (plus it bugs a lot of people when I switch between hands!).

Basically, it is possible to re-train, but it's hard work and don't expect it to be perfect.
 
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