My new favourite knife

I just bought one of these non stick knives on a whim, whilst buying my fathers christmas present. It was pretty cheap, about £6 I think, but bright green and zingy. Since then it has been in use nearly every day. For those of us with weakened hands through chronic pain, anything that helps every day activities such as cooking is very welcome. I cant believe the difference it has made to some of my food preparations. Cutting vegetables seems to only take half the effort. It doesn't work on everything - especially very sticky things like glace cherries, but then nothing does, and for that amount of money this has to go down as one of my best buys of the year.

Pacing - the only way to survive Christmas with fibromyalgia

Just a little reminder to all that pacing is the only way to get through the next few days. Come the start of January, you wont regret having done frozen peas instead of sprouts, or having handed over presents in bags not neatly wrapped, but you will regret it if you spent the day in bed as you overdid it trying to prepare!

I managed to do too much tidying yesterday, getting carried away, and as a result didn't wake up until lunchtime, so now have to truly prioritise or suffer tomorrow. I want to eat christmas pudding, so thats next on the list, and maybe wrapping, but thats it for me. I have sent out to Waitrose entertaining for ready prepared vegtables, and a christmas cake. The local butcher Sumblers has prepared the meats, and amazon has provided almost all the presents - the others were from a couple of shops near work, or other web shopping sites. However looking back on this. it probably worked out at about the same costs as preparing early gave me web discounts enough to cover the extra in food ordering, so I think next year I will get amazon to gift wrap everything too!

Happy holidays everyone, and don't panic about the small stuff - just remember its your time that counts, not your perfection.

Stressless sofas

Need a new sofa? old one just too hard/soft? Well I was in this situation recently - I wasn't very happy that the old one hadn't lasted even 6 years, but it gave us the chance to look for something more supportive that I could get out of more easily. High back to stop those draughts round the neck, and a recliner were high on the list. I checked out several shops, and much of them were the same except for 2 shops. The main issue was that the recliners were almost all manual - they open out quickly enough, but I don't have the leg or arm strength to close them again, meaning I get stuck and make things worse by having to clamber out if I am on my own and the door goes.

The winners were DFS who now do an electric reclining range, and they had 3 very comfy ones, and Stressless. My husband initially said he refused to pay that much for a sofa, but thankfully they were on sale so stressless it was. I preferred their more robust build and the lumber support that drops away as you lean back. Its been a week now, and its so comfortable that I have easily managed to take a couple of afternoon naps on it and wake up without being in agony - so a big thumbs up for Stressless!

Chopping Food

OK, so not everything makes life easier. My husband recently broke our "Alligator" onion chopper, so we wanted to get a new one. We thought we would try one of these. Sadly it is probably the hardest thing to use and worse than actually chopping by hand! The thing cant cope with half or even quarter onions, and even if you cut it into eighths, you still have to push it down so many times your wrist gets sore. Unlike the Alligator which did need a push, but thanks to the design you could even use your elbow and just lean on it. We cant send the round one back, but will still be throwing it in the bin, as its just no use at all.

Dreamland electric throw

OK, so I don't actually have one of these, but its definitely going onto my Christmas wish list. I do get so cold in the winter, but don't want to either waste too much fuel or parboil my dog, so I usually start bringing in the fleeces and throws about this time of year. I used to have a dreamland electric duvet when living in a flat with no central heating. This was so good that it replaced my previous mound of bedding - by mound I mean 2 x 13.5 tog duvets and a smaller 10 tog one on top for good measure. I also use their heat pad and cushion regularly to ease those aches and pains, so the thought of a nice cosy, washable electric throw has got me really excited. If I don't get one, I will be buying one in January for sure!

Update: I did get one for my birthday, and its been a resounding success, especially in this cold spell we are having. The dog loves it too - he came in from a freezing rainy walk yesterday evening, and poked it in its pile with his ears down, looking at me, until I put it on my lap for him to warm up on top of. Yes, this is probably aginst the safety warnings, but he's only small and gets off if he starts to get too warm.

Heat Tech Clothing

Whats the one thing you need with fibromyalgia? - lots of layers

Whats the one thing you don't need? - too much bulk or weight!

I am loving the new heat tech clothes from Uniqlo - cheap, cosy and colorful, what more do you need on a bleak day like today.

Coop Card Reader

So many gadgets are there to make our lives easier - but this definitely isn't one of them! My new card reader arrived from the Coop a couple of weeks ago. I am usually very happy with them as a bank, mainly because they have so many access routes, but also because they have never given me any hassle, and have even been known to phone me up when I could be saving money or getting better interest. Yes, they are a rare beast amongst the usual banks.

So why o why have they given out the most awkward system for card checking? The screen is dreadful - contrast is awful, figures are tiny, and it isn't backlit so you have to wave it round till you find good lighting! I had to go through the rigmarole of all this several times as I kept reading the numbers wrong, simply to transfer money from my current account to my gold card, so not even an insecure transaction!!!

Plus isn't giving away card scanners a good way for forgers to get hold of them? I have two in my house already as my husband also uses the coop and smile - he is expecting one from Smile any day. - Prices on a postcard.....

Sunning it

Its been so hot lately, that work seems to have suffered for everyone. Those air con units are so bad at work when they overheat, especially if like me you have sealed windows in your office. So the only answer is to hide at home, and then enjoy the evening sun. However, thats not so easy if you cant ever get comfy, so this year I went for a waterproof beanbag. And if its possible to say this of an inanimate, non gadget-like, item - I'm in lurve :)

Its very pink, but they had sold out of purple, so whats a girl to do? The best thing though, is actually being able to find comfort, lying on my front in the sun. I like to lie on my front to get the warm rays on my back to ease my aches and pains, and have never been as comfy in this position except on my tempur mattress! I can just fall down and be supported whilst reading or listening to my ipod and just relax for what seems like forever. I highly recommend it. As long as you have someone to help you back up out of it in case you seize up and undo all your good sun bathing...

Oh and try not to let the dog lie on top of you either, as that REALLY hurts ;)

Mobile Blogging

Thought it was time to blog prone rather than sat up. I went to my iPod touch apps store and carefully read the reviews, downloaded blogwriter, set it up and watched it bomb :(

Not to be deterred, although sulking that I bought the full version of the above, I then bought another software blogpress and so far so good. I don't like the tiny times roman font so shall have to try to improve that, but now to see if it posts....

-- Posted From My iPod Touch

A cute laptop trolley bag

It may not look it from the photo, but this is actually a very nice looking laptop bag. After giving up taking even my UMPC into work as it weighed too much I started to look for a trolley bag, but the UK offerings were either hideous, manly or way too expensive! I waited until l I got to the airport and found the cutest one I have seen, for about £100. Admittedly this isn't cheap, but no back pain and style at the same time aren't easy to find, so I thought I would show it to you anyway. I have linked the pic to the only place I could find it, their site being down, lets hope this sort of thing starts to reach our own shores very soon.

Windows 7 - my god it works!

After trying every system going on my Samsung Q1, I have now got the beta of windows 7 on there, and by jove I can finally use it for what was intended. My handwriting to text is in time with my strokes, the videos play without juddering, and even start up is relatively quick and painless.

I just wonder what lies under the lid of my current feeling of glee, and fear if the OS is fine, the price wont be!

Ho Hum....

Airports!

Just back from a trip to Amsterdam, leaving from Bristol so thought would do a quick comparison on the two airports.

Wi-fi - Quick and easy to log into a pay per minute system at Amsterdam, but at Bristol you had to go to a corner with PC's where there seemed to be a seat in front of every one. A1, B0

Wheelchair availability - Both you have to go in a way, but despite a couple of hitches both got a chair in good time, but at Amsterdam you couldn't get it till you had checked in, so don't try if you haven't got electronic booking from your provider or you wont get any shopping time. A0 B1

Lift to planes - Bristol won hands down for taking my husband and my friend, Amsterdam expects you to go it alone. A0 B1

Food - a bit unfair as Bristol is so much smaller, but still a goof offering, so one all this time.

Toilets - both were clean and easy to find, so again a draw on this one.

Passport Control - Bristol have managed to put a barrier in the way of the disabled access so you get pushed into the queue a get tutted loads, amsterdam fast tracks you via the crew lines - A1, B0

All in all therefore its a draw on the main points for me, but you have been warned!

Reading on an ipod touch

The ipod touch, is still the best toy around as far as my peer group sees it - small, pretty, and an awesome interface. But what I find it most useful for is reading ebooks at night. The screen is lovely to read on, with a good range of text sizes on ereader and stanza, the two most popular apps on the itunes site. But the fact that it is so light and backlit are the main plusses for me - I can read happily through a sleepless night without disturbing my hubby, or even listen to an audio book if my shoulders are really painful. Having said that, most mobile phones do the same thing, so its worth looking around to see what might be the best one for your pocket.

Knitting for Neuropathy

Neuropathy in your hands makes working difficult. I am lucky that I work with computers, so can mostly keep going, but found that my hands were getting worse and worse. It became a choice between my hands or my job. In desperation I thought about something light that would move my hands in the opposite way to the keyboard and came up with knitting. Success, and resoundingly so! I find that doing at least an hours knitting every day keeps my hands going for work. I have fallen in love with Rowan wools for several reasons: The wools are lovely, and they even do ranges of natural and organic dyes, not just natural fibres that are so important for temperature control when your nerves are sending back random signals. The patterns are lovely - yes they do some baby and "classic" knit patterns, but their studio range in particular is fantastic for the latest styles, and as I am knitting, I am not limited to the 2 colours that the high street deems in this year. Because I am knitting them myself, although I go for the top end wool, the jumpers are still a fraction of what you would pay for a finished garment in the shops. Finally and most importantly, the knitting takes my mind off of my pain just enough to allow me to sit in comfort and watch the telly of an evening. Who knows - it may just work for you too...

The Healthy Back Bag

Now the weather is warmer, I felt it was time to update my bag collection and consider something lighter than waterproof leather. I have tried almost every bag style going, and need something I can change shoulder or even use no shoulders if my fibro is getting really bad. On looking around I found these bags, and decide to go for not just one of the normal bags, but one of the little bagletts too (pictured).

They arrived in two days, and after a rage about the (in)accessibility of our new sorting office, I gleefully started transferring all my stuff and then tried it for size. Its very stiff to adjust the belt, probably because I got a suede look bag so the surface is quite rough, but the strap has a textured grip layer underneath which is a great idea as you dont shrug your shoulder to keep it on if you just fling it over for a short hop. For a longer journey, I wear it across my body, and at first it felt very strange as it does actually feel as if the weight is all down your back. My shoulders felt very little effort, and I could definitely feel weight in the small of my back - odd but much more comfortable than usual. The baglett I am using like a large purse for cards, cash, drugs and a pen and some lippie. It will just about fit a cheque book, so is a decent size, and is great to take out of the larger bag for popping into town at lunchtime, leaving my bigger bag at my desk. I may just have to get a leather one too when the rainy winter weather returns....!

Yay, Comfortable Jeans

I haven't worn jeans for years now, and was starting to really miss them, however they always made my neuropathy worse so I didn't dare. Then I came across these jeans a while ago on a website, and started to wonder if they might work. They are supposed to be really stretchy and you get them in a size or two down from normal to pull you in. However this led me to believe they might be stretchy enough that I could wear them in my normal size in actual comfort, but still didn't want to speed that much money on a pair of jeans unseen.

Then just yesterday, I saw a sign for them in Wardrobe in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and couldn't resist going back. The shop was small yet friendly, and I explained my thoughts, and unsurprisingly they offered me the chance to try them on, piling me up with 4 different pairs; light blue, indigo, charcoal, and blue with sparkly bits on the back. The first pair I put on, I fell in love with. The old buttery feel of jeans sliding on, with - wait for it - a waistband that stretched almost as much as my favorite puma joggers! Admittedly the zip was a bit stiff, and I had to breathe in the do them up, but once closed they were just so comfortable. I am told they will be even more stretchy on as the lycra gives more as it warms up, so I am at last off on holiday with a pair of jeans despite my aching nerves :)

A new Mouse?

I find I can no longer use a "normal" mouse - too much movement on my shoulder out to the side, really flares up my fibromyalgia in my neck and back. However my work means that a trackball is no good either - not enough accuracy and speed unless you spend a fortune! So heres the compromise I found - a rolling bar that can be clicked down and used by either hand. Its worth it just to see the look on the faces of people who try to jump on my PC :)

Sleeping comfortably with Fibromyalgia

I have found it very hard to find the right pillow combinations for fibromyalgia - how to find one soft enough not to aggravate my neck, but supporting enough to not cause any new problems. I have come to the conclusion that there isn't one straight answer, so now have a collection of pillows by the side of the bed. The Tempur Millenium Pillow available for a around £70 on Amazon Here is the rolls royce solution, but if you cant splash out to that extent, then there are lots of shapes of memory pillow around for much less these days, which can be made that bit softer by a feather or down topping. I found some of the Dunelm Mill ones to be the best, and bought this lovely V shaped Memory Pillow for £30 where it has made my corner of the sofa into a cosy haven for listening to my ipod touch while knitting to keep my hands working. Here hoping you find your solution, and can relax in comfort.

Great Neuropathy Exerciser

I love this so much. Lets face it, there aren't many exercises you can do without using your hands or feet if they really hurt all the time, and putting pressure on the makes them worse. This machine seems to be the answer though, as your hands and feet are in the air, and you only have pressure on your bottom from sitting on it. At last, a way of getting some daily exercise despite peripheral neuropathy! - oh and its so quiet, I can use it in front of the telly without any complaints from others in the room. It has also got the bonus of being absolutely hilarious when everyone wants a go on it too, and a laugh never hurt anyone did it? In fact laughing is also a great stomach exercise, so go for both at once!

The Yoropen

The Yoropen is great if you struggle to write due to the pressure needed for a "normal" pen. The odd bent shape really works well and helps out with hand wrist and shoulder issues if you have a lot to write. The basic pens, pencils and coloured pencils are sold in WH Smiths, or you can order something more flash like the executive range online. I recommend the executive one if you prefer a bit more weight to your pen. The odd shape also makes it good for left handed people too. An even weirder option that I didnt really get on with was the Pen Again, but then you have to try and find whats best for you.

Scooter Bell

For those of you who have ever tried to use a standard mobility scooter horn and been stunned at how pathetic it is, heres an idea. The Octopus shops round the UK - sorry no website in this country, but there is a US one here - have the loveliest bicycle bells. I am off to fit mine now and see how well it works - once I have fixed my flat tyre that is :(

An apology

I know its been ages, sadly these things happen - death disease, I've had a rough six months, but its not me to dwell so I am back in the fold and raring to go again, with lots of new gadgets and ideas on how to cope with fibromyalgia and neuropathy in a totally disgraceful manner!!

And heres the Docs I bought

Arent they gorgeous! :) The air cushioned sole is great when your feet are sensitive, and if like me you are still fine to wear heels, then why not - I just suggest you also get an adjustable walking stick...

Crocs and Docs

I dont know about you, but I got so fed up of trying shoe after shoe when trying to get to grips with my neuropathy, but I was certain the one thing I didnt want was fugly! Fortunately I found the online stores for Crocs and Docs - now dont shy away just yet... The ones you see in the store arent the whole of their range, and both have some very nice shoes and sandals.  Crocs even have a special soft bed for sore feet, and their latest Silver Fox shoe, looks like a "normal" day shoe, but is so squidgy inside, its lovely.