← Return to What to expect with PN in hands

Discussion

What to expect with PN in hands

Neuropathy | Last Active: Aug 22, 2023 | Replies (23)

Comment receiving replies
@dbeshears1

My hands were basically crippled at the same time as my feet when I had a sudden infliction of PN. Not only was I in a wheelchair for 6 months, but I needed special tools to use my hands. Extra wide fork and knife handles to eat (no sharp knives!!) and having to learn safe toileting. Special grippers to open things. But long story short, Physical Therapy. I started at rock bottom, and made a ton of improvements with 6 months of PT for both hands and legs. For hands, regaining strength was key. Sure it’s not 100%, probably only 75%, but sooo much better. It involved mental coordination too to help if sensation is bad, so you can be more alert and safer around stoves and ovens. A lot of gripping exercises, squeezing balls of all sizes; picking up tiny things, like emptying a bag of skittles or jelly beans and picking them up one by one to sort by color etc (there are non sugar things you can use, chips, pills, etc); practice shuffling and dealing cards; sticking little pegs in holes. PT helped me learn and practice so much! I’m so grateful to be able to do what I can now. I can live with what I can do now; my condition might not let me sew or knit, cheap newspaper pages are hard to flip, and I still will drop things, but PT has afforded me the luxuries of gripping a steering wheel, starting the car, typing awfully, cooking & cleaning, and flossing my teeth! I hope you consider it to help maintain or improve and fight the chance of it getting worse. Hugs!

Jump to this post


Replies to "My hands were basically crippled at the same time as my feet when I had a..."

Thanks for the hugs, the same back to you for what you’ve been through. I’m hoping my hands won’t be crippled. I’m doing hand exercises each day to stay on top of it while I hope there’s time. Thanks very much for sharing your very difficult and inspiring experience.

What a great description of the PT help for the hands. With SFN (small fiber neuropathy) I have waves of tingle tangles and even the "burning" that we all seem to have somewhere. How about playing cards ......can you shuffle them? And I play Mahjongg with tiles so it is important not to drop them.

Thanks for this post @dbeshears1.
May you have ease and contentment.
Chris