Not long ago I tried out some adaptive cutlery at my local Independent Living Centre.
It is one of those things that will probably only make sense if the pain and effort of picking up your knife and fork to eat dinner makes 'curl up and whimper' seem a sensible thing to do.
Suddenly a whole new world of actually eating dinner without having to down-tools every few seconds was tantalisingly close.
Unsurprisingly, I placed an order with the CompleteCareShop, opting for the Newstead angled knife and fork, and an easigrip sharp knife. (And a garden fork - but I haven't tried that out yet.)
But I had to wait for delivery - with every meal after placing the order accompanied by a little song of hope in my head perhaps soon the parcel will come! Perhaps tomorrow I can eat without so much pain!- A song which I admit became increasingly desperate.
Then yesterday, after a few days away, my hands were in a bad state...and the rest of me was an exhausted zombie. I had to eat but the only microwave meal in the house had a chicken breast in it. The very thought of cutting it made me want to weep. Oh well, I'd just have to eat what I could....
In that 8 1/2 minutes between putting it in the microwave and hearing the ping, my cutlery arrived! And yes, it really is that fabulous!
It felt a bit weird to start with, and takes a different technique, but for probably the first time in weeks I was able to eat a whole meal without a) getting someone else to cut it, and b) having to keep putting my cutlery down.
Ok, so cutting an overcooked chicken breast isn't exactly chopping up steak, but for someone who has been defeated by a mushroom, it's a near superhuman feat :D
[Note to any members of the Hypermobility Syndromes Association: The company PETA UK have some cooking utensils with similar grips, and the gardening tools too. HMSA members get 10% off! (I only remembered this after buying them elsewhere. Duh!) ]
It is one of those things that will probably only make sense if the pain and effort of picking up your knife and fork to eat dinner makes 'curl up and whimper' seem a sensible thing to do.
Suddenly a whole new world of actually eating dinner without having to down-tools every few seconds was tantalisingly close.
Unsurprisingly, I placed an order with the CompleteCareShop, opting for the Newstead angled knife and fork, and an easigrip sharp knife. (And a garden fork - but I haven't tried that out yet.)
But I had to wait for delivery - with every meal after placing the order accompanied by a little song of hope in my head perhaps soon the parcel will come! Perhaps tomorrow I can eat without so much pain!- A song which I admit became increasingly desperate.
Then yesterday, after a few days away, my hands were in a bad state...and the rest of me was an exhausted zombie. I had to eat but the only microwave meal in the house had a chicken breast in it. The very thought of cutting it made me want to weep. Oh well, I'd just have to eat what I could....
In that 8 1/2 minutes between putting it in the microwave and hearing the ping, my cutlery arrived! And yes, it really is that fabulous!
It felt a bit weird to start with, and takes a different technique, but for probably the first time in weeks I was able to eat a whole meal without a) getting someone else to cut it, and b) having to keep putting my cutlery down.
Ok, so cutting an overcooked chicken breast isn't exactly chopping up steak, but for someone who has been defeated by a mushroom, it's a near superhuman feat :D
[Note to any members of the Hypermobility Syndromes Association: The company PETA UK have some cooking utensils with similar grips, and the gardening tools too. HMSA members get 10% off! (I only remembered this after buying them elsewhere. Duh!) ]
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