Well... it finally happened. I knew it would happen eventually. It had to. I have ALS. Last night I found myself unable to get the top off of a new bottle of Spiced Rum. I was able to twist it, but only to the point where the plastic ring is supposed to snap. I was not strong enough to snap it. I should have known I was at this point. Earlier in the day I had to ask my friend Bobbi to open two jars of preserves which I wanted to have with my lunch. I couldn't open them either.
This is living with ALS, these kinds of unexpected losses. You just don't think about them, until they happen, and then you start thinking about all kinds of related things. This change means others are coming, like the loss of ability to use the corkscrew to open a bottle of wine, or the loss of ability to get the lids off things like barbeque sauce or ketchup or mint jelly or anything with a twist off lid which has a bit of back pressure to it. Even flip up lids are becoming more difficult.
These kinds of things present me with challenges and opportunities. Last night, for example, I grabbed a pair of adjustable pliers, set the width to rum cap size, and used the pliers to twist the lid off. Plus, I am already looking for an electric corkscrew. That will help for a while. But what will happen when I am no longer strong enough to use the pliers or manage the electric corkscrew? Hopefully I will have live-in help by then.
Nonetheless, it is a disappointment. While I know for a certainty that my hands are weakening, and have been for some time, this is the kind of thing I never considered, the kind of surprise I did not want. Next in line is the pump on my soap dispenser and on my shampoo bottle. Those things are becoming very difficult. Loss of that ability will mean I will no longer be able to shower without assistance. Oh well, at least I can imagine my caregiver all wet and soapy in the shower with me. Eeew, that's a nasty vision. Maybe not.
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