Friday, February 6, 2009

Taking Winter One Day at a Time

I wish I could say that things are getting easier. At least it seems that EDS is getting more manageable.

I think the biggest help has been in the area of pain management. If I can keep my pain under control then I don't seem to have as many episodes of clumsiness or exhaustion. What is seeming to help the most are little things that I wouldn't have expected to make such a big impact.

For example, keeping a pair of thin knit gloves around and remembering to wear them whenever I go out (even if just to take out the trash). For longer excursions outside or even driving I have found that Isotoner gloves are amazingly comfortable, keep my hands warm and even help stabilize the loose finger joints. Now, if I could just find a pair of gloves that allow me to operate the latch on my dog's leash!

Another thing that is helping is to remember to rest. Sounds silly, but the little change of stopping and lying down for 30 minutes instead of pushing through until I complete something works wonders! I am only able to do this on the weekends, but it helps enough right now that my pushing through the work week isn't leaving me as worn out by Saturday as it used to.