Re: OT: Disabled Gardeners

Hi Bill

Re gloves I used to hate wearing gardening gloves and refused to do so.
However when I had a baby, I found I had to be able to stop gardening and
breast feed very quickly, with no time for a scrub up, especially if we were
both at the bottom of the garden. So I got in the habit of wearing
disposable surgical gloves. True, they're not suitable for pruning the
roses, but for general weeding and planting stuff they're ideal.
Now there's no more concerns about spider bites (we've got heaps of
red-backs and white tails) and my hands look respectable for work on Monday
(necessary when dealing with the public).
My only problem has been the very occasional fungal infection under my
wedding ring, if I've been using the gloves almost every day in hot weather.
A small problem but better than spider bites.

My main health problem is gardening with osteoarthritis in the mid back.
Specialist says -no bending, stretching or reaching. It's amzing how much
you can acheive by working on your hands and knees, pref with tilers knee
pads on in wet weather.

Colleen Modra
----- Original Message -----
From: William C. Smoot <billsmoot@msn.com>
To: <iris-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 3:59 AM
Subject: [iris-talk] OT: Disabled Gardeners


>        A handicap, disability, or the effects of increased age shouldn't
> keep us from gardening.  Where there's a will - there's a way, and I know
> that some of you in this group have found little "tricks" that you've
learn
> through experience that allow you to keep gardening.  I'm hoping you'll
> share them with the group.  Doing so should make gardening easier for all
> concerned.  If you are disabled, or handicapped, or have reached that
senior
> status that has limited your gardening and know of some product or way
that
> would make it easier for all of us to garden, please share it with me.
I'd
> like to collect this data and write an article on it.
>     I'll start first!
>
>     Three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  This ultimately
> resulted in a radical mastectomy and chemo/radiation therapy.  Some of the
> consequences of this is that my dominant gardening hand was affected.  The
> removal of lymph nodes compromised the immune response to my hand and I
now
> get a buildup of lymph fluid if I use overuse my hand - especially with
> digging. I also  have the side effects of tirdness from the
chemo/radiation
> and from my current medication.  I have also lost the sweat glands under
my
> armpit and have to be very careful of heat problems.
>
>     One of the hardest things for me to do was to alter and adapt my
> gardening habits.  In the past I would tackle a project with full force,
but
> now I have to divide projects up into sections, allow opportunity for
rest,
> then do another section. Perviously, I would "eat the elephant" in one
large
> bite, but now I take smaller and more frequent bites!  I have also found
> that the new ergonomically engineered tools lessen the fluid buildup in my
> hand.  I also tend to garden in the cooler periods of the day, but will
> frequently overextend myself.  While I should garden with gloves to lessen
> the chance of infection, I find this personally impossible to do and after
> gardening I diligently make sure that I wash my arm and hands with
> antibacterial soap and immediately treat any cuts or abrasions.
>
>     I hope that this will be an interesting thread and look forward to
your
> input.  Hopefully, it will benefit us all!
>
>
> Warm regards,
>
> BillSmoot
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>


 

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