How the symptoms of multiple sclerosis affect my hands
Buttons and jewelry clasps are much more challenging these days
My last column described how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects my feet, so today I’m writing about how it affects my hands. I don’t believe MS has affected my wrists or palms, but my fingers and thumbs aren’t “normal” anymore.
My most prominent symptom is loss of sensation, or peripheral neuropathy. I have numbness in my fingertips, and it’s present all the time.
It became obvious to me how much feeling in my fingers I’d lost when I cut myself recently. I was slicing vegetables to make a salad and accidentally cut through my fingernail, deep enough to cause significant bleeding.
I was surprised that the injury wasn’t all that painful. I remember thinking, “This really should hurt a lot more.” I was envisioning all the movies I’d seen where people were tortured by having their fingernails removed or something pushed up underneath them, causing the people to scream in pain. That’s when I realized my numbness was probably a lot worse than I thought.
Everyday challenges
Surprisingly, I don’t constantly drop stuff, but because of this numbness, I have coordination and dexterity issues when using my hands. I notice the most difficulty with activities requiring fine motor skills, such as fastening buttons, writing, typing, and putting on jewelry.
Buttons are tricky for me, especially that tiny one at the base of the neck that fastens the back of a shirt or dress. The smaller the button, the harder it is for me to manage. It takes me more than twice as long now to button a piece of clothing as it did before my MS diagnosis.
I now undo only enough buttons to be able to pull on the garment. That saves me time when getting dressed and decreases my frustration (unless I mess up my hair or get makeup on the clothing).
In addition, using a writing utensil is more difficult than it was when I was in college and took lots of handwritten notes. Holding on to a pen or pencil can be a challenge at times. My hand feels stiff if I have to write for a longer period.
My handwriting has become much worse. I’ve never had perfect or pretty handwriting, but sometimes I’ll refer to my notes and find them illegible. I now have to be purposeful when writing to ensure that people, including myself, can read it. I also try to avoid writing documents by hand these days.
Typing is an obvious solution to my handwriting problem, but using a keyboard poses its own challenges. I’m old enough to have taken a typing class in high school, so I know how to type correctly. The problem is that when I can’t feel the keys, I hit the wrong ones frequently and make a lot of mistakes.
Thank goodness for autocorrect, which helps me fix my mistakes, but using this technology still takes extra time. Again, it takes me at least twice as long to type a document as it did before my MS diagnosis.
Interestingly, I have less trouble typing on my phone than on my computer keyboard. I also frequently use my phone’s speech-to-text function, speeding up my communication. I know a similar technology exists for my laptop, but I haven’t explored its utility yet.
Lastly, I find those tiny clasps on necklaces and bracelets tough, if not impossible, to use. I like to wear jewelry, but if none of my family members is home to help me put on a piece, I typically won’t wear any.
I recently purchased magnetic jewelry clasps, which have allowed me to put on my jewelry myself. These have been a game changer for me. They’re relatively inexpensive and sold online.
Another symptom I sometimes experience is a tingling sensation in my fingertips, which tends to bother me more in hot weather and during and after exercise. Walking my dogs in the summer heat can trigger this sensation, which is another manifestation of peripheral neuropathy. Pain can be associated with it, but thankfully, my hands don’t hurt.
MS affects my hands less than my feet, but the symptoms still cause challenges in my life.
Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.
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