Sadly, I will not be playing air guitar again any time soon.

There are some activities that are just too painful to do with my right hand since my latest injury, and they’re not the obvious ones. (Well, some of them probably are the obvious ones, but I’m not going that way here.)

For example, I’m having a hard time using the stapler. The act of squeezing is one of the most difficult things I tried to do today. I know I can put the paper in position and pound the stapler with my fist, but that’s not how I’m used to doing it. I’m used to having the paper in one hand and the stapler in the other and flexing my hand. But the hand is not cooperating.

Tying my shoes is a double-barreled trauma just now. In fact, it’s not really the act itself that hurts, but an auxiliary motion. When I pull the laces tight, I can feel it in my hand. I mean, I can really feel it, through my fingers and wrist and halfway up my arm. I hadn’t thought of that possibility until the moment I tried it. Then, immediately, ow. Pain.

A fly was buzzing around my head this afternoon, and I made the mistake of slapping at it with my right hand. The fly wasn’t the one who was hurting after I did that. I picked up the swatter and repeatedly inflicted more damage on myself than on the pest. It’s still alive. So am I, barely. It was a difficult day to get through.

I’ve pretty much mastered using the TiVo remote with my left hand. I’m not as quick as I am with the right, but I’ll gladly sacrifice a little speed. It’s not pushing the buttons that bothers me as much as reaching for the remote. It must be something about the shape that makes it hard to pick up when all the nerves in your hand feel as if they’re exposed.