What do you do when you can't do anything?

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I was going to suggest the volunteering with the local human society. Petting dogs in waiting would be very therapuetic to both. Just be careful you don't bring them home. :)

How about geneology? Is there any interest in that in your family? Most of your research can be done online for very little money.
I started a project where I took the geneology research from different family members and compiled it. I'm now scanning old photos and collecting stories of old to add to the ancestors' info. I even recorded some of the elders telling stories from their childhoods.

It's also a good time to digitize/organize the family photos if you haven't already.

Sudoko is also addictive.

Good luck!
 
njean said:
I find putting puzzles together can be rather entertaining if you have a table top or somewhere you could start the puzzle on and able to leave it there during the time you are putting it together. There are some really beautiful ones out there and they are not all that expensive. I'd start with a 500 piece puzzle and then go on to something bigger.

Take care Bryan.....keeping you in my prayers.
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Funny you mentioned puzzles, since Justin had his surgery at 10, everytime he is restricted before or after surgery or when he couldn't do much when he had the picline for BE, one of the things we usually do is set up a card table to work on a puzzle, when I was thinking of things I forgot about that. I noticed almsost everytime someone walked by they would sit down and put in a few pieces.
Puzzles are good too since you can usually find some at dollar stores and I've seen alot in thrift /goodwill type stores, which is a good idea to donate the puzzles after you make it, since for the most part we never build the same puzzle twice, so why keep them around.
Other things we 've done when Justin couldn't do much, is walk around a craft store and look for something we might want to learn. 2 different surgeries we bought a few books and string and beads and taught ourselves how to macreme (which I did when I was a teen but pretty much forgot how) it would probably be even easier to learn now since my guess is there are lots of how to videos online. Justin made necklaces, bracelets and lots of key rings and some of the nicer ones he used as gifts. It was a little frustrating in the beginning, but after you catch on, it is a good way to pass time and kind of relaxing.
 
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Bryan,

I'm going to suggest you get a cheap birdfeeder, hang it somewhere you can easily see the birds, and take up birdwatching.

Many years ago, with five children under the age of 8, I found watching the birds at our feeder was all the entertainment I could fit in during a day's time. It's funny, but the kids soon spent time sitting on my lap, engrossed in the birds that were feeding.
You can get a field guide at the library to help you identify the ones you are interested in.

If you offer sunflower seeds and suet, you are apt to find a good variety of species visiting your yard.
 
Lynlw said:
Funny you mentioned puzzles, since Justin had his surgery at 10, everytime he is restricted before or after surgery or when he couldn't do much when he had the picline for BE, one of the things we usually do is set up a card table to work on a puzzle, when I was thinking of things I forgot about that. I noticed almsost everytime someone walked by they would sit down and put in a few pieces.
Puzzles are good too since you can usually find some at dollar stores and I've seen alot in thrift /goodwill type stores, which is a good idea to donate the puzzles after you make it, since for the most part we never build the same puzzle twice, so why keep them around.
Other things we 've done when Justin couldn't do much, is walk around a craft store and look for something we might want to learn. 2 different surgeries we bought a few books and string and beads and taught ourselves how to macreme (which I did when I was a teen but pretty much forgot how) it would probably be even easier to learn now since my guess is there are lots of how to videos online. Justin made necklaces, bracelets and lots of key rings and some of the nicer ones he used as gifts. It was a little frustrating in the beginning, but after you catch on, it is a good way to pass time and kind of relaxing.
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They even sell these mats that you can put your puzzle together on and apparently the pieces will adhere to the mat and you can roll it up and the pieces stay in place until you're ready to work on it again! Amazing what they come up with! :)
 
njean said:
They even sell these mats that you can put your puzzle together on and apparently the pieces will adhere to the mat and you can roll it up and the pieces stay in place until you're ready to work on it again! Amazing what they come up with! :)
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Lol have it..we got one before Justin's last surgery at target
 
njean said:
Does it really keep the puzzle intact, Lyn? If it does work, I will get one for myself too! :)
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We have one, that one end has an inflatable tube, so the puzzle doesn't bend right on top of itsself and when we don't use it we can let the air out and it stores with out taking much space, it worked really well, we even took a puzzle we were working on to the hospital and back home
The material is kind of velety so the puzzle doesn't slide around
 
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Yes, I've heard that the puzzle mats are well worth it. Only problem here is that Miss Mitten (the cat) really
thinks she is very helpful when she lies across the table and pushes everything with her paws. The more we try
to straighten things, the more she "helps".
 
I too have a puzzle mat. It's not a inflatable tube, it's just a long piece of velt that I can roll up around a cardboard tube. It has straps to keep it from coming unrolled.

The backing of a puzzle piece is like an unfinished cardboard, a little rough so it stay's "put" on the mat. Similar to Velcro, on smooth side one rough side.

So Bryan, have you decided on anything?
 
Mine is a more serious suggestion but something I'm really glad I did pre-op - teach yourself how to get in and out of bed without using your arms, cos you won't be able to push off with your arms post-op for a week or so! I don't mean just get on and off the bed, but actually get all the way IN. Same with getting in and out of chairs, and on and off the toilet. Otherwise a nurse will have to help you! :) Best of luck from down under!!
 
ski girl said:
Mine is a more serious suggestion but something I'm really glad I did pre-op - teach yourself how to get in and out of bed without using your arms, cos you won't be able to push off with your arms post-op for a week or so! I don't mean just get on and off the bed, but actually get all the way IN. Same with getting in and out of chairs, and on and off the toilet. Otherwise a nurse will have to help you! :) Best of luck from down under!!
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Thanks for the suggestion ski girl but this will be OHS number two. I learned those skills the first go round...unfortunately I'm a veteran now. ;) But I appreciate the thoughts and the well wishes from down under. One of the things on my "bucket list" is to visit your beautiful country one day.

Bryan
 
Hi there! I'm late responding to this thread, but having read it a few days ago have been thinking........

For me, I would have gone nuts waiting 3 years were it not for knitting! I don't really knit... I just went out and bought fancy yarn and knit scarves. But that can get expensive. So I've been thinking what else..... something, for me, anyway, that kept my hands busy, is rather repetitive and soothing, possibly needs some focus, but is rather Zen like in its simplicity. And cheap.

So here's what I came up with. Paper cutting. Remember how as kids we would fold a piece of paper in quarters and cut out shapes, un-fold and Voila! A snowflake?? I bet if you looked on the internet you could find some amazing How-to's for all kinds of amazing cut-outs. And, being the winter season.... well.... you could start with snowflakes. There is usually an abundance of unwanted available paper in our mailboxes just waiting to be transformed into delicate, fanciful pieces. Surely you have a pair of scissors somewhere. I know you can go to Michael's or JoAnn's and get paper scissors for very detailed work for under $5. And. Since it's just to bide the time, when you're done you can just recycle the paper!!!

The other idea would be to look around your house/garage for things you really do not want anymore and just take them apart! No cares as to what you do with all the parts, perhaps create something new with them? I guess you can tell that I like to work with my hands. Some things are very fun to dismantle.

Hope this sparks some new idea for you!

My very best wishes to you!!

Marguerite
 
Bryan B said:
knightfan from the king of road trips that is an interesting idea if I can afford the gas. My parents have a beach house at Emerald Isle, NC and have though about heading down there for a few days just for a change of scenery. It's kind of cold there and this time of year there is not much to do (no internet connection there) but I always feel more at peace when I am at the coast.
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Sure hope you can afford the gas, then, Bryan ... because it sounds like this is exactly what you need ... a change of scenery. That always seems to help me, anyway.

Thoughts/prayers continuing, of course.....



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