Having lymphedema in both arms/hands I find some jobs in the kitchen quite difficult. eg peeling vegetables.

[clown]

I wonder if anyone alse has similar difficulties, and if you have any tips?

[lovesradio]

Hi clown not sure if this will help but I wear a pair of rubber gloves like ones used for washing dishes and this has benefit of keeping glove dry and also they grip the veg quite well.

[clown]

Thanks - I am yet to find rubber gloves large enough to fit my lymphedema hands!

[LymphSuppNetwork Partner LSN]

Hi Clown

Sorry you are having such a hard time - there are aids to help with activities of daily living that might be useful to you - things like potato peelers etc. The disabled living foundation is often a good place to start - they have a good web site.

[clown]

Thanks, I will have a look. I was looking for, and hoping for suggestions that other fellow sufferers may have tried .

[cancer1]

hi i cheat and buy tesco frozen diced onions, diced peppers, meat already chopped up, aunty bessies roast potatoes, keep all my pots and pans on top of hob. use a slow cooker for meals as i find it difficult to carry pans in and out of the oven. My chidlren eat much better and so do i. You can also but potatoes and vegetables fresh already chopped up. hope this helps lisa

[norberte]

hiya clown

sounds like your hand's misbehaving lots - sorry to hear that

i agree with all these ideas but personally don't want to go down the ready-chopped veg route yet! in denial - i'm not ready for that one!

my solution for veg peeling is not to do it - most things just need a good scrub, if in doubt shove 'em in the oven to roast & skins'll come off easier then

i found that buying a really good, heavy machete chopper type knife & keeping it sharp really helps - it takes some of the work out of chopping ... but i still leave the stuff that fights back (beetroot, butternut squash, sweet potatoes etc) out on the side & grab any passing adult to hack them to pieces (family, friends, postie, meter reader, passing jehovah's witnesses ....)

i grate stuff using the food mixer now - v frustrating in terms of washing up - apart from little bits of grating cheese / nutmeg when i use a microplane (not the cheapest but stays sharp forever) grater

i plan the rest breaks in - little sit downs & some hand scrunching & stretching (lsn sell a little stress ball thing you can use) but not when i've just put the greens to steam

i use latex gloves over my haddenhams, smallest size that'll fit so i'm less likey to chop latex & garlic together

& i've simplified the cooking i do - v frustrating but i kid myself i'll get back to more complicated stuff one day - & i sit at the table with the chopping board or whisk, cook too much so there's always something home-made in the freezer, drain with a slotted spoon instead of trying to carry the pan to the sink, use an electric tin opener, a jar opener, good grips utensils . .

& above all delegate wherever possible!

takes some getting used to, this lymphoedema lark, doesn't it?

hope some of those ideas might work for you

[Fridlie]

Hi I bought a food processor which really helps when I'm thinly slicing potatoes for daphonoise etc., saves a lot of time too. I have the processor out on the work top all the time so it's always handy to use.

[norberte]

now then fridlie, a question:

do you use v small potatoes?? the grating mechanism on mine means you can only have stuff that's small enough to go in the funnel, so my yearning to get back to whole, round slices of beetroot is unfulfilled

can't get oon with a mandoline, even a good grips one

i know, i know, massively important problem when you're in the middle of your first bout of cellulitis, but if you've got a magic tip please share