November 11, 2009
Dear Everyone:
For many years, probably more than a decade, I’ve
used a backpack-style purse to hold all my “portable stuff.”
I liked having my hands free long before I had to have my hands
free. However, in recent
months the latest version has been showing signs of wear.
I tried looking for a new one, but “Jeannie”
informs me that “they are not in style” these days.
Did I say it had to be stylish?
Last August, while I was visiting in
Oregon, my
friend suggested that we try a store we’ll call “Norm Thompson” to see
if they had any. We did and
they didn’t. In fact, the
store owner moaned that they never send her enough and they always sold
out so quickly. (So they’re
not in style, but they’re very popular with people who don’t care about
style.) The store owner even
went so far as to look in her computer.
When I realized that the store does business online (as who
doesn’t these days?), I decided to wait until I got home before looking
any further.
After I returned from Oregon I did go to
the Internet site and did a
search on “back pack”. They
had many styles, including something called the “Healthy Back Bag”.
The claim was that the bag was designed to position the bag
across your back in a way that distributed the weight evenly.
It came in three sizes:
extra-small, small and medium.
I ordered the medium.
It has many interesting pockets inside and outside.
There’s even a special pocket that’s supposed to be able to hold
an umbrella; something everyone in
Each morning and evening, on workdays, and many
times on the weekends, I would lift the wide strap over my head so that
the strap crossed my body, hanging over my right shoulder, with the bulk
of the bag behind me. I
could still reach the “umbrella” pocket, where I kept my dark glasses.
(So much more important in sunny
About four weeks ago, as we were doing “safety
stretching” at work, I noticed that my right shoulder was a little sore.
Nothing big, just a little ache.
I know it didn’t bother me in
I realized that the problem wasn’t with the purse
itself; rather it was the habit of lifting it over my head with my right
arm. It weighs between five
and six pounds. Since then I
have been consciously, deliberately, consistently…left-handed.
Instead of lifting the bag with my right arm, I would lift it
with my left.
When in the shower, instead of reaching for the
shampoo with my right hand, I use my left.
Ever shampoo your hair with just your left hand?
Try it; it’s challenging.
Better yet, try folding a towel, then hanging it from a towel rod
above your head on the wall behind the toilet using
only your left hand.
Things should have been getting better, but last
weekend, it suddenly got worse.
In fact it got so bad that I actually called my doctor’s office
Monday morning and made an appointment for that day, driving to the
office and sitting in the exam room for 45 minutes until the doctor
finally showed up.
He quickly diagnosed
bursitis of the right
shoulder. (“Jeannie” said
she could have told me that just by looking at me.)
We’re trying a regimen of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory,
rest and ice. There’s
another challenge. How do
you keep a bag of ice on your shoulder while typing at the computer?
(Answer:
Duct tape!)
My shoulder is getting better already.
By this evening, I could actually turn off the engine in my car
and remove the key from the ignition with my right hand.
Up until this morning, I’ve had to use my left, which is also
tricky.
So why all this trouble?
Heredity, of course.
Mother had bursitis in her right shoulder in the late sixties to early
seventies. She got it from
carrying too-heavy bags of books to and from
And yes, I’ve already ordered a new backpack-style
purse online. It has two
padded shoulder straps and doesn’t require going over my head.
In fact, it arrived yesterday.
Here’s hoping for rain and lots of snow in the
mountains.
Love, as always,
Pete
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