Why is it that there are days when I couldn't get it together? I drop almost everything that I am holding. I can't understand why. Am I just having bad days?
I was sautéing veggies when the pan slid off a bit, I tried to put it back in the right position but it fell out of my grip. There went our dinner!
Another time, when I was frying something, I used one hand to hold the pan in place while the other was holding the turner. Again the pan slid off and I couldn't hold the heavy cast iron pan tight enough that it fell off. Though I was quick to get out of the way when it fell on the floor, off the sputtering hot oil, the handle broke off and I couldn't use the pan again.
In recent years, I feel my grip is not as strong as it used to be. I cannot open a bottle of jam that has been opened and closed many times. I am bothered that the last person who covered it must have tightened it so much. This irritates me.
Whenever I turn the knob of our bedroom door, it takes me twice or three tries before I can open it with great effort. When I tie fancy string on gift tags, it takes me awhile to do it. I used to have good dexterity. What's happening to me? Am I too old to do such things? Or am I just so clumsy?
I also observed that making a tight fist requires such an effort in recent months unless I hold a stress ball.
Because of the above incidents, I always maintained a conscious effort to grasp things tightly so they won't fall off my grip. I do this while pouring hot water to my tea and when pouring ice water to my glass or moving a vase from one place to another.
When putting big serving dishes of food on the table, I now use both hands while holding the edges tightly. Same goes when I put in or remove baking dishes from the oven.
But it came to a point that wondering about this dropping incidents is no longer enough. I had to get an answer. After some research, I learned that it is common for older people to lose part of their sense of grip. As we grow older, the fingers lose some of their sensitivity, some say it may be due to the decrease in blood flow to the nerve endings and it takes time for the brain to transmit.
Furthermore, medical experts say that there is nothing serious to worry about if our grip is loose and we keep dropping things. However when this happens progressively, medical experts say that there maybe underlying conditions. It is best then to have it checked especially when we experience additional symptoms.
Other reasons presented by experts that may cause hand weakness is arthritis since pain and swelling makes it difficult to grasp things. Or tendonitis when part of the muscles tear, and we experience pain and swelling as well. Doing repetitive motions like typing or using a tennis racquet may also cause pain when we grasp objects.
Now I understand that I'm not the only one who drop things occasionally. All things said, it is always good for us to get a good grip on things literally or otherwise.
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