Since quitting my full time job well over a year ago, I’ve spent the past year working from home – in my office, on my computer. It’s been a year full of graphic design, coding, tech support and other online activities. What do I have to show for it? More freedom, a few more pair of cute PJ’s-as-office-attire, some really awesome clients, a nice income and a cramped right hand!
After a few hours at the computer each day – my right hand is killing me! It cramps and gets all achey and stays that way for days and days on end, until I can take a day or two off to give it a rest.
So, I went out today and purchased a new mouse that, hopefully, will cut down on the pain in my right hand. It’s really super hard to get used to, though. It has a trackball that I operate with my thumb, so now, instead of having to move the mouse around to move the cursor – I just have to flick the trackball around with my thumb.
Habits are hard to break, though – because I keep moving this thing around and then wondering why the cursor isn’t moving! But I’m working on it – - to prove that you can teach this ol’ dog new tricks! Hopefully, this will help with the cramping and aching that has become part of my daily life!
8:38 am on November 4th, 2005
I went to a wireless trackball just like the one in the picture a little while ago. The cords were just getting too unmanagable on the desk. I think it took about a week to get used to it, but now I wouldn’t trade it for most anything! When our first one died a year or so ago I went compeltely nuts trying to find the exact replacement, well almost exact since I wanted the new one to work. Love it! Love it! Love it!
12:57 pm on November 4th, 2005
Here’s my trackball – I think I passed on the one you got because my thumb is already crampy from all the clicking – tendonitis of the thumb? Click happy thumb disease? My thumb twitches in my sleep. I hope you can get used to that one!
2:36 pm on November 4th, 2005
I think I looked at that trackball but decided that I have better uses for those fingers…
6:31 pm on September 23rd, 2007
All be carefull, i have used trackballs for years, the one pictured above, and my personal favorite the MS optical trackball explorer, however i have recently been in lots of pain, nothing unbearable, but painj ust the same, it is inmy thumb, up the side of my arm, and dorearm , and throughout my bicep, and some time in to my shoulder, all caused by thumb tendonitist from my track balls. Recently i researched and found out the thumb is not supposed to go side to side and up and down, its to support the fingers in holding, or whacking the space bar. Blackberry and heavy texter’s are or will develop similar syptoms, and the worst part is having to go back to a mouse, is horrrible, cuz no the wrist is at risk, and if you used a trackball for any lenth of time you know why you gave up your mouse, it just sucks, i am still looking for an alternative we shal see…