For When Your Fingers Aren't So Nimble Anymore...

This is a sponsored post. I was provided with a prototype of the product in exchange for an honest review, I have been compensated for my time through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Introducing "Nimble"

On days when my pain levels are hitting the ceiling and I simply cannot be bothered with anything except to try and get through the day with as little stress or physical torment as possible, it’s often made much worse by the fact that I have to open something as simple as the foils on my tablet strips – have you tried to push them through from the front recently? – it seems as though they’ve started making the foil out of 10mm stainless steel

 – and having to prepare and cook a meal for myself can often result in the most unhealthy of meals – The Pot Noodle, 375g of dehydrated mush that looks much the same going in as it does coming back out. Opening a packet of bacon – you know the ones with the little loose corner to enable you to ‘peel back’ the plastic cover that no man (or woman) has EVER in the history of ‘peeling back’ the plastic cover, been able to complete without the need for some heavy, sharp bladed and downright dangerous, intervention! It seems as though, in the fight for ever more ‘child-friendly’ packaging, manufacturers have lost sight of the need for easy access to their products by those less able among us – the elderly and the disabled.

But wait, before you all rush off to your laptops to pen a strongly worded letter of complaint to the guilty parties, here’s something that’s child friendly AND makes opening packaging a breeze – even for my gnarled old fingers.

These aren't my gnarled fingers!

 

It’s called “Nimble” – I assume because it returns us less nimbled people back to the land of the sprightly – and it makes opening things like bacon and tablet foils SO much easier. More importantly, you won’t run the risk of stabbing yourself and bleeding out onto your freshly opened bacon.

I got my “Nimble” in the post on Tuesday, just in time to take it to work with me – I work in a retail environment where opening sealed containers is an everyday, if not every minute, occurrence, but do they supply box-cutters? Well, yes, but can you ever find one when you need it? No, and when you do it's usually blunt – and I used it during my shift to open sealed tinned and bottled goods ready for putting on the shelves. The “Nimble” sliced through the seals on crates of beer and pop bottles, trays of tinned goods and the selotaped seals of boxes with ease. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve snapped my nails back when trying to do this without a cutter in the past! When not in use the “Nimble” slips off your finger and into your pocket ready for next time – I even developed the ‘skill’ of putting it on whilst still in my pocket so that I could whip it out, cut, and slip it back in without anyone really noticing! (Though my practicing raised a few eyebrows, especially whilst I was working the tills!))

The beauty of the “Nimble” finger cutter, as I’ve affectionately named it,  is that it won’t cut your fingers – believe me, I tried several times – the blade is so small that it just won’t penetrate your skin, but, when firmly pressed against a slightly harder surface like tape, plastic or paper it slices with the precision of a crafters knife. I absolutely loved it.

At home I’ve used it to open cellophane packaging, envelopes, crisp packets, packs of bacon (of course!) and those other ‘easy-open’ packs that never work - the ‘Tear Here’ strips around biscuit packets! It makes things so much easier!

You can find out more about “Nimble” by visiting Version 22. The product is being launched via a Kickstarter campaign today, so you’ll be one of the first to see it. Kickstarter is a fantastic way to get new products onto the market – you pledge an amount to support the project – if it reaches its goals the manufacturing process begins, you are charged what you pledged for the product and you become one of the first people in the world to take ownership of your very own “Nimble” (If the project doesn’t reach the required goal you are not charged, obviously!)

So, let Nimble point the way to an easier future. Pledge to buy one, two or three to make this product a reality for all those who struggle with packaging!!

Visit the Kickstarter Project.

Time for a Time Out to Tame the Black Dog

It's fair to say that, over the past few weeks, I've become disinterested in being ill, or at least I've become disinterested in writing about my illness.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy writing and maintaining this blog, it's just that I've reached the point in my illness where I want to focus less on it and more on myself. Is this a common feeling among the chronically ill? Is it just a phase I have to get through in order to reach the next level?

I don't know.

I feel like I've written all I can about being ill - regardless of the never ending array of new and strange symptoms - I can only write so much about sleep deprivation, back pain, restless legs, brain fog, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome. Nothing is new. Nothing inspires me to write.

This could, of course, be a symptom of that other invisible illness which is hounding me at the moment -  that big black dog depression (for which I have now been prescribed Prozac, as I couldn't tolerate Duloxetine, and some counselling - we'll see where that takes me!)

In short, what I think I'm saying is: "I need a break from focusing on how ill I am!"

In short, I'm saying au revoir for a while. It could be a short while or a long while - it depends on when and where I find inspiration (so I may be back next week!!)

I have a post scheduled for Monday morning - a sponsored post about a product I think you'll find worthwhile - and then I'm going to focus on taming that black dog!