One-armed Paperhanger
Most people who know me IRL know that I only have the use of one arm - the left. It's been that way for over 25 years.
What people don't know is how I've adapted to this. Today I'll cover clothes.
Pants: I can wear jeans or sweats. I prefer jeams, and I get the stretchy ones in men's sizes because they last longer.
Yes, I can use the buttons and zipper just fine. I pull up my underwear, then I pull my shirt down over that. Then I pull my jeans up first by the left side, over my hips, then grab the right side and finish them up. I then grab the buttonhole on the one side, hook it onto my little finger, and drag it over the meet the button one the other side. With my thumb on the back of the button, I slip the button through the fabric.
Now, if you break your wrist/arm/elbow, you know how to pull up your pants one handed.
Shirts: Either pull over, or button up.
Pull over, I find the right armhole, stuff my limp arm through it, then put the left arm through and pull it over my head. I then proceed to pull it down the rest of the way.
Button up, I put my limp arm through the sleeve first, then reach up, grab the neck, and swing it around until I can find the other sleeve. I then line up the buttons, grab each buttonhole and slip it over the matching button. same trick works for jackets.
Socks: Hold them open with one hand, maneuver them around my toes then pull them on.
Shoes: With velcro, just loosen the velcro, slide my foot in, tighten the velcro.
With ties, a little harder. I have these gizmos (Cross Bow Sure Lock) that my laces go through that I can use to tighten them, then I use and overhand slip-know to fix them in place. I always leave enough "tail" so I don't have to fight to undo them.
For boots, I use the lace-in zippers.
Because of the lame leg, I can't wear slip-on shoes - my foot slides right out, or slides to the side and trips me. I also need the sole to have a wide base, not a typical narrowing like many women's shoes have. If the bottom of the sole is narrower than my foot, the bad foot will roll and I'll probably break my ankle.
Boob straps (bras): I never wear underwires. I tend to wear pull-over sports-type bras, because hooks are hard to deal with. While I can deal with hooks if I have to, I chose not to have the frustration. Finding big enough ones that don't make me look like I have gun turrets on my chest is hard. (Hey, bra makers? Not everyone who needs a big size wants to emphasize the damned things.)
Binders are somewhat difficult for me to use, because I have such big chest blobs, and getting them to squish down is hard. Still, I sometimes wear one, especially when my blobs make me feel gross.
Gloves: Damn near impossible to get on the non-functional hand. Mittens do better, but leave my good hand hampered. So, one of each is my preferred. I still need help getting the glove onto my good hand, because most aren't loose enough.
Undies: I wear granny panties with encased elastic. I hate french cut, thongs, or anything that gives me a wedgie as part of the design. Underpants keep me from sticking to myself. I pull them on with one hand, alternating sides.
Also, I hate stuff (pants, underwear) designed to rest at my hips not my waist - feels like they are falling down/off all the time. I don't like having hips, why TF would I want to accentuate them?
Hair ties, bandanas, etc: I can't put my own hair into a ponytail, even if it's long enough. If I wear a bandana, I tie it before putting it on, sometimes I have to retie it to adjust it. I will sometimes use a gaiter as a bandana. Headbands, gaiters and bandanas work the same way: put on around the neck, pull up around hair, freeing the ears.
What people don't know is how I've adapted to this. Today I'll cover clothes.
Pants: I can wear jeans or sweats. I prefer jeams, and I get the stretchy ones in men's sizes because they last longer.
Yes, I can use the buttons and zipper just fine. I pull up my underwear, then I pull my shirt down over that. Then I pull my jeans up first by the left side, over my hips, then grab the right side and finish them up. I then grab the buttonhole on the one side, hook it onto my little finger, and drag it over the meet the button one the other side. With my thumb on the back of the button, I slip the button through the fabric.
Now, if you break your wrist/arm/elbow, you know how to pull up your pants one handed.
Shirts: Either pull over, or button up.
Pull over, I find the right armhole, stuff my limp arm through it, then put the left arm through and pull it over my head. I then proceed to pull it down the rest of the way.
Button up, I put my limp arm through the sleeve first, then reach up, grab the neck, and swing it around until I can find the other sleeve. I then line up the buttons, grab each buttonhole and slip it over the matching button. same trick works for jackets.
Socks: Hold them open with one hand, maneuver them around my toes then pull them on.
Shoes: With velcro, just loosen the velcro, slide my foot in, tighten the velcro.
With ties, a little harder. I have these gizmos (Cross Bow Sure Lock) that my laces go through that I can use to tighten them, then I use and overhand slip-know to fix them in place. I always leave enough "tail" so I don't have to fight to undo them.
For boots, I use the lace-in zippers.
Because of the lame leg, I can't wear slip-on shoes - my foot slides right out, or slides to the side and trips me. I also need the sole to have a wide base, not a typical narrowing like many women's shoes have. If the bottom of the sole is narrower than my foot, the bad foot will roll and I'll probably break my ankle.
Boob straps (bras): I never wear underwires. I tend to wear pull-over sports-type bras, because hooks are hard to deal with. While I can deal with hooks if I have to, I chose not to have the frustration. Finding big enough ones that don't make me look like I have gun turrets on my chest is hard. (Hey, bra makers? Not everyone who needs a big size wants to emphasize the damned things.)
Binders are somewhat difficult for me to use, because I have such big chest blobs, and getting them to squish down is hard. Still, I sometimes wear one, especially when my blobs make me feel gross.
Gloves: Damn near impossible to get on the non-functional hand. Mittens do better, but leave my good hand hampered. So, one of each is my preferred. I still need help getting the glove onto my good hand, because most aren't loose enough.
Undies: I wear granny panties with encased elastic. I hate french cut, thongs, or anything that gives me a wedgie as part of the design. Underpants keep me from sticking to myself. I pull them on with one hand, alternating sides.
Also, I hate stuff (pants, underwear) designed to rest at my hips not my waist - feels like they are falling down/off all the time. I don't like having hips, why TF would I want to accentuate them?
Hair ties, bandanas, etc: I can't put my own hair into a ponytail, even if it's long enough. If I wear a bandana, I tie it before putting it on, sometimes I have to retie it to adjust it. I will sometimes use a gaiter as a bandana. Headbands, gaiters and bandanas work the same way: put on around the neck, pull up around hair, freeing the ears.