My wonderful husband (of 2.5 weeks!!) managed to sever a tendon his hand last week when the wine glass he was washing up (mine-so my fault!) smashed and cut into his hand.
He's had an operation to repair it and now has 6+ weeks off work to look forward to :-(. At the moment he is in a little bit of pain and finding it uncomfortable keeping the heavily bandaged/splinted hand elevated but worse, is that he is suffering extreme boredom.
He isnt able to do anything and indeed cant do most things as he is so restricted with just using one hand. I am out of the house until mid afternoon each day. I am trying my best to keep him entertained and taking him out when i can (as he cant drive so is stuck in the house all day) but i am now having to take on his chores which means i'm pretty hectic!
Sorry for ramble.... this post is to see if anyone has any suggestions for what he can do to relieve the boredom. he likes to read but is already fed up with that as its all hes done for the past two weeks since incurring the injury and hes reached level 400+ on candy crush too :-) :-)
Thanks in advance

Well I've recently had both a kidney infection and food poisoning ( I know, I know, how lucky can one girl be?!) and I ended up watching every episode of man vs food which certainly did allievate boredom! It's easily found on youtube and is very entertaining as well as making you desperate to take a trip to the US. I also re-watched all the westminster and crufts groups and best in show for 2013 but that's just me ;)

Ooo, that sounds nasty, if he likes games, what about Plants V Zombies 2 ?, it's free to download on the iPad, and probably other devices, great fun, and easily done one handed.

> this post is to see if anyone has any suggestions for what he can do to relieve the boredom

No real suggestions unfortunately apart from new computer games etc that only require one hand :) Reading, of course - does he have a Kindle as they are easy to turn pages/look at one handed.

My daughter has similar problems at the moment as she has broken her neck falling of her horse and will be off work until at least after Xmas and can't drive either :( (Fortunately she didn't injure her spinal cord)

Thanks people. Yes he does enjoy reading but has pretty much read solidly for the past two weeks since it happened.
will mention the games as hes almost reached the end of the road on candy crush and enjoys gaming but of course, cant xbox at the mo.
have just got netflix too so he can watch some good series and films etc.

think hes getting quite depressed and im keen to nip in the bud as soon as I can.

I assume he can walk, so getting out for some fresh air and a change of scenery is a very good idea. Get him out every day - whatever the weather !
Good luck with it, men make the worst patients !!!

Jigsaw puzzles can be done one-handed and can be bought cheaply from charity shops. My BIL suffered extensive burns many years ago and only had the use of one hand for a long time - he was adamant that jigsaws were boring and not his cup of tea at all but tried one just to prove a point - and ended up completing over 20 of them during the time he was at home recovering :-)

I had a car accident early this year and had quite serious chest injuries so was stuck at home unable to do much for a few months,I did all the usual things like read and played games but also borrowed loads of box sets of tv shows (I don't usually have time to watch much tv) and caught up on all the great shows my friends had talked about and I had missed.  Such a luxury! Not very inventive I know but it certainly beat daytime tv which drove me INSANE! 

Plants v Zombies is really funny!

Audible is good if he's interested in listening to audiobooks. I'm listening to Anna Karenina at the moment and that's 37 hours. Great in the car on drives to dog shows!

I second the Audible (narrated books) suggestion. No problems with holding books or page turning.
Headphones or out loud whilst pottering around the house.....bliss.

Get him the Stephen King book '22:11:63' to get strarted...Not horror but very gripping, unputdownable!

Is he interested in the computor? You could get him doing some reserch on something. My DH loves to stalk E-bay and spends hours looking for bargins, he can be kept quiet and out from under my feet that way !! He also hunts for bits of Kutani (Japanese china) that we collect and often picks up little pieces to go in the cabinet... Maybe a chat room like champdogs or something he is interested in Bikes, cars, wine tasting DIY etc etc... lots of chat rooms out there. (NOT the norty ones !!)
Aileen

> he is so restricted with just using one hand

Can he use his 'main' hand?
If so, how about something like art - learning to paint or draw? There are many sorts of instructional kits out there if he is interested but doesn't fancy going in 'at the deep end' and just drawing/painting.

Or scraper-foils - they can be really absorbing, he'd just need the work clipped to a board so he doesn't need to hold it with the other hand.

Or some sort of craft kit, a die-cut paper craft kit to make greeting cards would be easy with one hand (my dad only has one hand, he can cut out the most intricate of shapes, but he's had a life-time of practice using only one hand) you could get him to make all of your Christmas cards or fancy Christmas crackers :)

Or puzzles - suduko is something that needs a bit of concentration which may help take his mind of the pain, suduko puzzle books can be found anywhere - even in the 99p shops.
Tsunami japanese puzzles/nonograms can be found on-line too if he likes logic puzzles - or if he prefers apps, try searching for 'picross' in the app store. These puzzles are not something you tend to see in general newsagents, you'd need to go online or to WHSmith if you wanted to buy an actual book of them.
If you look around you can find free puzzles that can be done on-line, so even if his 'main' hand is out of action, he only needs to operate the computer mouse - or a swipe/tap of a finger if you get a puzzle app.

I hope he's feeling better soon.

> My DH loves to stalk E-bay and spends hours looking for bargins, he can be kept quiet and out from under my feet that way

LOL, My husband can be kept entertained on eBay too, pop him in front of a computer with a cup of tea & a budget and he's out of my hair.
Ebay - the virtual husband-sitter :-D

Another computer orientated one.
Do ether of you have interest in researching your family tree? My husband got into this quite a few years ago and has never looked back. Really keeps him out of my hair now he's retired. :-)
Recently, as part of a village project, he and a friend have been researching the young men who went to war from our village, what happened to them and, for those who survived, what happened to them after the war. He gave a talk about their work so far, last night in the village hall. Now this really has kept him quiet, hardly had a peep out of him for weeks now.

Unfortunately it was his dominant hand that he damaged :-(
But some great suggestions there, thank you.
will get him some puzzles to do and some sort of puzzle/crossword/sudoku book.
I wont tell him as he will dismiss the idea straight away....I will just leave them laying around until he thinks its his good idea to try them lol
he is researching tattoos at the moment. Its keeping him quiet but this is bad news...it means £££ when hes better and follows through and gets another one when hes better. For the time being im just happy its giving him something to do!

We got married in 1986.  Some 27 years later our photos are still in a box and the photo album lies still sealed and completely empty...  I'm not sure why I didn't get round to this!

Have you got photographs and memorabilia from the day that your husband could sort through? 

... or perhaps he could organise mine :)

haha, send yours around:-)
We are still waiting to receive all of ours.

Dusting and hoovering can be done one handed :)

So can tidying up and hoovering :-)

Have been reading this thread with interest.    Can't imagine this subject even being discussed if it was a woman who had the same injury ;-)

Broke my arm just above the wrist a few years back, dominant hand, and the only thing I couldn't do in the house, apart from chopping veg and the dishes, was my bra.     The first week or so waiting for the swelling to go down was the worst as it was so painful and had to be kept elevated.

After having both hands operated on for carpel Tunnel syndrome, I was advised that the best physio I could do was the dishes and typing.    I'll be interested to see what your OH is told.    I thought it was sexist telling me to practise doing dishes and sarcastically asked what the surgeon would recommend for a man.   He just smiled.

He is doing what he can around the house but its very limited and I like to do it to my standards :-). For example, he cant seem to hang out washing or fold it up when its dry. He has to use his elbow to hold the bread whilst he uses his weaker undamged hand to butter it. Then he makes such a hash of it it ends up in the bin :-) he cannot put a nappy on our little girl. He can only wear trackie bottoms as he cannot do the buttons on his jeans. There are so many things getting him down.

I don't think men can fold or hang out washing.  Pretty sure it is something not on the Y chromosome rather than anything to do with injury.  My ex always seemed to manage to get peg marks right in the middle of my chest.  And my fiance insists on hanging washing out by the bottom which is just not right, it stretces the sleeves! 

Maybe he could write a book they say we all have one in us.  (or at least start one)

>or if he prefers apps, try searching for 'picross' in the app store. These puzzles are not something you tend to see in general newsagents, you'd need to go online or to WHSmith if you wanted to buy an actual book of them.

My word, the picross is addictive!!! Especially the big ones that you do a little bit of the picture at a time.
See app 'Jumbo grid pix'

Dill,
I second your thoughts on this. Whilst I have every sympathy for the guy my greatest sympathy lies with the poster. Tell him to imagine he is in a war zone with an injury, or on a desert island with the same and somehow has to survive. I feel certain that if he had to do any of the things mentioned and his other half wasn't there, that somehow he'd manage. Hope that doesn't sound too harsh.

LOL  

I think men do some things badly because....    they don't have to do it then.    Or it could be lack of practise ;-)

I do have sympathy for anyone with a hand injury, it's frustrating  having to do things one handed.   And of course, there's the pain :-(

But I also feel women are more likely to just get on with things ;-)

About ten years ago, a colleague of mine actually cut himself twice drying glasses, both times needing micro-surgery. In both cases he was back at work within a couple of days. Fortunately he had an office job and managed his job with some help - I think his wife encouraged him to go to work - why ???  :) :) :)

Woah, yeah actually that is quite harsh freelancer.
I came on here asking for suggestions to relieve his boredom because I dont know what to suggest for him to do (thanks tomeveryone who gave helpful ideas) He isnt complaining and is doing what he can although it is very little.
in normal life we share household duties, childcare and working etc. He is more than capable as are any other man.
he has talked about 'light duties' at work but sadly his job means he needs the use of both hands to do it safely so gojng to be off work the maximum time

FM,

Sorry, I thought after I'd written that it might be a little heavy-handed and did not mean to offend. I hope your other half finds ways to relieve his boredom soon.

No worries. It didnt offend me but would have offended people I know whos other halfs have lost limbs in war zones.
he has got some games and is now 'adapting' which has helped
Once again thanks for the suggestions
:-)

Glad he's found something to do.   :-)

There is a huge difference though, between having a temporary incapacity, and having a permanent one.   Massive!

And I doubt that having a hand injury that will be awkward for a couple of months, can in any way compare to losing a limb, no matter how that happens ;-)

> Unfortunately it was his dominant hand that he damaged

Oh no, that makes things very hard then :(

> I will just leave them laying around until he thinks its his good idea to try them lol

LOL, good plan :)

I hope he's still enjoying researching tattoos.

In his defence my friend did something similar cutting a tendon on her right hand. She needed to be off work for a whole term , she is teacher, and wasn't allowed to even pickup up teaspoon with her damaged hand. She couldnt drive or risk the hand being bumped by anyone.Living alone she had to have someone in to do housework etc and said it took forever to even get dressed. This is a very independent lady who was climbing the walls by the end.
I empathise with both of you