Long absence and computer keyboards for people with limitations

Well, I can't believe I got everything set up here, and then became pretty ill physically, and got some bad news about my health - or lack thereof -  that brought me so far down emotionally that blogging was just not so high up on my priorities list, I'm afraid!

I'm still struggling a bit, but beginning to pick up a bit - if only I could stay awake!  My doctors think it could be a combination of the strong medication I'm on, but I'm not convinced; whatever the cause, I just can't seem to stay awake for long enough to actually achieve anything much.  I even think I'd give most narcoleptics a run for their money since I fall asleep drinking a cup of tea or a bottle of water, or even whilst sitting on the loo, or even whilst crocheting!!! 

It's kind of funny at first, but when it continues for months, and you just can't seem to actually do anything without falling asleep repeatedly, then it becomes not only really annoying, but terribly frustrating, too!

And waking up to find a open bottle of water upended on my laptop keyboard is no fun either.  I don't think I was drinking the water before I fell asleep, but it's possible that I knocked it off whilst sleeping, as I do get a lot of muscle spasms, especially when first going to sleep. 

The other alternative is that there wasn't a great deal of water in the bottle, and my desk fan on the unit near my bed could have toppled the bottle right onto my laptop.

Whatever the cause, my computer decided not to work for a couple of days until it dried out a bit, and then after the drying out, I was thrilled to discover that my lovely pink Packard Bell laptop isn't entirely dead, but that the keyboard now has a few limitations - rather like me, I guess! LOL!

Using the on-screen keyboard really made it pretty impossible for me to type much, so I now have a usb plug and play keyboard as a temporary measure, until I can get the floating keyboard on my laptop replaced, which is going to take a little bit of saving up for!

Talking of floating keyboards...until about 18 months ago when I got this laptop, I was completely unaware of what a 'floating' keyboard actually was.  I guess I'm not exactly up on technology information, and manage just fine as long as everything works like it's supposed to do.  If it doesn't, I usually get a bit stuck, in all honesty.  It took me long enough to set up this blog. LOL!

Having used a floating keyboard for around 18 months, and then reverting to a standard keyboard, I can honestly recommend floating keyboards for people with chronic fatigue issues, as well as difficulties with co-ordination or with limited sensation or movement of the fingers/hands.

The keys of a floating keyboard are basically flat and level with the surface of your laptop, so you can rest the heels of your hands on your laptop, and don't have to support the entire weight of your arms and hands whilst trying to type.  As long as you don't weight bear on the keys, you can kind of slide your fingers over the keys until you reach the right one.  You won't break any speed typing records, but you won't necessarily have to take rest breaks every few words or a sentence or two, like I usually do. 

I suppose it's a bit of a case of 'swings and roundabouts' as for speed, comparing the two types of keyboards, but for anyone with issues such as those I mentioned above, and looking to purchase a new laptop in the near future, I strongly suggest you give them a try out to see if a floating keyboard might suit your needs better than a standard keyboard, as I have discovered.  I really wouldn't like to have to go back to a standard keyboard permanently again now after having got used to the benefits of using a floating keyboard - I'm forever pressing keys I don't mean to press on the regular keyboard, as I keep forgetting that I can't support or even stabilise my hands on the standard keyboard at all, so I either hit the wrong key with my fingertip, or keep accidentally pressing the spacebar and other nearby keys as I get absorbed in what I'm writing and as I tire and weaken, go to rest my hand on the edge of the keyboard! Oops! The backspace and delete keys are probably getting used more than any other key, with the exception of the spacebar! Haha!

I will try to write more often from now, even if it's only a short entry, just to keep in touch, and so that you can see that I haven't given up on the idea of this blog, or disappeared into the ether!

Take care everyone!

Love...Diane x