<p>I have sustained an injury to my dominant arm which resulted in fractures in my elbow and wrist. As a result, I will likely not be able to make use of the injured arm for around a month or maybe more (My doctor said that due to the size of the fractures, the elbow fracture may heal in 2 weeks while the wrist fracture, may take longer by perhaps 4 weeks depending on the nature of the injury (Not enough is known by X-ray to determine more). I will be taking Physics II and Calc III and likely will need to do plenty of writing to do homework or work out problems. I also need to have control of my dominant hand to be abler to work out all my textbook problems. I can't write with any speed with my non-dominant left hand so trying to write any work with it is extremely inefficient for getting through even a few problems.</p>
<p>Any advice anyone?</p>
<p>Can you type reasonably well using just the one non-dom hand? There may programs/software/websites that allow you to “type” up math homework instead of doing it by hand. You need to talk to your teachers/profs asap, though. </p>
<p>Get in touch with the disability office at your school. At my school they will create temporary accommodations for students that have injury that will impact school work. I’m sure they’ve dealt with similar issues in the past. </p>
<p>Yes, I can type fairly well with just one hand. I am aware of software that can type up math symbols but what i need is a capable writing hand that I can use to work out problems and solve them. Yes, I can think my way through problems but I also need to write down my work to keep track of stuff. Too bad I’m not a genius that can do mental math for long problems.</p>
<p>And yes, I can type reasonably fast with just one hand.</p>
<p>@j814wong i think what people are getting at is typing out all your work. Its just like writing it down, showing all your steps, but instead of paper, its a computer screen. No mental math needed.</p>
<p>Talk to your disability services office to see whar options are available to you. Typing is a valid option and you may end up getting faster at it with practice. You may be able to get accommodations for exams, giving you longer time or a scribe to write for you. If nothing else, your school’s disability services center will likely have suggestions for your specific situation.</p>
<p>I feel for you! My son just fractured his knee in 3 places and we’ll be sending him off to start his freshman year on crutches. He contacted his schools disability office and they were very helpful. Good luck!</p>
<p>Are you still in a temporary splint or a solid cast? Your orthopedic surgeon should be able to place a cast that allows you some freedoms to write and type with your dominant hand. You won’t need to elevate it or rest it more than the first several days. If you have a visit coming up where they can revise your cast, ask them to try and modify it so that you can hold a pen and/or type.</p>
<p>Can you get a writing app on a tablet where you can use your finger as a stylus? It won’t be as neat or precise as writing by hand, but it’ll be faster than typing</p>
<p>My doctor said that a cast as not necessary. I’ll just need to wear a wrist brace and compression bandages on the elbow* and wrist for at least 2 weeks and maybe more if needed after a followup in 2 weeks. Moving either the wrist or elbow hurts which inhibits writing but if the elbow fracture heals first, I may be able to write with my right hand even with the wrist brace on. I can at least write decently once mobility of the elbow returns.</p>
<p>The radial head at the elbow has a small piece of bone that came off from impact. That’s causing swelling in the area so I can’t bend my elbow much right now but its gotten better. My doctor said it should be better in 2 weeks.</p>
<p>@pmmywest, great idea about using a tablet. My laptop has a touch screen so I can use that for notes with my left hand’s fingers.</p>