• Try not to let your hands get cold in the first place - we all know how long they take to warm up.
• Tuck your hands under your arms or between your legs if seated to benefit from body heat.
• Find some mitts you can wear if you can't get your fingers into gloves.
  
• A muff that hangs around your neck and lets you put your hands in each end works well if you need your hands fast for gripping.
  
• A heat lamp or even a light bulb directed at the keyboard of your computer will help warm your hands.
  
• When washing your hands be patient and let the water run warm before washing.
  
• Dry your hands thoroughly after washing your hands. Wet hands are cold hands.
  
• Old-fashioned, linen face towels absorb water very quickly, drying your hands sometimes better than cotton or cotton blend towels. Linen towels can be bought in an antique store.
  
• Slip them under the dog.
  
• Hold hands with someone you care about - Linda
  
• To keep my hands in shape I slather them with Vaseline petroleum jelly and slip them into cotton gloves at night - Barbara
  
• One thing I do when my hands are cold is do the dishes or just put my hands under hot running water.
  
• I bought something at a local department store for $10 last winter. I could call it a "bean bag" but I thought it had corn husk in it. Perhaps it is seed corn. It is shaped like a fat snake and can go around the neck (or anywhere, I guess). I put it in the microwave for 2.5 minutes and it warms up nicely. The heat is slightly moist and lasts for maybe an hour. I have used it for my back and just to warm up my feet when I get into bed. I recall that they had other shapes when I bought this one. They would work for hands too and also in the car. - Susan.
  
• My hands shake by themselves, like if they have their own mind... especially the right one. Sometimes the shaking is so strong that I look at it in amazement. Before I knew I had CMT people used to ask me, "How come you're so nervous all the time?" They still do. But now I know. Then I used to think I was nervous and didn't know about it! - Maria
  
• The tremors are getting worse in my hands and feet. Sometimes I feel like a walking earthquake. - P.K.
  
• Linda here: Some of our members have had great success using the drug Inderal for tremors.
  
• Sometimes I make a cup of hot tea, so I can wrap my hands around the mug. - Jean Ryan

Hand helpers

E-Z Key
From Leona Ingoldby, NY, USA. In one of your newsletters there was an article on the E-Z Key. I sent for one and it's the best thing since sliced bread. I have very little use of my fingers and it was getting so I couldn't turn the ignition. Now I can do it with one finger. E-Z Company USA, PO Box 13, Columbus, KS 66725 USA. (316)429-2797 or 1-800-492-3279.

Microfoam
Barbara Bishop, FL, USA writes: It is very difficult for me to grip a pen. I have lost the sensation in both my hands, and I would put a death grip on my pen which would, of course, cause severe numbness and pain that would travel half way up my arm. I started taping my pens with a foam surgical tape made by 3-M Company. It's called Microfoam and is 3" wide, soft and spongy, and you get a custom fit every time! Just wrap it around your pen as many times as will be comfortable for you.