My bestie broke both of his arms and wrists two days ago. He’s in his 20s, a gamer, has a pregnant wife and a young kid. Any ideas for gifts I can get to cheer him up? He’ll have no use of his arms for 3 months.
Already got a bidet for him and hooked it up. Looking into accessible gaming controllers, but he said that the pain is so bad rn that even alternative controllers are probably a no go.
A GoFund me page!
If that’s something you want to do and/or help manage for them, make sure to set it up in the one of their name(s) for tax purposes.
Both he and I are well off financially, so no need for a GoFundMe.
My friend’s wife just broke her arm, so I sent her this: A Farewell to Arms: The Hemingway Library Edition
Cleaning service, any house services really, freezer meals, or other little to no prep foods, offer to play with their kid from time to time, help them relieve stress by unburdening them (by taking on chores), instead of providing an escape (video games)
I hadn’t even considered cleaning services or meal kits. Those are a fantastic idea! I’ll reach out to his wife and get her input.
I’m constantly overwhelmed with no broken arms, and just 1 day a week for someone to come in and “reset the mess” is incredible. You should probably talk with his wife and have the “this person is giving you time to do things that prioritize your family” talk, because some people can feel cleaning service is admitting failure in keeping up their home. (Also her talking with the kid about not treating this as an excuse to be messy isn’t bad either)
help them relieve stress by unburdening them…
Uhhhh what are you suggesting here exactly?
Sending his mom over
Every hobby can be considered an escape. But that doesn’t make it bad. Even dads and husbands need “me time” for themselves. So don’t tax his gag so hard-core cruster.
I get this, I’m a dad, and I know that me time is wonderful, but I also know that if the house is in rough shape because I can’t do anything even if I wanted, that me time becomes an escape instead of a wind down, and the stress returns the moment the screen is off. Help with the house makes it so the relief lasts longer.
LMAO, I know it’s auto correct typos, but:
So don’t tax his gag so hard-core cruster.
Is excellent gibberish.
That’s a bit of a biased opinion on video games, huh? Maybe some, but certainly not every game and definitely not every gamer is about escapism. Some people destress and chill out with games because they have other responsibilities like kids, work, etc…
I’m in complete agreement, but with two broken arms, they aren’t going to be helping much with house chores (depending on how much mobility they actually have), and having those things done will actually allow for downtime.
Game thought: DDR?
Game thought: DDR?
I feel like there’s a good chance you’d lose your balance with both arms in casts. Maybe not though. It’s a good suggestion!
Uhhhh
A caring mother…?
Very caring indeed
every fucking thread
We had an opportunity to be different, but it’s not Reddit, it’s us.
I let us all down :(
You just jumped in front of the bullet. We were all thinking it. Or… at least I was. I was busy when I saw this question pop up or it would be my name up there under the spotlight of shame.
All of us.
I wouldn’t be shocked if this question was placed specifically as bait. It which case, the internet is unexpectedly restrained today, not immediately taking it.
I don’t know why, but this moment of self realization is the best thing in this thread.
It’s like a gingerbread man in the gingerbread house comic moment
Good thing I read this before I deleted my original comment.
Why would you do that? Ride or die: the fuck with what others think.
I generally agree with that sentiment but there are the occasional times where upon reflection my own view has changed.
Sometimes the warts on our own faces disgust us the most.
You can take the redditor out of Reddit, but you can’t take the Reddit out of the redditor
Ya’ll got perma band, too? Damn bro
As soon as I read the title to this, I thought “here we go again”, but I’m amazed there are actual helpful comments and only one reference to the arms broken/mom bit
Supremely refreshing
You can, but it might take more than a year.
Mankind knew they could not change society, so instead of reflecting on themselves, they blamed the Beasts
IYKYK
Folding doors, you can just kick them open because they have a hinge in the middle. Bin with foot-lever.
Juggling balls.
Then spend a lot of time hanging out with him while he recovers.
Chessboard, bro can play a tournament by calling his move and having his opponent move his piece. Queen to e7, checkmate, and his opponent has no choice but to move his piece!
For gaming, I highly recommend a trackball mouse since it requires so little movement, and depending on the model the buttons don’t require a lot of force to be pressed.
A quick google shows me that these work even on an xbox.
I would suggest a fingertip trackball, and one with the largest ball diameter you can find. The larger the ball the more accurate and less movement needed.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Kensington-FusionTM-Wireless-Trackball-K72363WW/dp/B08D356XB6/
^ This is my daily driver, but it is better suited to someone with small hands.
https://www.amazon.com.au/KENSINGTON-K72359WW-Kensington-Wireless-Trackball/dp/B00009KH63/
^ This is the easiest to use, most comfortable for almost anyone with larger bands, and requires little force to click.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Kensington-Orbit-Trackball-Scroll-K75327WW/dp/B07YVMXLQC/
^ This is another smaller contender that may be easier on his hand, as it is more rounded. Some people need flat, some need round.
Put a washcloth under the left side of whichever one he chooses so he can adjust the tilt so his wrist won’t hurt.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Elgato-Stream-Deck-Pedal-footswitches/dp/B09PRMCTGB/
^ Something like this would be good for the first little while, he can drive with the trackball and use his feet to click. There are lots of these at different price points.
For comfort, things to ease the itch and miserableness of the casts that will come. It keeps you up at night.
https://www.amazon.com.au/CastCooler-Immediate-breathable-orthopaedic-manufacturer/dp/B003XNNCV0/
^ Very cool product I wish was around when I had a cast. Seems well reviewed.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Scratcher-Cleaner-Sanitizer-Cleansing-Included/dp/B092472C4Y/
^ These to scratch itches down the cast. He should put nothing else down the cast, and don’t put it so far down that you lose it. The skin under the cast will become very thin and fragile, anything put down it with a sharp edge could scratch and the warm moist environment could breed infection.
Regarding toilet time, if the bidet you got does not have a dryer function he may need to dry his booty when he’s done. Many homes that have bidets everyone has their own little towel they use. He could move a stool or something in the bathroom and put a specified towel over it to sit on to dry himself.
My condolences to your friend, really glad he has a friend to help him.
Gimble vice and a fleshlight?
A hacky sack
Dance mat controller for his console/PC
Some sort of food eating helper? Also help them every now and then physically. Not like that. Help them pick up, clean, get groceries for them, etc.
Ooh! A Walmart+ membership for grocery delivery?
A bidet
The bidet was a very solid choice. As generally privacy oriented as I am, I have no alternative. What about an Alexa + Audible?
In all seriousness, if you want to be helpful the best thing you can do is spend some time with him in person. He can tell you what he needs, and you can show him you care. If I got seriously crippled like this I probably would start thinking that none of my friends will make time for me because I have become a burden. Prove that nasty self-talk wrong!
Sadly I’m 3 timezones away.
