Being 5′-2″ myself, I sympathize with your problem. However, there is not a set height for your chair that I can give you without seeing how you sit or what your desk height is. Even with all your dimensions, without seeing you and watching how you sit/work, it would be difficult to give you tips on your specific situation. So I will give you some guidelines to make it more comfortable for you to write your book.
1. You chair should be high enough for you to be able to rest your hands on the keyboard without bending your wrist backward.
2. Your chair arms should support your lower arms as you type.
3. If your chair is “too” high for you to rest your feet on the ground flat footed, invest in a footrest like I have mentioned in this post.They run about $30.
4. If your right arm has pain or injury, see a doctor to get a recommendation for either physical therapy, occupational therapy or massage to help you best heal from your injury. A good PT or OT should be able to tell you what you need to do at your workstation to avoid aggravating your arm pain.
5. I am firm believer in document holders that angle the pages or books in a position so that you do not have to constantly look down towards your navel to read your papers and books. Search “document holder” on this blog or at Amazon.com for ideas on what is available. Many of them are under $20-$30. I also like the Portabook for laptops and books but they can be used for papers as well. (I assume you will be editing from hard copies of your book as you go.)

I hope that helps! Let me know what you come up with and how it is working for you!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting,
Sue

First off, congratulations on completing your massage program! Having gone through it myself, I know how difficult it can be and how frustrating it is to have to wait to work until you get your license. In my case, even though I graduated and had done months of practicum in school, I could not work at all in the City of Chicago until I had my license. (This is before state licensing when the city handled it all. It was much harder back then!) It was frustrating to be turned down by many potential employers simply because I did not have my official license and they knew it could take months for the city to process it. But I, like hundreds of other massage therapists, waited out the two months and started working once I got my license. I have enjoyed my career ever since!

Now you are in a different position. You are already working as a massage therapist, even though you do not have your license and did not pass your exam. I understand that some people have text anxiety and that can make it difficult to pass tests even when they know the material. It sounds like that is what you feel happened in your case. And my post is not saying that people that have had training in massage therapy are not qualified to perform massages. However, I don’t know you and I can’t attest to your level of skills or knowledge. In Illinois, the state considers you to have the skills and knowledge if you can pass the test. The test is an attempt to be objective in evaluating our skills as massage therapists. If you can’t pass the test and don’t get your license however, for whatever reason, in Illinois, you can continue to work under your chiropractor. In my book that is not safe nor does it protect the public good. Again, I am not saying that you specifically do not have the skills needed to perform massage therapy safely, but I also can’t say for certain that you are capable of performing massage safely either. I don’t know you and can’t evaluate your work. That’s why we have tests and standards. So that the system is as fair and objective as it can be to protect the public good. Maybe your skills are fine but the next massage therapist is not fine, has the same story and does not pass because of skills and not due to test anxiety. Or maybe your chiropractor or another chiropractor hires someone who has no massage experience. It doesn’t make a difference according to the current law. Any chiropractor can hire anyone and say he/she has been “trained” by the chiropractor or is supervised and that person can give massages. And the chiropractor can pay him/her less than you.

That all said, I am glad you are reading my blog and took the time to comment and express your opinion. I wish you luck on your next exam retest. I hope that you do well and are able to pass and then join the ranks of licensed Illinois Massage Therapists!

Sue

Thank you for reading and commenting! Share as much as you like. And grow your own clean air plants!

Sue