various types of pain and turmoil

[ritaxis]

During the course of the summer I have been developing Yet Another Different Hand Problem. It's not carpal tunnel -- it's the wrong part of the hand. But all I know to do is to do carpal tunnel things, so that's what I've been doing, and it has been getting worse. -- I can't lie down for more than a couple of hours before I blossom into excruciating pain.

I finally saw a chiropractor today and got some massage and stuff. Some advice. Different exercises. An "adjustment" which seems to me to be the forceful opening of the cervical joint. But it wasn't too forceful.

Anyway, I'm just warming up here before returning to my work for the first time in days. I have my son and his friend scraping the last of the paint on that kitchen cabinet. But he needs the computer sometimes to work on his med school applications. Come Saturday he'll be back on campus, no more competition from that end but also no more help around the house.

Anyway. to work.

Comments

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you're hurting. I hope you feel better soon.

Do you have pain on the thumb side of your wrist, that gets worse when you clench your fist or do work that involves gripping with your whole hand? If so, you may have a problem with the dequervein's tendon, which controls the thumb. (That's what causes my chronic hand pain.) Ice and anti-inflammatories help some, though I gather you're already doing them for the carpal tunnel problems.

There are special hand braces for dequervein's tendonitis, that are supposed to prevent motion of the thumb. They tend to make my pain worse, because I clench my fist against the brace when the pain is bad. In my 6 years of experience, I've learned:
1) anything that helps me relax the hand and forearm tends to reduce pain. but I need to relax all of it. I can't strain to lift something heavy or do something fiddly with part of my hand.
2) scissors are bad. cut with razor blades. pliers are bad. get help.
3) pencils and ballpoint pens are bad for me. fine-point felt-tip pens have saved me
4) my hand can't work a mouse anymore, but a touchpad is no problem. fellowes makes one that plugs into the mouseport, and I bring it to work.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

De quervain's! that's the first noticeable hand problem I had -- when I was working at the leather goods factory. It got better. Then I started the long epic of one damned thing after another. That was twenty-seven years ago, I guess.

It sounds like you're worse off than me. Not many that I meet are, short of arthritis or pieces of their hand actually missing. Of your list:

1. I have to remember relaxation. Tai Chi is good. I should do that again.
2. I can use scissors in a limited way, and pliers are all right if I'm not doing a lot with them.
3. Writing utensils varies a lot. When I'm having trouble in general I can't use a pencil.
4. I can use the mouse in a limited way.

I sort of can't sew, knit or crochet anymore (I can break the rule now and then but I'll pay for it). I can prune the garden if I'm willing to pay for it. I can't ride the bicycle. I've tried a few times. I just can't mind-over-matter it.


I got my current chiropractor reference with exactly this kind of conversation -- nobody understands hand pain like those who have it, and one ends up just every little once in a while having these intense confessionals. This time it was with my daughter's band director: I had told her about steps I was taking to defend my daughter's hands and she told me about her chiropractor.