Sep 21
another chapter
I swear to god, I am seriously falling apart.
Now it’s freaking crapass carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. Actually, I’ve been dealing with it since 2005, before I went to Korea, but as I was told the next step in my treatment was steroid shots, I conveniently ignored my constantly numb and tingling hand. Hi, I don’t like shots in my wrist. But right now at work I am very busy, and working really hard, and my entire job is on a computer, and it finally just got to the “do not ignore me anymore” point. As in, I now am very skilled at using the mouse with my left hand, because it’s less uncomfortable to use it. And I’m right handed. So.
When I went in to the doctor today, I tried to play dumb, like I didn’t know what was wrong, but he did this one test on me where he bent my hand a certain way and sort of flicked my wrist and immediately my entire hand fell asleep. That is when he said, “have you been dealing with this for awhile?”(see: military doctors not reading up on patient history) and I said, “Um, uh…well…see, um…sighh…yes.” He asked what the last doctor had said and I told him that the last doctor had maybe mentioned something about shots. Which is when he said “ah, yes, I can actually give you one right now.”
Okay. See, I had heard about these steroid shots to the wrist, and what I had heard was not good. I heard it hurt like a bitch, and this sort of scared me, so I got all anxious with the doctor and started sweating and he tried to tell me it really isn’t that bad, but doctors suck so I didn’t believe him. He left to get the shot, and he was gone a reallllly long time, long enough so that by the time he walked back in the door with all the equipment I got all woozy and very nearly passed out.
He got a little alarmed at that point and asked me if I was going to pass out and I, on the verge of doing just that, said, of course not.
After putting on not one but two pairs of rubber gloves, he propped my hand palm up on a tissue box (state of the art! I know!) and had me let my wrist go limp while pushing up his hand with only my middle finger. This somehow isolates the actual “tunnel”, and after swabbing me down, pow! In went the needle. I flinched hard, because my mind was saying “Oh my GOD THIS REALLY HURTS ahhhhh!” but then I realized that actually, it didn’t. Indeed, beyond the initial needle prick, it didn’t hurt at all, because the shot not only contains steroids, but a healthy dose of lidocaine. Which tends to, you know, numb anything it comes into contact with.
He was very nice about my huge display of babyness, though, and patiently discussed a few issues with me, such as, I have already totally damaged my tunnel (that sounds a little gross, if you want it to) and that unless I stop using the computer immediately and indefinitely, it’s only going to get worse. And the steroid shots are a totally temporary solution. And that to prevent inevitable surgery maybe I should find a new job (impossible), maybe I can just use the computer less (I would die), or maybe I can have someone do my work while I just supervise them (sounds really really good, but…no).
So we’ll see. I really truly do not want to get surgery on my wrist, because while it has a very high success rate for improving the situation, afterwards your wrist is never 100%. However, I guess I’m not really 100% right now, so that doesn’t really make a difference.
Anyway, I posted a picture on my flickr of the ginormous puncture wound the needle left behind. Which, well, you might need a magnifying glass to actually see it. I’m just saying. But it is worse than it looks! Also, I will accept any and all sympathy.
Tschuss!!
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:18 am
Needles are not cool, and into the wrist? Congrats on not passing out ’cause I would have. Hey, maybe it gave you olive oil super powers. Oh and surprise surprise, guess who has the same problem? On the off chance that any of this unsolicited advice helps you avoid surgery, here goes:
- Are you mousing correctly? I have to consciously make an effort to use correct mousing form. If my desk is too high or chair too low, I scrunch up my shoulder and put the weight of my arm on my wrist. If I keep my entire forearm flat on the desk it takes a lot of the pressure off my wrist. One of those mouse pads with the boob feeling gel wrist rests really helps too.
- Go lefty! You get used to it quick. I mouse left handed at work, right handed at home. It helps spread the strain. I can now ambi-mouse in all but the most demanding mousing conditions.
- I don’t think this applies to you, but forearm building exercises will increase the size of the tendons running through your carpal tunnel. And if it does apply to you, what’s up Popeye.
I totally snickered at your damaged tunnel bit.
Good luck!
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 am
greg - of course! wtf, this is totally getting slightly bizarre. I use an evenly folded tshirt underneath my entire forearm when mousing, which helps slightly. And the ball forces me to sit up straight, so no scrunching here. I actually mouse lefty quite a bit–you’re right, it’s amazingly easy to get used to. And at home I don’t use a mouse at all, it’s the mouse pad on the laptop all the way. And, um…I really don’t want to know what you do for those forearm building exercises.
the doctor actually told me it wasn’t so much the pressure on the wrist, as the constant typing and clicking. I had never heard that before, but it’s something to think about.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 pm
This reminds me of when I was a safety manager at a large grocery chain and my division (103 stores, 3 warehouses, fleet) had an onsite medical clinic for work related injuries and minor private care which was under my leadership.
Anyway, I had a huge ganglion cyst in my left wrist and the physican’s assistant talked me into letting him “drain it down” with a huge ass syringe. It was rather like your experience but as he finished, my blood pressure bottomed out, I lost color and they quickly had me lay back.
The PA giggled “Oh no! I’ve killed my boss!”
It was a hoot and it never came back.
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:05 am
hey, you’re the one with the damaged tunnel! I was referring to weight lifting exercises, really.
Forgot one - do you use one of those microsoft ergonomic keyboards that’s split down the middle? They help a lot too.
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:49 am
Hey, get one of those mouse pads with the pad. Pay for it yourself if you have to. And the soft pad that goes in front of the keyboard. Again out of your own pocket if you have to. Ergonomics (sp?) are big money so you should be able to avoid surgery somehow. But then about that last topic… you are a peach. You say what we all think and don’t say girl! funny stuff! Made me laugh and I love that! Have you really trained your body? Whack… :-}
September 24th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I stopped car-pooling in tunnels and mine went away…
The doctor is right. It isn’t pressure, it is basically over-use.
What do you suppose those tunnels are for?
They weren’t designed for anything as repetitive as office work…
Sorry you are afflicted…
MAybe you can get an early pension from the military and go on with your singing career…
September 24th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Ugh! So sorry about your wrist. Massive doses (if your stomach can handle it) of anti-inflammatories do help and, while I know you don’t want to hear this, the surgery makes a ginormous difference. I used to assist on them all the time and it’s actually pretty quick and easy.
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:38 am
Um.. you’ve not felt anything til you had a cortizone shot in your hip missy.. I swear to God.. ow. And then quadruple that. But I still send you sympathy and love!