Last evening

[jfsmith]

I was working the shop last evening or lets say around midnight. Something happened to my right hand. Wrist really hurts, finger went numb. Went to the ER, they want me to keep my hand in a brace and not do any really hand intensive work. My family doctor is making an appointment for me to have my hand evaluated for repetitive motion injury or carpal tunnel. So I am typing with left hand.

What a bummer. My hand brace interfere with everything.

Jerry

[pgmrdan]

Sorry to hear about that Jerry.

Does the Dr. have you on some anti-inflammatory medicine?

[Evan]

Carpal tunnel sucks. The good news is they can do something about it. My wife has had carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand to take the pressure off the nerves and it works. It's a simple operation and eliminates the problem fast.

[jeastwood]

Sorry to hear about that. I use computers at work all day; I gave up on "mousing" with my right wrist years ago; anything more than a few seconds of mouse use with it now causes pain. It takes a while, but it's quite easy to learn to mouse with your left hand. I also have the type of mouse that has a roller ball on the bottom and a stick, rather like a pistol grip; this lets you keep your wrist rigid. It helped quite a bit, but I still use if left handed.

Fortunately, machining and other activities (even bowling!) don't bother my right wrist.

Good luck; these things can often improve by themselves, given the right treatment.

Regards,

Jeff E.

[GreenWillyPeter]

Way back when I rode longer on two wheels more than I slept, my thumb and two small fingers would go numb on both hands. Carpal tunnel was just a hole in a mountain between Podunk and Timbuctoo.

It took a while but I figure out a piece of aluminum splint taped to my arm and going down to my palm would stop me from bending my wrist and stopped the numbness. I also learned how to crank the wick more with my fingers than with my wrist.

I rode that way for years and got used to the strange looks when I was trying to eat or drink. I also learned to limber up my wrists frequently, "flop my hands around like some kind of ijit", keep my wrist relatively straight and swap movements to different planes. Not always easy when busting nuts is the way to a steak dinner.

Now, I have a mouse pad with a raised gel pad to support my wrist and I swap back and forth between it and an optical trackball, use a MS ergonomic keyboard that works great for me, except now when I try to use a standard keyboard I go back to the dark side real quick.

I'm not sure about wrist surgury. I know several people who have had wrist surguries with varying levels of success and I had wrist surgury way, way back to remove some cartilidge that caused a large hump on my wrist that was successful. Sometimes, just resting is the best remedy.

When I get locked into an all nighter with some game using a joystick or pad. When I come out of it Arthur Ritis has invaded my body and won't come out until I give him a hot soak in the tub, hotter shower and crawl into a sleping bag under a cranked up electric blanket for at least 8 hours.

You just have to figure out what works best for you, then remember we get older every day and Mother Nature doesn't like older folks.

Hope you get better Happy Holidays

[jfsmith]

The doctor has me on something like Alieve and a wrist brace. Plus told to rest that hand/arm for a few days and then I see the surgeon.

I had mild rodent wrist back when I worked for somebody else, it came from typing and mouse work, hence the name "Rodent Wrist". But my employer said that they didn't cover things under the worker comp program.

As that it is the holiday time of the year, my work has slacked off and I have been do repairs, upgrades, improvement on my machines and other toys in the shop.

Jerry

[jlh28]

It is very important that you see a "Hand Specialist" not a general practitioner or even a general orthopedic doctor. My wife has a therapy practice that caters to hand surgeons. Many of her patients are victims of general doc's mistakes. She complains daily about how unknowing patients allow a general doc or orthopedic operate on them without determining if they are qualified to perform the surgery.

[jfsmith]

I have an appointment with a hand surgeon in the middle of January, so I am just going to have to tuff it out until them.

Hand brace and Jack Daniels, not such a bad combination. The neck of the bottle is just the right size for me to hold with the brace on.


Jerry

[ibewgypsie]

I too went to a ergonomic keyboard. ANYONE with large wide shoulders can feel the pressure of bending thier wrists at a 45 to use a normal one.

Trackball all the way here. THE one I got I like and they don't sell them anymore. I go through two a year. Same with keyboards. This Microsoft one is going on a year old tho.

Whiskey thou it temporary numbs, actually makes me hurt more. I have Gout, a acid generated to remove loose and damaged tissue by the body, problem is it don't know when to quit. Painful joint swelling of all the injured parts. OF couse shrimp ( I dearly love ) and whiskey both cause the gout to flare up more than without them.

You are about my age? 47 it started at 32, if so it may be the same. When they check you have them run a Uritic (spelling?) acid test on you. I went to five doctors before a old social security doctor found mine. I was down in my back then. Knees, wrists, back, collar bone (nerve damage) and hips sound like packing peanuts. I cut my drinking way back and it seems to help.

Old age may suck, but consider the alternative to getting older. Everyday above ground is great.

David

[wierdscience]

I have had bouts with Carprel tunnel,I found that cold packs do more good than anything.

The pain/swelling reducers only make things worse,soon as you quit taking them the pain comes back,but worse.

Good luck with it,I know it hurts.