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BrandiwynšŸŽ¶ Author Icon, also known as Michelle Tuesday, is a musician, educator and writer hailing from Columbus, Ohio.
October Novel Prep Challenge
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Oct 18, 2012 at 11:26am
#2450535
Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues
I have pain in my wrists and the backs of my hands. I am guilty of four of the five repetitive tasks that were on the sign in the doctor's office when I went in to be tested for CT (typing/mouse/computer use; playing guitar - which I do professionally, so we're not talking about hobby level; knitting, which I've done less and less since it hurts so much and the other repetitive tasks are so much more important to me; and turning screwdrivers - more at the hobby level, but I am a degreed engineer and therefore ridiculously attracted to challenging fix-it projects, plus I am a small business owner with no budget for a maintenance person, so I do all the fixing myself.)

I tested negative for CT. Not even the slightest indication that it was starting to form.

Instead, I was diagnosed with tenosynovitis in my wrists. This is like tendonitis, which is inflammation of the tendons, except tenosynovitis also includes inflammation of the tendon sheathes - the tunnels through which your tendons travel. There's no treatment for it, no prescription or surgery. It's just a condition you live with. But ibuprofin helps a lot because it reduces inflammation, and I have wrist braces like these  Open in new Window.. When my condition flares (every few months, and particularly when I'm doing things like the Prep), I find that sleeping a night or two with the braces on really helps. It's not just that they force your hands into the right position; it's also how the braces wrap around your forearms. I pull them really tight, which massages the muscles. Somehow, I find that my wrists and hands feel great for days after just one night wearing them.

To Dawn's point, I've been doing a lot of handwriting during the Prep, and I find that my writing hand ACHES after doing it awhile. I have to stop and shake my hand out. That doesn't happen when I type, which I can do for hours and hours with barely a break. I don't remember writing causing my hand to ache when I would journal or write stories as a child, before computers. I wonder if we've just adapted to typing; our hands are used to that sort of labor, where twenty years ago, they were used to handwriting instead.

Regards,
Michelle

Poor Witch: Chapter 1 Open in new Window. (E)
Mildred meets a flagpole. The little witch's broomstick is down to five bristles!
#1308374 by BrandiwynšŸŽ¶ Author IconMail Icon
MESSAGE THREAD
OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 1:56am
by Devil's Delight-Cherry Author IconMail Icon
Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 2:10am
by PuppyTales Author IconMail Icon
Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 3:07am
by Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 4:35am
by Angelica Weatherby- Freezing0* Author IconMail Icon
Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 5:24am
by ā­Princetteā™„PengthuluWrites Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 6:57am
by Devil's Delight-Cherry Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 3:26pm
by Storm Machine Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 4:05pm
by Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon
*Exclaim*Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 11:26am
by BrandiwynšŸŽ¶ Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 2:46pm
by Devil's Delight-Cherry Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-18-12 4:10pm
by Dawn Embers Author IconMail Icon
Re: Re: Re: OT - Carpal Tunnel Issues · 10-20-12 7:08pm
by Catherine Hall Author IconMail Icon

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