Well, of course, I mean carpal tunnel, not carpool tunnel. But when do my symptoms come to a head (or hand)? When I am no longer working at a desk 8-10 hours day for someone else's pay. My left hand hurts so bad I can barely stand it. I have a brace on it that I have worn during the day (or waking hours) for about 3 weeks; At night I have one that I wear that has a nice cushy pillow on it, but still has the strong metal pieces that hold my hand still and the straps that keep me confined so I can't have a normal movement to put my hair out or move my covers.
Chris calls the day one(s) my gloves-boxing, and the night one my oven mitt. Occasionally I have to put a restraint on my right hand because my right wrist will also start aching in the same fashion. Of course, both hands don't match because they didn't have the same ones at the store when we went. In addition, it wasn't like I went to a doctor to have it diagnosed and went to physical therapy for it. I still haven't started my physical therapy that WAS prescribed for my MS back pain because I haven't had benefits for a month!! I will talk to the PT when I go about the recommendations. For the left, I imagine the only remedy is surgery, because the pain will not let up regardless of immobilization and NSAIDs. The right, seems to calm down with no use.
Bright side? I am not working -- so I don't have to use them. Thank God I am not working my fingers to the bone, have to go off work for rest and then surgery, and then have to come back to work for a 40 ft pile of papers to contend with. That's the bright side. The pain is awful. I don't wish this on anyone. I can't do anything with that left hand w/o it hurting, and the braces are ridiculous. I am not sure if the MS is causing the pain to be worse than it really is, but I can see the swelling at the meeting point, so I'm doomed on that hand -- and it is the weaker one. Pooh.
But, no carpools. No tunnels. And no piles of work. Also, can't pick up stoneware plates or pots and pans. Hey!
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