Friday, June 20, 2008

One armed Em

I feel like I only have one usable hand right now :-(

Ever since I played the POS Frumpet in marching band I have had tingly sensations and irritation in my hands and wrists. For example when I push a shopping cart across a parking lot my hands ache and tingle. Or if I am driving on a rough road my hands hurt from the vibrations on the steering wheel. Not fun, but it has never severely interfered with my life. I never saw a doctor about it but I have suspected that I have some kind of nerve damage or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Flash forward to June 2008. I woke up this morning with my wrist absolutely killing me!I am in a ceramics class and have been learning to throw on a potter's wheel. Now when you watch potters do this they make it look effortless, but in reality it takes a lot of strength to move the clay where you want it. This has apparently aggravated my wrist/hand condition because it is so painful that just the action of gripping a light object sends a sharp pain from my wrist down my arm.

I can't turn a doorknob, open the fridge, or pick up my 2 lb puppy without being in great pain. I'm really upset b/c I love my ceramics class and fear that this is going to stop my progress of learning the wheel in its tracks. Monday morning I plan on setting a dr.'s appointment with a hand specialist so I can get this thing diagnosed and treated. Such a bummer...

1 comments:

Susan and Chris said...

No fun! I've been having wrist pain for about 4 years now. It's been loosely diagnosed as tendonitis, but I'm sure someday it will escalate into Carpal Tunnel. I've gone through physical therapy but it still has its ups and downs. I use a neck strap all the time now with my clarinet. I hope the doctor's able to do something - anything for you. Good luck!