sometimes the cure is worse than the illness
I went to the doctor for what I thought was tendonitis in my wrist today - well, I have something that is very common. I can't tell you the name of it even though the doctor told me how it got named after some french doctor who saw it so often in the 1800's that he wrote a description of it and it became named after him. Now all I wanted was a shot of cortisone in the silly thing so my wrist would stop hurting when I used it. My family doc referred me to this specialist - I should have known that would spell disaster!!
So, it seems that the treatment for this oh so common ailment is a brace that immobilizes the thumb and wrist. The next thing I know, I'm out the door headed for a place that fits braces. Now I have this brace that holds my wrist and thumb out straight. I have to wear it for 2 weeks continuous and then for 2 weeks with short attempts at a normal activity. I am allowed to take it off for showers. I foresee lots of long showers in my near future.
So, okay here I am in Gainesville with this brace on and discover the following things about my car: it is physically impossible to twist yourself around enough to fasten a seat belt with your left hand when your right hand is in a strait jacket, your left arm is not long enough to reach the gearshift on the floor nor are your fingers on your right hand strong enough to push in the button and move the gearshift and if you manage all this and are dying of thirst you can't pick up your drink from the cup holder with your right hand and can't reach it with your left.
By the time I got home the realities of this brace thing had really begun to set in along with a constant ache in the wrist. I thought it might at least buy me a little sympathy from my family - no my brother still expected me to lift his legs up onto the bed and to fetch for him.
I thought sleeping would be a good solution to my frustration - wrong, in dozing off I reached up to move my pillow and nearly gave myself a black eye, hit it with the thumb part of the brace hard enough to make the eye water. Oh yes, sometimes the cure is worse than the illness!! Of course anyone wanting good entertainment at TMT can just come watch clutz here attempt pretty much any activity from opening a bottle of water to trying to dress. Should be fun.
So, it seems that the treatment for this oh so common ailment is a brace that immobilizes the thumb and wrist. The next thing I know, I'm out the door headed for a place that fits braces. Now I have this brace that holds my wrist and thumb out straight. I have to wear it for 2 weeks continuous and then for 2 weeks with short attempts at a normal activity. I am allowed to take it off for showers. I foresee lots of long showers in my near future.
So, okay here I am in Gainesville with this brace on and discover the following things about my car: it is physically impossible to twist yourself around enough to fasten a seat belt with your left hand when your right hand is in a strait jacket, your left arm is not long enough to reach the gearshift on the floor nor are your fingers on your right hand strong enough to push in the button and move the gearshift and if you manage all this and are dying of thirst you can't pick up your drink from the cup holder with your right hand and can't reach it with your left.
By the time I got home the realities of this brace thing had really begun to set in along with a constant ache in the wrist. I thought it might at least buy me a little sympathy from my family - no my brother still expected me to lift his legs up onto the bed and to fetch for him.
I thought sleeping would be a good solution to my frustration - wrong, in dozing off I reached up to move my pillow and nearly gave myself a black eye, hit it with the thumb part of the brace hard enough to make the eye water. Oh yes, sometimes the cure is worse than the illness!! Of course anyone wanting good entertainment at TMT can just come watch clutz here attempt pretty much any activity from opening a bottle of water to trying to dress. Should be fun.