(no subject)
So I've had numbness in my right hand for about 5 days now: little finger, a little of the top of the ring finger, up the muscle on the side of the hand, behind the knuckles on the back of the hand, sometimes up the forearm, occasionally in the upper arm. Not that's there's no feeling at all, more like a bumped-my-funny-bone feeling... except that it hasn't gone away, and has actually spread.
And while I figured the most likely cause was a pinched nerve, the symptoms aren't dissimilar to everything from carpal tunnel to early stages of heart disease (which my Dad had) to MS. And since both my father and his father had Parkinson's, anything vaguely neurological gets my attention pretty quickly.
So I went to the doctor yesterday. When I first called for an appointment, they said they could fit me in in 10 days (!). So I decided I'd just walk in after 5:00 (I really do like that about my doctor, that he schedules 2 hours at the end of the day for walk-ins). But then they found a cancellation for 3:00, so I went then. Got out of the waiting room at 4:35; actually saw the doctor about 5:20. Might as well have walked in, yes?
Anyway, he says--as I'd figured--a pinched nerve, but not in one of the usual places. Most nerve problems happen in a joint. This appears to be related to muscular tightness between my shoulder and neck... probably brought on, in part, by carrying my shoulder bag on that shoulder around New Orleans. Then, with the muscles already tight, I just slept wrong on it and that was enough.
Anyway, I got a steroid shot, and scrips for a muscle relaxant, ibuprofen, and more steroids. If that doesn't help in a week, we'll re-evaluate, with next stop being either a neurologist or physical therapy or both.
In other steroid-related news, Barry Bonds broke the home run record last night.
And while I figured the most likely cause was a pinched nerve, the symptoms aren't dissimilar to everything from carpal tunnel to early stages of heart disease (which my Dad had) to MS. And since both my father and his father had Parkinson's, anything vaguely neurological gets my attention pretty quickly.
So I went to the doctor yesterday. When I first called for an appointment, they said they could fit me in in 10 days (!). So I decided I'd just walk in after 5:00 (I really do like that about my doctor, that he schedules 2 hours at the end of the day for walk-ins). But then they found a cancellation for 3:00, so I went then. Got out of the waiting room at 4:35; actually saw the doctor about 5:20. Might as well have walked in, yes?
Anyway, he says--as I'd figured--a pinched nerve, but not in one of the usual places. Most nerve problems happen in a joint. This appears to be related to muscular tightness between my shoulder and neck... probably brought on, in part, by carrying my shoulder bag on that shoulder around New Orleans. Then, with the muscles already tight, I just slept wrong on it and that was enough.
Anyway, I got a steroid shot, and scrips for a muscle relaxant, ibuprofen, and more steroids. If that doesn't help in a week, we'll re-evaluate, with next stop being either a neurologist or physical therapy or both.
In other steroid-related news, Barry Bonds broke the home run record last night.