Thursday, June 12, 2008

ick.

Sooo yeah it's been a week (!) since I last posted. I'm sorry about that. I've been having some major left thumb/thumb pad/wrist pain over the past few days, so I saw my doctor today ... I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. (This wasn't before a trip to the ER last night after work when I thought I had internal bleeding because of some weird bruises in my left middle and ring fingers. But enough about that.)

I've been mondo-stressed about this thumb/wrist pain, it first felt like tingly throbbing (like when you shut your fingers in the car door) and has settled into constant achiness. I don't know if I overextended my thumb somehow or what. The nurse practitioner recommended anti-inflammatory, so I'm popping Aleve once or twice a day and I took it upon myself to get a new sticky bandage and I'll keep it wrapped while at work (which totally helped tonight) and any other time I'm using it. And I'm really going to try to cut back on using the computer at home (and, if I do, avoid using my left hand).

I forgot to ask the nurse practitioner about whether knitting is OK. I'm going on the assumption that if I feel OK, knitting is OK. Unfortunately I haven't felt OK in days. I have to wait until Aug. 1 to see a hand specialist, because that was the next available appointment, which stinks, but I'm really going to take good care of it and hope the pain lessens before then.

Apart from the wrist thing, working out has kept me from blogging. I've been a good girl, going to the gym Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday. An hour of cardio on Mondays and Thursdays, 45 minutes Tuesdays and Fridays. I did some light weight work yesterday for the first time, and I'm going to try to make that a regular thing as long as my wrist cooperates. (And maybe it will strengthen it?? I must research this.)

The only downside is all this gym-going is making me tired and I'm not picking up around the apartment as well as I should be! Case in point - instead of doing laundry/vacuuming/cleaning as I normally do on my non-gym Wednesday, I went back to bed after the doc appointment and slept for two hours. Between my general tiredness and relieving the stress of the past few days, I think the sleep was much needed.

But enough about stress and wrists. It's my weekend, and a three-day one at that. I tend to prefer staying at home to going out, but today I am tickled because I got invites for a lot of stuff ... sushi tomorrow, the beach Friday (followed by happy hour with another friend), and a knitting afternoon Saturday for WWKIP Day with a pal I haven't seen in way too long! And I'm already going to the Tides game for KIP Day Saturday night with Josh and some friends and their adorable babe! And there is pick-up baseball before work Sunday. I think all of this will be a perfect remedy to the blahs I've had lately.

P.S. The debacle I mentioned in my last post? I worked out a temporary fix with the credit card company. They're lowering my rate to something much more reasonable, and it may go back to 0% after the next monthly review. So, yay. =)

4 comments:

  1. I have carpal tunnel, too. Keeping it wrapped will definitely help you. I wouldn't take the Aleve long term as it is hard on your liver.

    Thank goodness this heat wave has broken for a few days! I haven't worked out in a week...good you are going to the gym...maybe it isn't so much tiredness from that as from the heat? Just walking from car to store wears me out when it is 100 degrees.

    Hope you have a great KIP week-end! Not sure what we are doing except that I know I will NOT be walking around the VA RenFaire with three kids if it is 90 outside.

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  2. I really hope your wrist/hand get better soon! In the meantime, I wonder if there's a way to do one-handed knitting? =D

    I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday! =) oh, and yay for getting the credit card situation fixed! That is a major relief.

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  3. Hope you heal up. I had carpal tunnel when pregnant with The Boy. Not fun at all.

    Hang in there. :)

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