I
will never understand how it is possible that Wednesday comes around this
quickly. I seem to never be able to get anything done on Monday and Tuesday,
and then – boom – I am supposed to post an update on my weekly progress. As you
may have guessed from that opening, I haven’t gotten much done yet this week.
It
doesn’t look like I have worked on my novel at all. I have blogged on schedule and
done okay on my reading, am almost caught up on our Tuesday Bible Study book. Have
also done okay on the exercise, though I’ve still been eating too much, thus,
haven’t lost any weight.
I’m
also going to go completely off subject here, as I have another issue that I
need to come up with some answers to. I have some kind of arthritis. I know, I
work in a medical clinic, so I should get this diagnosed and treated properly,
except that I’ve never seen any of my patients get much relief from
conventional treatment, no matter what kind of arthritis they have.
My
hands and fingers ache so bad all the time that sometimes I can hardly do my
job – pumping up the blood cuff or shooting off the cover of temperature probe.
I keep switching my mouse from my right to my left hand so that neither one
gets too tired. Typing doesn’t hurt yet, but I am afraid that day is coming as
well. And I don’t know what to do about it.
Glucosamine
Chondroitin and Fish Oil haven’t helped. I’ve tried different lotions and
potions, but besides not working, I’ve got aches and pains all over my body and
submerging myself in something doesn’t seem the answer. The orthopedic doctor I
talked to a while back said I should take ibuprofen twice a day, every day, to
help with the inflammation. Which does not seem like a long term solution, as
eventually that is going to eat up my stomach.
I’ve
looked up stuff on-line, but haven’t found anything promising. They mostly say
this or that will offer relief from the pain, which would be great, but what is
going to stop the progress of the disease?
What
really causes me to panic is looking at my mom’s hands. She has got rheumatoid
arthritis, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis, and supposedly two other kinds of
arthritis, which she has no names for. Her hands and fingers are gnarled
messes. The end joints on most of her fingers are completely gone, so that the
tips of her fingers just wobble. I know this because she can’t cut her own
fingernails, so I have to do it and frankly it is disgusting.
I
talked to our physical therapist today about my fears and he said, “yup, that’s
what you have to look forward to.” No! Shoot me now!
I
need to get past this, I realize. Anything could happen in the next 30 years
before I am my mom’s age. And I’ve certainly rambled long enough.
I
will get back on track tomorrow, and wrap up my week long goals by Sunday. I
promise.
 |
| My mom with my kids at Christmas 2014. That was 18 months ago and look at her hands then. They've only gotten worse. |
I've had some pain relief with a heated rice bag. Don't know if that would help, but it's easy, puts no added chemicals into your body, and isn't very expensive to try. I got a large rice bag on Amazon for under $25, and it's paid for itself in only a few months (works great for migraines, too!)
ReplyDeleteI think the therapist was being flippant. None of us can know what the future holds, or what therapies will be developed. When I was in my 20s, someone in the medical field suggested that, if I didn't start seeing a chiropractor for my scoliosis, I wouldn't be able to walk by the time I was 40. Well, I just turned 47, and I can still walk just fine, thanks, despite never having been to a chiropractor, and carrying three large babies, besides.
I think that working in the medical field has made me a cynic. I haven't seen many medications or other treatments truly help many people. It sometimes just feels like a racket for making money. And I wonder if alternative therapies aren't the same way.
DeleteThanks for the suggestion though. I may try it, as well as continuing to research other options.
Yes, Chris, Weds comes around MUCH too fast for me too! But you are checking in . . . and THAT is an accomplishment. Thinking about writing might well be a kind of 'keeping that pot boiling.' I also have arthritis, but I attribute my constant typing with keeping my fingers strong and flexible. Don't take any meds for pain . . . yet, but have tried to remove sugar and salt as much as possible from my diet. I notice when I do eat sugary foods, my hands do hurt more. Now comes the hard part: You already know each day is a gift to cherish. Mortality limits our lives, and we cannot know how many days or years we have. So embrace the moment! You bring joy to so many.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth for the support and the insight. Until your last couple sentences --- this means I have to get that novel polished and published ASAP, coz who knows what tomorrow brings, right?? Seeing as my mom is 89, if I do get full-blown arthritis like her's, hopefully I'll still live long enough to write a few more novels.
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