Feeling a bit like MJ
what with this stylish wrist brace on one hand...
I just got back from the National Hand Center. Did you know there was a NATIONAL Hand Center? And that it's right here in Baltimore? And that you can get in with just 2 weeks lead time? I was impressed all around by the center and the doctors and the whole staff. There are very few hand/wrist/arm/shoulder guys out there, possibly because the hand is such a complicated part of the body. That's why it was so hard to find someone who could see me immediately... when I broke my foot I got in the same day I called. Lots of foot/ankle guys, and really those injuries do require immediate attention, so I was very grateful for that. If I'd gone in with my aching wrist and they had tried to touch it like they did today, I probably would have smacked someone!
I saw two doctors... a resident who did the interviewing and x-rays and the specialist who diagnosed me with overuse tendonitis, which was what I was expecting. Since I hadn't done anything really specific to injure myself I wanted to know that I could resume normal activity without it happening again... which means I do need to modify my normal activity! No biggie, they gave me a splint to wear during the day when I'm most in front of the computer. Oh, and maybe less Zuma if I want to do yoga too. I prefer the yoga, so alas, less and less Zuma.
I thought the x-ray process was really cool... it was instant, but cooler than that, the dr. positioned my hand and you could look at the screen and SEE THROUGH MY HAND! Like an X-RAY! ha! But then he could keep positioning it until he was happy before printing it. He also said it had less radiation than the monitor so I wasn't in the lead apron. I hope he's right, more for him than for me... he was sitting closer to it than I was. The concept of the instant x-ray may not be new, but my experience with x-rays has always been, "STAND THERE and DON'T MOVE" while I wait for the big machine to make noise, wait for them to put in a new film, etc... I was really enjoying watching all the bones in my wrist and arm move live on screen. I'm not saying hurt yourself just to see it, but it was pretty entertaining!
They sent me to the therapy office the next window over where I learned I had excellent insurance and could essentially have anything I wanted, including unlimited physical therapy. I don't need that though, alas. I just needed the splint. The therapist that helped fit it to me and talked to me about the tendonitis was quirky and fun, and when I confessed that I felt silly coming to a specialist for a "little wrist problem" she assured me that I had done the right thing, that tendonitis in the wrist can go "really bad, really quickly" and then told me about her own experience with some garden shears that left her in a similar predicament. I felt instantly better, especially after she handed me the free parking pass. The hand clinic doesn't give them out, just the THERAPISTS! Ah, see, they want you to feel better!
Now I'm trying to get used to typing wearing a splint. My WPM ratio has drastically decreased. Oh well, it's Friday. I don't have to work so hard on Friday... ;-)
I just got back from the National Hand Center. Did you know there was a NATIONAL Hand Center? And that it's right here in Baltimore? And that you can get in with just 2 weeks lead time? I was impressed all around by the center and the doctors and the whole staff. There are very few hand/wrist/arm/shoulder guys out there, possibly because the hand is such a complicated part of the body. That's why it was so hard to find someone who could see me immediately... when I broke my foot I got in the same day I called. Lots of foot/ankle guys, and really those injuries do require immediate attention, so I was very grateful for that. If I'd gone in with my aching wrist and they had tried to touch it like they did today, I probably would have smacked someone!
I saw two doctors... a resident who did the interviewing and x-rays and the specialist who diagnosed me with overuse tendonitis, which was what I was expecting. Since I hadn't done anything really specific to injure myself I wanted to know that I could resume normal activity without it happening again... which means I do need to modify my normal activity! No biggie, they gave me a splint to wear during the day when I'm most in front of the computer. Oh, and maybe less Zuma if I want to do yoga too. I prefer the yoga, so alas, less and less Zuma.
I thought the x-ray process was really cool... it was instant, but cooler than that, the dr. positioned my hand and you could look at the screen and SEE THROUGH MY HAND! Like an X-RAY! ha! But then he could keep positioning it until he was happy before printing it. He also said it had less radiation than the monitor so I wasn't in the lead apron. I hope he's right, more for him than for me... he was sitting closer to it than I was. The concept of the instant x-ray may not be new, but my experience with x-rays has always been, "STAND THERE and DON'T MOVE" while I wait for the big machine to make noise, wait for them to put in a new film, etc... I was really enjoying watching all the bones in my wrist and arm move live on screen. I'm not saying hurt yourself just to see it, but it was pretty entertaining!
They sent me to the therapy office the next window over where I learned I had excellent insurance and could essentially have anything I wanted, including unlimited physical therapy. I don't need that though, alas. I just needed the splint. The therapist that helped fit it to me and talked to me about the tendonitis was quirky and fun, and when I confessed that I felt silly coming to a specialist for a "little wrist problem" she assured me that I had done the right thing, that tendonitis in the wrist can go "really bad, really quickly" and then told me about her own experience with some garden shears that left her in a similar predicament. I felt instantly better, especially after she handed me the free parking pass. The hand clinic doesn't give them out, just the THERAPISTS! Ah, see, they want you to feel better!
Now I'm trying to get used to typing wearing a splint. My WPM ratio has drastically decreased. Oh well, it's Friday. I don't have to work so hard on Friday... ;-)