Doing the Right Thing Can Be Such Hard Work: the Hand & Arm Recuperation Edition

[elisem]

Title probably used up half the typing I' ve got allocated for this. OK, short version:

Last week, I overused right hand, and right shoulder was already cranky.
Wednesday was bad. Thursday was scary bad. Friday was past that.

[Trouble is in outside of wrist up to little finger. Elbow has improved. Shoulder has big ow. At least my clavicle and its fiber-based friends are no longer in berserker mode.]

Splint, icing, elevation, theracane, and almost no use of the arm is helping.
A lot of improvement, but need to not use it Sunday as well.
We'll see what Monday does. Maaaybe a tiny bit of use.
(I do practice using my left hand but it's not up to speed.)

I could use some encouragement that helps me resist the temptation to start in working too early and too much. Yes, I am asking for encouragement.

Not asking for medical advice, mostly because my body is weird, I can't take NSAIDs and loathe most pain meds, and I can't type out all the peculiarities, so yeah, probably no meds advice. But stuff like reminding me to elevate the dang thing more? That, you can encourage. Please do!

OK, I go get coldpack, elevate stuff, and watch some more shows I never watch and make cranky comments.

Comments

[sovay]

my body is weird, I can't take NSAIDs and loathe most pain meds

Solidarity. I can't take NSAIDs and most medications indicated for pain don't work for me unless side effects count.

Prop your arm up on something and godspeed with your shows!

*hugs*

[davidgillon]

It occurs to me that pacing is a thing that applies to individual limbs as much as to entire bodies.

If your body doesn't have the energy to get you up and about because you blew it all yesterday (or last week, or last month - btdt), then you just have to live with it, making pacing self-enforcing when you blow it. But if it's just one arm, then it has to follow you around the house, and it's there when things need doing, and there's that temptation that just a little won't hurt. Except it will. So yeah, splint and elevate, but most of all, don't do stuff with it.

[sine_nomine]

Resting and elevation mean a Lioness can make more beautiful shinies in the future! And pain at the level you are experiencing is, in my experience, never fun! So I encourage you to do the things that lead to less pain.

As someone who also can't take NSAIDs I do have one small advice. Let me know if you would like it.

Sending hugs and a reminder that snarky comments at tv shows are fun.

[mrissa]

Oh, and the early work is so tempting, too, because the day is shiny and new. Yeah. Sympathies.

[sartorias]

Please be gentle with those lovely, creative hands!

[xeger]

Ugh, empathies! Temptation's so hard to resist, especially when you're feeling just that much better! I've found that heat, or alternating heat/cold can also work (and a heated lounge chair is a great way to encourage not doing much of anything, especially when joined by cats).

[redbird]

Much synoathy. I know it's hard to just do nothing, and "don't do x or y or z with your right arm or hand" can start to feel like that.

Can you read, maybe with a kindle/kobo/tablet propped up so you only need to use your left hand to tap the "next page" button?

[jenett]

Please continue to rest the hand sufficiently! We wish for longer-term Lioness delightful things, and that means resting now.

[naomikritzer]

Please do the stuff you know you need to do, even if it's hard! (I am also familiar with the "I ought to be doing X and yet I would simply prefer to do another thing," where icing, resting, PT exercises, etc. problem.) I appreciate you taking care of my good friend Elise <3

[pameladean]

Ugh, resting is SO HARD. I insulted my right knee some time ago and it declared war. For a few days I was pleased to have an excuse not to do laundry or whatever, but after that it was so trying. It also limited sitting at the keyboard, so the option of just writing all the time was not available.

Please elevate the hand more so it will be your friend again.

P.

[azurelunatic]

Please remember to elevate and rest!

[vass]

That sounds very unfun. I hope it gets better soon.

But stuff like reminding me to elevate the dang thing more? That, you can encourage. Please do!

In the words of the song 'Midnight Radio': lift up your hands.

[siriosa]

i find it useful to think of my body as a big pet, and treat it as well as i would a beloved companion. which she kinda is.
be kind to your big pet. elevate! ice! rest! practice ambidexterity. (i horked my right shoulder years ago and have become defacto ambidextrous. whatever works.)

you can do the self care. you can. you and your big pet deserve to be taken care of.

[kellan_the_tabby]

Please take care of my friend Elise! Also so many sympathies, that's so damn hard.

[rosefox]

Sending you many well-wishes from one sometimes-unhappy arm to another. I hope rest is healing.

[queenbookwench]

Perhaps this is a time to give yourself nice fun and creative things that are Not Work? Music, audiobooks, films, perhaps a spot of boardgaming or other fun things to do with friends?

[laurel]

Hope your hand and arm are happier now. That thing where you have to rest and can't do certain things with certain body parts is really annoying so much sympathy on that front.

I'm trying to use it as an excuse to catch up on some TV or movies or something. Or just revisit old favorites. The urge to do stuff is hard to resist, even then, but rest is worth it in the end.

[anef]

I have tennis elbow, which is proving equally hard to get rid of. I believe that if I didn't use it at all it would get better, but it's very difficult! Sympathies.