September 30, 2006
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Help!
You guys have been so wonderful and encouraging. Your prayers for me have been incredibly helpful as I’ve been motivated, efficient, and all those adjectives. But, my wrist has given out! Yes, too much time typing and using the mouse has caused a lot of pain in my right wrist. Right now I’ve got a rubber spatula Ace bandaged tightly to the offending joint to help. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do? I’ve got one of those nice mouse pads with the gel wrist rest. Sigh. I’ve got a new item for my prayer list, a traitorous wrist.
Comments (13)
My sister in law is a computer programmer who gave us our first split keyboard because she developed carpal tunnel syndrome. She’s gone to an even more wrist friendly split keyboard that is shaped like a tent, so her fingers are typing on a nearly vertical plane. This way her palms face each other and her wrists are in the most natural position.
RYC: Just about anything that comes out of a cat is pretty offensive, except the meow.
You may want to ice your wrist occasionally and take Advil or better yet, Aleve (Naproxen Sodium). What’s happening is the tendons that surround/straddle the nerve that goes through the carpal tunnel get swollen. That in turn causes pain to your fingers and hand. I wore braces for years when I slept, but after having surgery on both my hands, I’m painfree 99% of the time. I’m SOOOO glad I had surgery!
But you don’t want surgery, most likely. Plus, it’s too soon to have surgery. And by the time you’d recovered, your deadline would have passed, so that would be self-defeating. If the pain gets too much, ask your doctor for a Cortisone shot. That’ll reduce the swelling very quickly and hopefully last you for the duration of your project.
Other than anti-inflammatory meds and bracing your wrist (keep it straight so the flexing won’t put further pressure on your nerve), try to remember to take frequent breaks from typing. Just let your hands hang at your sides and open and close your fists. When your hands hang down, they fall into their natural, relaxed position and relieve the tension on your nerves.
I applaud you for the ingenius use of the spatula for bracing!
I have braces for both my wrists. They have hard inserts that can be taken in and out. I have had them for years and use them when I have been sewing too much for too long. I either bought them at WalMart or Rite Aid. I am not sure if a magnetic one is made. My ankle brace is made by homemedics and has the magnets in it. As weak as my ankle has been for years ( yes, another thing linking back to that wonderful brother of yours!), that brace is a wonderful invention. I know Rite Aid here carries the homemedics brand with magnets, Wal-Mart does not.
I would blame the mousepad… When you rest your wrist on the pad, that forces you to twist it left and right (so as to keep your wrist on the pad and move the cursor left and right) as opposed to just sliding the mouse. There are a couple other things that it does, all of them focus on putting strain on the wrist down through the fingers. When I use my mother’s computer, I turn the mousepad sideways so as to avoid the horrid pad on it that restricts my movement.
Wrist pads for keyoards are different, though. Unless you’re using the number pad or arrow keys for some reason, your hands and wrists stay in the same place and just your fingers move– that’s when it’s ok to use a pad (and in fact, I even use one for my keyboard). mamaglop pointed out that her sister uses a split keyboard– I wouldn’t necessarily advise it unless you have continuing problems. A vertical keyboard is pretty weird and takes time getting used to, so you won’t be able to type as well or as quickly at first (and you have a deadline in this case).
My advice: ditch the wrist rest mousepad. Focus on keeping your hand still and use your arm to slide the mouse around. Doing that will minimize wrist movement and strain. Also, get an ergonomic keyboard wrist rest. Avoid the gel-pads, they aren’t good at all. Rather, get one that’s filled with those tiny bead things.
Must go, hope this helps!
Poo! Poo!!! I’m so sorry your wrist is hurting!! I have no advice, but will come back to this page if I ever need help in that area……. those suggestions sound quite helpful!!
Take it easy and I pray you find something that works!!
Hmm…I was going to suggest hiring someone to type while you dictate…or enlist one of your kids!
We’ll be praying for quick (and lasting!) relief from pain.
Have you ever tried an upright mouse? I haven’t, but a woman in our office uses one and she said it significantly cut down on her wrist pain.
I pray that you find some type of relief.
I agree with JerseyFam on dictation… either your kids, or I could help Wednesday night after church, etc. Also, my parents have told me that adding a package of plain gelatin to whatever you drink throughout the day (like a glass of orange juice) helps joint pains to heal much faster. I’ve been trying it, and it seems to help a bit.
Ouch. When I was swallowed up by essays, I would get that. I used it as an excuse to go do Something Else.
I like the idea of getting your kids to type for you. Anyone need to brush up on their speed and accuracy? :*)
Keep up the good work (obviously you are doing well if the publisher is ready to give you everybody else’s work!) and you are in my prayers.
Hope your wrist is healing well. I have just read a couple of chapters and the book is pretty good. I still think Abrams Daughters is a better series overall.
I would like to hear about the “eyre” book you mentioned. Does it have anything to do with Jane Eyre– one of my favorites?
I sure sign you need a vacation or chocolate!
I’m a naproxen sodium girl myself. I take it twice day for 3 or 4 consecutive days to build it up in my system…you will find relief. Also, you can make the BEST slushy ice packs with one part water one part alcohol in a big ziploc. Put it in the freezer and in no time you’ll have the best pack to wrap around your wrist!
I have had lots of bouts with wrists. It reminds you how important your hands are – take good care of them!