Well, today is the day I am to call my doc for a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. I am to schedule an appointment for CTS surgery on my left wrist. I have been putting it off for some time with the hope that the pain would diminish by wearing a brace and consuming a daily regimen of ibuprofen. It has become painfully obvious that this has merely treated the symptoms and not solved the root cause of the discomfort. I anticipate that, although the surgery is fairly routine nowadays (the number of carpal tunnel surgeries has exploded over the past 15-20 years), the recoup time post-surgery is fairly extensive (3-4 weeks). So although I won't miss the daily pain, the idea of not being able to use my dominant left hand for nearly a month is rather daunting. I may have to break out an electric razor...
Seriously, would it kill them to use metal for those? I mean, it'd add a whopping 1000th of a cent to the cost. I'LL PAY THE DIFFERENCE! Thanks for the well wishes, guys, made it through the visit. He didn't even do any x-rays. He kind of poked and prodded at it a bit, asked if it had grown since it appeared, if it was tender, and checked if it was affecting the range of motion of my fingers. It hadn't, it wasn't, and it didn't, so he said not to worry about it unless it started doing any of the above, handed me my bill and sent me on my way. On one hand (literally) I'm relieved that it's not some sort of deadly hand cancer or something, on the other, I kind of wish there had been a bit more "to do" about it, just so I wouldn't feel so silly for spending the money/time on a doctor visit. You know, at the risk of sounding like a heretic, now might be an excellent time to learn the pleasures of the beard. While a clean shave is bliss, a bushy chin can be quite rewarding as well. Just ask Chester A. Arthur. He rides a Sharkopotapus, so he can't be wrong.
About 30 years ago I had a bump on the back of my shoulder that concerned me a little. I went to my doctor, he looked at it a while and then said "That's a sebaceous cyst. We generally only remove them for cosmetic reasons and in your case I wouldn't bother." He then charged me $80 for that diagnosis. I went home and lanced it with a needle. That was probably the least value for $80 I ever received.
Here's wishing you a speedy recovery! Don't feel bad for heading for the doc on this. Better safe than sorry! Certainly in cases like this (lumps anywhere where they aren't supposed to be)
Thank you! I have an initial appt tomorrow @noon with my primary doc; soon to be followed with another appt with the surgeon. I spoke with a women here at the church who had the procedure done on BOTH hands—not at the same time —and she claimed a downtime of 3 weeks before being able to use the hand capably. My challenge is to schedule the surgery for a relatively quiet period here so as not to inflict undue hardship on the rest of staff in my absence. Possibly mid-June might work.
An appointment with a sturgeon? You better get a second opinion 'cuz it sounds pretty fishy to me. Just flip it over. He'll be fine.
I am seriously considering taking a black sharpee and writing on my right palm, "The OTHER hand, dummy!"—but considering he'll be holding a surgically-sharp object, I may temper the language a bit.
No worries, I had surgery on my right elbow a couple years ago, learned pretty quick how to produce an acceptable lather and get a decent shave with my left hand. However, I soon discovered that was the least of my non-dominant handed activities I had to consider... Yup Very true
When I started this fitbit thing, I set the plan up so I could drop a pound a week. Wanted to take the moderate path to lose 10 lbs as a realistic starter goal. Tomorrow will be a week, and I just weighed in for the second since I started. Started out at 220, then a few days in weighed in at 216, now I'm at 214! Now, I realize, I'll probably plateau a bit before too long, but still, it's kind of encouraging to see those numbers drop so quickly!
Since I went gluten free, my protein intake has increased considerably, I don't think it'll be a problem. My starch intake is still a little high (I eat a lot of rice), but I eat much more meat and beans than I ever did before.
