The End of the World as I Know It - Updated 3/18

[whyachi]

I don't feel fine.


I was in a motorcycle accident a few years ago and landed hard on my right arm. I didn't break anything, but I had all my weight land come down on it. I was on light duty at my warehouse job for a while and eventually it started working okay again, but now I can pop my neck, back and every joint in my arm, which I couldn't before.

Lately I've been having problems where my fingers go numb or cold at work since I'm on the computer ten hours a day at this job. I got it checked out and they originally said tendonitis and gave me a wrist brace and some 800mg ibuprofen and scheduled physical therapy for me.

Today was my first session, and during one of the stretches something slipped and my thumb went numb. Still is on one bit, has been for hours now. The doctor copped a feel up and down my arm and said the joints in my wrist aren't hooked together very well because of damage from the wreck and overworking it. She could put a little pressure on it, and besides nearly dropping me you could hear bones cracking against each other. She says stretching will help with the pain but this isn't going to get better. Basically, everything is sliding around loose in there and occasionally pinching nerves.


I'm worried, because my career - both professionally and musically - would be severely FUBAR'd if this continues to get worse at the rate it currently has. I'm not so quick at typing with my left hand, but I have enough painkillers in me at the moment that this isn't too bad.. but I can't work like this, I tried.



I dunno what I'm hoping for. I just wanted to talk to someone, and nobody is here.  :binkybaby:

 

[-CB-]

Get another doctor.  One who is well versed in sports medicine.

 

[weldfish]

I used to work a job where I was on the phone about 10 hours a day and I had problems with my arm and hand going numb. It stayed that way for almost a year. My primary doctor told me it wouldn't get any better. I went to another doctor and he gave me rehab exercises to do and told me to buy a pad to rest my elbow on while I worked. Within 2 months all of the feeling cam e back and I was good as I ever was. Don't give up, check the sports medicine doctors and also sports rehabs.

 

[whyachi]

Get another doctor.  One who is well versed in sports medicine.

Sports medicine? I'll look into that. This was the company-paid doctor I got a freebie appointment with, not a sports person.

Thank you guys for picking my spirits up a bit!  ccasion14:

 

[-CB-]

Oh... company paid, aka "workman's comp"... danger Will Robinson, danger...

I've known too many folks who got "bare minimal" fix ups through workers compensation.  I'm sure in some places and cases, they do ok.  I once ripped a nice gash in my thumb, and got to go to a major hospital for fixup.  They did great with it.  Another guy, same job, had to go to the "company clinic" down the road, when he got hit in the arm with a shipping band.  Waited hours, and they basically gave him a bandage.  He later wend to his own doc, who was pissed, had to open up the wound, clean it, and then sew it inside and out.

Sports medicine deals with the kind of stuff you got.  And, dont get upset... its fixable. 

Choosing the right doc for your problem, is like picking a repairman for your house.  You got carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masonrymen, door guys, cabinet guys.  They all have overlapping skills.  the plumber can make holes in walls, but not fix 'em.  Ditto the electrician.  The masonry guy fixes holes but is very limited with doors, etc etc etc.    You got neuro guys - who do a lot with nerves and bone placement, even though the orthopedic guys are supposed to do bones.  Think of it this way - they neuro guy is like the electrician who can finish carpentry, making brackets for lights and such.  The ortho guy is more like a rough carpenter, who would be great for a two piece leg bone, but less than stellar on a bad back... you need a finish carpenter for that.

 

[exaN]

CB's got it, get the right person to treat your problem

Cheers mate hope everything goes fine ccasion14:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I would ask how old you are?  It sounds like you're just getting older to me. 

I raced and road motorcycles from age 9 to 21.  I avoided the major injuries and broken bones, but it was still hell on my joints.  Rather than get into a "I did this and it did that" convesation, let's just say the body never forgets and the things that were injuries that I heeled from when I was younger and bullet proof, they're coming back.  Neck, knees, wrists, elbows, ankles.  Always get a 2nd opinion if you aren't happy, but it's possible you're just getting older.

 

[whyachi]

I would ask how old you are?  It sounds like you're just getting older to me. 

I raced and road motorcycles from age 9 to 21.  I avoided the major injuries and broken bones, but it was still hell on my joints.  Rather than get into a "I did this and it did that" convesation, let's just say the body never forgets and the things that were injuries that I heeled from when I was younger and bullet proof, they're coming back.  Neck, knees, wrists, elbows, ankles.  Always get a 2nd opinion if you aren't happy, but it's possible you're just getting older.

I hope I'm not deteriorating too much at 22, but I have pulled my share of crazy stuff.. I counted up 11 moderate-to-severe accidents I've been in concerning things with motors. Always been a bit of a daredevil I suspect, and I have no idea - nor do ER techs - how I've walked away from some of this stuff with just some cuts and bruises. Well, until now I guess.

 

[SlingBass]

Get another doctor.  One who is well versed in sports medicine.

+1 - most definitely!  There's some great folks over at St. Joseph (435 & State Line) that treat a lot of the Chiefs, Royals, etc.  They did a great job on a busted ankle I had about 6 years ago.  I don't remember who the group was - but I'll attempt to find/remember who they were.  As for your other problem...I found a lot of soft padding under the elbows with the keyboard being tilted down (toward the F8 key) to make all the difference in the world.  Your results may, however, vary...

 

[OzziePete]

Hey G.

=CB='s got the best option - 2nd opinion with someone who knows a bit more about orthopaedic (?) problems. Sports medicine, full on Dr. (not a physio or chirporactor). Might have to spend some $$ getting full diagnosis & a treatment program.

I worked with a guy who used to race production /Super Bikes at the time that Wayne Gardner was making his mark in Australia, prior to heading OS & winning a World Motorcycle Championship. Andy had all sorts of looseness in his knees & it would play hell with him during wet weather (arthritis). Andy would be walking along nicely beside you one minute and down on the ground in a screaming heap, the next.  Knees would just collapse on him. At the time he was only in his 20s too.

I wish you all the best for better health, mate.

 

[MUYFUE]

Yeah, I support the reccomendation to see a sports doctor.

During a marathon last November, I fell out due to me tearing my left hamstring AND calf. Not a full separation but I fell like a bag of ****. Regular doctor was like, "well Your runnin days are over..."

Screw that, I went to a sport medicine doc, got into physical therapy, I am now jogging for 20 min! very slow...but who cares!

As long as you can move your hand, you got a chance! Don't give up! Look at Dave Mustaine!

Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!
You can doo eet!

 

[mayfly]

As someone who's on the downward slide out of 40, I've had a lot of stuff happen, including:

1 - buggered foot from climbing Mt Robinson (canada)
2 - buggered knee from climbing Mt Snowdon (wales)
3 - buggered other knee from motorcycle crash
4 - buggered shoulder from snowboarding crash
5 - broken left thumb from cross country skiing.  Such a dangerous sport, that cross country skiing.
6 - numbness in both hands from years and years of coding (in remission currently)
7 - buggered back from masonry work
8 - buggered ears from years of playing guitar
9 - buggered foot from a mishap with a hammer drill
10 - buggered eyes from reading in the dark.  or at least that's what I blame it on.
11 - buggered teeth from bicycle crash
12 - misc other stitches, woulds, and hospital visits from other misc mishaps. 

My advice:  Get good medical help.  Work on it.  Adjust the instrument to help (for me this includes boatnecks for example).  and Don't give up...unless you _want_ to give up.

aaaaaand - as long as you're alive, more will be coming!  Get over it now and get used to the idea.  and don't forget to :rock-on:

 

[whyachi]

My advice:  Get good medical help.  Work on it.  Adjust the instrument to help (for me this includes boatnecks for example).  and Don't give up...unless you _want_ to give up.

aaaaaand - as long as you're alive, more will be coming!  Get over it now and get used to the idea.  and don't forget to :rock-on:

Give up? There are so many Warmoths left to build, and I'm sure while I'm working on those that I will dream up new ones. I shall not give up, even if I've got to screw them together one handed and watch someone else play them.

I guess now that I'm not technically an invincible teenager anymore I need to start being more careful, though.

 

[Alfang]

I know this is a small scale of what your going through, but check this out. I dislocated my left pinky finger playen football my senior year of highschool. it was totally bent 90 degrees the wrong way,

for the longest time i couldn't feel, or even move that finger, It was only because of my guitar playen that I ever recovered the use of that finger. today you would never know that it was totally AFU.

My point is, you gotta use what isn't working as much as you can. I'm a firm believer in leanining heavy on whats not working to make it work.

Good luck

 

[whyachi]

I know this is a small scale of what your going through, but check this out. I dislocated my left pinky finger playen football my senior year of highschool. it was totally bent 90 degrees the wrong way,

for the longest time i couldn't feel, or even move that finger, It was only because of my guitar playen that I ever recovered the use of that finger. today you would never know that it was totally AFU.

My point is, you gotta use what isn't working as much as you can. I'm a firm believer in leanining heavy on whats not working to make it work.

Good luck

That's the old, "Use a bigger hammer," approach. I've been working my hand and doing my stretches like I was told but I still can't feel my thumb and I've got this shooting pain going right through the center of my wrist that is a new development.

 

[-CB-]

Time to go fishin' for a carpal tunnel man....

HINT:  get a neuro guy to do it, NOT and ortho guy

FWIW, the best thing if you have a carpal tunnel problem is immobilization and lay off the typing and such... its hell on the wrist

 

[whyachi]

Time to go fishin' for a carpal tunnel man....

HINT:  get a neuro guy to do it, NOT and ortho guy

FWIW, the best thing if you have a carpal tunnel problem is immobilization and lay off the typing and such... its hell on the wrist

Two doctors have said its not the right part of my wrist to be carpal tunnel, so that's positive. The second one I went to today told me the first one was crazy, that the brace they gave me was fitted right and that's what was causing my thumb to go numb, and to knock out one of the stretches because it was damaging my wrist. She also gave me some "red" (pink) "therapy putty" (which is just grown up Play-Doh) to squeeze to rebuild whatever is messed up, gave me a good deep-tissue massage and soaked my hand in hot paraffin for a while.

Combine that with 800mg of ibuprofen and some coffee and I feel pretty good right about now.

 

[old_metal_head]

If anything ever happened to my hands I'd learn to play guitar with my feet.

 

[mullyman]

So, has 11 motor related accidents taught you a lesson or do you need to kill someone or yourself to get the point through?
MULLY

 

[whyachi]

So, has 11 motor related accidents taught you a lesson or do you need to kill someone or yourself to get the point through?
MULLY

The only ones that were my fault didn't involve other people. I tend to get run into a lot while cruising through town, or else end up flipping an ATV / moped / dirt bike / jetski / snowmobile completely solo.

I know how to drive, I just have issues remembering that gravity thing.