I suppose my party is over!!

[Bnot]

I'd refinanced to do a bunch of things this house needed bad. Most this I am (WAS) doing it by myself.

I just did finish the ceramic in the living room and hall Thursday, and my right hand started giving me fits. I mean like waking me in the middle of the night, numb, and hurting like H*ll. I go to the doc tomorrow to find out wtf is going on. Right now, I can't even pick up a pot of coffee with it.

friend said I needed to give it rest, and put a stabilizer on my wrist. so bought one friday, and fingers are still swolen today, but least it hasn't been waking me in the middle of the night.

I'm right handed, and this is my right hand giving me all this problems. Learning to be a lefty isn't easy after being right handed for 50 years!

Kitchen is still in shambles, and I have the ceramic that needs to go down in there. I will have to hire this out now. You only get one right hand....so not going to push my luck anymore.

after 3 days of working with the ceramic, I felt like I'd bit off a bit more than I can chew. I have a small living room, but the thing really got bigger once I started doing the cuts on the edges, lol. I've now learned that my living room is bigger than the bathroom I did a few years back, lol.

a friend online mentioned Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and I started researching. I really didn't like what I found at all. Every simptom they had on that one website listed, I had...not good.

I go to doc Monday at 10:30 for an official dx. Monday just won't get here fast enough for me. Meantime, been wearing this "wrist stabilizer" 24/7 except when I ice fingers down for swelling.

This has really got me far down mentally too. I got a workshop last month, and can't do a thing in it, except enjoy the a/c in the window.

Then a few online friends tells me "quit typing". I'm thinking not much else left in life for me right now except the internet.

I will do as doc says, hopefully it'll get better. I want to some day be able to finish the projects I have going right now. But I certainly won't be doing the kitchen ceramic myself now. My kitchen is about the same size as my living room!

Kept feeling this past week, like I bit off a bit more than I could chew, and I've never felt that way before doing anything around this home! And believe me, even though I'm female, not much I haven't tackled around here. Even put a cover on a 12x26 patio, and built a carport.....all by myself.

I suppose since Friday, I been having one big pity party. I'm angry about my hand doing this. then get aggitated cause I can't do anything one handed. even starting the car with left hand now, and putting it in gear with left hand. and left hand sure can't do near what the right hand used to do. My work around here has came to a screeching HAULT. And bad part....I have so much more stuff to "finish up"

I'll get through this, just hoping there is no permanent damage in my right hand.

[Patti]

Wow I am so impressed that you did what you did. It does sound like Carpal tunnel or tendonitis. Hope the doc can fix you right up. And we all are entitled to pity parties once in awhile. I find the older I get the more pity parties I need!!!lol

[my2boyz]

Hang in there! The tile work you did looks very nice and if I were closer I would come finish it for you! I love doing tile and remodeling. When we tiled our house in Florida we did a 16 by 20 sunroom, the front porch that was 10 by 15 and then we covered all of the countertop surfaces in granite and we had a lot of countertop space! We also did the bathroom vanities and the make-up vanity in the master bedroom. I remember my arm and shoulder gave me a lot of grief for several weeks afterwards but it goes away. You probably have a CT flare up...I get it sometimes if I decorate a cake or do something like that...it will last a while and then go away. Have you tried an ice bag or cold gell pack on your wrist? It might help...CT is just a swelling inside your wrist so ice and some Aleve should give you a little relief.
Hope you're feeling better soon!

[girdygirl]

Hope you feel better soon.

[chattiesmom]

I am very impressed. You ae one handy lady! I'm sorry your hand is bothering you please let us know what the doc says

[Shadow]

I'm impressed with your work this far...wow
Hope the doctor gives you a good diagnose.

[FlDebra]

Love that "can do" attitude. But even some of the people that do ceramic for a living wind up with repetitive stress injuries. So, be kind to yourself. Take some IBprofen and ice it 20 min. on 20 min. off for a while.

I find as I get older it is sometimes happier to concentrate on what I can do instead of what I can't -- the latter list just seems to grow and grow! Getting older is a pain but it sure beats the alternative!!

[Bnot]

thank you all so much. doc said it was a "classic" case of carpal tunnel. so my tile days are gone now. I know if i tried to do the kitchen, even after this lets up, it'd flare up again. and kitchen is one room thats hard to do without till it lets up. Uh, how long does it take before it lets up? Im being as good as I can.

I done the unthinable today, hired someone to do the ceramic in the kitchen. rest of the stuff here, most is finishing up on things, and that will have to wait. I diddn't budget for hiring folks.

Over the pity party though. Learning to do with my left hand, and its getting easier. Now pouring coffee with left hand, milk too. Cleaning house, washing clothes....all with one hand (not behind my back though, lol)

typing does bother it, but its the ONLY thing at all I do with right hand except to bathe. and shift with right pinky...eww almost impossible. so my puntuation and captialazations really sux right now.

been reading posts a lot, but not responding like I used to cause the typing hurts if I do much of it.

been wearing the wrist brace, and doc also said 100mg of vitamin B6 a day. says it takes a few months to get the full effect of it. Says carpal tunnel is a B6 defencity (sp). said to keep wearing the brace, gave me 800mg of ibuprofen 2x a day.

been sleeping all night long without wake up since I been wearing the wrist brace. big improvement from last Thurs night!

[MyTrixie143]

Did your doctor suggest surgery?? My mom had carpal tunnel, on her right hand as well. She wore the brace at night too and it helped otherwise she would wake up in the middle of the night in pain. So her doctor suggested surgery. She got it done and it is so much better now. I think only on an occassion she has trouble with it but it is alot better and she can do more things now with her right hand than before the surgery.
Sorry your having problems with your hand, hopefully the doctor will be able to suggest something that will help bring you relief!!