Conference turris::womannotes-v3

    D!
    
    Well, we *do* seem to have similar experiences! (*8
    
    Many years ago, I was in a car accident.  I came about as close to 
    breaking my neck as possible.  Everything -- *everything* -- got ripped
    off the right side of the cervical spine.  Unfortunately, it was 
    diagnosed at the time of the accident, so nothing was done about it.
    (They just thought it was whiplash.)
    
    Since that time I have developed numerous irritating little problems
    with my spine, hips, and (can I say this word in Notes?) pelvis.
    I now have arthritis in my neck, some of my vertabrae have rebel
    tendencies, and my pelvis rotates at will.  Eat your hearts out, all
    you women who want to know how to wiggle!  (*8
    
    Anyway, the upshot of this, and the reason I entered all of this, is
    that IF my injury had been diagnosed correctly, and IF I had gotten
    regular treatment when it *was* diagnosed, I would not now have a 
    traction thingum hanging from my bedroom door.  Not yet, anyway.
    
    Since I haven't been able to figure out any fun ways to use the darn
    thing, I would much rather not have it there!
    
    So, PLEASE, see a Rheumatologist now.  Don't wait.  What you don't
    know will hurt like the dickens!
    
    E Grace

    Oh.  Forgot something.....

    My brother-in-law has juvenile arthritis which he found out about when
    he was eighteen years old.  He is now around 35 and leads a very active
    life.  It affects his feet, back and jaw.  He has been told that
    eventually it will cripple him.  I notice that it comes and goes and
    that some years it is much better.  He walks a lot on his job as a
    forrester and says that, for him, it serves to loosen his joints on a
    daily basis.  The only medication he takes is aspirin.  His arthritis
    does not seem to impede him from enjoying life.
    
    Martha

Sounds to me more like (someone will correct this) carpal tunnel syndrome.

(This has nothing to do with car pools in the Callahan Tunnel.)

Carpal tunnel syndrome (or whatever it's really called) is pain in the wrists
due to holding your hands at bad angles while typing, pianoing, etc., and
relates to the nerves passing through the relatively small "carpal tunnel" at
the wrist.

Okay, now that I've thoroughly botched the description, someone else probably 
has pointers to other notes or conferences discussing it. 

As I recall, it's aggravated by having a keyboard too high, typing too long 
without a break, pounding the keyboard after one too many processing notes, and
similar things.

    Paul
    
    It sounds like Carpal tunnel syndrome to me too. I also suffer
    from it. It can be relieved by having an operation on the palm
    to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
    
    Bonnie

     I have Carpal tunnel syndrome and had surgery done on my right wrist
    last September. If CTS is not taken care of it can cause permanent
    damage to your hand and the nerves in your hand. I suggest you talk to
    you Phy. about this. A simple test can determine how much of a problem
    you may have...

    REK

    If any questions, please send mail to me and I can tell you how it all
    went for me.

D!,

I'm 30, and I've had arthritis since I was 5. I want to reassure that
arthritis isn't necessarily going to have a tremendous impact on your life.
I'm proof that you can live a normal (whatever that is) life with
arthritis.

I'm quite active. Up until very recently (when a bad case of the
lazies hit me), I was doing Jazzercise 3 days a week and playing
volleyball a few time a week. Stopping this activity level has very
little to do with my arthritis. October, November and March are the toughest
for me. Typically the weather is very variable during those months. I
find my arthritis most active when there are significant changes in
the weather. Warm to cold is worse than cold to warm.

Don't put all your faith in tests for arthritis. When I was a kid, my
tests were all positive. The last full set of tests (at Lahey Clinic)
came out negative. Generally the tests are inconclusive. I don't need
to take any drugs other than aspirin. I only take aspirins when I
really need to. After all these years I can pretty much determine if
the "morning stiffies" are going to go away or if they require some
aspirin. There is a rheumatologist in Nashua that Health Services
praises. It's Dr. Caryn something. They can give you her
name if you are interested. I haven't seen her. I keep meaning to get
to making an appointment.

My arthritis is limited to my knees, hips, and shoulders. Repetitive
motions (like bike riding or tennis) do cause flair ups. When you say
that typing and playing the piano aggravate it, things like carpal
tunnel syndrome come to mind. Rather than arthritis, the pain could be
directly related to your typing/playing position.

If you want to talk some more, let me know. My name probably doesn't
ring any bells with you, but aren't you the Diana that I've met
you through Bob Pellegrino and weight watchers. Drop by if you want to
talk. My office is in ZK2-3, in the CLT area, office 3L37.

-Patti

    As a massage therapist, I too have concerns about arthritis. The
    president of my massage school had a bout with it, and has been
    very successful in getting rid of it. He started taking Burdock root.
    The theory is that it's a blood purifier (arthritis may be a systemic
    condition that causes the joint problems). I've been taking an herbal
    supplement called ART-A by Nature's Way (I think), which contains
    Burdock and a bunch of other stuff that's good for arthritic
    conditions.
    
    In addition, I've had ...well...bumps forming on the distal joints of
    my index fingers. My chiropractor said that's sometimes a sign
    of beginning arthritis. A friend of mine had the same thing, and she
    was told by an old lady she was talking with casually, that Cod Liver
    Oil is good for that. I've taken both fish oil and cod liver oil
    (available in capsules, thank goodness) - not together, separately -
    and the condition responds well to either!
    
    Also, there are differences between Rheumatoid Arthritis and
    Osteoarthritis - the latter is what people get as we age, or possibly
    from over-use (or improper technique using) our joints. The etiology
    and treatment are different, however, for what's really arthritis,
    the combination of a good rheumatoligist, a good chiropractor,
    and a good nutritionist, would probably be the best way to treat it.
    
    
    RE: Carpal tunnel
    
    Chiropractors can have great success in treating this. I'd suggest 
    for anyone who has it, to treat it that way before opting for surgery.
    If it doesn't respond, you can always have the surgery. 
    
    --DE
    
    

    D!,
    
    Check with a specialist on arthritis, but also check with a
    chiropractor/orthopiedist...my chiropractor diagnosed me as having
    carpal tunnel syndrome also...this with a history of rheumatoid
    arthritis running in the family...my grandmother died of crippling
    rheumatoid arthritis...but she didn't have it treated until much later
    in life.
    
    Don't be afraid of the unknown...although it's common, think the best,
    not the worst.  If it is CTS, there are cures that don't always involve
    surgery.  If it is some sort of arthritis, it can also be cured with
    drugs and physical therapy.
    
    Good luck and keep your chin up!
    
    Jill
    

    Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is also treated by changing your behavior.
    (Adjusting keyboard position, typing more gently, taking breaks, etc)
    
    Guitarist Leo Kottke had this a few years ago and it almost destroyed
    him.  He had been playing with finger picks and really hitting the
    strings hard.  Then in one performance things swelled up so much he
    couldn't move his fingers any more.
    
    One of the things he changed was to stop using picks and play more
    gently.

If it turns out to be carpel tunnel try Chinese health balls. They are smooth
steel balls that you turn clockwise and counterclockwise in your hands for
exercise. I use them when my hands cramp from too much typing. At first it's
hard to do this but you develop the muscles in your hand, arm and wrist and it
becomes easy. 

Also, here at the support center they are researching speacial mats that you
lay the keyboard on that put it at the correct angle. I've got my order in but
they haven't come in yet excpet for those who already have a problem. liesl

�    Yesterday evening I found my left hand shaking like a leaf because
    I'd done a lot of typing (foolishly) with my hand right on the edge
    of my work table...

    most of the time it is not a problem with me, but certain things
    like misuse can exacerbate the condition.

    See also:
    
    KAOA01::ARTHRITIS
    
    MEDICAL
    39 - carpal tunnel syndrome
    
    there might also be info in the DIGITAL conference somewhere = the
    titles of topics 1004 and 1064 look hopeful, but I can't get into the
    conf right now, the node's too busy...
    
    -Jody
    

    	The arthritis I have is in my feet - it's the result of some serious
    	operations I had as a small child.  I was diagnosed with arthritis
    	4 years ago - and it will definitely keep me from being able to
    	walk at some point (we just don't know how long it will take.)  The
    	doctor told me that there is nothing that can be done to stop it.

    	When I first found out about it, I assumed I would lose the ability
    	to walk within two years - this was 4 years ago, as I mentioned.

    	So far, I haven't noticed too many symptoms (except that the bones
    	in my feet get out of alignment at times and I have to let them
    	get straightened out on their own.)  While they're resettling, I
    	can't move a muscle in my whole body - anything I do "jars" them
    	and the pain is almost unbearable.  It takes 10 - 30 minutes to
    	resettle.  Then everything is ok (almost as if it hadn't happened.)

    	The bones can get out of alignment by rubbing my feet, or by sitting
    	with pressure on the balls of my feet for an extended period of time
    	- and once, the bones of one foot got out of alignment by sliding
    	into my shoe.

    	My guess is that my feet will eventually go out of alignment more
    	often than not (and it won't be a matter of not being ABLE to walk
    	as much as it being futile since I'll be spending so much time 
    	waiting for the bones to settle.)

    	My hope is that this will happen slowly - over the next couple
    	of decades.  The progress has been so slow for the past 4 years
    	that I have high hopes that it will continue to be a progressive
    	thing (and not sudden.)

    Didn't have time to read through all the replies, but wanted to share
    my experience with R.A.
    
    I've had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 15 years, diagnosed at age 27 by
    a "sed" (sedimentation) test performed by a rheumatologist.  It
    initially flared up quite painfully, with significant pain and upon-
    rising stiffness in my leg,foot, hand, and arm joints, for about three 
    months.  At that time, the only treatment was aspirin, which had very 
    unpleasant side-effects, i.e.upset stomach and a tendency toward
    nosebleeds.  
    
    It fortunately quieted down after that initial three months, and
    the pattern it's taken over the years is one or two incidents per year
    of pain that's enough for me to call the rheumatologist again and get a
    prescription for one of the anti-inflammatory drugs (like Naprosyn),
    which work absolute wonders. I also have to have, on average, about one
    cortisone shot per year into one hip that's particularly bothersome.
    I also take ibuprofin for the "everyday" aches and pains. 
    
    I haven't had a single incident since the initial flare-up which has 
    been as painful or debilitating as that was; on the other hand, it doesn't 
    let me forget that it's there, because I always have some small degree 
    of stiffness or pain twinges or swelling.  It *is*, however, causing 
    some damage to my joints and spine, which is noticeable under x-ray.  
    
    In the last few months, I've discovered that my eating habits can make
    it better, so I'm watching that real carefully, eating only a pretty
    strict vegetarian diet and avoiding all together tomatoes, green and
    red peppers, and potatoes (except the little red ones).  I'm also
    drinking a lot of distilled water, because I've read studies that say
    that the minerals in spring water tend to settle in the joints and
    irritate them (forget tap water!).  Taking these steps has helped also;
    I still have some stiffness but the swelling (mostly hands and ankles)
    has gone down and the pain has decreased.
    
    There's no doubt, it's better to *not* have R.A. than to have it, but
    in my experience I've found it to be manageable. The anti-inflammatory
    drugs that are available today are a real god-send; they not only take
    the pain away but they actually reduce damage to the joints by taking
    down the swelling. 
    
    It *is* real important to get it diagnosed properly, though, because there 
    are a lot of things that can cause joint pain/stiffness, and the sooner 
    you can nail it down the sooner you can start on the right treatment.
    
    Good luck; if you want to get in touch out-of-conference, email to
    MR4DEC::HAROUTIAN.
    
    Regards,
    Lynn
    
    

    I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome too, but it's not bad enough to require
    surgery (at least not yet).  For me, wearing a wrist brace/splint at
    night and when typing has handled the flareups I've had.  In my case,
    lowering my desk and wearing the brace for several weeks cleared it
    up both times mine flared up and I'm now fine.  Definately see a 
    doctor, and see your local health services office.  If you need any 
    modifications to your desk, chair or whatever, having it on record 
    will help with facilities.  You just tell them the required work is 
    for medical reasons and they will get to it right away.
    
    Karen.

  Some information Carpal Tunnel Syndrome may also be found in (at
  least) HANNAH::TERMINALS notes:

    � 1413

    � The HEALTH-AND-SAFETY keyword reveals the following notes
      but most are about X-Rays, Flicker, and the like.  None of
      the titles except 1413 seem to be relevent.

           7.0,        1140.0,        1590.0,
          62.0,        1181.0,        1631.0,
          75.0,        1282.0,        1663.0,
         121.0,        1320.0,        1711.0,
         198.0,        1340.0,        1743.0,
         305.0,        1347.0,        1934.0,
         313.0,        1353.0,        1992.0,
         681.0,        1356.0,        2005.0,
         996.0,        1392.0,        2028.0
        1042.0,        1392.2,
        1083.0,        1413.0,
        1105.0,        1423.0,

                                   Atlant

    re: .18
    
    balogna.  Every little pointer helps!
    
    -Jody