"Very Bad Arthritis"
Decades ago, Bill wore a metal splint he called a "finger stall," taped around a jammed finger to protect it from further injury. As far as I was concerned, that was the only kind of finger splint in existence, and jammed or broken fingers were the only fingers that needed to be splinted.
I was wrong.
Not too long ago, I drove to Cheyenne for a routine appointment with my rheumatologist so he could assess my polymyalgia. Believe it or not, he doesn't really treat osteo-arthritis, even though my arthritic hands bother me at least as much as the polymyalgia, which primarily affects my shoulders and hips. He looked at my hands anyway, and stated that I have "very bad arthritis."
So much for a professional diagnosis.
A few days later, I met with an orthopedic surgeon, the same one who removed a ganglion cyst from my left hand several years ago. I had been told that she was able to surgically fix a friend's arthritic thumb, so I was hopeful that she could help me, too.
Dr. G. looked at my hands closely, asked a few pointed questions, and declared that I have "very bad arthritis." Really?
I have been looking for some help with my hands, because my joints are painful and swollen to the point that they are starting to bend out of alignment. I can't open lids easily, I drop things often because I don't have much grip, my handwriting is nearly unreadable, and worst of all, my misshapen fingers are making it harder for me to play the guitar.
The surgeon ordered x-rays of my hands, and came back to the examination room a few minutes later to discuss the results. The new digital x-rays eliminate the formerly lengthy development process, making it possible for the doctor to pull up the x-rays on her computer screen almost immediately. She pointed out the obvious deterioration in my finger joints, some worse than others. She also noted that my thumbs are in pretty good shape, which is good news.
Then, Dr. G. let me know that I was not a good candidate for surgery, because I have so many active arthritic joints, and because it is very likely that any surgical intervention wouldn't last long--the arthritic nodules on my joints are likely to return again in no time.
That's when she pulled out a blue, plastic, storage box with lots of little drawers, the kind that hobbyists often use to store their various bits and pieces. Each drawer was carefully labeled with its contents: tan finger splints in a wide array of sizes. As she pulled out a splint from the drawer containing size six splints, she explained that the splints might stop my fingers from bending into permanent zigzags, and might even work to straighten those that were already distorted.
She showed me how to wear them, and used my phone to take a picture so I would remember how to place them on my fingers.
So now I wear four splints, two on each hand, when I head to bed every night. Two of them need to be taped on with Coband, a self-adhering sports wrap that leaves no residue on my fingers. The other two usually stay on by themselves, but sometimes I wake up to find one on the floor, or on my pillow, or once, stuck to my neck. Occasionally, the Coband unwinds itself, ending up somewhere in the bed or on the floor.
If I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I usually remove at least one pinching splint, and sometimes all four. But, for the most part, the splints are not uncomfortable, and have not interfered with my sleep.
It is inevitable that I will lose a splint sooner or later. After all, I found the cat batting one around the bedroom the other day. However, it turns out that Walmart carries both the finger splints and the Coband that I need, so I don't have to worry about misplacing one. And splints are certainly cheaper and less invasive than surgery.
I was wrong.
Not too long ago, I drove to Cheyenne for a routine appointment with my rheumatologist so he could assess my polymyalgia. Believe it or not, he doesn't really treat osteo-arthritis, even though my arthritic hands bother me at least as much as the polymyalgia, which primarily affects my shoulders and hips. He looked at my hands anyway, and stated that I have "very bad arthritis."
So much for a professional diagnosis.
A few days later, I met with an orthopedic surgeon, the same one who removed a ganglion cyst from my left hand several years ago. I had been told that she was able to surgically fix a friend's arthritic thumb, so I was hopeful that she could help me, too.
Dr. G. looked at my hands closely, asked a few pointed questions, and declared that I have "very bad arthritis." Really?
I have been looking for some help with my hands, because my joints are painful and swollen to the point that they are starting to bend out of alignment. I can't open lids easily, I drop things often because I don't have much grip, my handwriting is nearly unreadable, and worst of all, my misshapen fingers are making it harder for me to play the guitar.
The surgeon ordered x-rays of my hands, and came back to the examination room a few minutes later to discuss the results. The new digital x-rays eliminate the formerly lengthy development process, making it possible for the doctor to pull up the x-rays on her computer screen almost immediately. She pointed out the obvious deterioration in my finger joints, some worse than others. She also noted that my thumbs are in pretty good shape, which is good news.
Then, Dr. G. let me know that I was not a good candidate for surgery, because I have so many active arthritic joints, and because it is very likely that any surgical intervention wouldn't last long--the arthritic nodules on my joints are likely to return again in no time.
That's when she pulled out a blue, plastic, storage box with lots of little drawers, the kind that hobbyists often use to store their various bits and pieces. Each drawer was carefully labeled with its contents: tan finger splints in a wide array of sizes. As she pulled out a splint from the drawer containing size six splints, she explained that the splints might stop my fingers from bending into permanent zigzags, and might even work to straighten those that were already distorted.
She showed me how to wear them, and used my phone to take a picture so I would remember how to place them on my fingers.
So now I wear four splints, two on each hand, when I head to bed every night. Two of them need to be taped on with Coband, a self-adhering sports wrap that leaves no residue on my fingers. The other two usually stay on by themselves, but sometimes I wake up to find one on the floor, or on my pillow, or once, stuck to my neck. Occasionally, the Coband unwinds itself, ending up somewhere in the bed or on the floor.
If I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I usually remove at least one pinching splint, and sometimes all four. But, for the most part, the splints are not uncomfortable, and have not interfered with my sleep.
It is inevitable that I will lose a splint sooner or later. After all, I found the cat batting one around the bedroom the other day. However, it turns out that Walmart carries both the finger splints and the Coband that I need, so I don't have to worry about misplacing one. And splints are certainly cheaper and less invasive than surgery.
I have been a little frustrated to find that few doctors take arthritis seriously, especially arthritis in hands. Most people will develop some type of arthritis eventually, as an unavoidable consequence of aging, but since arthritis is not directly life-threatening, many health care professionals prescribe pain pills as a panacea, while failing to offer any real solutions for a very real problem. Perhaps because most doctors are too young to deal personally with the effects of arthritis, they don't really understand how it can affect the quality of life for so many people.
My arthritis is annoying, but not yet debilitating. If I use the computer often, and play the guitar everyday, I find that my fingers stay limber. When inclement weather causes pain in my hands, I've found that Aspercream works well to relieve my discomfort. When the outside temperature drops below fifty degrees, wearing gloves prevents aching hands and occasionally deters some nasty cracks from developing on my thumbs and fingers, as they do every winter.
I don't know yet if the finger splints will do the job they are intended to do. I hope they keep my fingers somewhat straight, of course. If they straighten my fingers and prevent further distortion, my new finger splints will be worth their weight in gold.
But if not, I will still praise God for giving me fingers in the first place, and opposable thumbs; even with arthritis, my hands can do so many wonderful things. "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13
I don't know yet if the finger splints will do the job they are intended to do. I hope they keep my fingers somewhat straight, of course. If they straighten my fingers and prevent further distortion, my new finger splints will be worth their weight in gold.
But if not, I will still praise God for giving me fingers in the first place, and opposable thumbs; even with arthritis, my hands can do so many wonderful things. "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)
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