I have no insurance or extra money, and something is wrong with my hand - any ideas?

[RoughCollie]

On Sunday, I started having pain (not dire, but definitely bothersome) in my right hand. I am right-handed. If I turn my hand sideways, thumb up, the pain specifically starts at the base of my thumb where it joins the wrist. It hurts when I press there.

 

My whole hand aches, but most of the pain is at the point where my thumb and wrist join. There is no puncture or bite wound anywhere on it, as viewed with a magnifying glass. I have done nothing that would cause an injury that I can recall, or anything out of the ordinary.

 

Physical Symptoms

 

My entire hand is swollen enough to be noticeable when I hold it next to my left hand. There are no red streaks at all (I've had red streaks before, so I know what to look for.)

 

My hand has full range of movement. When I make a fist, I can feel something pulling on the injured hand, but not on uninjured hand. If I hold my hands straight out, palms down, and twist my hands so they are palms up, my right hand hurts at the thumb/wrist juncture. I cannot hold anything heavy, like a book, without the pain increasing. Same goes for unscrewing a lid and scrubbing something with a sponge.

 

OTC Meds & Other Treatments

 

Double doses of aspirin, Tylenol, or Ibuprophen do not diminish the pain. I took each of these OTC medications at different times, and started my experimenting with a single dose of each before trying double doses. I took Benedryl yesterday (single dose) to see if that helped, but it does not.

 

I am not taking any medications except as outlined above, and have taken nothing in last 24 hours.

 

I put ice on the area for over an hour on Monday night and that did not help at all. I ran very warm water over my hand yesterday and that took the pain away as long as the water was running.

 

Other causes dismissed by me

 

Other than this, I feel great. I've been getting enough sleep, eating right, no other symptoms, happy as a clam. I can still type with both hands and typing does not change the pain. I have typed a lot, and frequently, for decades, so it isn't caused by typing. I don't think this is from using the mouse because my thumb doesn't move when I use the mouse. Plus, I've used a mouse a lot for a decade and this has not happened before. The pain is not in the same location it was in when I got carpal tunnel syndrome from playing Spider Solitaire (or a similar game) for hours on end every day (before kids and before I had internet access).

 

Here's why I need help!

 

Please, if you have any idea what this could be, tell me. DH and DC want me to see a doctor. But we have no extra money for that and we don't have health insurance (no money for that either). We cannot afford this, and I don't think a doctor can tell me anything without an MRI or other expensive test that enables him to see inside my hand.

 

Thank you,

RC

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would go the the ER since they cannot turn you down and you can arrange small payments. Or look for a free clinic in your area. Are you eligible for medicaid?

 

I would have this taken care of since if you leave it go then it could end up a much bigger and more expensive problem. You may just need antibiotics and no I do not think an MRI would be needed at all in my experience as a nurse. Is you hand red or hot to the touch?

:grouphug:

[joannqn]

The first couple of sentences sounds like tendinitis...there's one at that joint controlling the thumb. However, when my husband had it, it didn't swell up his hand like that. He got rid of it by taking larger doses of bromelain (2,000 unit variety) on an empty stomach twice a day for a few weeks as recommended by our midwife. Nothing the regular doctor prescribed helped, and DH was looking at surgery before my midwife solved it. I happen to use the same treatment for carpal tunnel that I had for years.

[hornblower]

Could it be a pinched nerve in the neck? I think c6 causes thumb issues.... I don't think this usually causes swelling though.

 

If you think it might be neck issues, you could try Robaxacet - ie a muscle relaxant & some gentle massage & stretching of neck & upper back.

 

The swelling though (in absence of fever or streaking) makes me think injury.....

 

this is not medical advice; i'm not a doctor :)

[RoughCollie]

I would have this taken care of since if you leave it go then it could end up a much bigger and more expensive problem. You may just need antibiotics and no I do not think an MRI would be needed at all in my experience as a nurse. Is you hand red or hot to the touch?

:grouphug:

 

Thank you so much for your reply. My hand is not any redder or warmer than the other hand.

 

I'll see if I can find a local doctor in that case -- cheaper than ER.

 

Thank you,

RC

[RoughCollie]

Could it be a pinched nerve in the neck? I think c6 causes thumb issues.... I don't think this usually causes swelling though.

 

I have been having pain down the right side of my neck lately, which extends into my back at the right shoulder. I thought it was from sitting at the computer since that is where it started and mostly occurs (it is not constant pain). I changed chairs, improved my posture, and so forth. I noticed last week that the same neck & shoulder pain cropped up when I was sitting in the passenger seat of my car, soon after I rested my forearm on the armrest of the car door. This is similar to how I rest my right arm on my desk when I'm at the computer and not typing.

 

Thank you,

RC

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

The first couple of sentences sounds like tendinitis...there's one at that joint controlling the thumb.

 

It feels like tendonitis to me. It feels like carpal tunnel syndrome and reminds me of the time I had tendonitis in my elbow (snowball elbow). I looked it up, and the treatment was ice, which didn't seem to help.

 

My hand isn't swollen a whole lot. When I put my palms together, my hands are the same size. The right one looks a bit puffy when I hold my hands side to side. My DH and DC noticed this, too, so I don't think the puffiness is my imagination. Without my left hand to compare it to, one would never notice.

 

I'll see if I can find bromelain at one of the stores here.

 

Thank you,

RC

[RoughCollie]

My BIG QUESTION is this:

 

If I let this ride for awhile, hoping it will get better on it's own, given that I don't develop streaking or a fever or worsened symptoms, is it extremely unlikely that I will die from it or have to have my hand cut off?

 

Can I wait until Thursday or Friday to see a doctor without dying or losing my hand, given the above parameters?

 

I know you all aren't doctors and can't diagnose this, but I for sure have told you everything and I want to behave like a reasonable person would.

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[hornblower]

Given the info you gave here, I would wait. If the pain started to radiate, if there was streaking, if the pain worsened, if it kept me up at night, if I developed any other symptoms, then I'd go in. Otherwise, I'd assume either pinched nerve or a soft tissue injury & I'd wait.

 

This may be partly b/e I get banged up all the time. I'm walking 3 large dogs (one of whom has NO leash manners at all & another only has leash manners until a kitty/squirrel/skunk/raccoon appears) & I'm clumsy when I garden & muck around the house. I just assume I'm bruised, strained, over-extended, etc etc etc.

[RoughCollie]

Given the info you gave here, I would wait.

 

This may be partly b/e I get banged up all the time.

 

I get banged up all the time, too. People are always asking me how I got my bruises and so many scratches, and so forth. Heck, I don't know, but if they followed me around all day and did the same things I do, they'd get a little banged up, too.

 

Right now, I have a line of scratches up my right arm that people have been asking me about because they are noticeable. They are not infected, btw. I repeated held back branches with that arm to get them out of the way so I could mow grass. Never even noticed it until someone mentioned it. So I am clueless, sometimes careless, prefer not to ask for help, and definitely don't wear protective gear unless I'm cleaning the bathroom.

 

I'm wondering if this is tendonitis caused by mowing, vacuuming, mopping and scrubbing. If it is, I should get a permanent discharge from doing these things, for health reasons. :-) I did notice that I feel a pull in that area when I grip something, after all.

 

Thanks,

RC

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Tap]

really sounds like tendinitis to me too

 

wrap your fingers around your thumb and bend your hand in the direction of your little finger. If the pain increases dramatically, then it is most likely tendinitis.

 

I would ice 3 times daily for 15 minutes. You can use a heat pack to relieve the pain but always finish right afterwards with ice. It helps to reduce the inflammation, which is the long term solution to it feeling better.

 

I would take anti inflammatory. Motrin/Advil/Ibuprofen can be taken up to 3200 mg daily. You need to take 600mg-800 doses to get a true anti inflammatory action from the drug. OTC is 200mg so take 3-4 at a time. It isn't just about the pain relief from the medication, but the anti inflammatory action that you don't feel. Aleve/Naproxen is another option. I don't know what the max per day is, but I think 1000mg (500mg 2x daily) in prescription strength.

 

If you don't have a wrist support to wear, I would at least immobilize it with an ace bandage to let it rest.

 

 

Hope you feel better soon.

 

I wouldn't go to the dr. with your symptoms unless I tried the above first for a week or so (unless the condition worsened).

[Diane in CO]

My BIG QUESTION is this:

 

If I let this ride for awhile, hoping it will get better on it's own, given that I don't develop streaking or a fever or worsened symptoms, is it extremely unlikely that I will die from it or have to have my hand cut off?

 

Can I wait until Thursday or Friday to see a doctor without dying or losing my hand, given the above parameters?

 

 

 

I think you have gotten good advice and have nothing to add except this made me laugh :lol:

 

Diane

[Gooblink]

My husband has a book called "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue, an anatomical physiologist. On his website, you can live chat with someone about your pain issues, as well as get some recommended exercises (called E-cises).

 

Here are the ones he recommends for wrist pain, contending that the site of the pain is often not the source of the pain. Since you mentioned you had pain in your neck and back...maybe these would help:

 

Wall Clock,

Supine Groin Stretch,

Air Bench.

 

I think instructions for each of these exercises can be found on his website, http://www.egoscue.com/ .

 

I hope you find relief!

[Jean in Newcastle]

RC - If it were my hand this is what I would do.

 

1. Continue to take an anti-inflammatory even if it doesn't help the pain (it may still help the inflammation).

 

2. Stretch out my neck muscles gently. http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/ss/NeckStretches.htm

 

3. possibly stretch arm muscles http://www.ehow.com/how_2048448_stretch-arm-muscles.html

 

4. stretch hand muscles http://www.shelterpub.com/_fitness/_office_fitness_clinic/hwf.pdf

 

5. get the bromelein that Joann mentioned.

 

6. wait.

[RoughCollie]

really sounds like tendinitis to me too

 

wrap your fingers around your thumb and bend your hand in the direction of your little finger. If the pain increases dramatically, then it is most likely tendinitis.

 

It does! I will take your suggestions. Thank you so much.

 

RC

[Teachin'Mine]

I might try alternating ice with hot water and epsom salt soaks as you mentioned the warm water gave you some pain relief.

[RoughCollie]

I think you have gotten good advice and have nothing to add except this made me laugh :lol: Diane

 

I'm used to this. I'm always making people laugh IRL when I'm being perfectly, sincerely, serious. :D My family thinks I have a lot of what they call "blonde moments" -- that's because they know I'm serious.

 

I mean, I read my post to DH over the phone, and told him how I was worried about dying or my hand having to be amputated. There was a long, weighty silence (which I'm used to - it clues me in that what I am saying isn't typical). He didn't bother to tell me I would live -- just gave me the name and phone number and price ($50) of a doctor whose office is nearby. I don't think that becoming a widower is at the top of his list of worries today. :001_smile:

 

Last week, we were on the expressway driving home and I gasped in shock when I saw a riderless bicycle traveling at a pretty high speed across a long overpass bridge. It had to be a ghost riding it, and I don't believe in ghosts. But what else could it be? My eyes bugged out of my head and I quickly alerted my family to this phenomenon. I couldn't figure out why they were laughing. Was this some trick way of making a bicycle go without a rider on it? Guess what? It wasn't a ghost.

[Alyce]

slightly sprained your wrist. I would get and arm brace and wear it for awhile. since the injury is old ice won't work. Try warm water or a warm . From what you've described I doubt your hand is going to be as serious as you are imagining if you wait awhile. If it's not better by Monday then try to find a free clinic in your area. Most cities have them.

[RoughCollie]

Thank you, Cindy and Jean. I'll try the exercises.

 

I also dragged out the dusty, but read, book called The Core Program, by Peggy W. Brill, P.T. It was recommended here, and it is by a physical therapist who shows "the most effective way to balance, align, and tone" which will "stop aches and pains", among other things.

 

I, of course, bought it, read it, and forgot about it. I'm also the type who likes to lie on the couch and watch exercise videos. I don't do that for fun -- I'm not that weird. I do it when I'm thinking of maybe starting an exercise program. All that thinking and watching is such hard work, I sometimes (usually) don't get around to actually doing the exercises.

[Nakia]

Everybody has given you great advice, except about going to the ER. This does not sound like an emergency. It definitely sounds like a soft tissue injury or tendinitis. I'm glad to see you are going to go with some consistent conservative treatment. Take good care of yourself!

[Diane in CO]

I'm used to this. I'm always making people laugh IRL when I'm being perfectly, sincerely, serious. :D My family thinks I have a lot of what they call "blonde moments" -- that's because they know I'm serious.

 

I mean, I read my post to DH over the phone, and told him how I was worried about dying or my hand having to be amputated. There was a long, weighty silence (which I'm used to - it clues me in that what I am saying isn't typical). He didn't bother to tell me I would live -- just gave me the name and phone number and price ($50) of a doctor whose office is nearby. I don't think that becoming a widower is at the top of his list of worries today. :001_smile:

 

Last week, we were on the expressway driving home and I gasped in shock when I saw a riderless bicycle traveling at a pretty high speed across a long overpass bridge. It had to be a ghost riding it, and I don't believe in ghosts. But what else could it be? My eyes bugged out of my head and I quickly alerted my family to this phenomenon. I couldn't figure out why they were laughing. Was this some trick way of making a bicycle go without a rider on it? Guess what? It wasn't a ghost.

 

Too funny :001_smile:

 

Thank you, Cindy and Jean. I'll try the exercises.

 

 

 

I, of course, bought it, read it, and forgot about it. I'm also the type who likes to lie on the couch and watch exercise videos. I don't do that for fun -- I'm not that weird. I do it when I'm thinking of maybe starting an exercise program. All that thinking and watching is such hard work, I sometimes (usually) don't get around to actually doing the exercises.

 

Ok, you made me LOL again! :lol::D I bet you are so much fun to be around!

 

Diane

[Gooblink]

I, of course, bought it, read it, and forgot about it. I'm also the type who likes to lie on the couch and watch exercise videos. I don't do that for fun -- I'm not that weird. I do it when I'm thinking of maybe starting an exercise program. All that thinking and watching is such hard work, I sometimes (usually) don't get around to actually doing the exercises.

 

Tee-hee. A kindred spirit.

[RoughCollie]

slightly sprained your wrist. I would get and arm brace and wear it for awhile. since the injury is old ice won't work. Try warm water or a warm.

 

Thank you. I do have one of those slings people use to hold their arms up, and this glove-like thing with holes for fingers and thumb that is used for some medical purpose (in stores right by the Ace bandages) and has a bandage attached to it to wrap around the wrist. I'll use those. In a minute -- I can't type with all that stuff on me.

 

I wonder if I'll get the sympathy vote from my kids and they will *offer* to do the housework. This could work out well, unless I raised them wrong.

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[newbie]

Try ginger wraps, when I was doing reflexology for clients this would work wonders on clients.

 

Take raw ginger, slice off some pieces and steep it in little boiling water(used to use mini crock pot), take cloth/rag and soak, put on hand about 5-10 min, til cold. This relieves pain and swelling.

[RoughCollie]

Ok, you made me LOL again! :lol::D I bet you are so much fun to be around!

 

I view myself as a supplier of cognitive dissonance to many people.

 

When I'm being serious, and people think I'm joking around, I never, ever tell on myself. I have a reputation to maintain, after all. When they get to know me, the cognitive dissonance begins. My biggest problem is when people who have mainly seen me in serious mode think I've been drinking or smoking something when I am actually just in a jovial mood.

 

Now that I'm not worried about dying or having my hand amputated, I'm feeling pretty jovial.

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

Try ginger wraps, when I was doing reflexology for clients this would work wonders on clients.

 

Take raw ginger, slice off some pieces and steep it in little boiling water(used to use mini crock pot), take cloth/rag and soak, put on hand about 5-10 min, til cold. This relieves pain and swelling.

 

Thank you, Jet. I will try that.

[Perry]

Here?

That is your anatomic snuff box.

 

Two of the more likely possibilities:

 

 

1. de Quervain's tenosynovitis Try the Finkelstein test

The Finkelstein test (consisting of flexion of the thumb across the palm and then ulnar deviation of the wrist) causes sharp pain at the first dorsal compartment (see image below).6

The Finkelstein test draws the tendons of the first dorsal compartment distally and causes sharp, local pain when tendon entrapment has occurred and inflammation is present.

 

 

 

2. Arthritis of the CMC (carpal-metacarpal) joint

 

There is a ton of information if you google each of those. If you have signs of infection, you should be seen right away. Otherwise, your hand won't fall off.

 

I think.

[Perry]

Try the Finkelstein test

 

Video of Finkelstein test

.

[RoughCollie]

1. de Quervain's tenosynovitis Try the Finkelstein test.

 

(snipped to save space)

 

Otherwise, your hand won't fall off.

 

I think.

 

Thank you very much, Perry.

 

I failed the test -- or passed it, depending on how you look at it I guess. I got the sharp, local pain!

 

It sounds like it should be called housemaid's syndrome, instead of something unpronounceable:

 

"Chronic overuse of your wrist is commonly associated with de Quervain's tenosynovitis. For example, wringing out a cloth involves a repetitive motion, a bent wrist and the gripping of the cloth. If you repeat an action like this day after day, this combination may be enough to irritate the sheath around the two tendons. "

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/de-quervains-tenosynovitis/DS00692/DSECTION=causes

 

You hit the nail on the head! Sadly, the treatment doesn't include getting a maid.

 

Just in case your kids are doing biology this year, if my hand does fall off, do you want it? :D

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thank you very much, Perry.

 

I failed the test -- or passed it, depending on how you look at it I guess. I got the sharp, local pain!

 

It sounds like it should be called housemaid's syndrome, instead of something unpronounceable:

 

"Chronic overuse of your wrist is commonly associated with de Quervain's tenosynovitis. For example, wringing out a cloth involves a repetitive motion, a bent wrist and the gripping of the cloth. If you repeat an action like this day after day, this combination may be enough to irritate the sheath around the two tendons. "

 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/de-quervains-tenosynovitis/DS00692/DSECTION=causes

 

You hit the nail on the head! Sadly, the treatment doesn't include getting a maid.

 

Just in case your kids are doing biology this year, if my hand does fall off, do you want it? :D

 

I prescribe three boys and one girl to do all the housework for awhile!

[Perry]

I failed the test -- or passed it, depending on how you look at it I guess. I got the sharp, local pain! A positive test.

 

It sounds like it should be called housemaid's syndrome, instead of something unpronounceable: It's also called washerwoman's sprain and mother's wrist. Housemaids get housemaid's knee (prepatellar bursitis). :D

 

 

Just in case your kids are doing biology this year, if my hand does fall off, do you want it? :lol:

.

[RoughCollie]

I prescribe three boys and one girl to do all the housework for awhile!

 

Me too! Will you come over to be The Enforcer?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Me too! Will you come over to be The Enforcer?

 

Do I get to wear my army boots?:D

[RoughCollie]

Well, Perry, I knew it had to have something to do with housework. I'll go with washerwoman's sprain.

 

If it gets worse tomorrow or Friday, I'll see a doctor before the weekend. If not, I'll just continue to stare at my right hand and forearm and compare it with my left. Plus I'm keeping a sharpish eye out for red streaks. I think my skin has a naturally red tone, being as I am 1/8 American Indian, so I have to keep moving from one type of light to another to be sure.

 

So far, the oddities I've noticed have turned out to be muscles. At least I hope so -- I've never seen little fat lumps on my arms (they would have to be little because forearms just aren't that spacious). I don't think forearms are a very fatty area of the body.

Edited July 7, 2010 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

Do I get to wear my army boots?:D

 

Yeah! And practice talking in a mean, gruff voice. I do that sometimes -- I call it being Attila the Mum.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yeah! And practice talking in a mean, gruff voice. I do that sometimes -- I call it being Attila the Mum.

 

Yea, I tell my kids, "No more Mrs. Nice Mom". Then they know that they've really crossed the line!