Getting On My Nerves
30 Sep 2010 5 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: nerve entrapment, nerve pain, nerves and rheumatoid arthritis, pain, Rheumatoid Arthritis, swelling from RA
Instead of sharing some of my experiences today, I’m asking you about yours.
In the four, almost five years I’ve had RA, it’s never effected any nerves. A couple nights ago I was typing a lot, and my right wrist began to swell some. I kept typing, and eventually I started to notice that the skin around my wrist and ulna bone was extremely sensitive. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, really, because it wasn’t exactly painful but it wasn’t pleasant either. It almost felt like a tingling sensation, but not.
My mom thought it was carpal tunnel at first, but after googling it I found out that carparl tunnel effects your palm and thumb more than anything. Then I started to wonder if the swelling in my wrist had pinched a nerve.
It seems to be better today, although my wrist is still a little swollen and at times the sensation comes back.
Do any of you experience something similar?
Sep 30, 2010 @ 19:01:36
Cari, I get this quite a bit because my hands and wrists are so swollen. It almost feels hot and tingly, but not quite…yes hard to explain. I use carpal tunnel exercises to stretch everything and loosen things up. It can be painful on the joint if you do too much, but helps to relieve it also. I type 10 hours a day at work and there are times I cant even hold a pencil, so I know how you feel to a point and do anything I can to get them moving again. If it is too painful, I usually try and ice the area to take some of the swelling down and then do the stretches. I hope this helps. Love your blog, it has helped a lot because as you know, unless you have RA, it makes almost impossible to understand RA….
Oct 03, 2010 @ 21:23:19
Thank you for the tips, Stacey! I need ‘em! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my blog.
Oct 01, 2010 @ 00:16:46
My hands and wrists act up when I have been doing a lot of tailoring. My most convenient remedy is leaving the supper dishes until morning…. the motion of washing them in the hot, soapy water loosens my hands and reduces the swelling… My all time favorite is my parafin spa though, but it takes awhile (2hrs or so) to melt the wax. The parafin gets turned on every afternoon in the winter…. since no one else uses it and I wash my hands thoroughly before I use it, I peel the wax back into the warmer. This makes it economical for me.
Oct 03, 2010 @ 21:26:38
I really don’t have time to wash dishes by hand, and my hands are usually too weak to hold them up to wash them. So, for the most part, I just use the dishwasher. I LOVE paraffin wax though. My paraffin spa was my best friend when the seasons were changing from winter to spring. I’ll probably bringing it back out in a few days for the conversion to summer to fall (49 degrees at night and then 74 in the afternoon? It’s insanity!).
Oct 03, 2010 @ 22:41:32
Cari, I had to trade in my stoneware for Corelle because of the weight…. I have a dishwasher, but where I live, the water is so mineralized my dishes never look clean….. plus on bad days, I cheat, we use styrofoam. Still leaves my pots & pans but does help some.