exciting news???

So, the coolest thing about my day today:
A fellow Etsian linked me to a posting on craftystylish.com - which was about how awesome my handmade findings are!!!!! Wow! Cool! Craftystylish.com is a HUGE site with thousands of subscribers. Can we say massive free advertising?? Perhaps!
See it here: http://www.craftstylish.com/item/8264/beautiful-handmade-findings-for-sale-on-etsy

The other cool thing:
I went to the hand doctor again this morning. He's not exactly sure what is causing the pain and discomfort in my wrist besides tendonitus...BUT - he gave me another cortisone shot, this time in a different part of my wrist than before. AND I am not in excruciating pain! The last time, a few hours after the injection, I could barely move my hand. It took days and days before I felt close to normal (normal being the daily level of pain and discomfort when I do too much with my hands). So. No horrible pain. Does this mean he found the right spot? I am still feeling the normal stiffness and achiness... but its not bad at all. The cortisone DOES take several days to fully take affect and work as the "magic cure". Does this mean that my wrist is actually going to be fixed??? Gods. I hope so.

Exciting stuff!

Creator's block

SO, it's been a couple weeks since I've created anything. Last week I was busy helping out at Manifest, getting ready for the store open, the week before I couldn't handle my tools to do ANYTHING because of the stupid cortisone shot in my wrist (which HASN'T cured me, by the way).
I know I need to make more jewelry....I just can't think of where to start......

Is my wrist WORSE now???

Well, it's been almost a week since I saw the hand surgeon and got the cortisone shot (I think I finally have the spelling right). The shot was horribly painful for days. That pain has lessened, but my wrist still feels aweful. I can move it up and down pretty well, but I physically CAN'T move it from side to side. It generally aches. My fingers go numb periodically. And sometimes simple actions like turning a doorknob causes a jolt of pain, with my wrist giving out at the same time. I managed to make a custom order of ear wires this weekend, and /luckily/ I haven't had any other orders. I can work on them little bits at a time, but damn, is it uncomfortable. My fingers are half numb and stiff right now. Trying to find somethig I can do to keep busy without having to use my hands....I can't think of anything. This is one of those times I wish I had TV.

horrible pain, but good news

The good news is that there is nothing seriously wrong with my wrist. I saw one of the best doctors in the region as far as hands and wrist and arms go. Diagnosis? Oh...probably tendonitus. SO I ask him what I can do about it. He tells me that there is nothing I can do on my own. The only thing that will help is an injection of cortizone.

He tells me that from the injection I will feel some pain and discomfort for a few days. That's fine! Thats what I've been experiencing for months now! Well, different type of pain. It's called horrible excruciating pain. Yesterday afternoon I couldn't move my fingers. It's been a day and a few hours and I can now turn the keys in the ignition and shift into drive - slowly and carefully - without wanting to scream. Had to drive entirely left handed yesterday, it was very interesting. I can bend/rotate my wrist a few degrees more as the time ticks by, but only in a few directions. There's no way I'll be using any pliers any time soon. So no jewelry making.

After five days or so, the cortizone should kick into gear, making my wrist feel better instead of worse. For many people, this stuff makes you feel like you have a brand new wrist (or other joint). If there's no improvement in three weeks, then I'm supposed to go back. Hopefully that won't happen.

This cortizone stuff better work...because right now it REALLY SUCKS.

Oh yeah, and I'm going to be able to pay for this...not an arm and leg at all...spread out over as much time as I need. Thank god for having a sister in law with connections to doctors.

Appointment with a hand surgeon

My wrist issue has really come to head. I'm still able to make things, but I have strained my wrist severely, TWO times this past week...last thursday, getting up from a sitting position, I accidently put my full weight on my bad wrist. It hurt SO badly, it felt like I had broken it. It was the kind of pain that transported me to another place. I had to sit there for a few minutes before my head cleared. Then yesterday, getting out of the car, I used my bad wrist to close the car door. Big mistake. It took the breath right out of me. It hurt and continued to hurt, then it burned. Then my pinky finger started feeling funny. I used my microwavable heat pack on it, and felt better.

Friday night I had a long chat with Mark's parents. This was only just after thursday's experience. Both of his parents have had hand/wrist surgery (from the same place I'm going to tomorrow). They convinced me, quite easily, that it was time to see a doctor.

There is this money situation, however. I don't have any. No health insurance either. Can't afford it. So my biggest fear is that what I will need to do to fix my wrist is going to cost an arm and a leg. My parents have never offered to help me. I think Mark's parents just did on friday.

Luckily, I am going to be able to do this without anyone's help. I have this connection, thank god. My sister in law used to work with a hand surgeon. She was his main surgical nurse, and worked with him in the operating room for ten years. The surgeon's daughter ended up becoming her best friend, and her maid of honor. This doctor's office has been known to work with people who don't have health insurance.

I talked to the office manager today. She knows me. She set me up with an appointment to be seen tomorrow afternoon. The doctor will more than likely give me a reduction in the fees, then I will be able to work out a payment plan. Just being diagnosed shouldn't cost too much. It's possible the doctor might recommend a cortesone (spelling) shot. I don't think that will cost too much either. But if something anomolous shows up in the x-ray...will I need surgery to fix it? I'm already in a little bit of debt from my lack of work this summer. Gods.

I am really glad that this is going to happen. Years ago, when my wrsits first started acting up in grad school, I had an orthopedic surgeon tell me there was nothing wrong with my wrists. Just go home and rest them. Hah!