Chitchat

Oh, Frazz! I am so, so, so sorry to hear this! The fact that he is unwilling to reveal to you information that you need for health reasons is just ... I'm not going to articulate it. I don't want to make it worse. I am so sorry. Have you thought about counseling? Will any of these links help?

http://www.12steps.org/12stephelp/12steplinks.htm

http://www.hpvanonymous.com/


Maybe there is a general 12 step counseling center in your area who can advise you on the best group to help you deal with something this specific and hurtful. I am so sorry. I will keep you in my thoughts.

I hope Firecracker's perspective is helpful. It's good to know that this kind of malady is treatable.


I have been extremely lucky. My husband is gruff and kind of short tempered, but his integrity has been impeccable and he works very hard to help me keep my family going.

I'm lucky too my husband is very calm and understanding. But Frazz it really really helps if you have someone you can talk to and trust. I also have two friends that I have known when I was 15 that I can tell anything to. I am very sorry for you to go through this. But you must get rid of yor anger . Anger and stress can make you sick. I know this may not help much but yoga helped me a lot. I feel much more centered and calm since I started praticing on a regular basis.

Frazz.........I'm sorry your ex is such a butt! I have no words or advice to help you, I'm the kind that holds my anger and resentment in.

This video is a must see...................

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Lovely. PArt of what is so cool is that the person with the camera just lets them play.

I might be more than a tad freaked out if a pack of moose showed up in my backyard.

But then I live in Hollywood, so I would assume it was actors in costume.

frazzle wrote:

Lovely. PArt of what is so cool is that the person with the camera just lets them play.

I might be more than a tad freaked out if a pack of moose showed up in my backyard.

But then I live in Hollywood, so I would assume it was actors in costume.

That was the best part, that they were allowed to play! While in Nova Scotia last year, driving on a very scenic road we came upon a moose and it's baby. All traffic stopped and everyone got out to just take pictures or video. Everyone was so quiet and never disturbed them, but just watched............until they came across the road, then everyone scrambled back into their cars. They are huge!!! We get an occassional deer coming through the neighborhood. They just love all the beautiful roses everyone plants for them!

Well I am on my third round of antibotics and still have swollen lymph glands. So I will go in early next week for more tests. I am very nervous and cannot sleep. At least my intial bloodwork came back normal. I need Dr. House .

Oh Aerwin, I am so sorry you are not seeing signs of improvement I'm praying for you and sending good thoughts and vibes Try not to worry too much. Things will get better.

I am a little worried myself today. My youngest was making a table and shelf for his room on Sunday (he inherited my Dad's woodworking talent) and it looks like he over did it with his left hand and has a compressed nerve. We are calling today to see if he should get into the orthopedic doctor. We have been resting it but no improvement at all. He can't really move his fingers on his left hand very well and the hand is weak and numb. I have been reading all about "compressed nerves in hand" and sometimes you only need therapy but sometimes you need surgery. Sometimes the problem is permanent. So I am a little tense about it to say the least. Between the two boys having problems July has proved a very stressful month to be a mom

Aerwin, here is another round of hugs and healing vibes:

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{aerwin}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I wish I had something more concrete.



FC, hugs and vibes for your {{{kid}}}, too.

Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers. I need it. I am not used to being sick.
FC. I hope both your boys get all better.

Big hugs for you Aerwin ((((((((((()))))))))))))

FC, I hope your son's hand recovers on it's own and won't need any surgery.

Aerwin, I know it is hard, but try to think positive thoughts about your health. You need some rest. I'm sure there are other things that could be causing this other than cancer. *Keeping my fingers crossed it is nothing serious*

When is your next MD appointment?

Luca is right. Don't start thinking the worst I know it is hard but it could still be a bug that is hard to get rid of. I've heard of people getting bugs that just keep hanging on.

I am trying to think positive. But I am really scared. Since I am so scared I cannot rest. I go back to the Dr. today. Wish me luck.

Rooting for a surprisingly happy resolution for you, Aerwin.

Wishing you all the luck in the world! I understand how scared you are. Heck I'm scared for Justin's hand right now and I bet it won't be as bad as I am thinking, but it is important to stay calm and positive. Can you think of something that usually helps you rest? Chamomile Tea maybe? Go for a massage? Listen to some soothing music? Good sex

Be sure and let us know something as soon as you can! We are all with you in spirit today!

Well, we spent three hours at the doctor's office today. We ended up in a conference call with two orthopedic hand specialists. It turns out that Justin really over did the pressure on his hand and wrist while doing the sawing. We do not have a power saw and he spent many hours using a handsaw to build a table with two parts - a lower shelf and than the top. He also built a shelf for his wall.

It turns out he has "Ulnar Nerve Entrapment" . He has entrapped a very important nerve in his wrist and hand. They do not know at this point how bad it is. They put him on meds. Wrote a letter to his boss that no working of any kind until further notice (we drove that letter over to his boss right after we left the doctor's office) and he needs to see a specialist this week. They will let us know Monday which one of the 3 that they recommend will see us the soonest. They will run tests and decide if surgery is needed.

Here is some info on the condition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulnar_nerve_entrapment

The picture at this site is how Justin's hand is right now - "The Ulnar Claw"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulnar_claw

Our primary doctor is concerned if it is not treated very soon that Justin will lose the use of his left hand permanently.

I am terrified right now I really cannot believe that this has happened. I wish I had known more about these things and I could have gotten him into the doctor days sooner. I really thought it was just a case where he hurt a muscle or something and that in a few days and taking Advils all would get better. I will never forgive myself if they cannot fix this because he caused more damage by not getting it taken care of sooner But I just never heard of this sort of thing before. I am going to be a wreck until we can get into this specialist.

The meds they put him on may relieve some pressure. Sadly they come with some side effects - mostly bad headaches and short tempers. Also makes you very hungry all the time. Well, he is 5'10 and only weighs 122 lbs. so I think that might be a good thing!

So everyone say a prayer to the patron saint of hands for us!! (whoever that might be. We are Catholic and I am pretty sure we have saints for everything)

Wow. What a fluke thing to happen to Justin! I guarantee you that 99.9% of the population would have thought he just had a pulled muscle or pinched nerve or something and done exactly what you did. I am curious, was it super painful for him when he did it? I'm thinking it must not have been or he has a v ery high pain threshold if it had been, I'm sure you would have had in into the ER ASAP.

Don't you have orthropedic surgeons in hospitals nearby that would take the case? Why did'nt they just admit him somewhere so he could get it taken care of?

I will be saying lots of prayers for your baby rest assured! *Hugs to Mama bear*

No pain at all! Numbness. A feeling of pins and needles like he had slept on it. Still no pain at all.

The reason for the conference call was to decide if he needed to have something done immediately. Both of the orthopedic specialists felt that since it was not the result of "a trauma" (like an accident, being crushed, or nerves cut in some way) that the way to start was 5 days of these meds. then some tests to see if we could go the meds and therapy route or if surgery would be needed. It is our primary doc who wanted to be a little more aggressive because of Justin's age. Neither specialists felt we should rush into surgery without checking into it more and that the 5 days of these meds. would give them a good starting point. If Justin sees any improvement with the meds. then they may start off with therapy for awhile. No improvement with meds. may help with the surgery decision.

He takes six pills today, than 5 tomorrow, 4 the next and so on for the 5 days.

Thanks for the hugs! Let's hope Aerwin comes here with better news!

FC..........I would have reacted the same way, don't feel guilty. Whatever the course of treatment..........I'll be saying prayers to the hand Saint.

This kid needs a power saw. Just sayin!

I know! But it is not something he plans on making a hobby of. He redid his room. He wanted a table for his new amp and bass accessories. He also wanted a shelf. He didn't want to spend any of HIS money on those items. He knew my Dad had scrap wood in his garage and we had some saws and he just went at it! My Dad sold all his power tools to a friend after his legs were amputated and he knew he would never be making furniture again, or Justin would have used one of the power saws. Of course with our luck he would have lost a finger or two! My Dad caught his hand in his power saw and nearly lost 3 fingers. He was taken to the ER in shock and they flew in the best orthopedic surgeon in the Midwest who spent 6 hours putting my Dad's hand back together! It was held together with pins coming out of the tops of his fingers! But the surgery was a huge success and my Dad got most of the use of his hand back. Not all of it, but most. Oy, the males in my family really keep us hopping!

So Justin's effort to save his money is probably going to cost Rob and I a pretty penny in medical bills.

Quote :

It is our primary doc who wanted to be a little more aggressive because of Justin's age. Neither specialists felt we should rush into surgery without checking into it more and that the 5 days of these meds. would give them a good starting point. If Justin sees any improvement with the meds. then they may start off with therapy for awhile. No improvement with meds. may help with the surgery decision.

Oh, ok that makes sense to me. I think you should just trust the specialists since this is their area. If he risked severe damage if it was'nt fixed immediately, believe me, they would have rushed him to the OR in a heartbeat to avoid a lawsuit.

Hopefully the meds will work and he will be fine again. *fingers crossed he does'nt need surgery*

Well, from what I was given to read and what I have found on the net, meds. alone won't completely heal, but could show signs of improvement and then therapy should help get things back to normal or at least close to normal since he could have intermittent issues.

Yes, our primary doc is just so worried about Justin having any permanent issues, being that he is only 17. He just wants to see Justin able to live, work and play like a normal healthy kid. He is a good caring doctor. He certainly seemed to stress going the surgery route to put the nerve right back were it belongs. But I agree, the specialists would have pushed for the surgery if they felt that was the way to go. Surgeons do have a history of encouraging that!

Our primary said both of the specialists involved in the conference call were really excellent. One is older and one is younger. The younger one has been doing some amazing things with hand surgery our doc said. The older one is not as quick to jump to surgery and tries to see if things can be worked out with therapy first. But our doc is worried about that and seems to be leaning toward being more aggressive. I just want to do the right thing. I actually think I am going to push for seeing the younger and more aggressive doctor first. The wait and see thing scares me a bit. It is not like we can go back and fix it if we make the wrong decision.

OK, my real take on the wrist/hand:

I think it is really cool that he got the injury building stuff to support his artistic interests.

I think that sort of jump-in and get it done commitment is great.

That he hurt himself is not great, but really, and I hope this is not mortally offending, I think that just leaving it alone for a while is much smarter than surgery.

I am not a guy, so I have never had the strength to do the sorts of permanent self-damage some guys do, but I swear the guy-guys I know fuck themselves up like that, and as long as nobody is going into MORE of a tizzy over it than they are, these sorts of problems heal, enough, with a little rest of ONLY the body part that got damaged, while still going great guns with the rest.

I give myself wrist problems, herniated back disks, tendon crippling (temporarily) things, broken ribs, sprained ankes, torn ligaments...all doing things that are physically expressive and fun.
I broke my nose when i was doing some carpentry above my head and dropped the drill on my nose.

I clicked the links..my hand have gone into that claw thing a few times from various over exertions I have done... it is not something I ever regarded as a huge deal. Just an annoyance. In my mind, something like that lasting for a few weeks is not even remotely something to panic about.

Ice, rest, heat, doing things that do not involve that writs but do involve intense exercise...these things are good.

Your other son's fatigue and muscle problems are much more worrisome to me.

I adore you, FC, so if I am just not getting the seriousness of the situation, please tell me and I will believe you.

Well, I guess the seriousness is that the hand is numb and weak. He can't hold things or turn things (this will prevent him from working at his job) and he CAN'T PLAY HIS BASS!! Which really pisses him off. He has not been able to practice it since two days after he got it! He is having a hard time buttoning his clothes, opening jars, typing (this will make homework tough) he can't play video games, etc. I think that is pretty disruptive to his way of life. He is MOST upset about not being able to play his bass. He could probably learn to live/work around the other issues. Typing is going to be a problem though. All HS and college work has to be typed. I guess he would have to get used to typing with one hand.

It does not seem that this will go away all on it's own. At the very least meds. and therapy will be needed. If you had the exact same thing and it went away on it's own then you are very lucky because you do run the risk of making things worse if you are not careful with how you use the hand.

I adore you too, but all I can say is that the doctor seems to think it is serious so that has me thinking it is. I mean he wasn't trying to scare us, just letting us know that it can become a permanent situation if not treated properly. All I have read says the same thing. And anytime a mother is faced with her child having something wrong, temporarily or permanently, it is very serious to her. A relationship and bond between a mother and son can be about the strongest bond there is. You can not describe it to someone. You can only know it through experience. Your need to protect your child is pretty overwhelming. At least it is for all good moms. I know there are some out there who are not like that, but most of us are, and that need to make their life healthy and happy does not lessen one bit no matter how old they get. He is still my little boy and I have to make it all alright for him if I possibly can.

As far as Eric, yes I am troubled and baffled a bit. All his test came back normal. He has nights he sleeps pretty good and nights he does not. I am not sure what to do next. He is feeling a little calmer now that all those tests came out OK. While at the doctor's office I picked up a booklet about "trouble sleeping". I read it and it is on his bed for him to read when he comes home. There are some ways to try and change his messed up sleep pattern. I know he will fight me on some of them - like getting home and into bed earlier and trying to go to bed the same time every night and get up the same time every morning. My mom is getting him this jar of cream to rub on that has Chamomile and sage in it that is suppose to calm you. She read about it in a magazine. We will add that to the soap in the sheets! He actually says he has had more good nights since the soap - as crazy as that sounds! Since neither doctor found anything wrong and all the test were normal I'm going to try and not be too concerned at this point. I think a lot of it is his lifestyle. He keeps some pretty crazy hours. He is really active. He drinks a lot of sweet tea - probably too much sugar and caffeine I am also trying to get him to ease up on that stuff. I guess we are in wait and see mode with him right now.

I do appreciate your thoughts and input though. If Justin's hand never gets better we will just have to say it is a sacrifice he made for his art! Maybe the girls will think that is cool!

Oh, speaking of girls, it appears he has a crush on this adorable 20 year old that works in pharmacy at the store he works at. She helped fill his prescription today and it was so cute the way they were teasing each other. So I guess he is into older women! Who knew?!