Ever since Art did our taxes earlier in the year, his fingers have been hurting him.
Since his mother suffered from arthritis and her fingers were all fused completely stiff, he was concerned that it might be his fate as well.
I was always amazed at how his mom stayed cheerful and more concerned with others rather than herself until the day we lost her. She was truly one of a kind.
Art mentioned the pain in his fingers to our nurse practitioner and she sent him to occupational therapy to check it out. She also had him take a blood test to make sure he doesn't have rheumatoid arthritis.
The blood test was thankfully negative, but X-rays showed he had a mild osteoarthritis. The doctor gave Art a paraffin wax treatment. She soaked his hands in the paraffin and put the gloves on to retain the heat.
She then explained to Art that as we age we should protect our fingers because our finger joints could become vulnerable.
He was also given several handouts with information to keep in mind.
I found several of them helpful to me.
With tax season coming up again, she recommended Art getting a pencil grip or an ergonomic pen.
It's all something for everyone to keep in mind before it's too late.
I was always amazed at how his mom stayed cheerful and more concerned with others rather than herself until the day we lost her. She was truly one of a kind.
Art mentioned the pain in his fingers to our nurse practitioner and she sent him to occupational therapy to check it out. She also had him take a blood test to make sure he doesn't have rheumatoid arthritis.
She then explained to Art that as we age we should protect our fingers because our finger joints could become vulnerable.
He was also given several handouts with information to keep in mind.
I found several of them helpful to me.
With tax season coming up again, she recommended Art getting a pencil grip or an ergonomic pen.
It's all something for everyone to keep in mind before it's too late.
Thanks for these tips, Kay. As we age, things wear out and break more easily, don't they? I'm always looking for ways to keep going for as long as possible. :-)
ReplyDelete...or, he can do the taxes on the computer. :)
ReplyDeleteAfter I workout at the gym, I soak for a while in the hot tub. It's the perfect time to do all my physical therapy too....with my hands under the water.
Very enlightening as to how to better do tasks with ones hands. My fingers have some swollen joints I attribute to arthritis. Taking oregano oil keeps the inflammation and pain away, though.
ReplyDeleteAs for doing taxes, I do ours online. I hardly touch a pencil. Even our signatures our electronic.
Hope Art's arthritis improves. David has had his left knee replaced due to severe osteoarthritis, and expects to have his right hip replaced next year, and then his right knee.
ReplyDeleteOh, my. Now I know why my fingers hurt. I do it all wrong. I also have mild essential tremor (ET) which affects my ability to carry somethings steadily for long periods. It's heck to get old.
ReplyDeleteOi, I hope it will be OK with Art.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips, Kay. Funny, when I carry food home from the supermarket I instinctively put my hands through the handles of the tote bags and carry most of the weight on my wrists; much more comfortable that way.
These are great tips I am guilty of grabbing heavy pots with one hand. Great that Art got tested.
ReplyDeleteI hope I never get arthritis
ReplyDeleteWow. These are great tips. I have noticed pain in my hands when doing some of the don't listed above, so now I know. Thanks, Kay. I would add the tip of hiring an accountant to do the taxes!
ReplyDeleteWe actually do send our taxes to an accountant to do them, but Art likes to double check.. just to be sure.
DeleteI hope the paraffin treatment helped to relieve Art of his pain. We both have arthritis in our family so these tips are very welcome. Thanks Kay!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. I few of them were common sense, but others were new to me.
ReplyDeleteMy mother had arthritis that twisted her fingers but they were not painful. I started having stiff sore finger joints about a year ago. Now my sister has arthritis and takes meds and has infusions which seems to help. She, like my mom, is very much into modern medicine.
ReplyDeleteI am the opposite and look for natural remedies. One of the best of these is curcumin - that yellow curry from the turmeric root. It is very good for inflammation, I take it daily with my dinner in capsule form. I give it to my 15 year old dog who I thought for sure was a goner a few years ago. Taken with green tea, it kills cancer stem cells that are floating around looking for trouble. She is now wagging her tail and bouncing along.
Also, sugar is very destructive. I cut way back on my daily intake of coca cola and only treat myself once in a while. Life without treats is no fun.
Sigh...
DeleteSugar is my downfall.
Art found this on WebMD. I told DDD about it but thought I should add it here too. I like the idea of curcumin, but I'm always worried about the interactions.
DeleteHere's what he found:
"Interactions: If you take any medicines regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using turmeric supplements. They could interact with medicines like aspirin, NSAID painkillers, statins, diabetes drugs, blood pressure medicines, and blood thinners. They might also interact with supplements that decrease clotting, like ginkgo, ginseng, and garlic."
It is interesting about the cautions regarding combining supplements with other supplements and medications. I am fortunate and do not take any medications for disorders because I fear the side effects of meds. One of the worst, imo, are statin drugs for cholesterol. These deplete one's CoQ10 so if statin drugs are prescribed, the doctor should also advise taking CoQ10.
DeleteInteresting also, the supplements that are listed to decrease clotting. All three are excellent for specific reasons but I didn't know about their anti-clotting benefits. I always have a bottle of nattokinese for anti-clotting around in case I have a headache that might be caused by potential blockage. It may be psychological, but it clears up for me.
It's funny how I take supplements now that I am older and talk about health problems the way my mother and aunties used to. My daughters say that I tell them the same thing all the time - each kimchee because it has good probiotics for your digestion. Boost your immune system if others around you are sick. Drink green tea. They laugh at me but one day they will be older and bug their daughters and sons too.
This may be something simple that Art might be willing to try. I subscribe to many health newsletters and one of the reasons why I like curcumin (turmeric) so much. I was told about this "miracle tree" by my acupuncturist assistant for total nutrition - she said to make a tea and drink it. It didn't taste great but it also didn't taste bad. Filipinos call this kalamungai tree and use the beans in their cooking. It grows like a weed in Hawaii.
DeleteAnyway, here is the article, might be of interest to you:
http://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2015/12/fight-inflammation-with-the-tree-of-immortality/#Continue
Thank you, Aunty! I'll be sure to tell him. :- )
DeleteI've had the wax treatment to repair a broken wrist. It is very soothing. That's why he has a big smile on his face.
ReplyDeleteI have quite severe arthritis in my hands, and elsewhere. I can no longer close my hands to make a fist. I can only use big handled knives. My dexterity is poor. But I just keep on doing what I do.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I sure didn't know that. You do so much!
DeleteOuch! Those joints look so swollen! I hope making a few changes will help.
ReplyDeleteThose were his mother's hands. Her fingers were all stiff and frozen, unable to move, except for her thumbs. One of her legs was also amputated because of gangrene. And yet she always kept her spirits up which always amazed me.
DeleteThe tips/pictures are very helpful.
ReplyDeleteIt's always great to learn something.
I am like Aunty. Thanks Aunty for the anecdotal.
I'm trying to be more protective of my fingers now too. Art looked up curcumin, but is cautious because it can interact with his heart medication.
DeleteThis is what Art got from WebMD:
Delete"Interactions. If you take any medicines regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using turmeric supplements. They could interact with medicines like aspirin, NSAID painkillers, statins, diabetes drugs, blood pressure medicines, and blood thinners. They might also interact with supplements that decrease clotting, like ginkgo, ginseng, and garlic."
excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteKay, I hope Art gets some relief from his finger pain. I have stopped carry heavy bags due to the same problem. Getting older isn't easy and we don't need to make it worse.
ReplyDeletegood ideas thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas. I already have a fair degree of osteoarthritis in my hands and thumb and some of these ideas are new to me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Art doesn't have rheumatoid arthritis. I feel his pain as my dad had osteoarthritis and I think I have it too. Thanks for th tips you posted. Holly
ReplyDeleteJust saw Auntie Jean and cousin Penny at the store. Yay! They are looking so great, but have the same sort of finger pain also. I told them about what the doctor said. Seems like a lot of folks in Hawaii have "trigger finger". I wonder why...
DeleteGood that Aunty Jean is out gallivanting. Funny you mentioned trigger finger being prevalent here. Last year I had surgery on my right thumb, then my left thumb started triggering too! Rather than another surgery, I tried alternative therapies and what finally worked was acupressure done with Su jok balls and a curly metal ring that a friend gave me. It was a miracle since my thumb was bad for months!
DeleteBut now my right ring finger is triggering too. Sigh. Holly
Dennis and Nancy both have trigger fingers also! Good grief! It's an epidemic.
DeleteI have been having pain in my hands, Kay, so I thank you very much for this information.
ReplyDeleteGood tips to pass along to your readers, that is most kind of you!
I get cramping in my hands when they are cold or I am working on something. This is good advice and I will try to follow it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. I will let my mother know about this as she has fingers joint pain now and then and is taking Vitamin B complex for them.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the tips too. Ever since I worked at the library doing their inventory with a scanner and a tablet, my hands have hurt a lot. That was nine months I worked on that. My hands have never recovered.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you know that my orthopedic surgeons have never given me that information. They just keep operating on my writs, elbows, fingers and my hands keep getting worse. Before I let them cut on me again, I am going to carefully practice this great information you have shared. Thanks again Kay. Keep us posted on Art's progress.
ReplyDeleteOh I hope Art's fingers are OK. Yes, I have instinctively been protecting my hands as I, um, age...
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. My friend, who has horses, recommended two supplements: glucosamine and chondroitin. You can read about it. I find it helps me, but not all people. She is the horse whisperer, and teaching horseback riding and jumping, too.
ReplyDelete