Health and working on cars

It's the Air Force bro, don't they all sit in office chairs all day wearing wrist braces***?  Get the carpal tunnel surgery, it's quick and easy with no downside I can tell.

***U.S. Army paratrooper

That sucks dude. I have a slightly bum knee from a swimming injury way back (yes, you read that right, stupid breaststroke kick) and it occasionally gives me a little pain. 

I can't imagine what I would do if I had pain that was discouraging me from doing the things I love.

It sucks when an ailment makes your day a struggle as you get older so my sympathies for having these problems at 29. I’m in my 50s and have been dealing with Colitis for the past 8 years and still having problems. I hope you can find relief from your symptoms. 

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

It's the Air Force bro, don't they all sit in office chairs all day wearing wrist braces***?  Get the carpal tunnel surgery, it's quick and easy with no downside I can tell.

 

***U.S. Army paratrooper

LMAO I was expecting this from someone eventually! 

yupididit said:

In reply to boaty mcfailface :

I don't downplay anything. Been seeing specialist for over a year, in California now Texas. 

Getting a second opinion may not be a bad idea...

A couple years ago I started having a bunch of odd physical problems (among other things weird pains, fatigue, and weight loss), and after cycling through a bunch of doctors in my local medical system they decided I had fibromyalgia.  I went through a bunch of different treatments for that for a year with no improvements.  I finally went to the Mayo Clinic and they determined I actually have a totally different disease called amyloidosis.  I'm getting treatment for that now and am getting better, and hopefully working my way up to a stem cell transplant in the near future that will put the disease in remission.

Point being, even good doctors aren't necessarily going to properly diagnose a problem 100% of the time.

I'm almost 48 and if I work on the car for the better part of the day, I pay for it the following day.  However I've had back surgery already, so that kinda goes hand in hand with it.

As others have pointed out, you shouldn't be having that kind of hand pain at 29.  If getting the proper treatment means you get med boarded out, its still worth it.  I'm at 18.5 years btw....

We'll see! I'm at the mercy of referrals currently lol. 

It sounds like you are on a good track seeing a specialist, but like others have said, a second opinion is always a good idea. Another thing I have learned over the years, is that the difference between a good doctor and a bad one is often a matter of how YOU communicate with them. Don't be passive. Engage them. Make sure that they understand what you are saying and that you fully understand what they are telling you. If they are rushed, slow them down. If your current treatment is not effective make sure they know and seek alternatives - if your current doctor doesn't care that they are failing, get a different doctor.

Body and mind are vastly interconnected. Each can profoundly effect the other. Just as chronic physical pain can bring the mind down, mental pain can bring the body down. Each can also help to regenerate the other. Inventory yourself, how do you cope with your stress. During times when I've had pain, I've realized that I was clenching my hands, or jaw as I slept. Learn to relax - the conscious mind to relax the body and the body to relax the subconscious mind.

Follow your PT. Consistently. Make a time for it, make it routine. Modify your tools. Pad the handles as needed, use longer leverage when you can. Pay attention to how your position your body and move.

Take care and keep determined to LIVE until you die.

In reply to yupididit :

My wife was born with an extra nipple on each breast, but it hasn't effected her ability to work on cars!  Lol!!

(Laughter is good medicine, right?)  

boaty mcfailface said:

Hello fellow IBD sufferers. Ulcerative Colitis here. Mine probably wouldn't have gotten so out of hand early on if I hadn't been toughing it out, too hard headed to talk about it with a doctor.  It was a rough couple years but everything is good now.  Don't do what I did, don't learn the hard way that its better to just ask for help if you are suffering. 

Yet another Crohn's-ian (is that a word?) chiming in here.

It does sound like the "get to a doctor" message isn't needed, although I will +1 the question of second opinions.  The first gastroenterologist I saw was useless, and after a couple of months I moved on to another.  He had been recommended by my GP -- perhaps he had been good earlier in his career, but by the time I saw him he seemd to be having a lot of trouble remembering things and a few months later, I got a letter from his office saying he had retired.  My second gastroenterologist was recommended by a cow orker, she was excellent.  I was her patient for about a decade and only moved on for insurance-coverage related reasons.  Currently on my third who seems to be pretty good, although it's still early days.

In reply to SVreX :

Ummmm. yeah....

Wasn't that a plot point in an old James Bond movie?

I'm 33 and I feel pretty damn good, especially when I'm active (which I haven't been in the last month since baby). 

My issue is fatigue and the inability to ever feel energetic, even after downing what seems like an alarming amount of coffee. 

The wierd thing about my experiences with ADD is that retalin really seemed to balance me out energy wise. I feel like I could put in a good days work and fall asleep at 9pm. 

I need to get a sleep study, but in the meantime are there any blood tests that may specifically identify low-energy causes?

Have you considered rheumatoid arthritis ?

I need to get a sleep study, but in the meantime are there any blood tests that may specifically identify low-energy causes?

Blood test for B12 levels. Thyroid issues can be a concern also. 

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