Several posts ago, I told y'all about the odd little bump in my palm.
Things progressed from my blissed state of ignorance to "Oh, my God, I'm turning into the Elephant Man!" My body was mutating faster than the lead character in "The Fly." My wedding ring finger bloated, ached, looked like Popeye's forearm. The finger felt like it was broken. I managed to wrench my wedding ring off. The ring had magically transformed from a perfect circle into an odd oval.
I hitched up my big boy britches, finally went to the doctor.
She took a look at my palm, basically shrugged her doctorly shoulders, and proclaimed it as "Trigger Finger." Sounds like an Old West gunfighter's ailment. Fastest bump in the West. But it's a growth on a tendon that causes finger pain.
Her advice? Nothing you can do about it. Just live with it. It won't go away.
Wasn't really the diagnosis I was hoping for.
Years ago, I went to a doctor for chronic headaches. He asked me if I saw "funny little men" at times. I said, "What?" Next thing I know, I'm dropping trou and letting him probe my back-side. Now it's true I'd just turned forty and he said it was time to check the prostate. But it wasn't what I signed on for. Don't think he found any "funny little men." And I'm pretty sure this was the origin of the myth about aliens giving anal probes. Didn't cure my headaches, though.
I used to have blind faith in doctor's diagnoses. But I've since come to accept that a doctor's diagnosis is nothing more than an educated guess. Silly of me to have thought otherwise. Just like in any field, there're doctors who don't have a clue. Sorta' like when you were a kid and there were great ice cream truck drivers and bad ones. The good ones used to invite you into the back of the truck and let you check out the secret operations. Back then we simply didn't care if they were serial killers. Never crossed our minds. They were COOL.
Chalk it up to the innocent ignorance of youth. Or just ignorance.
But I think a standard of professionalism should be upheld for both doctors and ice cream truck drivers. All fields, really.
Stuart, I have a h.s. chum whose had MULTIPLE trigger fingers...and subsequent surgeries. So, if the true diagnosis is trigger finger, then there is at least a surgical solution. I, myself, developed what I think was a trigger THUMB last October. Not sure if there was a node, but agh, the pain...which wasn't constant, but showed itself mid-sleep with the first section at the tip hyperextending. I didn't see the doc, but did inquire with the nurse. I iced it and kept the thumb tucked in by way of the other digits, so it wouldn't fly up and hurt. Borrowed son's thumb/forearm brace from an old frisbee injury...and in about 2 months of constant wear, the thumb stopped jerking open. All this...because I helped paint the garage. lol and tmi. Also, I looked online and found a youtube clip on dealing with trigger finger. The guy suggested working on breaking up the nodule by simply manipulating it. Easier said than done. As mentioned, tmi...but just wanted to offer hope. :)
ReplyDeleteOh--and I'm not Anonymous. This is Ellen, one of your readers. And my thumb isn't 100% better, but is at least satisfactory.
DeleteDarn, my grammar. "a chum who's (who has) had...". My bad. Why didn't I use the Preview offer below!
DeleteHey, Ellen, thanks for TOO MUCH info! LOL! I'll look into it. Right now I'm just happy an alien isn't growing in my palm. You rock.
ReplyDeleteI have a funny little bump on my palm as well. Hurts when I put pressure on it. Maybe it's the same thing. Oh, this getting old thing sure makes you feel ... old, I guess.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I agree, a standard of professionalism is needed in all fields.
Yep, Dorothy, sounds like you have the dreaded Trigger Finger (stick 'em up!). I wonder if it's fairly common amongst us aging writers.
DeletePersonally I am the proud possessor of six incurable diseases, and I am a cancer survivor since 1983. I have heard doctors say, "You just have to learn to live with it" more times than I care to remember. Diabetes, COPD, arthritis, psoriasis, severe allergies, and a prostate the size of a watermelon... never had trigger finger though. Heck, I'll trade you. That sounds far cooler than anything I've got!
ReplyDeleteMichael! You're awesome! Have I ever said you're my hero? (I'm breaking into a really bad song and the dog's looking at me funny). But, really. It takes a strong person to go through what you've been through. More power to you, Michael.
Delete