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Help me fix this tendinitis...with needles?

xiaolongbao — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:37:07 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good acupuncturist in the New York metro area? Stamford, CT environs also possible, but I have no car. I recently received my first acupuncture treatment in San Francisco, felt what might be the first inklings of success, and am hoping to continue in New York after I move back home this weekend. Can anyone recommend a good acupuncturist, particularly someone who could treat tendinitis, in the (preferably) New York or (possibly) Stamford, CT area? A zillion bonus points if they happen to accept BlueCross insurance - I know that's a long shot.

Backstory: I've been battling Achilles tendinitis in my left ankle for about 5 years. I used to run competitive long distance, one of my life's great passions, but overtrained and never received proper rehab. For a while, I simply gave up running, as my last ortho said "I think it'd be better if you never ran again," and my parents discouraged me from having "expensive surgery with a 50% success rate." When I do try to run these days, I have to stop after 2-3 20 minute runs spread out over several days due to recurring sharp pain. It has been a life changing, incredibly painful journey, and I've never found anything that' really fulfilled me the way running did. Hoping acupuncture can help me, as I've read some success stories. Other suggestions welcome, too.

Thank you.

How do I deal with the depression stemming from a really bad year?

Anonymous — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:56:17 -0800

I have been beset by crappy luck and chronic health problems in the past year. It's been extremely stressful, worsened by the fact these very health problems prevent me from employing my normal methods of dealing with stress. I'm spiraling quickly downward into mood-swings and depression and I don't know what to do. How did you deal with your stressful periods? In the past year, I've contracted HPV, had surgery to deal with the subsequent cervical dysplasia, developed bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections on multiple occasions, and due to the necessary multiple antibiotic regimens I'm now into the eighth month of a yeast infection that is not even responding to strong anti-fungals. In the past six months I've also managed to pick up ovarian cysts and chronic kidney stones. I have two sports injuries that prevent me from doing any exercise besides slow walking and just found out I have a repetitive stress injury in my forearms. I've had multiple emergency-room trips for some of these conditions, as well as one a few months ago for an absolutely vicious bout of food poisoning. To make matters worse, in the past year I've also been sexually assaulted and a victim of check fraud, both which were a multiple-month legal headache to deal with, not to mention the psychological toll.

My schoolwork is suffering. I'm completely stressed out--I have never had health problems and they're now all piling on at once. I could deal with any one just by itself, but the sheer mass of them is driving me crazy. I get a lot of relief from hard exercise, but the sports injuries prevent any form--really, any form, I've tried. I get relief from sex, but that's only been possible twice in the past three months due to the yeast infections. Can't drink because of the anti-fungals. Can't even bake, cook, pet my cats, or escape to the internet due to the RSI. I've tried coping with ice cream, but that provides short-term relief, long-term stress due the expanding waistline, and I gotta cut that out again in another effort to treat the yeast infection (I was on a meat-eggs-vegetables diet, the infection died down, I included the sugar again and it's come back with a vengeance).

I'm incredibly depressed. I'm getting inexplicable mood swings. I hate my sick, deteriorating body and want to escape it. I want to lie down somewhere and cry. I have had deep depression before, beat it, and have remained pretty optimistic and upbeat--but after a year of this shit I can't anymore. I've joked with my boyfriend that I hope I get cancer, as that would be a sure sign from the universe that it didn't want me in it and I could take it as a cue to just kill myself.

What did you do with your bad luck year? Do you have any suggestions for dealing with the stress (besides meditation--that hasn't worked)? I'm living my life waiting for the next thing to come around the corner and punch me in the face, while attempting to nurse the bruises I've already received. It's no life at all.

How do I deal with my tendonitis without failing my classes?

Braeog — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:13:28 -0800

I have tendonitis in both my forearms from computer over-use. It is bad enough that I'm having trouble taking lecture notes in my university classes--a serious problem. Aside from not using the computer, what can I do? I am pretty sure it's not carpal tunnel as I have none of the nerve pinching, just pain down the underside of my forearms. I know getting an ergonomic keyboard and mouse are a good idea, but which ones? How do I learn to use keyboard shortcuts (I'm on Ubuntu)? Is there a specific way to write that will reduce the pain? Should I be doing grip exercises or using a forearm roller, or would that worsen the problem?

Also, while I can cut down my computer usage since I'm not in any computer-heavy classes, I have to take notes. Recording doesn't work at all for me. Will this be OK? It's usually 3-5 hours of note-taking a day.

don't do it if it hurts

gmarceau — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:50:10 -0800

I had a bad case of RSI that is forcing me to switch career. Help me choose what to do next. I had a bad case of RSI that is forcing me to switch career. Help me choose what to do next.

In February 2004, I came down with a nasty case of repetitive stress injury. I was rushing to make the deadline for my master's thesis (in computer science), I was stressed out, I typed through the pain and injured myself. I did make the deadline and continued on with a Ph.D. program. In 2005, as I was undergoing treatment, my wrists kept worsening until I couldn't type more than a few keystroke without severe pain. I spent 2006 trying to discover ways to finish my Ph.D. without the usage of my hands, without much success. It led, amongst other things, to the creation of the DivaScheme project, but it wasn't enough. Since September I have been on medical leave, unsure if I will ever be a programmer again.

If I am not a programmer, what should I be? The question had never occurred before. I was smart programmer and a good teacher. Academia was the right place for me.

With the injury, I also lost the ability to write by hand on paper for more than a few hours. If I do, my wrists swells up in pain and it takes weeks to recover. This is severely limiting the fields where I can reorient myself. Anything that requires taking classes where I would need to take notes and handwrite exams would be difficult.

I tried applying to become a programming teacher in Québec, but did not received a single callback, let alone an interview or an offer.

I am trying to elevate my speaker building hobby to a business. While I did land a few contracts, it will take time and risks before it can pay the rent.

In January, I have engaged on the pessimistic path. I have entered a professional degree in sheet metal work. It is a unique path, isn't it? I am a man who transferred from a Ph.D. program to a high school program. As you can guess, the high school level classroom is boring my mind numb. I might die of boredom before I make it out of here. But if I stick with the program for one more year, I should land a decent-paying job, one that my wrists support without pain.

Right now I am applying to become an English teacher in South Korea. What will I do if I discover that my wrists cannot handle the paperwork, I don't know. And the thought of leaving my girlfriend for a whole year is putting a sad touch on what should be an exciting adventure. Granted we've only been together for four months, but she is very sweet and wonderful, and I can see myself spending my life with her. (It is not an option for her to follow me to Korea. She has to take care of her son here, in joint custody with the father.)

I am torn. I can't seem to think of any good option for myself.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate.

A good knee brace?

SampleSize — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:35:23 -0800

Please help me choose the right knee brace for hiking that does not cause further pain. I'm experiencing what I believe is tendonitis in my knee when hiking. I've seen my doctor, and he suggested exercise, anti-inflammatories and a knee brace.

So, I got this McDavid 421 and just tried it for the first time on a 12-mile hike. My knee was fine, but I've also given it a several month (winter) rest, so I'm not sure if it was the brace, the ibuprofen, the rest, or some combination.

Anyway, I have two issues with the brace:
1. Now that I've done some research, it seems like this one isn't even made for tendonitis, but rather for patella support
2. The back of the knee brace pinches with each footstep. About halfway through the hike, it was painful enough that I just took it off. Mainly because of this, I won't be using it again.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a comfortable and supportive brace?

I have seen this thread, but it got so few responses, I thought I'd give it another shot.

Thanks!

Risks and stories about DeQuervain's release

liet — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 13:46:58 -0800

I'm having a deQuervain's release within the next couple of weeks, and I'm nervous. The web is full of stories by people who had the surgery recently -- how they can type to say "had the surgery on Tuesday and feel great!" I don't know. I haven't found much about the potential risks or stories by people who have recovered.

The short story: I'm a 26 year old woman and I spend a lot -- I mean, a lot -- of time at computers. If I'm not at a computer, I'm knitting or playing console games. Everything I like to do involves my hands.

In November, out of nowhere, I got this incredible pain in my right wrist. It was so bad, I went to the emergency room at 4:30 on a Saturday morning. A followup with a hand doctor confirmed that it was deQuervain's tendonitis. A few months in a splint, a workspace revision by an ergonomics expert, and two cortisone shots later, it's still not that much better. An MRI revealed nothing unusual. The doctor is recommending surgery.

I could live my life with this pain -- it's not debilitating, unless I'm trying to pull on something or pick up something bulky, like my fat dog -- but I'm sick of it. I haven't been able to do long sessions of console games or knitting ever since this started. I'm still able to type at work, and I still play a lot of World of Warcraft (heh), but I have to use an ice pack once in a while.

Considering that literally, everything I like to do involves my hands, what kind of risks am I running by having the surgery? The doctor mentioned a slight risk of nerve damage. If this were to happen, would I, for example, still be able to use a console controller and hit my left-side mouse button?