I'm screwed · 8:00pm Sep 25th, 2014
I just had the nerve test and the doc discussed the results with me.
It was all negative. He didn't find anything.
I don't know what's causing this pain, and I'm nearing an emotional breakdown at this point. I have nightmares almost every single night. I can't sleep right. I can't write. I feel... despondent. Useless. Aimless. I can't see my doc again until a week from now. If I could write, I could deal with this. Right now, though, all I can do is sit and suffer.
I'm so sorry everyone. It looks like Rites will be taking a very, very long time to get anything done. And honestly, if this pain can't be fixed, then it's all over. Rites, my writing career, my programming career, everything. I'm going to try very hard to keep things going, but know that without a solution, the update pace will continue to be glacial.
I'm so sorry.
-Cv
I'm absolutley late for this conversation but if your hands hurt when you type is there any possibility that it could be carpal tunnel? Or maybe arthritis?
Hang in there, if you could get someone to set up a webcam or something we could have a videochat session through skype or something.
2482976 Carpel tunnel was what was just ruled out completely. No damage from elbow to fingertips. Yet it still hurts like hell.
I hope you get some positive news soon.
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Damn, I was about to ask if he only checked the wrists. Is an MRI out of the question/already done?
2483060 MRI would take a year or more up here.
"I feel... despondent. Useless. Aimless" That kind of sounds like depression to me, but it could just be the anxiety.
That's... sad. Really sad. I assume you'd already checked if it is tendon sheath inflammation (I think that's the right word), or Tendovaginitis and Tenosynovitis... Difficult to find out what the name is in English <.<
Anywho, whatever it is, I really hope that you find some way to fix it. I know what it feels like when you want to write but can't because it hurts. Granted, mine was far less than yours, but still... <.<
But yeah, best of wishes from this side of the monitor.
Sorry if I somehow got the comment turned into something ego-centric about myself... <.<
Hmm, it might be nerves being pinched that causes the pain. Try and see if that might be the case. It's all I got, and I want you back up and running.
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Well that really, really sucks. I hate to say it, but I'm not a doctor so I don't know what to tell you.
If it's not nerves is muscle pain possible? Torn ligaments maybe? Not sure if those are even in the hands/arms. Did the doctor provide any other 'maybes' or did he just say 'no that's not it' and send you on your way?
2483116 A "no that's not it". This was the neurologist, not my GP. I'm going back to the GP next week to discuss further options and beg for some narco.
2483120
Oh I suppose that's all he's qualified to do. In that case good luck, man. I hope they find it and fix it quickly.
Well, I really hope that everything ends up alright. I wish I could help somehow...
Oh dear... Good luck.
Ask your doctor of problems in one area of the body can cause pain in other areas. If that is possible, the source of the problem could be in another part of your body than the arms.
Good luck! you have my thoughts and prayers.
Have you looked into acupuncture? It really works. If you are skeptical a friend of mine who is a licensed acupuncturist set-up a free acupressure website. http://www.prestopaingo.com/ Try it. If it helps even a little you should look into finding a reputable local acupuncturist.
Don´t give up, they will find out what´s wrong, it usually takes a while.
I used to feel strong pain in stomach area (extremely annoying, thought it was gastric ulcer) and it took a quite a lot of time to find out that it was problem with my spine.
I´ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Hope everything starts to get better soon.
If your doctor can't find anything, get a second opinion, perhaps from a specialist. Doctors are human too, and therefore can make mistakes. I'm sure your doctor is quite competent, but if he can't find the source of the problem you should try to find somebody who can. Pain doesn't happen without a cause, after all.
Dude. That sucks.
I mean it'd be one thing if the doc could give you some hope, but this? Eugh. I don't really know what to say. I wish you the best.
I really hope you feel better soon. You just have to hang in there and trust that you will be able to get through this, even if it takes longer then you expected.
I know this my sound hypocritical coming from someone who has never gone through what you are right now, 
but in my experience a positive outlook can be the beast medicine there is. 
I'm actually serious about that, check out this study.
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/how-positive-emotions-lead-to-better-health-57361/
Aw jeez, I'm sorry to hear that
A year for an MRI seems excessive—is it because they think it's pointless?
Wish there was an alternate input method I could suggest.. None of them are as good as just straight up typing, but without knowing the specifics, there's not much to say. I imagine you've already exhausted your options in any case.
Hope something goes right for you soon, I'd be sad to see Rites just up and die.
Sorry to hear that, and I hope they can figure out the cause soon.
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Yes, good idea. Use pseudoscientific "alternative" medicine instead of real medicine.
If alternative medicine worked, it would simply be called "medicine".
You don't have to apologize to us. You are the one in pain. I hope you get some better news next week.
Dude, why are you apologizing for? If anything I'm the one that needs to say sorry. I feel so bad for you.
You're in absolute pain and yet the doctor's tests all come up negative? I actually almost cried because of the crappy ordeal you're going through.
I could care less if your story isn't updated in a quick manner. As long as you're able to get better soon, then that's all that matters to me. Get well soon my friend and stay strong.
Cv, you've written a wonderful story that we're willing to wait for. As long it takes, we'll still be here.
And you are going to write again, because your doctors are going to figure out what's happening; so please don't worry about that. There are only so many reasons for such localized pain, and each one you eliminate brings you closer to the right answer.
Just take care of yourself, fell better soon, and know that we're all wishing you well.
Please don't say your are sorry. Things happen that are beyond your control. We all wish you well and ask that you focus on taking care of yourself instead of us. I can't say I know exactly what you are going through but I myself am no stranger to pain and nerve issues. Probably my only useful advice is if you go the route of pain killers, make sure you are taking them because you need them, not just because you want them. Please take care.
I will hope you get better soon
Have you by chance been tested for fibermyalgia? It is a long shot and a really hard one to pin down or prove but it could answer, maybe?
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Because it doesn’t work; the entire enterprise is pseudoscience, from start to finish. The introduction alone of Wikipedia’s article on acupuncture contains nearly a dozen citations attesting to that fact, at least two of which are from meta‐analyses of numerous papers.
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I agree, look up fibromyalga, a quick websearch matches some of your symptoms, including mystery nerve pain in specific locations, depression and difficulty in concentrating (fibro-fog).
IIRC, it's a virus that has to be specifically tested for and wont turn up in a typical medical exam.
Allow me to third the fibromyalgia possibility. Fibro's still a very, VERY new thing to be acknowledged (relatively to everything else) and must be tested for on it's own, but is absolutely difficult to deal with. In the meantime, hopefully your doctor can start you on pain management, something to at least help while the causes are tracked down.
In the meantime, try to not give up hope yet. Doctors are only human and there's still every chance of finding a cause. I know it seems dark now, but it's not over - not yet.
Take your time man. Your health comes first. The way I see it (and have been told) is that us here on Fimfic come second. So take as much time as you need.
They can't just not find out what's wrong with you, it has to be somewhere; you said that they checked fingertip to elbow, what about the spine?
I have to agree with 2483542 - if your doctor ends up not being able to help you, you might as well bet on that he missed something and go to a different one.
Anyways, i really really hope they find something soon so you can get your life back.
2484969
In the very next sentence the citation — to a far more comprehensive work produced by the same authors no less! — “concluded that real acupuncture was no better than sham acupuncture and concluded that there is little evidence that acupuncture is an effective treatment for reducing pain.”
A comprehensive demolishing of acupuncture.
I'm so very sorry for you Cv! I hope that they manage to find something soon.
Hey, what do you do other than writing, day-to-day? I find my fingers start to hurt if I'm typing for more than five or six hours a day. You may want to do some finger-stretching excersizes, such as bending them back just a little beyond the 'comfortable' point, relaxing them, so on and so forth. Also, soak your hands in warm/hot water for about twenty minutes of every two hours of writing. It helps relax the muscles, which can stop the pain if it's related to muscle tension at all, and will also sooth pain from most forms of strain.
being without work because of mysterious pains the doc cant find myself i can only say i feel for you
luckily mine are not in the hands but the side
as for the doc coming up negative on the nerve checks that is not actually a bad thing
while it does not help you it does tell you that a lot of bad things are not the cause
having a decade long history of doctors behing me i can only say dont despair every thing they test negative is another illness you DONT have
sorry if this does not seem to help but since my own problem is still undiagnosed itself i found comfort in all the things it could have been that i luckily do not have
for advice i can only say be as clear as possible in even the most inconsequental things
quite often a doctor can not diagnose things because a choice of our own words may have pointed them in the wrong direction
also do the test you can for your pain
how does it react with other pain such as from a pinch or hot water (not boiling of course) or numbness from cold water another point is how it starts are the conditions the same in time of day or length of activity
get active in this things it might not help the diagnosis at all but i found that my own depression is less pronounced when i focus on both positive things (things i dont have been diagnosed with) and am able to actually do something about the problem no matter how useless it turned out in the end
in this i say get better and dont loose hope
I have a suggestion of a different route
It's not the best. But it's stuff like this that keeps Terry Pratchett going, with an assistant hovering over his shoulder to fill in the gaps.
You've got great editors, fantastic friends, who'd be willing to pick up the slack if you wanted to go down this path. It's less efficient, but it's faster, it allows you to hear the lines in real time (which is great for picking up the little flubs you otherwise miss) and...
I mean, it's better than nothing. It's still something.
If it's too expensive -- I realize this isn't exactly an impulse buy -- I've found a torrent link that I reasonably trust.
2492882 The neurons that work typing writing and those that do speaking are completely different. Just doesn't work for me.
Also, I have zero privacy. I live with a bunch of roommates. The wife and I just rent a room in a house. I hate it when people just look over my shoulder, so I'm not really up to yelling at my MacBook Pro about magical talking ponies with a bunch of people around.