WooHoo, it's NOT Carpal Tunnel!

bbbom · Mar 11, 2003

Good news from the Physical Therapist today - looks like it's a pain in my neck instead of CT!

When I finally went to the doc a week ago Friday he said "hmmmm sounds like CT" in his most authoratative voice. But he couldn't figure out why the standard CT test didn't make my fingers go numb.......................

So after a week on antiinflammatories that kept me wired and wrist splints that kept me mad (and my poor old hound dog dieing) I got permission to see a PT!

He tested for CT and said it wasn't CT so on we went for more little tests. Finally he tried one where he pushed on my traps, pulled my arm and I said "OUCH THAT'S IT! That's the pain I get in my wrists when I ride!" He said it looks like it's due to way too tight of muscles in my neck, chest, shoulders & back. That's when he asked if I'd ever injured my neck. Just whiplash from when the kids & I got rearended in Sept '01. So, now we are going to try stretching, STEM, massage & whateve to see if it takes care of it.

Finally, an answer that makes sense! I'm glad I didn't close my accident case out.

dirty~d~ · Mar 11, 2003

I'm glad to hear it's not CT. That crap never goes away. With faithful PT sessions you'll be tackling log piles again in no time. ;) When you're at the PT's office, ask them if they'll let you play with the muscle-stim machine. :confused: Those things provide HOURS of fun if you can find the right 'lab rat'. :)

firecracker22 · Mar 11, 2003

That's awesome to hear it's not CT! 

Michelle · Mar 11, 2003

Originally posted by bbbom
(and my poor old hound dog dieing)

Sorry to hear about the dog (I think that's what you mean) but good news on the CT front :) Henk's dad had both his wrists done a couple of years ago for CT & drove my ma-in-law mad - he's a real tinkerer and can't sit still, so they went to Fiji for a holiday where he could sit & watch everything he couldn't do lol (she had fun, learnt how to boardsail & went swimming every day hehee).
I'd imagine you'd be just as bad hahaha

GETMETOCA · Mar 11, 2003

Great news bbbom! CT surgery looks to take a long time in healing, so I'm glad you don't have to go through that!

cactusreid · Mar 11, 2003

Don't let the doc cut your tendions in your wrists to relieve cp until you have tried a chiropractor or physio etc. also my wife uses (swears by) MSM & or glucosamine (hci) or sulfate for her old bones& joints. She's reading over my shoulder& she now has my neck in her hands. GOTTA GO!!!

firecracker22 · Mar 11, 2003

YES, I will vouch for Glucosamine in any of the various combinations (with msm, chondritin, sulphate).  I could definitely tell a difference in my knee and my wrist (from doing 8 hours a day of 10 key). 

bbbom · Mar 12, 2003

Yep, I'm sooooooooo glad it's not CT. My dad had the surgery and it didn't go well. I'll have to try the glucosamine!

And dirty~d, they hooked me up to the muscle-stim machine! I haven't had one of those to play with since I got out of college a couple +/- years ago!

Fe_princess · Mar 12, 2003

Good news bbbom!
What's going on with the dog?
What are the symptoms of CT?
Going riding in the Sierra's this weekend!!!

bbbom · Mar 12, 2003

It is great news.

As for the dog, my old Bluetick Hound (named Hound Dog) died last week. He was 12 1/2 which is old for a Hound and he lived a great life. He had full run of the 70 acres and was a frequent visitor to the land around us. He had really been slowing down and I had started covering him up when he was in his bed. Then about a week ago Sunday we found him lying near his bed, too weak to get up so we packed him into the shop and let him rest by the woodstove. It was just time for him to go. We tried to keep him warm & comfy and give him some company (which he wagged his tail to) for his last few days. When I went out for my 2 am Tuesday morning stove stoking duty, he was gone. We all miss him, since he was a huge part of our life for over 12 years. He was sweet, dopey, messy and kept all the mean criters away from our yard. RIP Houndy!

As far as CT though, most docs seem to think that anything involving pain in the hands means CT. As I found it doesn' t though. The symptoms are generally pain & swelling in the wrist area. Tingling & numbness in the hands along with a loss of grip strength and hands or arms that fall asleep at night.

For me, my hands and arms would fall asleep at night and after riding for very long, especially downhill, my wrists would actually burn and it felt like the tendons were ripping out of my hands.

The main test for CT is to put the backs of your hands together out in front of you, with your arms level and your wrists bent so your fingers point straight down. Hold the position for 30 seconds, if you feel a tingling in your fingers it's probably CT.

I never felt anything! But the doc still said it was CT. The PT checked & said, it is NOT CT. So then he had me lay on my back, while he pushed on my trap and pulled on my arm - that gave me the tendon pulling sensation. So it's my neck that is causing a myriad of problems.

Just from the one treatment yesterday, it feels better than the week of medication & wrist splints made it feel. I told the PT that in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't CT but something with my neck.

Fe_princess · Mar 12, 2003

What a sweet description of your dog, thank you so much.
I could just see him there lying by the woodstove.
How did you kids handle it?
Do you have other animals?

bbbom · Mar 12, 2003

Thanks Fe_P. The kids are okay, they were pretty upset but they accepted that he needed to go. We have two female ChowChow's, and 3 cats.

The cats are only about 9 months old - kids talked me into kittens, now they are CATS! The Chow's are 13 & 6 and the older one isn't going to be around much longer - she's a little black fuzzy grouch and gets grouchier by the day we'll miss her but not like the hound. The other one is a big blonde Chow and really sweet. The old one didn't like the hound much because when he was a puppy he'd drag her by her tail. The blonde one loved him. They played all the time. She's confused. She keeps sitting at the edge of the driveway, watching for him. She normally would eat the food out of both of the bowls now she doesn't touch the bowl that he used to use.

I promised the kids we'd get a male dog at the end of school so they will be around while he adjusts. They want a hound again but we'll see. We need something that will protect the place from Cougars & bears but isn't mean and not too big (the hound was just over 100 lbs).

Pegasus · Mar 12, 2003

I know how relieved you must be. ..Thats Great !!
You had to get permission to see a PT? ..those boneheads.. you'd think it would be perscribed right off , Good thing you're smart about your own body and found an alternitive..
Im so glad its already feeling better!

What other kinds of dogs are on the next family dog list?

firecracker22 · Mar 12, 2003

I'm sorry to hear about Hound Dog. He was a cool old dog. :(

If you were home more, I'd say look at huskies/malamutes/etc. I miss my husky so much. But they are very attention intensive and need lots of work. They are naturally willful and hard to train, but smart as hell. Too smart sometimes! They can untie knots, undo zippers on backpacks and open doors if you leave them alone too long. But they love to roam so they would dearly love having all that property of yours to call their own. Just a thought. They are incredibly loyal, kid friendly and happy. Not mean at all. I will definitely have some type of northern breed or mix thereof as soon as I have the time and a good place for one.

Michelle · Mar 13, 2003

FC, NZ's going through a bs stage of "dog attacks" (some of these kids have had half their faces ripped off & stuff like that & we all know how much the media plays on it - everyone has their dog on a lead at all times now) - anyway, one person has died. Guess what breed that dog was/is?
Ya, malamute. Poor woman was a breeder & had 5 dogs. Playing with them, one bit her on her leg, going straight through that main artery/vein (heck, I can never remember what major arteries & veins are where), so she bled to death. However, as it was an accident, the dogs won't be put down & I doubt they even know what happened to their mum. Just an over-excited dog.
Definitely good natured dogs which love heaps of attention (a friend has one) - they often share the forest with us & it's cool to watch them towing the thingies behind them. They have to be out of the forest here at about 9am as it's too hot for them. Neat to watch & I often have to jump out to go hug one of them (or all). After a minute or two of me talking to their owners, they start getting impatient to get moving again.
Really sorry to hear about Houndy, Bbbom. Definitely the worst time of my life when one of my pets dies.

bbbom · Mar 13, 2003

Thanks guys.

Yep pegasus, I tried to just go to the PT but insurance said no pay unless I have a doc refer me. I'm just glad I found a GOOD PT! Just called my auto insurance today to let them know it was coming to them. I hadn't thought about it before but one of the guys I work out with mentioned that I started having all the problems since the accident. Darn glad I didn't close that out yet.

As far as new doggies I don't know. Like FC said, he was a cool old dog - he had a great personality. I always liked the novelty of the hound. His bay was music to my ears. They are bred to hunt cougar, coon & bear so that tends to make them wander a bit. I hated it when the hound would disappear for a few days. I always figured he'd be gone for good. He'd show back up though with scrapes, scratches and often porcupine quills.

I don't really like going through all that again but any dog I've ever been around is going to take off if they aren't trained or fenced.

I also like their smooth coat. After all the work the Chow's take I will never have a fluffy dog again!

Philip · Mar 13, 2003

Good News bbbom! Glad to hear it wasn't CT. Sorry to hear about your dog, we are all pet people here and its always a sad day when one passes on.

I had a couple of inflamed muscles in the middle of my back that was causing a pain in my rib cage. I thought I had a broke rib, tumor, heart trouble, etc. It would not go away and the worries started driving me crazy. After a bunch of test they said it was a pinched nerve in my back. I said yea right. after 5 months of chiro care it went away. I still notice it at times after a hard jarring ride but after some stretching and a couple of days rest it goes away. GO FIGURE! Anyway Glad to hear its not serious. :thumb:

firecracker22 · Mar 13, 2003

Originally posted by bbbom
I also like their smooth coat. After all the work the Chow's take I will never have a fluffy dog again!

I will second that!! Chugach wasn't quite so long haired but he still had plenty of fluff, and he was a PITA to brush. Especially because he was an 80 pound dog who didn't feel pain and didn't particularly LIKE being brushed. He was pretty when we were done though.

Can Can Kev · Mar 14, 2003

awww how can u say such things about nice fluffy dogs hehe, i used to have a Kieshound (sp) he was a grey/white/ black fluff ball was darn tough lil pup too ;) was pretty darn stupid but was a great dog i miss him :(

Pegasus · Mar 14, 2003

Aussies are sure good stick around dogs...good with kids too.. .. They keep busy chasing the kids on dirt bikes.. or hearding you..Never had to tie or fence one..they like to stick pretty close.I shave mine in the summer because of the burrs. .................But nothing sounds like a hound in the night :-)

Hope the therapy continues to go well...You'll be ready to go soon !
See if they wont prescribe a hot tub for rehab !

bbbom · Mar 14, 2003

The PT did mention using a hot tub - wonder if my insurance will cover me putting one in at the house? Hmmmmmmmmm gotta make a call! ;)

Pegasus · Mar 14, 2003

I have known of two people who have done that when their Dr perscribed it.. Wouldnt that be sweet ! Cheeper than surgery..

4EverOrange · Mar 14, 2003

If nothing else, you would be able to deduct the cost of one as a medical expense! :)

WooHoo, it's NOT Carpal Tunnel!

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