Nevada has had issues with her back over the course of months. Per the physical therapist, it's a stress injury from repetitive fine motor movements. A couple culprits come to mind.
First, gaming with keyboard and mouse. (You know, your hand is in a claw position over the mouse and your pinky and ring finger are slammin' those control and shift keys?) Lately we've played Astroneer, 7 Days to Die, and Overwatch. And I know all of those games are heavy on the shift bar. I can easily see them causing problems.
She also sews – has for a number of years. Pushing needles through fabric? It's painful for me; can't imagine it's any different for her. She usually makes stuffed animals. More recently, she's been making masks.
Her dayjob requirements are very fine motor intensive and very repetitive, she tells me. She works at a hospital pharmacy. That involves drawing from vials, reconstituting gross-smelling drinkables, and prepping tablets for patients to take later on.
She has bursitis, or a bursa inflammation, which per google, is the “Inflammation of the fluid-filled pads (bursae) that act as cushions at the joints. Bursitis occurs most often at joints that perform frequent repetitive motion. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and stiffness. Common areas include the knees, shoulders, elbows, and hips. Treatment includes rest, ice, and pain relievers. Surgery is rarely needed.”
She actually has this bursitis underneath her shoulder blade, and it's pissed off, inflating to the point where it pinched a nerve. This meant one of two things: pain or numbness down her left arm.
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An update!
As I mentioned before, she works at a hospital, so her insurance is fairly decent. Her deductible is around $2,000, which is way better than mine – $3,200? Though so far none of the bills have been too scary. Odd, considering how many specialists are involved, but whatever.
She's still on my insurance – she didn't get this job until after I had already enrolled for the year. I have an HSA plan, er, an HSA bank account, and because I haven't had anything teeth-related or therapy-related this year there's a good chunk available for her to use.
The plan the physical therapist has her on includes some low-key exercises. I think there's three I've seen her do? She also goes in for a deep tissue massage, where they really just beat the shit out of her back. Finally, an injection.
All of those things combined have given positive results in a short amount of time. A couple of weeks? Less stiffness, greater range of motion. She's able to do more gaming, sewing, and now has an easier time at her job.
She's done more art, for sure. I have two examples. I'm sure she won't mind if I post them; they look very nice.
example 1 https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/689576983696638049/741889281483735050/image0.jpg
example 2 https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/689576983696638049/744762806645162074/image0.jpg
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Lastly, Nevada had me do a “poke test” the other night. Which was, not too aggressively, poking at the underside of her shoulder blade to see if there was any sharp pain. Probably ought not do that, but to both our surprise there was none, and that's good.
I love you, buddy. And I hope you continue to get better. <3
#cnv3 #august2020 #writeas #otterai #bursitis
