What’s on the iPod: Through the Dirt and the Gravel by We Were Promised Jetpacks
Lovely, albeit hot weekend. Early Saturday morning I drove to northwestern Connecticut to see my son and his girlfriend. The drive was beautiful — just a little rain as I was leaving home — and I was able to put the roof down and enjoy the summer breezes. My son had a full day planned. We fished (I caught my first trout), we ate, we walked and we went to the carnival in town, though that lasted just three minutes. Too geared toward young children. I was able to see his new house, which he should be in by Christmas. We spent some time at the river Sunday while they exercised their springer spaniel, who’s part fish. Then I drove home on an overcast day — perfectly comfortable to drive in — and watched it get increasingly hotter as I got closer to home.
One thing I had to contend with was an unexpected, extra-painful case of carpal tunnel syndrome. I mouse with my left hand to avoid shoulder strain on my right side, and recent bad habits has caused to back of that hand to swell and ache like mad. I’ve gradually lost strength in it, but by Friday it was excruciating. The mouse is already on the right side of the keyboard, where I intend to keep it until this simmers down.
But now I have to work with a minor disability. It’s going to take time to get used to the new mouse and keyboard positions. Today the hand is looking puffy, but not as bad as it was. The pain has subsided some.
It brings up a big concern. How do you work when you’re injured or ill? Illness — short-term stuff — is a bit easier to deal with. You simply get extensions where you can and push through when you’re able. But if you break an arm, a finger, a hip — how do you operate as a writer? How can you do your job normally without one of your must-have tools?
If this continues, here’s how I plan to get through:
Software. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy Dragon Naturally Speaking anyway, and now may be a great time. The less I have to type, the better. But a speech-to-text application will alleviate the need to type with a sore hand.
Medical aids. I’m shopping for a wrist brace. It’s not my wrist that hurts, but having something on my arm will force me to remember to stay aligned and slow down a bit. Until I find that brace, I’m using an Ace bandage.
Modified duties. In worker’s compensation cases, the employers try to keep employees engaged in the job by giving them lighter duties. In my case, instead of typing, I’ll schedule phone calls, research some new client prospects, and consciously shift away from the keyboard to more mind-specific tasks.
Time off. Hello! Aren’t we allowed time off for injury, too? Sure, it hits our wallets more than the average worker, but sometimes a day without working is exactly what’s needed. I have two things to type today, then I’m resting this hand.
Have you had to work through an injury? How did you manage your workload?
Thankfully I've never had a serious injury or illness. Worst I've had to work through is doing interviews with laryngitis.
Now that I think about it – when I first started out I got a really bad rope burn over the entire palm of one hand. (Big dog Bear was alive then, and all 110 pounds of took off after a squirrel or something, pulling his leash – a 1" thick nylon rope – through my tightly gripped hand.) Concerned I wouldn't be able to type, I went to the dermatologist who cleaned it properly and – since I'm allergic to the adhesive in 99% of bandages – he decided to try a "liquid" bandage. Felt worse than salt in a wound when applied, but the sting wore off quickly and it allowed me to work.
Congrats on your first trout! The hand sounds painful, so take it easy.
Sick leave is one of the few benefits I retain with my teaching job and I'm thankful. As a solo business owner it is difficult to take any time off. I've considered opening another bank account with a sick leave savings. Tough decision for sure.
On B'way, I worked through illness & injury all the time. That was the gig — if they didn't have someone to cover you, you did it. Or you were out of a job.
I'm kinder to myself now, although if I have a deadline, too bad for me. Work through it, get it done on time, and THEN take time off.
It all depends on the schedule.
I try to catch problems early enough to take some preventative measures.
In your case, find a good acupuncturist — I know several people who use them for carpal tunnel, and it makes all the difference in the world, not just pain management, but actually improving the condition.
Feel better soon.
I've worked with good chiropractors for years to keep my carpel at bay…rest really helps… and http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1886278358/ninja-standing-desk?ref=live is a standing desk at a reasonable price that may really help…
When I'm not writing, I'm a part-time communications professor and the marking must go on. I had my worst case of carpel tunnel ever last year, so I bought the brace and 'borrowed' my husband's Dragon software. Both made life immediately bearable. Sleeping with the brace on made mornings much less painful, and once I got Dragon working with my voice and Track Changes, my 'mousing'and typing were reduced to more than manageable levels. I recommend both and wish you a speedy recovery!
Paula, Why doesn't it surprise me that you lost work to rope burns? You have the most interesting stories–I want to hang out with you!
Devon thanks for the recommendation. I found one way to avoid problems; I'm using speech recognition software to write this
post. It's included on Windows 7. Anne, I've not use a chiropractor for a while. How do they help with carpal tunnel?
wrightwriter, where did you get your brace? Did it help for pain on the back of your hand? How did you like Dragon? Right now I'm using windows and I'm finding it quite easy, though it slows me down. Maybe that's not a bad thing!
Wade, it was a little trout, but it was pretty nonetheless! Thanks for the healing thoughts.
I tried Dragon but it wasn't for me. The speech program that came with Windows is much faster & more intuitive and took less time to train.
Gabryyl, thanks for letting me know. I was tempted, but I figured I'd try the free one first. Glad to hear it works better!
I only missed one morning's worth of work from the rope burn – once the "liquid" bandage was on I was able to use my hand fairly normally.
And the incident wasn't very exciting – big dog pretty much pulled me through the yard with me hanging on so he wouldn't get loose. (He was shepherd-husky, and huskies – all sled dogs, really – are notorious for getting lost because they just take off and run, and run, and run.)
I've got some intense shoulder issues on my mouse side, which worries me, as I feel I've got 35 more years in this career. I got to chiro, massage, have a workspace which can be stand up or sit down, and use the mouse on the other side, too. I also will laptop it on the futon in my office. Basically, I just try to switch things up as much as possible.
I may try the Windows voice….
Allena, try moving your mouse to the left side. My shoulder pain was intense, too. I trained myself to "mouse" with the left hand and until recently, it's been great.