Since May I've been waking up more frequently than not because of numb hands. Lately I'm afraid of falling asleep. Sunday I woke early to severe numbness on my left hand; last night I woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. My fingers tingled, felt swollen and ready to burst; I couldn't move them and tried shoulder rolls, an arm massage, a cold press, a hot shower, and laying on the floor to relax my muscles. Eventually they gave up and let me function normally in time for work at 6:15 a.m.
I'm afraid I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Years ago my mom had surgery on both hands. We basically did everything for her that summer. The surgery was successful, her hands are pretty functional, but she still cannot put much pressure on them. E.g. push-ups are out of the question.
I think the culprit is a knot that frequents my back's left side. Pinched nerves can cause what I'm going through. If so I'll take the those over CTS, thank you.
As of now holding up the phone or driving become painful as minutes pass. Meds are not go-to solutions in my mind but I've been taking some Tylenol. Weight loss, back-strengthening exercises, yoga, better posture, and a chiropractor should help.
I struggle to consider myself a true one, but as an artist I can't lose my hands. OK, nobody wants to do that, but we definitely take for granted everything we do with them. What makes me a little more sad is the fact that I was gearing up to pick up my pastels and inks again.
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