I agree with ginger in terms of getting an assessment, although you should know going into this that you may need to be persistent. I recently read a study that stated most physicians reach a diagnosis within 11 minutes of seeing you - if, of course, they give you 11 minutes. Therefore, your primary care physician may not nail your problem in the first visit. Or the second. There are a number of things that could be going on, including microtrauma to the wrist, epicondylitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, etc. I would work with your primary care doctor and request a consult with a physical therapist (PT) to do an ergonomic evaluation of your work situation. A PT can also do therapy and give you home exercises if required. A chiropractor is not going to be very useful unless there is cervical involvement - extremities are not their forte. Also, despite what their PR states, most chiropractors are quite reductionist - if you want holistic, see a naturopathic physician or a Chinese medicine practitioner that does both herbs and acupuncture. Finally, don't waste your time taking B6 or MSM. I love how people toss supplements around like they are some kind of magic candy. They are not. I imagine this is like how you would feel if someone told your clients to simply "toss in some annuals" or "fill that space with arbor vitae." If you're feeling a bit stressed, fine, take B6. But if you have an actual medical condition, you need a medical protocol designed by a medical professional trained in natural therapies. To use B6 as an example, this means assessing how much B6 you are already getting (for example, in your diet or multivitamin), if you have an intolerance for B vitamins, if B6 is more effective than other natural therapies, if B6 might work better in a specific form or with another supplement, if B6 is contraindicated because of some other medication you are taking, and so on. If you do need B6, it should be taken at a specific dose for a specific period of time. Same with MSM or glucosamine or SAM-e or chondroitin - MSM in particular is tricky stuff that often requires large doses to get the desired effect. Then there is the issue of where you get the B6 or MSM or other supplements. If you are buying the garbage they sell at WalMart, then you will most likely not get the response you are looking for - not unlike what would happen if your clients were to buy their plants there. To use a metaphor I am sure you can appreciate, first you need to get to the root of the problem. Then, hopefully, something actually useful can be done about it. Good luck.

Hooray, Pam, I'm glad that itchy and annoying bandage is off, at least. Keep working on range of motion, it'll be better a bit at a time. And after you get the cataract surgery, you'll be able to see it too! (grin) Actually my mother, my stepmother and my Dad all had cataract surgery and they all said it was really quick and easy, so hopefully it really is quick and easy! I'll have to check with Ashley's new MIL about those shoes, she works at the local orthotic footwear store, the place that makes special shoes and sells stuff like Birkenstocks and Uggs. They might even be available here in the sticks! I especially like their advertisement about how if you are old and fat and your knees ache, they'll fix you up with shoes, LOL. Helene, I'm glad you are feeling so well. My doc says the same thing, that I can maybe recover faster with PT, but rehab is normally 4 to 6 months and I'll be fine without it if I choose not to participate. As for the stairs, heck, I'm still going down one at a time, so you're probably doing very well. I'm amazed you're getting around so quickly, I can tell you that. I'm doing pretty well too, I think. I'm back to walking to work, and I went to the farm and cut a big maple that had fallen onto the fence line during our last storm. That entailed crawling onto/into/over the tree to cut the ends of the branches that were lying on the fence, and I managed to at least not hurt myself further, balanced with each foot on separate limbs while sawing branches with a hand saw. If I were a REAL farmer I'd have a chain saw.... And I have no problem at all sneezing or laughing, thank goodness, so it appears that my problems are at least dry! Annie

hi i am glad there is hope haha. i am very young i like to say;) i am actually a stay at home the repetative motion i believe to have trigger the same symptoms as u amy was picking up my 2 year old son. now i have different conditions that maybe predisposed me to the DeQ i havent been diagnosed yet lol sorry about all the happy its a nasty annoying pain. but i am relieve to know it can get better without pills surgery etc i already have different diagnosis for chronic painful conditions my doctor got really sad i could see she was feeling so powerless...she really hasnt been able to help so while i see her a lot there is so much pain i have i dont disclose i been in lot of pain for months both hands like u i cracked them except the left one got really bad i coulnt move it didnt swell until next day or2 however swelling was minimal hardly apparent but nurse mentioned swelling can be inside.. well i want to thank u because with all the responses u got it has sort of energized me into well taking control of this so after about 7 or 8 months since first symptom of this new condition i will tell my doctor i got a brace 4 days ago some improvment but my right thumb and wrist got worse thanks i hope u continue to get better however i have just 1 advise for u get s diagnosis and document this in the future this might be of great value. i was a hard worker i loved my job i can't work now but i wish i would have done just that u see i will soon max out and with no other income or help things will get harder mainly for me.. GO TO THE DOCTOR hope 2 hear from u good news ;)

I was in and out of the surgi-center in less than two hours. I was no longer working but could easily have gone back to work the next day. I was put to sleep but it was pretty light stuff. After sitting in the recovery room drinking juice and eating crackers, I got up and walked out to the car, no problem. I certainly did not drive myself home. My son went with me. As I recall, the stitches were out in two weeks and then it is like any other cut that heals -- a gradual process. I have photos of my hand just after the stitches were taken out. I could email one of them to you if you are curious. Nothing gory! One tip -- be sure to wear clothes that you can get on and off with one hand. It would be hard to zip and button a pair of jeans afterwards. Tell your hubs to wear some sweat pants, a pullover shirt (no buttons) and slip on shoes. Either that or you will have to do it for him.