I'm Finally Getting Answers To Why I'm in So Much Pain

[CO Liberal]

The doctor who has been treating me for the injuries I sustained in the accident in February of 2004 sent me to an osteopath to have a nerve study done. He tested the nerve responses in both my arms and my neck. His verdict? I have carpal tunnel syndrome (pinched nerves in both wrists) and cubital tunnel syndrome (pinched nerves in both elbows). The right arm has more damage than the left, which is why i notice it more. He thinks the damage was caused by my having a firm grip on the steering wheel during the two more severe accidents.

I go back to see him next Thursday, when he'll test my legs. No telling what he'll find down there....

[hickman1937]

1. Did he indicate if it's fixable?

or at least treatable?

[purr]

2. I hope you feel better

after going through any treatments he recommends. I had carpal tunnel surgery in 2001. Three months after my surgery it came back and it hurts 10x worse now. Now the orthopedic told me "well, maybe it wasnt carpal tunnel afterall" :wtf: so I'm on the hunt for a new orthopedic after he told me that.

Good luck!

[RandomKoolzip]

3. Maybe he'll find a trapdoor spider!

Possibly the Magna Carta. Or some week-old scrambled eggs and a Pilates video. Maybe they'll find my moistened teddy bear collection!

Or a pinched nerve.

[asthmaticeog]

4. Or Jimmy Hoffa! n/t

[RandomKoolzip]

5. Judge Crater, maybe....

Or 37 mg of Sporanox, crushed into powder! Maybe they'll find a vat of retsin! Or or or or maybe there's a tube of Maybelline eyeliner down there! OR the Elephant Man's remains!

[asthmaticeog]

6. Is that Ambrose Beirce behind that kneecap?

Or maybe bits and pieces of Amelia Earhardt, jumbled up with chunks of Lindbergh baby? Maybe they'll find my keys!

[RandomKoolzip]

7. Now you're just being silly.

"My keys..." Yeah, right! Why would your keys be down there?!

[asthmaticeog]

9. They've been in weirder places.

Madalyn Murray O'Hair borrowed them right before she vanished, and they turned up in the bloated belly of Jeff Buckley.

[RandomKoolzip]

10. Didn't Mama Cass Elliott choke on them, too?

Or was that Michael Hutchence, who wrapped the key-ring around his neck to enhance his orgasm?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

11. Wrong, t'was Ben Franklin with a kite gettin' NOVA with the key

[RandomKoolzip]

13. Dude, Ben Frankloin's like way dead.

And anthemicsog's like, 30, or something. So that's like so out of the question.

I still think we'll find the answer to the riddle of Rennes-la-Chateau under the kneecap. Maybe there's another Dead Sea Scroll down there, too!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. What of my sense of righteous indignation? Where is that?

[asthmaticeog]

16. That's on my key ring, too, buddy.

You can have it back when you've restored my dignity. :cry:

edit: Koolzip, "anthemicsog?"

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

17. You lost your dignity long before I lost my scruples but, if you

want me to help you, I'll need my scruples back first.

[asthmaticeog]

19. Oh, THOSE are definitely hiding in the femur, I'm sure of it.

And while you're down there, see if there isn't a print of "London After Midnight" tucked away in the peroneus brevis, would you?

[RandomKoolzip]

20. Have you seen my Beta copy of "Police Academy 64: DeathFist?"

Oh there it is! To the right of the tibia!

[asthmaticeog]

21. Oh, DUDE!

I sure loves me some "Police Academy!" Like you know how in every movie that really really timid woman with the tiny, squeaky voice always flips out at the end and screams "FREEZE, DIRTBAG" in a really intimidating and authoritative way? Man, that fuckin shit cracks my ass up EVERY TIME!

Heh heh, FREEZE DIRTBAG! LOLOL!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

23. And there's gotta be somebody's face goin' in some cleveage

else it just ain't the same

[RandomKoolzip]

25. And Hightower ROCKZ!

He's my favorite.

I love it when that guy who makes those noises with his mouth makes noises with his mouth. It's SO funny LOLlol!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

27. That's not Hightower you dolt! It's that other guy!

[RandomKoolzip]

31. Was he in "Police Academy 574: Severed Strips of Sinew Shower the

Superintendants of Saskatchewan?"

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

33. Ahh - the legendary film that was done in all aliteration. Alas

he was not.

[asthmaticeog]

28. It's "Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach"

where he really comes into his own, with that CLOD Steve Guttenberg finally out of the way.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

29. "Police Academy 14: Pineal Glands Secrete the Job Done"

My fave :loveya:

[RandomKoolzip]

30. I liked "Police Academy 32: Genital Warts Attack Amber Frye Castle."

Got that one on DVD!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

32. I have it on beta. Speaking of which, if you find my copy of

Eating Raoul down there get it for me.

[RandomKoolzip]

34. Can do, Chief! BTW, I lost my edison cylinder containing the

soundtrack to "Police Academy 77: Kim Cattrall's Whirling Hall of Knives." If you see it down there, PM me.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

35. Last I saw that it was next to that wax of "die die my darling"

by the Vienna's Boy's Quire accompanied by harmonium and theremin.

[RandomKoolzip]

36. "Quire?!"

What in the Wide World of Sports is a "QUIRE?!"

You mean "vicuna," right? Please say you meant "vicuna." Otherwise I will have lost all respect for you and I won't let you borrow my DivX copy of "Police Academy 985: Lorenzo Lamas Invents The Planets."

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

37. You aren't familiar with a Quire? It means an abatoire for men.

In the context above it means a worker in said abatoire. The Vieanna Boys Quire is a group of youth weilding large metal knives, rotating knives, and the music produced by the flaying of men is their gift to all of us.

[RandomKoolzip]

38. Nominated for frontpage status!

Man-flaying sounds: always a sure bet for listening plesaure. Just ask Alan Mihuento-Chito, who used them for the soundtrack to "Police Academy 62: There is No More Fudge; All Must Now Eat Bear Gall-bladders."

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

39. That was his companion to the Soundtrack "Fried Green Sleens"

[RandomKoolzip]

41. It was?

Nuh-uh.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

42. yeah-huh

[RandomKoolzip]

43. Nuh-uh

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

44. Prove me wrong congoluto!

[asthmaticeog]

46. From imdb:

"...Alan Mihuento-Chito, whose soundtrack for 'Police Academy 62: There is No More Fudge; All Must Now Eat Bear Gall-bladders' was originally composed as a companion piece to his aria 'Gas Grass or Ass, Nobody Rides For Free,' and was only later adapted as incidental music for the unsuccessful Michael Winslow comeback vehicle...'

You is wrong, Chav. DEAD wrong.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

47. Ah, I must have got my years wrong. Glad that you concede that

Michael Winslow was NOT Hightower.

[RandomKoolzip]

48. So this was all an elaborate ruse to get me to admit that

Michael Winslow was not Hightower!?!

DAMN YOU ALL TO HELLLLLL (which is REALLY "down there." Come to think of it, we just came "full circle" twice in this thread!)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

51. Indeed it was and indeed we did

[asthmaticeog]

49. No, the mouth sound guy was Cadet Larvell Jones.

Hightower was played by former Colts defensive lineman Charles "Bubba" Smith, who also did a brief stint as bassist for the Bangles.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

50. Who was the one with the big gun - and I don't mean the Blonde

[RandomKoolzip]

52. I'm learning more today than I ever thought I would.

You sure that was Bubba Smith? I could have sworn it was Patrick Duffy.

Or did Patrick Duffy play the gruff, unlikable police captain in 'Police Academy 83: Babe Ruth in a Mexican Prison?"

[asthmaticeog]

53. You're close - damn close.

Patrick Duffy (R.I.P.) actually only played that Captain's right shin. The other parts of the Captain were played by Charo, Jm J. Bullock, Howie Mandel, Collen Camp, and Adrian Zmed, with a special appearance by Danny DeVito as his balls.

[RandomKoolzip]

54. You're so smart.

How do you know this stuff?

Funny that Danny DeVito played Steve Gutenberg's balls in "Police Academy 415: I Will Crush Your Mother," whereas in the other sequel, he played THE CAPTAIN'S balls. From what I gather, Rhea Perlman played Tennille's balls in that one, too.

[asthmaticeog]

55. Fun fact:

Bob Hoskins was Danny Devito-as-Gutenberg's-balls stunt double in "Police Academy 602: Sneak Into the Woods for Clandestine Sex With Party Clowns."

[RandomKoolzip]

56. You should be on Jeopardy!

I LOVED hoskins's performance as Kim Cattrall's balls in "Police Academy 705: Testicles For The Prosecution." Oscar-worthy, IMO, especially that tapdance routine he did at the end; I've never seen a distinguished British actor play a tapdancing set of she-male genitalia before!

[asthmaticeog]

57. Really? Never?

So you haven't seen "Police Academy 376: A Tapdancing Set of She-male Genitalia," then, I take it?

[RandomKoolzip]

58. I meant "ever since that night at Hedges's house..."

Oopsie!

But on film, no. And no, I haven't seen that film you mentioned. In fact I don't think it actually exists. I think you're thinking of "Police Academy XMCIII: A Taint Ruptured by Papercuts, A Taint Which Tapdances, The Night, And You."

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

59. No - It's Police Academy 1,234: Shit, Shower, Shave the World

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

22. If I find a copy of Exotic Moog down there all bets are off

[jswordy]

8. A qualified massage therapist can help you tremendously

with that. I have been helped, personally. Docs tend to diagnose surgery as the fix, at least around here. The massage therapist can get the facia and tendons to release, and then frequently will recommend specific stretching exercises for you to do at home during your course of massage therapy. The combination is highly effective. Massage therapists can also relieve you of other accident-related pain in a drug-free way. I highly recommend them! Good luck!

[CO Liberal]

12. I Had Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Right After My March 2000 Accident

And acupuncture and physical therapy. No improvement, and finally the insurance company would not authorize any more treatments at all. That's when I got them to agree to an MRI, which revealied one herniated disc in my lumbar area. After that a facet block had no effect, and an SI block actualy made th pain worse. Finally, they did a discogram, which revealed a second herniated disc. I've been on pain management (prescription painkillers and a TENS unit) ever since. They did a pretty good job of controlling the pain, until I was rear-ended again in December of 2002.

The pain kept getting worse and worse, until I couldn't take any more, and asked the insurance company for a referral to a pain specialist. I had just started seeing him when I was involved in a T-bone accident in February of last year. An MRI done a few weeks later revealed two herniated discs in my neck.

The osteopath I saw this morning thinks I sufferred the nerve damage in my wrists and elbows because during the two more serious accidents, I was aware of what was happenning and had tensed up prior to impact.

[jswordy]

26. Wow. Hope you get better. And wow...your insurance paid for massage?

I paid for my own. Insurance would only cover the surgery...which I was not about to have. I was so happy to find a great massage therapist who specializes in such things. She did wonders, as did the exercises. Good luck.

[CO Liberal]

40. Allstate Paid for The Massage....

...because it was done in the chiropractor's office.

[leftofthedial]

15. good luck with, er, "down there"

[CO Liberal]

45. By "Down There", I Was Referring to My Legs

I get sciatic pain in my right leg, and weird sensations in the toes of both feet, as if the nerves down there are getting a jumble of messages.

[leftofthedial]

71. Oh, good

good luck with the wheels.

I had a wreck in January and tried so hard to keep control of the car that I tore every muscle in my torso. Now I have some elbow pain, but I think it's more related to computer use and playing guitar and keyboards.

I had repetitive stresss syndrome in my wrists for a while ears ago. Not fun.

good luck with it.

[flamingyouth]

18. I'm sorry to hear that

I have heard that can be very painful. I hope they can give you some relief. Chronic pain sucks! :hug:

[CO Liberal]

66. Thanks

:-)

[Technowitch]

24. 18 months ago--

I was diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (both wrists), de Quervain's disease (both thumbs), ulnar neuritis (left arm), and lateral epicondylitis (aka 'tennis elbow', right arm).

Cause? Repetitive stress injuries. I make my living as a writer, and back then I was a freelance technical writer who took on WAY too much work all at once. Over the course of about six months, I wrecked myself utterly, and cried myself to sleep some nights for the pain.

After treatment including the use of heavy prescription-level doses of Ibuprofen and Darvocets, plus stopping all work for the better part of a month, I went into physical therapy. This included accupuncture, regular physical therapy at a local hospital's outpatient unit, and deep-tissue work at a chiropractor's office. I also received lessons on proper ergonomics and better work habits. I often used ice and contrast baths (cold and hot water) for additional pain relief and swelling reduction.

I was diligent and follow my treatment regimen religiously, because my ability to type is my very livelihood.

A year later, I was declared fully recovered.

There is hope, friend.

best,

[CO Liberal]

60. Thanks

From the sound of things, I've had these ailments for several years now - no one ever bothered to tell me about it. In fact, the osteopath told me this morning that he was surprised that I hadn't been sent for a nerve study before now.

[Left Is Write]

61. And here I thought you were going to say...

...because your wife wants you to do the taxes!

Sorry to hear about your pain. I hope they can do something for you.

[CO Liberal]

65. I Hope So, Too

I'll know more next week, after the osteopath tests my legs.

[REP]

62. It Isn't "Pinched Nerves"

I have both capal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy (also called cubital tunnel syndrome). It isn't really pinched nerves; in CTS it's a problem with the carpal tunnelnarrowing and compressing the nerves and UN the nerve is actually dying. There's surgery availablefor both (I can't have have either, so no anecdotal reports) and other therapy involves NSAIDs and steroids (again, can't have either so no anecdotes!).

Typing (and mousing) makes both conditions MUCH WORSE. I am limited to 15 minutes per hour at the keyboard, but I have lost a lot of use of both hands (I also have peripheral neuropathy).

[CO Liberal]

63. The Osteopath Used The Term "Pinched Nerves"

I suppose he was trying to put it in layman's terms.

(Laypersons?) :shrug:

[REP]

68. Been Treated For It For The Past Five Years

Have never heard it described as "pinched nerves" but I am seen by orthopedic surgeons and MDs.

Good luck - it's very painful, and it has a poor prognosis, especially in diabetics.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

64. Glad you're getting some answers..in the meantime, vitamin B6(niacin)

can help with that. The nerves pass through a very small opening at the area of the wrist...B6 helps with circulation ...it can make a subtle difference over time.

[CO Liberal]

67. I'll Have to Try That

I already have circulation probems in my hands and feet, the result of a case of frostbite I got while camping with my Boy Scout Troop 40 years ago, when I was 12.

[radwriter0555]

69. I hope you've been to see a chiropractor.

I had the identical symptoms and the problems were in my neck and lower back.

It's not likely that you sustained injury to your wrists and hands and ankles from gripping the steering wheel, which is what the ortho docs tried to tell me too.

I had pinched nerves in my neck and lower back. Activator Chiropractic solved the entire issue in 3 weeks once correctly diagnosed.

I was rear-ended and out of work for 4 months due to the pain and tried to treat it with regular doctors with no results and more more more more more pain. My chiro solved it all in 3 weeks.

Hire the meanest, nastiest lawyer you can; and go to a well regarded chiropractor or else get ready for years of pain.

[Freebird12004]

70. Best wishes on getting all of the right answers

Good weather is on the way !:woohoo: You and Mrs. CO Liberal should be able to go out and enjoy it.