Arg...

[badstar]

Driving me crazy....

So I woke up on Friday morning, the outer two fingers and the part of my palm right below them on my left hand felt kinda tingly/fallen asleep/numbish. I figured I had just been sleeping on my hand- I woke up several times during the night to my hand having fallen asleep due to my tendency to sleep with my head on my arm, but every time I stretched it, it was fine after a minute or two.

Well, this time it never went away. That includes up til now, at 4am on Wednesday morning.

So my first thoughts were "Oh. hell. Tell me I'm developing carpal tunnel...."

But now I'm pretty sure it's not the case. The numbness gets reduced a bit when I straighten my arm, it's far worse when completely bent or if I lean on it, there's this spot between my neck and shoulder that's kinda sore when I press on it and if I rub it for a minute or so, the numbness drops off a bit...and in the last few hours, I've realized that my elbow kinda hurts a bit if It's bent more than just a little.

Oh yeah and I've got a clump of bug bites on my left shoulder.

So I think it's a pinched nerve or something. And I guess this means I need to see a doctor. WHY did this have to come up after I was forced to switch to an insurance plan with a freakin $1,100 deductible???

I'm feeling rather whiny at the moment...

Comments

[falnfenix]

a pinched ulnar nerve sounds like your problem. i've had a recurring issue with mine in my right arm ever since my car accident a few years ago.

don't know how much anatomy you know, but the ulnar nerve goes up the back of the arm, through the elbow, and into the shoulder. you could try having someone GENTLY rub the shoulder area, but i wouldn't put too much pressure on it. the best person to help with shoulder rubs would be a massage therapist (NOT your run-of-the-mill masseuse - must have some medical training).

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Uh...so a doctor can't do anything about it?

[falnfenix]

massage therapist would be cheaper, if your deductible is that high.

my doc didn't do much. they took xrays and the like, but essentially they said it'll go away eventually.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

ah, one of those things.

*sigh*

I wonder if massage therapy qualifies for my HSA...

[falnfenix]

HSA?

[fuego.livejournal.com]

health spending account

basically, they give me this nifty little visa debit card thing and they drop a certain amount of money into it each paycheck, it can be used at pharmacies and doctors offices and for certain other related services...doesn't look like massage therapy is an option. Well...someone else suggested that I see a chiropractor, I may give that a shot though it will likely involve them sending me to a doctor for x-rays and stuff first. At least, that's what happened with the chiropractor that fixed my ankle a few years ago.

[seaya.livejournal.com]

You kinda need to have those x-rays, otherwise whoever is working on you could do something bad to you, if they don't know all the details.

I would avoid a chiropractor, just go to a doctor and have them prescribe your physical therapy, then go to the physical therapist.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Well, either way I'm screwed. I've got enough money on that account right now to pay for one visit to whoever. That's about it. And no extra money to throw at medical bills. So right now I'm thinking why bother...except that I can't freakin' feel two of my fingers. And my elbow hurts. And that spot between my neck and shoulder.

I really hate my company, insurance companies and the healthcare system right now.