Quick slants for today:
- Amongst the few physical maladies I’m fighting presently, the pinched nerve in my neck, which affects my left entire left arm, is easily the most annoying.
- Not only are the manifestations (attacks of numbness, tingling, noticeable loss of strength, and (now thankfully rare) muscle spasms in my left bicep) of the pinched nerve annoying, but the inevitable consequences of having the problem are even more so. Physical discomforts I can live with; harder to swallow is the impaired function of my left arm.
- As I’d said, my left arm is noticeably weaker than it used to be, but the bigger problem is the loss of fine motor control. I can quite easily regain the lost power.
- The loss of fine motor control is somewhat distressing because I use my hands to do so many things. From playing guitar to writing to using a screwdriver and other tools, my hands are so important to me.
- Sometimes I think that what a person can do with his/her hands largely defines who/what they are.
- I’m more afraid of losing the ability to use my hands than I am of losing my legs. God forbid that either disaster strikes, but if I had a choice, I’d rather not lose my hands, please.
Thankfullly, the pinched nerve problem seems to be abating. The first week was the worst; this is now the third week that I’ve lived with this issue, and the tingles seem to be decreasing in both frequency and in severity. I’m thankful for that.
Before anyone asks, yes, I’ve tried to arrange a doctor’s visit for this problem. The people who know me best know that if a health problem or bodily ache or pain is something I can endure, I don’t even take medicines for it; if the problem gets to be unbearable, or if it severely affects my life, then I go ahead and see a medical professional. This pinched nerve qualifies as one of those severe problems. Unfortunately my primary care physician is booked solid until well into the first week of May. Quite inconvenient for me, for sure.
I hope the trend of improvement continues.
Joe-Pinions: Scribbles and Sketches 