Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

I don't have Raynaud's but I always have cold hands when I type even in the summer! I keep a

Posted By: MissouriMT on 2006-09-20
In Reply to: Raynaud's?? - suffering

heating pad under my desk.  I turn it on and sit on my lap and use it as kind of a muffler for my hands.  Every so often, I stick both hands into the sleeve that covers the pad and let them warm up.  It works really well!  I also bought a pair of cheap knit gloves, the kind that stretch to fit any hand, and I cut the fingers tips off and wear them when I type.  In the colder months when I get cold feet, I have a space heater under my desk blowing directly on my tootsies.


When I first started out as an MT, I used to laugh at all the little quirks the older MTs I worked with had and now here I am with all my different quirks and orthopedic and electrical equipment just to make my work day comfortable.  And don't even get me started on my drugs! 




Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

I have Raynaud's, so I know all about cold hands.
Raynaud's is a fairly common circulatory problem of the capillaries of the fingers and toes. When your hands are cold, look for distal portions of digits that are white compared to the rest of the hand. Treatment for Raynaud's is keeping hands warm. Wear mittens when it is 50 degrees or below. Don't use bare hands in frozen foods.

Transcriptionists who want to protect their precious median nerves AND keep their hands warm use these gloves:

www.softflex.com

You may actually type faster with them - I do.

Another option is to keep a heating pad on your lap as you work. That's what my dad's secretary used to do in Wisconsin.
My hands get cold, and typing with cold muscles is like (sm)
running or other exercise when not warmed up. I wear thin, warm gloves with the fingertips cut out to keep my hands & knuckles warm. For muscle pains in the shoulders, neck, biceps, etc, try Flexall cream - I find it to be VERY effective. Also try slight changes in chair height, keyboard height and angle, and monitor height. I found if I enlarge the print on my screen, it keeps me from hunching forward to try to read it. (CTL + scroll up or down on mouse wheel to make print bigger or smaller. It will not affect the size of the finished product.) Frequent "mini-breaks" to do other chores: filing etc. if in an office, quick household task if working at home, also helps relieve repetitive stress. A few months ago I thought my typing days were numbered due to various pains & arthritis; now I can work pain-free for up to 11 hours in a day. Good luck! :)
I use SoftFlex gloves to keep hands warm, and I have Raynaud's. (nm)
(nm)
Cold fingers often - diagnosed with Raynaud syndrome many years ago.
I usually try warm water first - if that doesn't help, I have these little packets, normally found in the camping section of stores called hand warmers. One is called Hothands-2(up to 10 hrs of heat), another one called MEGA warmer(12+ hours). One you shake to activate, the other just expose to air - then place them in a pocket or glove. I wear sweats with pockets - put them in my pockets and warm up my hands.

Found these several years ago as we go camping; however, hubby loves going out in late Sept & I'll swear would go all winter if he could. When he's comfortable, I'm turning blue!! He found these for me - and, they also have foot warmers (6 hrs heat), which sometimes I will use in the winter if I'm wearing my moccasins - with socks - while transcribing!!


Cold hands
Does anyone else have freezing hands as they type?  It's worse of course in the colder weather.  Are there any gloves or similar products out there that we can wear while we type?  Any ideas are appreciated!  I freeze all the time, in warm weather or cold, but my  hands are what I need to be warm to keep transcribing.  I need a space heater that doesn't cause my electric bill to go sky high, but haven't found one of those either.
My hands are always cold too.
I have seen gloves with the fingertips cut out, but do not know how comfy they would be to type with.

I sit with a heating pad on my back cause I have arthritis in my hip and when my hands get cold I just put them behind my back to warm them up.

There are also those heat packs you can squeeze or rub together to warm up your hands.

You would think after typing and typing our hands would stay warm with all this exercise, but NO.

Keep Warm.
I'd like them for when I have cold hands

wonder if they would work for that...


I have had cold hands lately
and I tried buying some little stretch gloves and cut the fingers out, but I found in the Sunday paper an add for Miracle Therapy Gloves that supposedly reflect body heat. I was going to order them and try them. They do have a web site it's called www.DreamProductsCatalog.com
cold hands
My hands get so cold in my office that it's difficult to type.  They're stiff from being cold.  Any suggestions for a type of warming glove that wouldn't be cumbersome while typing?
what I did for my cold hands

I bought a duel-headed lamp with adjustable necks (kind of like the 50's space-age atomic style).  I have it on my desk in front of the keyboard with a lamp head bent over and trained on each hand as I type.  The warmth is wonderful, and it doesn't get in my way at all.  And you can move them up a little if your hands get too warm.  No cumbersome gloves that will slow your speed and accuracy down.


Cold hands could by a sign of anemia.
I gained weight, eat better and take a multivitamin with iron in it. Haven't had a problem in years now.
How I deal with cold hands... (see mssg)
My hands are cold a lot of the time, too. I find that in order for my hands to be the proper temperature for typing, my body actually has to be quite warm, sometimes even a little TOO warm. Unfortunately, the Thermostate Police at work always have the temp turned down way too low. What works best for me is to go into the restroom and run hot water on my hands for a few minutes to warm them up, then I put on a pair lightweight glvoes that I cut the fintertips out of, so I can type in them. It may look funny, but it makes my hands happy!
No more complaining about cold hands while working.....sm

Now I have absolutely seen it all.  Found this on accident but just look, if you suffer with cold hands these could be your answer.


No, I mean physically type faster with my hands.
x
Raynaud's??
Anybody else with this problem?  Or just with plain cold hands?  It's only September, and my hands are already so cold I can hardly move them.  Anybody have any suggestions?  I keep my house toasty most of the time, but my hands and feet are always cold, even with fuzzy socks and slippers on (my feet :).  Thanks for the suggestions!!
Anyone have Raynaud's syndrome from typing? SM
Just since January my hands have been ice cold. Sometimes just one hand. Sometimes just the fingertips. I figured these weren't typical carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, because I have no pain. So I did a little googling and came up Raynaud's. It is getting super annoying. No pain, just freezing hands. Anyone else? Thanks!
I started noticing Raynaud's sx when I was young.
I lived in Wisconsin. I thought I caused a problem my grandmother called "frost-nip" by letting my hands and feet get too cold while paying outside. Then when I worked in the OR down here (very cold environment), one of the anesthetists was complaining about her Raynaud's, and her hands looked like mine, so I realized I had it. I brought it up with my doctor, who assured me I didn't cause it. Since you seem to have developed it or just noticed it as an adult, do mention it to your MD. Raynaud's can be a condition in itself, or it can go along with something like lupus or scleroderma, so it might be important to discuss.
Does the hand turn blue? Raynaud's comes to mind.
dd
We did that for one summer...
It was the worst and we were both resentful of the whole thing.  Once he found a great job, everything was better.  A good man needs to work, that is just how it is.  Now our issue is that because I am at home trying to work and be with the kids, I wind up working from the moment I get up to the time I go to bed.  He gets home and relaxes, which really irks me at times, but I am the one who gets to do everything with the kids.  I guess it all comes out in the wash.
since last summer
I just keep sticking with it but many days I am this close to throwing in the towel. There are some really nice people there though.
End of the summer, especially
worst time of the hurricane season. However, Aruba is supposed to be just outside of the hurricane belt so you should not have trouble vacationing there, unless you're cruising of course.
I never even got any time off this summer.
I worked more hours than usual instead of cutting back.  Now, summer is almost gone, and I still can't take any time off.
Happy 1st day of Summer!
Any exciting destinations this year? I'm afraid I just don't have anything lined up except WORK. Ewww!
Try $400 and summer has just begun... nm
nm
I upgraded RAM from 256 to 1 gig this summer for only about
$50 at Best Buy.  Maybe $30.  And they installed it for me.  The $$ included the installation.  Just a FYI
My summer has been very busy
but that's because most of the other ICs at my hospital take their vacation this time of year and the work is backed up.  It really depends on various factors but there is usually an ebb and flow like the other poster described.
summer slow?
People who are low on work might try working evenings. Doctors tend to dictate after they see their patients during the day.

There is some loss of lines with some companies due to EMR I believe
My parents both worked and over the summer they LET us go to

summer camp AND it wasn't cheap for them either.  Three kids going to camp 5 days a week (Thursdays were skate day), compare that to what that would cost today.  My brother, sister, and I were at camp from 8 AM to around 5 or so and yeah we were beat when we got home, but my folks made sure we weren't "latchkey" kids or running the neighborhood getting into who knows what kind of trouble.  My folks spent quality time with us, too, in the evenings, on weekends, holidays, and vacation, but they BOTH had to work to support us.  So, for the person who has unjustly persecuted CampMom, please try to be more considerate. 


P.S. I should also add that my siblings and I have some of the best memories of summer camp.  Did I say that I'm 42 years old?


 


 


I wish. I have tried 4 babysitters this summer and each one lasted a DAY!
My kids are a little hyper LOL!!
Sort of, but can't be any worse than the AC this summer - over $450

My laptop was a godsend one summer - sm

My airconditioning went out in my house.  It was nearly 100 degrees outside and my home was sweltering.  I took my extension cord, my laptop, my transcriber (yep, I still had some accounts on tape) and the whole shebang and moved it to the patio.  At least there, I could jump in and out of the pool, stay in the shade and thankfully there was at least some movement in the air as opposed to the house.  I did that for about 4 days before the air got fixed.  It has also been wonderful for traveling. 


Now, I have a laptop and an all-in-one desktop from Sony.  Even if I need to, I can just take the whole desktop outdoors or on the road becuase it is only about twice the size of the laptop. 


Portability is a wonderful thing.


Stolen Summer (2002).
Synopsis





In 1970s Chicago, two boys bridge the sectarian divide between the Jewish and Irish-Catholic faiths and forge a friendship. When the Jewish boy discovers he is dying, his Christian friend vows to assist him in his quest to go to heaven, with predictable reactions from their families. This film is the result of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Project Greenlight and was well received at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

What are your vacation plans this summer? sm
I'm getting married in 11 days so my week vacation afterwards will be spent honeymooning in Helen, GA, which is where we're getting married. 
Last Dance by Donna Summer
x
Happy Summer Solstice!!....sm

THIS second a mini-vacation begins for me - until Monday morning!!!  *does a happy dance* 


Hope everyone gets some time off for a little R&R this time of year!!! 


Kids home for summer
I'm lucky enough to have a 14 year old as well as my 4 year old. She gets extra money over the summer to watch her while I'm working and in the neighborhood that we live in there are so many kids outside, a lot of them good friends who are older, that it's not too much of a problem. I would definitely look into a teenager in the neighborhood who my need some spending money. Also, last year my youngest went to summer bible camp for a few weeks, and old older daughter went along and volunteered so I had a nice break too.
Last summer I applied to 2 companies and sm
was offered positions at 9 and 9.5, which is basically what I asked; I think I indicated I wanted 10 but didn't push it because I was in the same boat as you. I have less experience than you but am a skilled transcriptionist. BTW, I accepted the lower one because it came with a good production bonus schedule that makes my actual pay routinely between 10 and 11 and a good platform that helps me achieve a pretty high line count.
I started college this summer to get out of it!!! nm
x
? on this ungodly hot summer day, if you could live (and die) anywhere in the world, where would you
choose?  Just one choice please and assume it's your very last move in your lifetime so choose carefully. 
Sure! As soon as I'm back from my summer home in the Hamptons!

Anyone seen Paul McCartney in concert this summer?
If so, how was it?
Our gas prices are just over $3/gallon and summer's coming!

I'll want to use my A/C in my car plus do a little extra driving in the summertime.


Right now it's costing me about $44 to $46 to fill my tank up.  It HURTS! 


Thinking about buying  a bicycle to get around town on!  lol


 


 


to those of you who have young kids at home for summer

As I understand, daycare is a touchy subject here but I am looking for some opinions.  I have been MTing for 10 years now part time.  During that time I had my 3 kids.  With the PT hours it worked out great.  Now not too long ago I started FT (8 hrs/day). This has been since the school yr started.  My older two are in school all day.  My youngest is 2 and goes to the neighbors house. With summer coming all three will be home.  Its tough because they are 10, 8, 2, the older two argue constantly it seems.  I feel bad to have them have to take care of their 2 yr old sibling on summer break.  They all go in different directions.  I am weighing my options on what to do.  Anyone else in this situation or have any suggestions? If I were putting less hours in I would have no prob.  I understand a lot of you are able to do this with no prob, but it just doesn't work in my house unfortunately.


I agree...I have been busy with work all summer
nm
I dont think they will do anything on the new pay plan during the Summer for obvious reasons and
those being if people quit and with so many on vacation they may not be able to cover their accounts. So I bet we will hear pretty quickly in September. Yep I bet.
anybody bored with this summer? favorite month/season?
too hot to do anything.  give me late september or early october please.
Only during the summer. Wild colored toe socks in winter.
;-D
Just don't go in the summer. The guides say that the first week in December is ideal. nm
s
Please, I transcribe from a lounge chair at the pool during the summer.

That way my daughter gets some time at the pool having fun, I get work done.  I do mostly VR, so not a lot of actual transcribing involved, just a word here or comma or period there. 


I've worked from the beach in Key West.  I've worked from the lake.  I take my laptop when visiting family around the holidays.  That is the beauty of having an at-home job and a laptop.  You can take your work with you anywhere and never miss out on family life!  And no I do not sacrifice privacy or accuracy.  I'm good at what I do.  I'm one of those fortunate MTs that could transcribe in grand central station with trains coming and going and thousands of people milling about.  I'm very focused.  Once the headphones are in my ears, you have to pretty much send up a flare or smack me upside my head to get my attention and then you will scare the bejeezus outta me when you do. 


Don't knock it until you try and just because you can't work in anything but total silence and solitude, doesn't mean that everybody needs total silence and solitude.


Working on my Masters in Counseling Psych. I should be done in Summer 2007.
x
In our area of NY, I've found that hot summer weekends are terrible...sm
for sales. No one wants to get out of their cars in the heat! Have done best in early spring or in Sept/Oct., here anyway. And a Fri./Sat. combo is more successful than a Sat./Sun. weekend. Have BIG signs at major intersections and showing the way into your neighborhood and right to your house. Run an ad in the Garage Sale section of your paper. Be prepared for early birds coming down your driveway or right into your yard 2 hours ahead of time. Block your driveway with a car or sawhorses until you're actually open, but be ready to say 'come back later' when people show while you're setting up. Have prices on everything or group things by price in one location. Have lots of singles and quarters for change. Bring your phone outside with you. Paper and pen if people want to call you later. Have packing material for glass and china, plastic or paper bags for purchasers. Some hard candy/mints on a table out of sun helps people stick around longer. If you have big jackets, long dresses, bedspreads, etc. put them up for display - on hangers, in trees, strung up between ladders. Try and keep all your displays up at table height - people aren't keen on getting down on the ground to paw through boxes or check out stuff spread out on a bedsheet. Use every card table, picnic table, folding table, etc that you can find for displaying stuff. If you have anything electric to sell, have an extension cord plugged in so people can see that items still work. Keep expensive small items near you at your 'check out' station to keep them from walking away. And always be ready to come down on price as everyone will ask you, "can you do any better?" Or "what's your best price on this?" Enjoy your sale and treat yourself to pizza after all your hard work! :)