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Cold fingers often - diagnosed with Raynaud syndrome many years ago.

Posted By: Indy-MT on 2005-11-21
In Reply to: Cold fingers - Cold fingers

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!!




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

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! 


Depends on which fingers it is. Guyon's canal syndrome is another possibility.nm
x
Cold fingers
Even though I keep my house comfortable, I find my fingers getting cold when I type.  Is it just me. Does anyone have any suggestions.
cold fingers
All the time when I start out before the work area is sufficiently warmed up with the SPACE HEATER. Space heater essential to get fingers going.
Cold Fingers
Try typing gloves! I have the same problem. They do help some. I also have been known to sit on a heating pad while typing -- helps warm me up.
What do you use for cold fingers while typing?
xx
I quit 2-1/2 years ago cold turkey
after smoking about 40 years.  It was one of the hardest things that I ever did.  To this day, I still want to smoke.  I am really relating to feeling like you lost your best friend because that was the same thing that I said!  I wish you well because it is hard to stick to it.  One thing I did want to tell you is that you can get support from the American Lung Association (or was it the American Cancer Society).  Anyway, they have people who can counsel with you, send you literature, can possibly hook you up with a local support group, plus they follow up with you to see how you are doing.  The more I think about it, I think I contacted the American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345 or www.cancer.org.  Good luck!  If I could quit, anybody can! 
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 quit once for 3 years, but then started again. (Quit cold turkey when I did)


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!!
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
I use SoftFlex gloves to keep hands warm, and I have Raynaud's. (nm)
(nm)
Diagnosed w/deQuervain's
I've just been diagnosed this week with deQuervain's tenosynovitis.  I've gotten a splint (very awkward!) and have been prescribed anti-inflammatories.  Are there any exercises to do to help w/this?   My doctor mentioned PT, but I wasn't ready to go just yet.  Surely don't want to have to undergo surgery--thanks very much for any information or personal experiences!
Have you been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia?
I have been diagnosed with every headache there is. I have had 7 surgeries this last 1 1/2 years plus am on multiple medications. I even went so far as to have a C2 neurectomy, which was unsuccessful. My next surgery is hopefully my last. I have an occipital stimulator placed, which works wonders for the headaches and pain in the back of my head. I have to have it hooked up agan, as they removed the wires due to an 8-month long postop infection when I had the wire revised. For frontal ones, I get Botox injections every few months. Not only am I a sufferer but I transcribe for a headache and pain clinic. Feel free to post to me.

You can get rebound headaches, especially if you are using Excedrin Migraine or more than two Fioricet a day. For other people like me, it is a combination of things that are causing them.

Good luck!
Just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes...sm
I would really love to hear from others who have diabetes and any tips on how to live with it.  I just got my testing supplies, a diet guidelines, but now have no idea what to do from here.  Of course my health insurance as of tonight at midnight ends for two months, as I had to switch companies, so hope that does not cause any problems, but we will have to see.  Please feel free to email me or post here.  Thanks. 
Thanks for the article. I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and have been...sm
having trouble adjusting and trouble finding a doctor who understands. If others with fibromyalgia wish to correspond, I will post my email address. There are no fibromyalgia support groups in my area and corresponding with someone who understands would be great!
Coffee is a stimulant. My oldest was diagnosed with

severe ADHD.  Meds didn't work and made his heart race to the point that he was very uncomfortable.   He is now 16 and learned coping skills, but he has been off meds since he was 8.   I always tells parents of newly diagnosed children to try giving their child coffee or Mountain Dew on a weekend when they have nothing else going on.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it makes the kids bouncing balls, which is why you don't want to have any other plans that day.  


The drugs are so bad if you can come up with an alternative it would be so much better.  The nurse at our doctor's office told me to take a pill one time to see what my child was experiencing and it was not pleasant.


 


 


 


In time past my child was diagnosed
with a disease that is catastrophic. He was in college and quit that day. I was employed in hospital setting and immediately sat up Cobra, and carried it for about 4 months I think until which time he got a job and got his own medical insurance. My insurance covered as long as the child was in college. I knew with the disease if no insurance bridge would never be able to be covered again and with the cost of the medications needed just an overwhelming thought and even though I have money, would never be able to cover the costs of thousands every month to be paid out.
I have diagnosed myself with motivation necrosis, possibly secondary to DQS. SM
I hope it's not terminal.  Not old enough to retire yet.  Anyone else with this sickness?
Has anyone noticed lately that there has been a lot of people diagnosed with breast cancer?
or is it just my imagination?
I'm wondering how you came to the conclusion that she has manic depression. Was she diagnosed

with this?  From what I read, it doesn't sound like manic depression to me.  Sure, she has some issues going on there, major depression would be a pretty good guess, but does she have any manic episodes?


My ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law were both bipolar which is the new and improved way to say manic depressive and they were the exact opposite of hypochondria.  During the manic phase, they felt like they ruled the world.  According to them, they had never felt better, thought more clearly, or got more done, but the exact opposite was true.  They never slept.  They never finished anything they started.  They were incoherent at times, basically jumping from one subject to the next so you could not carry on any kind of coherent conversation with them.  Sometimes they were even delusional - my mother-in-law thought she was in love with a televangelist and divorced her husband and moved to be closer to the televangelist.  My ex-husband thought he was the victim racism when he got a speeding ticket.  He claimed the officer had something against Hispanics.  Nevermind that my husband was maybe one-eight Mexican on his mother's side and has a German last name.


Those are just a couple of examples of manic behavior.  It can even be more bizarre.  I could write a book based on what I've seen first hand and it can be very scary.


My son was diagnosed as an infant. Prevacid helped tremendously! Hope she gets better. nm

Restless leg syndrome
I have read in the paper comments by  a doctor that a bar of soap underneath the sheet near the legs will alleviate RLS.  Many people have used this method and they say it works.  Use anything but Dove soap, do not know why. 
I had a doc once with Napoleon syndrome
(little man disease) who told me that a monkey could do my job!!! He referred to me as a "typist." AAAHHHH!!!
Toaster syndrome, LOL!
Sorry I can't help. I am in the same exact spot.
toaster syndrome
I thought it was just me.
Mosse's sign (or syndrome)..

I must have Tourette's thought syndrome too! (nm)
x
carpal tunnel syndrome...nm

Deer in headlight syndrome...
As a poster stated below, I, too, would probably freeze up big time with an oral test. Here is something that I observed while talking to other people about the mttest testing. I took this test for Career Step and then for a large national. Both times, I took the MAXIMUM time allowed, even 'sleeping on it' and looking it over in the morning. I did very well. Some people I talked to did not want to bother taking extra time to be assured of a good grade. They just rushed through it even though I encouraged them NOT to, and failed.

I was hired by the large national, and seem to do very well. High QA scores, and rarely hear from QA...have never had any major mistake. That is because I take extra time, since I am new, to look up EVERYTHING! No, I am not getting rich, but I am learning. And to top it off, I recently discovered that they accidentally? placed me at the advanced level of reports from the get-go. I thought ALL newbies did ops and procedures!

My theory is that the people that would not take the time to do well on the mttest also would not take time to proofread their reports or look things up!

I am sure I would have failed your oral test even if I DID know the answers! Oh well, everyone is different. Besides, you are obviously looking for the well-seasoned MT as is your right.
She will tire of this soon. It's just "newbie syndrome". nm
:)
computer vision syndrome

My eyes have gone downhill big time since starting in this field (around 3 years ago).  I have always had near perfect vision, and this is about the only thing I can attribute it to. 


I have nearly all of the symptoms of this when researching (in all 3 categories; vision problems, eye problems, and general discomfort) - then again, I found that some doctors are skeptical about this.  I have an eye appointment on Thursday and I am hoping that my doctor will take me seriously.  I am at my wits end with this. 


Was anyone told they have this, or does anyone have any suggestions for me? 


Thank you!  


I call it Numbutt Syndrome LOL

I bought this chair from Office Max (link below) when I started working at home. I can work in it comfortably for several hours at a time.


I also do "glute crunches" - tense one side for about five seconds, release, tense the other side, release, repeat several times.


PTSIO Syndrome - Please Read



Moms, are you suffering from PTSIO Syndrome?


This is "Post Traumatic School Is Out" Syndrome.

Symptoms include:

* Loss of balance due to tripping over piles of leftover school
supplies, end of year projects, extra gym shoes and paint shirts.

* Headaches due to sudden loss of any personal time during the day
as well as loss of late evening personal time. they are staying up
later than you now that it's summer!

* Feeling of chaos due to house a disaster 24/7 (used to at least be
clean a few hours while kids at school.

* Earaches due to loud begging from children for sleepovers with
friends, as well as pleas for setting up the pool, and/or going to
the pool.

* Dizziness due to increased shuttling to and from friends' houses,
swimming lessons, summer camps, baseball and other sports.

* Ringing in ears due to phone and doorbell constantly ringing with
friends wanting to play.

* Pain in the neck due to husband's annoying: What did you do today honey?




(DUH! The kids are home!)




*Sudden weight gain and bad hair days due to Mom's inability to go
to the gym, get a hair cut/color caused by kids' constant presence.




*Feelings of claustrophobia due to kids hanging on you, causing
inability to accomplish simple tasks like going to grocery store.




Length of PTSIO Syndrome:




Usually about 90 days (June-August)




Remedies include: Locking yourself in the bathroom for the next 90 days
and/or stocking up on beer, wine and other alcoholic consumables as coping
mechanisms. Other possible remedies include taping therapeutic Oprah
episodes and watching late night. (Lord knows you can't watch it during the day - "their shows are on!)




Prognosis: While PTSIO Syndrome is not fatal, some mothers have been driven to
the brink of insanity, but thankfully almost all regain their faculties by early September.
  

I have a preference for Dead in Bed syndrome myself
.
Just for your info.. this 30-year MT is NOT adding s to Down syndrome
so that is not what the problem is... I don't care HOW long you've been transcribing a split infinitive is a split infinitive!  and verb tenses haven't changed, as far as I know... so don't act like 30-year MTs just aren't "with it" cause this one is!
I thought that was rectocranial inversion syndrome?
I'm outta here.  Y'all have fun now.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
My best guess. 
male Turner's syndrome...? please see inside first.
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:ZCb1hg2MO0wJ:www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/1920.html+male+turner%27s+syndrome&hl=en

is this a child? sometimes symptoms are skeletal deformities...?
Sounds like irritable bowel syndrome ...sm
if you go to webmd.com you can read up on it as well as some things to do to help alleviate symptoms.
There is a disordered called Wilson's Syndrome
I believe.  The TFTs will be normal, but there is still a problem and being put on low-dose thyroid replacement helps.  I don't remember all the specifics now, but when through testing with my primary physician who had an interest in this. 
Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.
I have the above, and neurologist told me that at all times to keep my wrists turned outwards and not bent inwards. This, along with wrist splints, have helped me tremendously and I have no need for surgical intervention.
Me, too. I also have what I call 'phantom word syndrome' - sm
where I heard a word (or words), and was SURE I typed them, only to go back and proofread, and find a mysterious gap where I left it (them) out. Must be those 'word-gremlins' coming in and erasing them!
;D
Sounds like cubital tunnel syndrome (sm)
which is like carpal tunnel of the elbow.

I've been told to bend my elbows as little as possible, and wear knee braces on my elbows in bed to keep my arms straight (or else tie a scarf around my waist and tie my hands to my waist - but that sounded too kinky to me LOL)
I think you can get cortisone injections in there if necessary, which is easier than surgery.
what are the specific symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (sm)
Anyone know the specific symptoms of carpal tunnel? My right top of my arm feels sort of numb, like my forearm and my wrist aches.  Also, my shoulder hurts.  Is this typical for carpal tunnel or maybe something else?
be careful all of you - you could be pushing yourself into repetitive use syndrome formerly carpal t
and then your ability to earn an income is jeopardized.... I know because I have walked in those shoes.
And don't forget avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome! nm
......
I should try this. Posttraumatic stress syndrome is what I have from a childhood filled with neglec
I am afraid of everything. It is exhausting being in a state of fight or flight. I have isolated myself and refused to have children as my own childhood was so terrifying. Did not help that we moved numerous times during school years. Thank goodness for a few sensitive teachers and the parents of a friend. With MT, at least I know what is expected of me. There is no guessing games like there are in my mind when I am in the midst of people.