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Is it at the thumb base? I had mine x-rayed, and it

Posted By: was severe osteorthritis. on 2008-10-20
In Reply to: thumbs hurting - landroverlady

NSAIDs and wearing typing gloves seems to help. Also, after the initial 1-2 yrs. of constant pain, it did settle down considerably, now only hurts if I use my hands for twisting, such as opening jars, wringing out wet washcloths or laundry, or using screwdrives instead of a power drill bit to assemble, dissasemble things. I also have a lot of pain riding a bike. I padded the handlebars as much as possible, and try to ride with the the sorer of the 2 thumbs resting on top of the handle bar with my other fingers, not gripping it.

Anyway, good luck, and hopefully it'll settle down in a few months!


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One for the thumb!!! nm
tt
I know what you mean about the thumb.

I also stretch my wrists, hands, fingers often and it helps a lot!


I agree, my right thumb too, cause it's the
My right thumb aches constantly, sometimes to the point of almost a burning feeling. I know it's because I use this thumb only for the spacebar!
thumb w/ mind of its own
I just recently noticed that my left thumb likes to extend when I use that hand to type.  It is not to the point of being sore or achy, but it is feeling kind of stressed.  I don't know of any other way to describe it.  Does anybody have or has had the same issue?  How do I make it stay down?  Help!
thumb issue
I was thinking that might be it. I do not have an ergonomic keyboard as of yet. I might want to get one pretty quick. I did try buddy taping it to my index finger and hand earlier. That seemed to help too, but took a little getting used to.


my thumb issue was due to
De'Quervans? (I'm not going to look it up right now) tendonitis.  It's located on the side of your wrist by your thumb.  Mine got pretty nasty, had to go the route of cortisone injections then finally surgery but 7 yrs out and no more issues or pain. 
thumb problems
It could possibly be DeQuervain's tenosynovitis.  I had it.  I was in a lot of pain for a long time.  Finally had surgery after several cortisone injections and physical therapy.  All better now, though.  Good luck.
thumb issue
it is DE Quervain's, I know because I do PT reports. Whether or not this is my problem, we'll find out. I have an ergonomic keyboard coming, as I am not going to mess around with this. I did put a hand towel under my wrist pad. It is helping for now. At least, I don't have to buddy tape. That's a pain. lol. Pun intended!
Actually the ones I have do not have fingers, just a thumb.

I really love them, There is a strap around the wrist to adjust the tightness, but the neoprene is a great fabric that seems to work really well for me.  I hate to recommend anything because sometimes what is good for one is not so good for another.  I would recommend going to a surgical supply store and they should let you try them on, that is what I did. 


 


Thumb soreness
Anybody have any remedies to help with sore thumb.  My thumb is constantly sore from hitting the space bar. The longer I type, the more my thumb is tender.  Any suggestions to soften the blow to the space bar
A good of thumb is 30%, that should cover everything.
x
My rule of thumb is a $100 minimum
Of course, closer relatives and friends receive more, but always at least $100 for graduations, wedding gifts, etc. when someone is an acquaintance.
ExText-sore thumb

Does anybody have trouble with a sore left thumb from doing speech recognition in ExText? I have been doing it now for 5 months and have constant pain in my thumb. Just wondered if there was a better way of doing it.


Rule of thumb - THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH
If you don't want to do much, don't expect to make much. That's just the way it is.
Rule of thumb in the NE is October & April when

the time changes. Daylight Savings starts in April and Standard Time in October. It always works for me. Change all the clocks and change all the batteries.


For those who haven't done so yet, though, better get changing.


Left thumb backspace keyboard
I can backspace with my left thumb and space forward with my right thumb. No reaching up with my pinkie to the backspace key at top right. It's called an "Erase Ease" I think. Let's me fly.
But it isn't a "rule of thumb" anymore...Carla is right...sm

Bella, it's not a "rule of thumb" anymore. That was before the advent of word processing software. Word and WordPerfect do automatically adjust the spacing at the end of a sentence to make it more readable and pleasing to the eye. The only reason so many companies still ask that it be done is because that USED to be the norm in the time of typewriters and that's what we learned from Gregg. Companies I work for who are newer generations and know about the ins and outs of Word and WordPerfect know that they adjust automatically in order to put a clear, able to see, nice looking space at the end of a sentence.


However, with this being said, the original poster should still ask her contractor/client/company what they prefer. It is never left up to us unless we're the owner of the contract and developed the template or format ourselves. Especially if it's an MT account that pays based on character lines. Some would say that extra space is no big deal, but just how many Keystrokes do you think that is in a day hitting that extra space after a period? Maybe enough to make up about 10 extra lines or so? Probably. I'd rather get paid than not if they don't want you doing it and you are anyway.


Soooooo, after my ramble....always ask your supervisor, etc.


DG


Rule of thumb on dictation. A dictated
minute on average takes 3 to 5 minutes to transcribe. So, at the top, 60 minutes of dictation can take up to 5 hours to transcribe. Would not do it for less than $20 personally, and then based on what I do now I would be losing money.
My left thumb is the only "finger" I don't use, carpal tunnel is bad enough already.nm
x
You are WAY off base ...
WE don't have any control over any such thing at all.

The MAIN focus is patient care. We're part of the team that helps document that care but that's it.

I do NOT want such politics playing in my healthcare as a patient, I can tell you that.

Those physicians are very intelligent and educated and we need them. I know US physicians that are far worse dictators. The US is a melting pot (I believe Eyetype has already stated this all so eloquently); that is what we are made up of and will continue to be.

Get over it. We just don't have that much power...NOR SHOULD WE.
We have 500 at a base already SM

As early as today, the Ft. Custer Training Center, a fenced-in military base just west of Battle Creek, will become home to 500 Hurricane Katrina evacuees.


I don't think you could be any more off base

Just getting my power back and being able to access the internet after Wilma, I know exactly what it's like.  We're in an area that had to ride out the whole eyewall front, side, and back.  At least with the eye going overhead you get a 2 to 3-hour break.  We didn't.  Our power went out in the early morning hours before the storm even hit and we JUST got it back.   The east coast of FL where I am was told to expect a cat. 1 storm by the time it reached us.   Usually that means limited power outages with restoration of power within 24 to 48 hours.   The eye made landfall over the Everglades and it was moving so quickly that by the time it got to us it was still a cat. 3, and with the forward motion of the storm at 25-30 mph, it intensified the wind gusts to a cat. 4 in some areas.   This was much different than the storm we were expecting.


We've got more than enough water and canned goods to last us, and DS joked that we had enough batteries to power a third-world country.  But, we were on the verge of being out of fuel for the grill, camp stove, and lantern, out of batteries for the flashlights and radios, NO ice whatsoever because there is no way that ice will last for 3 days.  Think about preparing for the storm.  If you buy or make ice and your power goes out before the storm even hits, that means day 1 is over before the storm is even over.  By the end of day 2 (which is considered storm day 1 by FEMA) your ice is already starting to melt.  By FEMA day 3, you're already ending your 4th day and beginning your 5th.  Any perishables you had are long gone. 


In Broward County we were promised that ice would be delivered by 2 p.m. on the day after the storm (which had already been almost 48 hours since preparations were completed and the power went out).  People had been waiting in line since 6 a.m. that morning.   By 8:00 that evening the lines were already 1000s of people long and the ice hadn't arrived yet.  Some people's medications had already gone 24 hours without refrigeration by that point.  It was at that point that the announcement was made that ice wouldn't even be delivered to our area by FEMA until the next day. 


So while it may seem to you that all those people are just standing there with their hands out, it isn't quite the picture you paint it.  Ice was more importance than the water and the MREs, but FEMA doesn't let you take 1 without the other.  So while it looks to you that all those people were waiting for meals because they didn't prepare, the majority of them were waiting for ice because what we had was long gone. 


Coming originally from an area that was well known for blizzards in the winter time, the preparation for hurricanes is a lot different.  In the blizzards when the power went out there were blankets for warmth and indoor natural gas stoves for cooking.  Perishables could be placed outside and ice would keep for days.  Frozen goods would stay frozen.  Not so in Florida.  Until you've actually gone through it you don't really appreciate the difference.  And until you've actually gone through it, you're in no position to judge "all those people" waiting for handouts.


Way off base

Hopefully you answered to the wrong poster as she said nothing about investing in anything to help her KEEP the account she doesn't have it.  If not, you are way off base and rude.    Most of us charge by the line normally and it depends where you live and what you will be providing, printing, is it pick up and delivery, etc.   What kind of doctor, etc.  But most of the time between 12 and 15 cpl, I am at the lower end but that is me.    


I just noticed my right thumb twitching. I tell ya I'm falling apart! Last week my rear end and

left leg were going numb and now my thumb is twitching.  Ya know how you have your thumb poised above the space bar, well whenever I pause my typing my thumb twitches slightly and softly taps the space bar.  I keep rubbing my hand hoping it will stop.  Anybody else have this problem?


Maybe I'm getting to old to be an MT anymore.  Been doing this for almost 14 years and never so much as had a headache.  Now within the last year, I have head, neck and shoulder problems with muscle spasms and tightness, my rear end problems, and now this!  Frustrating to say the least! 


Had a Sony hand control years ago, then my thumb killed me! nm
..
What company are you currently at, what is your base
pay, and how many years experience do you have?  Me, i'm 10+ years, MQ, 9.5 cpl.  Wondering if i'm at the top of the scale and the only way to go is down?  I hate switching jobs as it is, was back and forth between Edix and MQ, pros and cons of each, but I want BIG BUCKS!!!!!
Does anyone have any idea what my base pay

will end up being on the new payment plan?  I do clinical and ER reports/discharge summaries.  I've been a Transcriptionist for 8 yrs (worked with them for six).   I currently make 8 CPL as it is.  


I really  need to know what I might make with this new plan.  I NEED THE MONEY.  I SURVIVE ON THIS PAYCHECK.  Nervous as all he** right now. 


Obviously not part of the base of
..
I am making 8 cpl base
I average 1800 to 2000 lines per day and gross 40K with just 8 cpl with incentive and that's not including any overtime. Maybe my production is above average, but my pay rate certainly is not.   
Again, you can't base your rates on what
Are you an MTSO yourself, Suzanne? I would say not because if you were, you'd know there are just too many variables. How do they charge? 65-char. line or gross line? Are they paying for spaces or no spaces? What kind of account is it? What supplies will you need to service the account? What equipment will you use and what kind of maintenance does it need? Will you need to hire SCs to work on the account? All of those things will make a HUGE difference. For example, a gross line at 8 cpl is actually more like 10 cpl using a 65 char. count (do the math and you'll see). Saying one MTSO charges 15 cpl and another charges 13 cpl is not comparing oranges to oranges unless their account specs are identical, which you cannot be sure of from an anonymous MB.

You take all of the above into consideration and come up with a line rate for each client on a per-client basis. The only time you need to worry what others are charging is to see whether you are competitive or not. Find out what you need to make and if it happens to be too far above what others in the area charge, you can negotiate a little in order to obtain the business.

I do not undercut myself because I do all of the above and charge what I need to charge for each client in order to turn a profit. I couldn't care less what other MTSOs charge in MI and MO. I know the market in my area and each person needs to consider that when branching out on their own.
Me thinks you are way off base.
You may want to find a new career.  When you refer to drop in for an hour or two, you are speaking about ICs who in no way are any less professional than you are working from your home as an employee.  Some MTs work from a typing pool meaning they can take a job at a time and make money in that fashion as a contribution to the household (paying bills I might add).  Many professions offer at home employment.  We are not the only ones.  I think you have a bad attitude and should probably find somewhere else to drone in your sorrows.  Many of us here are professionals even at home with a husband and children.  It kind of sounds like you are jealous about husbands that make money and have insurance.  You may want to re-think what you are saying in regards to MTs working from home and not being considered a professional.  In my experience, my friends and relatives are envious of my being able to make a living from my home office, so I'm not sure who you have that talks about you to where you cannot defend yourself, but that is usually a psyhiatric entity called paranoia.  Sorry to say, but you make as much as you'd like as long as you can "hang with the big dogs".  If you are not making enough money, then that is for you to either take some courses in typing and anatomy or just go with the flow.  To blame at home MTs is way off base.   
Sure, base it off of 1 experience....
that makes a whole lot of sense .  You must be the same person who said Radiology was an "easy specialty," right?
I would certainly base my decision around what
What are your hobbies or activities that you really enjoy? Look for a way to find training/employment in those areas.

It's not too late to go back to school at all. Though it will take some time and investment. You might discover your perfect interest along the way!

I'd open an Internet Cafe that serves gourmet baked goods, sandwiches, etc. :)


Base for the ball chairs
I actually bought my exercise ball/chair through ebay and it came with a base which has a small back support as well as wheels.  It works out great.
Thank you your reply. He/she says the client base
is there and I know the funding is there. The plan is in its early stages, but they are ready to go forward and will. I can't decide whether this is something I want to get involved in or not and I appreciate your input!
Don't base your quote on rates

Why are you a better deal than anyone else?  It's not because of rate, it's because you care about your work and you're reliable -- what else?


ASK them what they've been paying -- they won't know because they probably won't understand their invoice.  Ask them to send you a copy of the invoice.  Reply to me privately if you need to, I'll help you figure it out. 


But even if you get that, keep the focus of the discussion off price, keep it on your quality, your caring, your reliability, what you can offer them.  Do you buy EVERYTHING based on price?  If not, think about the things you buy based on quality and base your letter on that. 


If your sole value is because you have the lowest price, you're fighting a losing battle.


Our president has even alienated his own base.

I visit a local political board that is primarily conservative (something I am totally not, but it's still fun to go watch the "fireworks") and even the hardcore Republicans are peeved at him.  Apparently this immigration "amnesty" bill he's pushing has really not settled very well with his "peeps."  I didn't vote for him twice, so my conscience is clear, but I still think he's a tool, president or not.  I never had respect for him and never will.  I know I am not alone either and I'm sorry if that offends you, but I'm exercising one of the primary freedoms that our poor soldiers are dying and getting wounded for--freedom of speech. 


This is my base rate for surgeries sm
I have an incentive program, I can make more, but this is my base rate. I had this rate at another company where I did OPs for 4 yrs and I made really good money at it typing just outpatient surgical notes (6 hours a day, 1500-1700 lines a day average during that shift).

In point of fact, it is much easier to get normals set up for this situation than for OPs in a hospital because you have fewer doctors and fewer different procedures.
maybe spray outside the house around the base? NM
.
It is a startup company with base in Phillipines. That is all I know! nm
x
I've used it. There are a ton of knowledge base forums out there
where you can research your results.
Thanks, Mardi. My base rate is .085, so the most I am paid . . .
is .095 a line, whether it be 16,000 or 20,000 lines per pay period. I try to get 1800-2000 lines a day, or 9000-10,000 lines a week. This is for employee status, 1st shift, acute care, with 15+ years' experience.

I have seen so many job listings only requiring 5000-6000 lines a week and a line rate of .07-.09, and figured my .095/line was about average. If I can do better than this, please let me know!!!

I just assumed the low line requirements were due to the fact that anything more than that was impossible, whether it be due to ESL dictators, complicated platform, or just the lack of work. I would love to know of any MTSOs that can provide enough work for my production level with a better line rate. Thanks again!!
Dolfan you are so far off base you are foolish. I don't troll these boards and don't come her

that often. I am baby-sitting and I can be on the computer on and off today.  Can't work.   I don't know what you are talking about trolling when there is a discussion going on with people's taste in men.   You are LOL with your "wisdom" and "insight" on trolls. 


PS:  Sorry if you like girlie men.  Didn't mean to offend you.  It is what it is and the unisex look is okay for some, male and female.


 


you are soooooo off base, it really is funny. i am a single woman who
runs my own household. i try to surround myself with smart people, or at least as smart as myself. i am not threatened by anything but the dumbing down of america and lots of that can be seen in situation comedy for the masses. i raised four boys, all of whom are doing very well in life and i can do things i can't do and know things i do not. i am not threatened by them. i enjoy them. i am a student of life even at my age and want to learn and be amused not at the expense of someone else, male, minority, blonds, etc.
Mayo Clinic in AZ has an ad for in-house MT in Advance Mag, $19/hr base pay. sm

Plus shift diff and bonus, plus $1000 sign-on bonus, and relocation $. What a great offer if it's true.


Have you forgotten we have not gotten the new pay plan yet which will lower the base rate I am sure
and be incentive tiered according to production which is next to impossible on so many accounts anymore. This is only the beginning of the pay decrease.
At our base the civilian employees are treated worse
than the prisoners from the nearby federal prisoner. Military thinks civilians are the scum of the earth. You will never get a promotion or recognition unless you are married to an active duty person.
Many words are formed with a base word with a prefix or a sm
suffix or both and are not picked up in spell check. Arousable is a word formed by combining arouse with the suffix -able and in this case the E is dropped and the able is added. This has been going on for a long time and like the above poster says, many of these forms are not in spell check.
Exactly! We have a broader knowledge base. My sister has been an RN for 30+ years and I have the u

I could never do what they do.  I am an anxiety-ridden person and the thought of someone's health and well being, not to mention physical comfort or discomfort being completely my responsibility and then to be able to function in a calm, methodical manner in a high-stress, life or death situation...  Well, let's just say I know I could not handle it.  I would have a nervous breakdown. 


It's a pity that some nurses can't return to the favor and respect us for what we do.  My sister respects me.  She actually comes to me with medical questions because she realizes she doesn't know it all and I basically get a medical education on a daily basis what with new terms, drugs, procedures, equipment, etc.  And let's face it, MTs are the masters of research and medical references, searching the internet, etc.


But all people see when they see an MT is that we sit at a desk all day and type and to them it looks easy.  It's just a shame.


Just got a letter in the mail from MQ stating that they will be paying 80% of our base rate for ASR.
So this is the start of the new pay plan the rest of which isnt out yet. We will lose 20% of our line rate for ASR starting October 1.
Next they will reduce the base pay we get just wait and give us incentive tiers which will be almost
impossible to make. Great fun. This company sucks big time. I have never been so sick of jumping around in accounts to make lines and then expected to have no blanks and maintain 98% quality. What A--holes they are. I can hardly stand to even talk to those people anymore. They are nothing but BS like MQ tells them to be.