...Barely tolerable, I daresay...

K and I went to Loma Linda to have a visit with the hand specialist.  The drive wasn't too bad even though it was a 2.5 hr trip.  We got there early and I had time to try to write all my symptoms and health history with my stupid hand in a splint.  That was fun!  Then there was an hr wait until we were called back, but I wasn't at all surprised.  Go to a big dept at a university and you're gonna wait.  I figured an hr wasn't all that late.

First an intern came in named Dr Lee.  He did a cursory look at the MRI films and a cursory exam and then ran off to find Dr Wongworawat (say that three times fast).  Dr W came in with Dr Lee and a med student and started looking at the films.  He pointed to one slice and said, "what is this?"  I thought he was talking to me and then remembered the student and university and kept my mouth shut.  "Huh?"  This bone right here, which one is it?  Uh...  I'm thinking Radus!  Radius!  He finally blurts out radius.  Good boy.  The MRI didn't show any inflammation in the wrist or thumb, but it doesn't show arthritis as well as a regular xray.  I mentioned to him that I have pain on gripping and opening bottles and bending my wrist and then he started looking at my joints and grinding the base of my thumb against the wrist.  That didn't feel nice.  He decided to get new xrays and asked the intern which study he should ask for and which view.  Roberts view.  I had no idea.  The intern came up with Jones.  It was a name...

Wait for xray, see radiology tech and help him interpret what the orders are and get zapped.  Then wait again to back to the ortho dept and wait to get back to a room.  Get back to a room and wait some more.  Xrays concur with me having early arthritis.  They think I have been trying to support the joint and that's stressing the muscles and tendons in my arm/hand/thumb.  I get it. 

Treatment is going to start with me having a thumb splint made for me at the occupational therapy shop out there.  That's another autho to wait for.  If pain progresses, then we'll talk about steroid shots into the joint. 

We were starving by this point and decided to get lunch and track down where the occupational therapy place was.  Not too far from where we were, actually. 

Now, to find out why my elbow hurts so much!