When Pinkerton managed our building's security, we were deluged with false alarms. The alarm system used to be configured to phone the police when triggered, but we had to disable that because we kept getting charged for the false alarms. So much for break-in detection. We told Pinkerton to take my phone and pager number off of the notification list for alarms, but they never did took it off. We sent them printed, paper lists five times without my name, and they never took it off or added new people. I changed my answering machine to tell Pinkerton not to leave messages for me, but they did anyway. We changed security companies, and they fixed all of these problems the very next day.
So imagine if Pinkerton ran an annonymous arrest-a-depressed-person service:
John, a fifth-grader, cries at school when he finds out his gerbil died. Very sad. He starts feeling better after his dad takes him out for icecream. The next day he's met at school by a Pinkerton force of cops and medics. He is immediately injected with Haldol, wrapped in restraints, and hauled off to a locked ward that smells of pee.
The next day or so someone gets around to unstrapping and interviewing him, and discovers that John's gerbil died, and he's not planning to shoot anyone. In fact, he was feeling much better until the Haldol part. The counselors apologize for putting him out and send him home.
The next day when he gets to school, he is immediately pounced upon, shot full of Haldol, restrained, hauled off and interviewed. He explains the they already picked him up once and found no problems. What gives? The counselor explains that he was on the list. Probably no one bothered to cross him off. He is invited to send a letter explaining why he shouldn't be on the list. He does so, and nothing happens for a week. John and his family breathe a sigh of relief.
The next week, Haldol-wielding goons are back! When the councilor finally gets to John, he asks why he's still on the list when he sent in a letter. The councilor shrugs and says that he doesn't have authority to take someone off the list himself. John must send the letter.
John's starting to get depressed. The gerbil business is done with, but he's really behind on his homework, and all of his friends are making fun of him.
John gets tackled by Pinkerton one more time. This is just too much. He steals a friend's father's 9mm and two boxes of ammunition. Sneaking the weapons and ammo into the local pet store (under a trench coat, of course), he opens fire at the gerbil cages. Unfortunately, John is so afflicted with tardive dyskinesia at this point that he misses the gerbils and accidently mows down thirty second-graders on a field trip, a cop, and a nun.
Computer people rarely have CTS, which is common in jobs like food service and manufacturing. Someone I know who strings beads for a living had to have surgery on both her wrists. Symptoms of CTS usually include numbness and tingling of the middle finger, along with the familiar pain.
More likely you are suffering from tendinitis, which is generalized pain and soreness in one or both wrists and hands. If you use emacs often, and you have left-hand numbness and tingling in your little finger and along the back of your elbow (that 'hit your funny bone' feeling, which isn't funny at all), you have ulnar neuropathy. This is from the stretching of the nerve through repeated slamming of the control key with the left pinky.
In any case, you probably do not need surgery. One of the reasons why CTS surgery fails is that most people don't have CTS. Even if you do, you can probably substantially relieve the pain reduction without surgery.
1) Like others have noted, you need to work on proper posture, keyboard position, and chair adjustment. Not exciting, but required even if you do have surgery. Also, get enough sleep so that your body can recover from the day's damage. If you have 'emacs disease,' you could switch to vi. At least make sure you have a right-hand control key mapped and that you use it as often as the left. If your right hand hurts and you are right handed, it's probably the mouse. Get a good trackball.
2) Take your Tylenol or Advil to reduce the swelling and inflammation. This is not a case of just numbing it so you can do more damage; swelling reduces blood flow and prevents healing. Use tiger balm ointment and warm soaks also. I used to apply ointment to my hands and cover them with socks when I went to bed to keep the ointment warm.
3) Check out alternative medicine, even if you have to pay out-of-pocket. I started Chinese acupuncture when I began having bad problems with ulnar neuropathy. I added regular chiropractic care later, and keep up both treatments to stay ahead of the damage. I recommend both highly.
4) Your doctor may offer cortisone shots to reduce the inflammation and help healing.
5) Once you start feeling better, begin a program of regular gentle exercies to strengthen your wrists. Learn to juggle.
Remember that even if your health plan covers surgery, it's painful, requires lots of downtime, and exposes you to evils such as hospital-borne infections and hospital food.
Slashdot Mirror
When Pinkerton managed our building's security, we were deluged with false alarms. The alarm system used to be configured to phone the police when triggered, but we had to disable that because we kept getting charged for the false alarms. So much for break-in detection. We told Pinkerton to take my phone and pager number off of the notification list for alarms, but they never did took it off. We sent them printed, paper lists five times without my name, and they never took it off or added new people. I changed my answering machine to tell Pinkerton not to leave messages for me, but they did anyway. We changed security companies, and they fixed all of these problems the very next day.
So imagine if Pinkerton ran an annonymous arrest-a-depressed-person service:
John, a fifth-grader, cries at school when he finds out his gerbil died. Very sad. He starts feeling better after his dad takes him out for icecream. The next day he's met at school by a Pinkerton force of cops and medics. He is immediately injected with Haldol, wrapped in restraints, and hauled off to a locked ward that smells of pee.
The next day or so someone gets around to unstrapping and interviewing him, and discovers that John's gerbil died, and he's not planning to shoot anyone. In fact, he was feeling much better until the Haldol part. The counselors apologize for putting him out and send him home.
The next day when he gets to school, he is immediately pounced upon, shot full of Haldol, restrained, hauled off and interviewed. He explains the they already picked him up once and found no problems. What gives? The counselor explains that he was on the list. Probably no one bothered to cross him off. He is invited to send a letter explaining why he shouldn't be on the list. He does so, and nothing happens for a week. John and his family breathe a sigh of relief.
The next week, Haldol-wielding goons are back! When the councilor finally gets to John, he asks why he's still on the list when he sent in a letter. The councilor shrugs and says that he doesn't have authority to take someone off the list himself. John must send the letter.
John's starting to get depressed. The gerbil business is done with, but he's really behind on his homework, and all of his friends are making fun of him.
John gets tackled by Pinkerton one more time. This is just too much. He steals a friend's father's 9mm and two boxes of ammunition. Sneaking the weapons and ammo into the local pet store (under a trench coat, of course), he opens fire at the gerbil cages. Unfortunately, John is so afflicted with tardive dyskinesia at this point that he misses the gerbils and accidently mows down thirty second-graders on a field trip, a cop, and a nun.
This will be the tragedy of WAVE.
More likely you are suffering from tendinitis, which is generalized pain and soreness in one or both wrists and hands. If you use emacs often, and you have left-hand numbness and tingling in your little finger and along the back of your elbow (that 'hit your funny bone' feeling, which isn't funny at all), you have ulnar neuropathy. This is from the stretching of the nerve through repeated slamming of the control key with the left pinky.
In any case, you probably do not need surgery. One of the reasons why CTS surgery fails is that most people don't have CTS. Even if you do, you can probably substantially relieve the pain reduction without surgery.
1) Like others have noted, you need to work on proper posture, keyboard position, and chair adjustment. Not exciting, but required even if you do have surgery. Also, get enough sleep so that your body can recover from the day's damage. If you have 'emacs disease,' you could switch to vi. At least make sure you have a right-hand control key mapped and that you use it as often as the left. If your right hand hurts and you are right handed, it's probably the mouse. Get a good trackball.
2) Take your Tylenol or Advil to reduce the swelling and inflammation. This is not a case of just numbing it so you can do more damage; swelling reduces blood flow and prevents healing. Use tiger balm ointment and warm soaks also. I used to apply ointment to my hands and cover them with socks when I went to bed to keep the ointment warm.
3) Check out alternative medicine, even if you have to pay out-of-pocket. I started Chinese acupuncture when I began having bad problems with ulnar neuropathy. I added regular chiropractic care later, and keep up both treatments to stay ahead of the damage. I recommend both highly.
4) Your doctor may offer cortisone shots to reduce the inflammation and help healing.
5) Once you start feeling better, begin a program of regular gentle exercies to strengthen your wrists. Learn to juggle.
Remember that even if your health plan covers surgery, it's painful, requires lots of downtime, and exposes you to evils such as hospital-borne infections and hospital food.