Monday, June 17, 2019

nearing 50

I've had trigger finger on two fingers in the past.  It's a painful condition you can read about here, but I will just say, it's painful and can be pretty debilitating. 

What sucks completely is that I currently have one finger I can no longer bend at all on my left hand, and two fingers that are starting to trigger and are really painful each morning, and get only slightly better during the day.

In the past, I've gone to a hand surgeon, who gave me a steroid shot.  The trigger finger continued to be a problem, and so, both times I've had issues, I've gotten surgery.  Once on my pinky of my left hand, and the second time, on my thumb on my right hand. 

This time, however, I don't want to go that route, IF I can avoid it. I don't want to go through all that again, and more than anything, I want to address whatever the underlying problem is that's causing it. 

So, I've cut out diet soft drinks.  I have no idea if there is any relation to trigger finger and diet soft drinks, but I KNOW I need a reason to quit it regardless.  And to be honest, it's been hard. I've quit Diet Dr Pepper (and/or Diet Coke) before, but I haven't ever been able to kick it for good.

I've also been eating less gluten, more fruits and veggies, and just cleaning up my diet in general. 

I've been reading all sorts of books and listening to podcasts about inflammation (because I think, ultimately, that's the root cause of my trigger finger problem), and relatedly books about brain health and heart health.  And I'm convinced inflammation is actually the root of all evil.

I made an appointment to go see a functional medicine doctor tomorrow.  I don't mind making major shifts, but I'd like a professional opinion on it.  I found this doctor online, and then listened to him on a radio show.  He seemed to have a wealth of knowledge that I want!  As they say, "Knowledge is power."

I haven't been playing much guitar, or making jewelry because of my fingers having their problems. It's all so painful, it just isn't worth it. But I LOVE those things.  And I love my hands!  And my brain! And my heart!  And honestly, MY LIFE. 

I turn 50 one week from today. 50 IS NOT old.  But I'm feeling achy joints and my brain feels a little foggy pretty often.  I refuse to simply let that slide and chalk it up to getting older. I'm still young.  And I feel like I still have a whole lot of living left to do. 

So, my gift to myself this week is this doctor's appointment, which I realize sounds a little weird.  But I'm looking forward to it... To learning more, to making some changes and seeing how they impact my joint pain (and a few other things that are minor), and then getting back to doing the things I love.