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I did say you'd hit a nerve!

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  • I did say you'd hit a nerve!

    Literally.

    I had blood drawn for tests yesterday morning at Student Health Services. I hate shots in general, but this time, while she was inserting the needle into my inner elbow, I felt a twinge of pain up by my wrist. I mentioned it, and suggested she'd maybe hit the ulnar nerve, and could she please pull out? The tech proceeded to wriggle the needle, and say, "That's never happened before. It's fine. Come back tomorrow if it still hurts." She was done quickly, and she did offer an ice pack after, but I had to run to class.

    Last night, about 8pm, it was still twinging occasionally, and I noticed my thumb was growing numb. Worse, as time ticked by, the numbness started radiating up and down my arm. I couldn't sleep, so I gave them a call on the after hours line. After describing my symptoms, the nurse agreed that damage to the ulnar nerve was the most likely cause.

    I ended up going in for an appointment this morning, as they insisted I do so as soon as they opened, and got ibuprofen, a cold pack, and a free appointment to see a hand specialist (who normally ONLY works with the school athletes) tomorrow morning. Oh, and that this could last anywhere from a few days to permanently. >.<

    I already have Ehlers-Danlos, AND osteoarthritis. I REALLY didn't need more damage to my dominant hand! I should have been more insistent when she refused to withdraw the needle.

    Maybe I should have pointed out from the beginning that my degree is in biology. :P

  • #2
    You just gave me one more reason to insist on shots and blood draws from my left arm.

    May you have a speedy and complete recovery.
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      Yeek! O_O


      I had a much lesser issue when seeing my friendly neighborhood vampire last week -- inexperience on her part; it doesn't help that my veins "dance" (as if they know what's coming) and that they tend to live deep within... She stuck me in one arm (crook of the elbow), no luck. Patched that up. Stuck the other arm, no luck, patched that up. Asked for help from a senior tech, who got it right immediately. le sigh. Just glad it was over.
      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
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      • #4
        That's medical malpractice, just sayin.

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        • #5
          Quoth Dragon_Dreamer View Post
          The tech proceeded to wriggle the needle,
          W the actual F? How is that the correct response?! That's like going to your mechanic and having them dump a quart of washer fluid into the oil when you point out they've taken the wrong cap off...
          This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
          I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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          • #6
            Saw the specialist today. He admitted that he'd heard of this kind of injury but never seen one. He was rather impressed when I pulled up a scientific article on Google Scholar. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/....36396182137.x

            Anyway, while he is not ruling out the nerve having been nicked, he thinks it's more likely the median nerve was crushed by a too tight tourniquet, and that the tendon was what she actually hit with the needle. If that's the case, it should be better within about 4 weeks. If she DID hit the nerve, then it'll be 12-15.

            Ice on both hand and inside elbow, a new thumb brace, and 72 hours of 800mg ibuprofen every 6 hours, then as needed afterwards. Also, I need to take the brace off every few hours for range of motion exercises. Cross yer fingers!

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            • #7
              Eeek, you may want to verify with the doctor and your pharmacist on that 800mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours. I used to work in pharmacy as a certified pharmacy technician and the max dose the body can tolerate without risk of damage is 800mg every 8 hours.
              "Oh, the strawberries don't taste as they used to and the thighs of women have lost their clutch!"

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              • #8
                Greeeeat. Thanks for the heads-up. Adding an extra 2 hours to the wait time isn't a huge deal to me, I went without for a bit longer last night due to being asleep.

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                • #9
                  NHS factsheet on Ibuprofen: https://beta.nhs.uk/medicines/ibuprofen-for-adults/ (but of course you should still seek confirmation from your own medical specialist.) It's not like acetaminophen, it's not going to permanently screw you up, but there are risks; still, the fact it's only being suggested for 72 hours suggests the doc's trying to limit that as much as possible.
                  This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
                  I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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                  • #10
                    Yeah, you can go above the long-term max for a few days (see also: Motrin), just make sure its only a few days.

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                    • #11
                      Update: Healing slowly, but a week after the injury, I am in less pain, yay.

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