Hands Down

Hello, dear readers!

This may be a short one.

I say ‘may’, because it’s equally likely to turn into another of those ‘stream of consciousness’ type posts (what? You think I plan these out?).

I will, however, at least try to exercise a little moderation, and the reason for this uncharacteristic attempt at brevity? Well, read on.
Illin'
As you may or may not know (and if you read the banner at the top of the page, you will) I suffer from a dizzying array of maladies, amongst whose number is Multiple Sclerosis.

I won’t bore you with the details of the events surrounding the original diagnosis of this affliction as I’ve done that too many times before (see here, for instance), but concentrate instead on the here and the now, where my hand is hurting.

One way MS manifests, you see, is a phenomena called ‘banding’. It’s a weird sensation of tightness existing somewhere under the skin; almost as if someone snuck in, tied a rubber band around your arm (for instance) and let it sink beneath the flesh.

That turned out a bit gorier than I was going for.

Stabby McStabbyson
Now, this sensation comes and goes, hitting various parts of my body depending on which part of my brain’s protective sheath this wonderful disease has tricked my immune system to try and eat, but lately it seems to be concentrating on my hands, which is a nuisance.

As a manual wheelchair user, one’s hands come in quite useful for making said mechanism move and are therefore an intrinsic part of my independence. I also enjoy writing and without full and unencumbered use of my hands and fingers (knees and toes, knees and toes?), I would be unable to peck at the laptop’s keyboard in my trademark inefficient way.

So, yes, the occasional tightness in my hands has been annoying to say the least, and the sharper, more stabby pain that erupted in my left hand yesterday, plain infuriating.

Cause And Effect
To be fair, I’m not sure this latest pain-in-the-arm is MS related, because not everything is. It’s an easy explanation and a lot of the time it fits, but the temptation to write off every ache, pain, and discomfort to it is one that should be examined in light of other potential causes.

For instance, yesterday, as the latest pain first bloomed, I was out walking Bonnie, our Springador (half Springer Spaniel, half Labrador), and sine then it seems to be random movements and pressures which set it off. It’s possible, therefore, that I’ve broken, sprained, or otherwise damaged some small bone in my hand (which might explain the stabbiness), I’m not sure, outside a trip to casualty and a potential waste of NHS resources, that I can easily find out.

Bearing all this in mind, my plan is to give it a day or so, rest up, and see if the (admittedly minor) pain subsides (which MS-y pains have a tendency to do) and then reassess, maybe having a word with the MS nurse in the process. I’ll need to withstand a little badgering from Tina, my ever-amazing wife, but I have experience in the field, so I should be okay there. In short, we’ll see.

Now what was I saying about keeping this one short?



Until next time

***

Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of two anthologies my short (and in one case, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check ’em out!

New Tales Of Old: Volume 2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Death Ship

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs

https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w

Reaperman

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A