A while back I posted about the De Quervain's Tenosynovitis in my left hand caused by lifting a heavy-ish case on and off trains and dragging it along streets one handed.  Well, about six weeks and a course of physio later it hasn't resolved itself, so today I've been referred on to a specialist physio who will inject it with steroids, wait two or three weeks and then start me on an exercise regime!  Let's hope that works, as the alternative after that is surgery...

So, now I have a daily routine of arm/shoulder exercises for my right side and thumb/wrist exercises for my left side.  I am not meant to lift anything over 5kg on the right and can't lift anything over about 2kg on the left.  Writing is painful (so 'don't do it' said the physio) and every now and then I'll subconsciously do something that makes my wrist really hurt.

This is, ultimately, an unexpected and unpredicted side effect of the treatment I've had... I am led to believe some of the drugs leave muscles and tendons more vulnerable to strains and sprains, and I've been so good at protecting my 'at risk of lymphoedema' arm that I've hurt my 'good' arm.

I'm not quite sure what this teaches me, other than that I'm not the free spirit I was a little over a year ago, able to hurl chairs and tables around rooms and hoik objects around quite happily.  Of course it does force me to be more empathic with other people with physical restrictions, which is no bad thing, but I really don't like it much!  Still, if that's all I have to worry about I ought to be grateful.