Sonofabitch I hurt my wrist the week after getting a real writing job!

ANTVGM64

Well, this is a bummer.

I recently landed an actual writing gig where I get paid actual money to write about actual things I care about. About a week after that, my right wrist started hurting. My prevailing theory is carpal tunnel, but I woke up these past two days with this overwhelming pain that went from the tip of my thumb to the bottom of my wrist. If I turn my wrist open I feel a sort of popping in the joint at the base of my thumb. As the day goes on it gets better, or I just get used to it, I'm not sure.

I'm left handed, but do some stuff with my right one, namely using a mouse - and for the writing job specifically, typing on my phone since it's an app. Part of me thinks the wrist pain COMES from typing on my phone so much so recently, but at the same time my wrist still hurts when I type on a keyboard and all that too. There's no discoloration or noticable difference in how my hand looks.

In both my jobs - one where I answer phone calls for a POS Systems Help Desk, and the other, where I write a whole bunch and reply to comments a whole bunch - require me to type - a lot. The tech support job has insurance, and I have it, so I imagine if I go to the Doctor and he looks at my wrist and is like "Do not use that damn thing for a month" I'll be okay and either take time off or just type with my one good hand.

But my concern is the writing job - which is video-game centric, so I'm using my hands for literally everything you can think of. As an independent contractor I'm pretty sure they can fire me for pretty much anything, I think - and after oh...20 something years of trying to get a paying gig I like doing this sort of thing, I would really really really hate that.

So now, here's my question:

1. Any theories on what this could possibly be? WebMD seems to think either carpal tunnel or gout. Does Carpal Tunnel come with that popping of the joints, though? And gout results in swelling I believe, so I don't know.

2. If I see a Doctor are they likely to tell me to cold-turkey quit typing and using that hand? If so, can that writing job get rid of me? I'd imagine there's no real way to prove it's a 'workplace' injury?

3. How decent is voice-to-text stuff just in case I need a plan B to avoid losing my job.


---

PS - I am ware typing this with a busted wrist was probably a poor idea. What else was I gonna do.

PPS - I keep hearing I should 'wrap' my wrist? do I need a specific type of tape for that, or should it be in a pretty regular first aid kit?

admanb

People (my uncle) write entire books on professional voice-to-text software -- it's incredibly good.

BouwsT

ANTVGM64 wrote: »

Well, this is a bummer.

I recently landed an actual writing gig where I get paid actual money to write about actual things I care about. About a week after that, my right wrist started hurting. My prevailing theory is carpal tunnel, but I woke up these past two days with this overwhelming pain that went from the tip of my thumb to the bottom of my wrist. If I turn my wrist open I feel a sort of popping in the joint at the base of my thumb. As the day goes on it gets better, or I just get used to it, I'm not sure.

I'm left handed, but do some stuff with my right one, namely using a mouse - and for the writing job specifically, typing on my phone since it's an app. Part of me thinks the wrist pain COMES from typing on my phone so much so recently, but at the same time my wrist still hurts when I type on a keyboard and all that too. There's no discoloration or noticable difference in how my hand looks.

In both my jobs - one where I answer phone calls for a POS Systems Help Desk, and the other, where I write a whole bunch and reply to comments a whole bunch - require me to type - a lot. The tech support job has insurance, and I have it, so I imagine if I go to the Doctor and he looks at my wrist and is like "Do not use that damn thing for a month" I'll be okay and either take time off or just type with my one good hand.

But my concern is the writing job - which is video-game centric, so I'm using my hands for literally everything you can think of. As an independent contractor I'm pretty sure they can fire me for pretty much anything, I think - and after oh...20 something years of trying to get a paying gig I like doing this sort of thing, I would really really really hate that.

So now, here's my question:

1. Any theories on what this could possibly be? WebMD seems to think either carpal tunnel or gout. Does Carpal Tunnel come with that popping of the joints, though? And gout results in swelling I believe, so I don't know.

2. If I see a Doctor are they likely to tell me to cold-turkey quit typing and using that hand? If so, can that writing job get rid of me? I'd imagine there's no real way to prove it's a 'workplace' injury?

3. How decent is voice-to-text stuff just in case I need a plan B to avoid losing my job.


---

PS - I am ware typing this with a busted wrist was probably a poor idea. What else was I gonna do.

PPS - I keep hearing I should 'wrap' my wrist? do I need a specific type of tape for that, or should it be in a pretty regular first aid kit?

I don't have anything to say about the diagnosis, other that wrapping your wrist shouldn't really be done with tape. That's a recipe for pain / hair removal. I'd say go get yourself some tensor bandages, and those are (for the most part) in a lot of first aid kits / readily available at most any retailer you'd expect.

JebusUD

You should definitely go see a doctor. Worst thing is they say you should not type with that hand and you will have to find a work around like talk to text.

Inquisitor77

Talk-to-text has come a long way over the years. For your phone, you may want to look into something like Swype or similar apps that don't require so much clicky-clacky.

If you aren't already using one, look into getting a vertical mouse. Once I started using one I never looked back.

But yeah, definitely see your doctor first. For all you know you may have inadvertently torn a ligament or something crazy.

Pacificstar

When I was getting pain like that, I used two wrist braces and kept them on all the time while on a computer or doing any kind of typing. After a few months it went away.

Khavall

Go
To
A
Doctor


non-TL:DR

I used to make my living as a professional Pianist. I still play often. Though most of my work now is in research into generative music. So coding. Which obviously is way easier on the hands.... right? Whoops. Or as a composer, which also needs hands.

My right hand was hurting a bit recently, and I still had to, obviously, type, and play. And there really was no text-to-speech thing for playing piano or coding in the visual language I was using.

I held off a bit on going to a doctor because I still needed money and, well, I had the same concern as you. It turns out I had Golfer's Elbow, and basically with moving to ergonomic support(gel pads) for my mouse and keyboard, some anti-inflammatories for speedy recovery, and a little elastic support thing(which I still wear if I feel it coming close to returning). Within a week I was feeling better, and I didn't have any reduction in productivity.

Massive increase in quality of life though, almost instantly.


Most doctors will either a: be understanding about needing to continue work and will try to have solutions that aren't intrusive, and/or b: give you intrusive things and extreme "Don't fucking do anything for a month" because if you do you'll, like, die or something(Or it will get way worse or make recovery way harder).

And you have the backup of speech recognition just in case.

ANTVGM64

Howdy friends! Here's an update / my first attempt to type after seeing a doctor.

TL;DR:



It's something called De Quervain syndrome.

I took yesterday off, but am at work today trying to type with my left hand being the one to hit the space bar, and this.is.brutal. Of course my work includes typing...all day long, and its an insanely busy day, so we shall see.

Questions:

1. The pain from this thing is arguably the worst I've ever really had in my life. It's like someone replaced a rope inside my arm with fire ants - I suppose one can't get on long-term disability from this sort of thing, right? I work 7 days a week and I have to imagine typing that often is a great way to make a bad thing worse.

2. How tight should this brace be? it's tight enough right now where I can't really turn or move my wrist, and it doesnt feel like its cutting of circulation, but now my upper forearm near my elbow is getting sore from having to compensate

3. Regarding the 'dream' job I currently have where I type / write about gaming - I got in some trouble for making a post to the audience about how I won't be around much, and was curious if they'd rather see me post about new and upcoming games I get access too, versus regurgitate the news that comes through google alerts - Am I nuts to assume that content about games that aren't out yet that I get to play will likely be more popular than content our users have already likely read?

4. Any medicine recommendations? I have no problem getting zonked on my ass to avoid having my wrist hurt while I'm sleeping. The nurse said sleep with the brace off, but I'm most pained IN the morning.

Draygo

You should really ask your doctor those questions...

We are really not qualified to give that sort of medical advice, maybe a tip here or there but you should talk to your doctor.

We can drill into #3 though, but 1-2 and 4 should be between you and your doctor.

Thinking on #3, does the site in question make you the author of the article highly visible or are you hidden essentially as "one of many" who write for this company. I'm running under the assumption that you are quite visible but I would like to make sure.

ANTVGM64

I was hired to "Take ownership" Of the content right after being told to ONLY post regarding alerts that come through a service called Buzzumo because they have the biggest chance to 'go viral' - even though the very fact they're going THROUGH the alert means...they're already popular? I think.

Draygo

I should phrase the question in another way:
Does the reader know you exist, or do they just know the service exists. If people go 'I like this guy and want to read his stuff' and you end up leaving this company, would they be able to find you?