De Quervain's tenosynovitis.

Yeah, you heard me.

The Mayo Clinic's website spells it out nicely for us:

De Quervain's tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis) is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt every time you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist.

Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports or lifting your baby — can make it worse.

Well call this another Mommy Test Fail... what are we on, #6? I have suffered a physical injury as a direct result of being a baby-cuddler.

I woke up one morning sometime in July with my left wrist, at the base of my thumb, hurting as if it had been badly bruised, but with no visible swelling or anything to indicate that Patrick secretly hit me with tiny hammers in my sleep.

After about a month or more of the pain slowly but surely getting worse, I thought to myself, "I wish there were men and women whose job was to help you not be sick or hurt!" That's when I remembered doctors exist and that I even have one, and made an appointment with mine.

Thankfully, because I was having my wrist looked at, not my hand, I didn't have to take my pants off. (I had to go into the wayback machine to get that linked for ya!)



The doc prescribed meloxicam (an anti-inflammatory) and made an appointment for me at a sports therapy and orthopaedics place. Because, you know, I'm such a bad-a** athletic sports person.

A week later, I show up there and get x-rays and learn that the x-ray tech--a very friendly and chatty woman who didn't look to be much older than myself--had lived in my home town but had to move to Tallahassee to get away from ex-boyfriends. You know how it is, small towns, right? People ask her, "you didn't move to get away from your ex-husband?" But no, she's cool with him. Is those ex-boyfriends, man. Then we compared wedding rings and she made me feel very self-conscious about having a 5 month old "and you already look like that? My kids are too old, I have no excuse!" Feeling as if I had to have a legitimate excuse for not being the size I guess I'm supposed to be, I apologetically explained that I had gestational diabetes which forced me to watch my diet.  I think that was a satisfactory answer.

After that, I saw the doctor and he declared in the Grandest, Most-Doctory Voice: "Yeah, looks like deughaoiudh;lajkd."

"Um, what's that?"

"Deguerra vein."



You can't tell me this isn't a hot look. Well, unless you comment below.

"Oh, mm-hmm." (Nods knowingly while making mental note note to self: "no idea what he said, look it up later.")

The doctor said it's a very common thing to happen to new moms from lifting their babies since they use their thumbs as leverage.



Since the meloxicam had been doing a good job of helping with the pain, he said I could forgo the shot that would go into my wrist (HALLELUJAH PRAISE JESUS). He prescribed a stiff brace for my wrist and says I should at least wear it to sleep. So, to go with gorgeous PJs of the finest old tee shirts and sleep pants, I get to wear this fancy little guy.

And let me tell you what Lizzie thinks about it. Or better yet, let me show you.

Just kidding. She doesn't care about the brace. I just wanted to put a cat picture up for you.

So, yeah, that's a story of my injury sustained simply by lifting my INFANT CHILD.

 

Cats perched on chairs and sexy wrist braces to you and yours,
xo