De Quervains and Tendonitis Misery

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wearetomorrow

New member
I have de quervains syndrome and tendonitis in my right hand and wrist - how do people cope with this? I am right handed and use a computer for work every day. I have worn a thumb and wrist brace for 6 weeks which helped at first but it is now still flaring up.

It was painful and swollen for 4 days last week, went down but has now been painful all day today and has swollen again. What do you take to deal with the pain as ibuprofen does nothing? How do you manage on a day to day basis when you are wearing a brace? I live on my own and still need to do everyday tasks like wash and dry my hair, cook meals, look after my cats, clean my home etc.

Please help, I am 24, live in the UK and this is making me so miserable.

Sarah :(
 
Hi bumblebee,
Out of curiosity, have you been doing anything else besides wearing a wrist brace and the ibuprofen to treat it? I developed De Quervains almost 6 months ago and had the same troubles as you. Eventually, I saw my doctor who told me to up the doses of ibuprofen I had been taking (which were doing nothing) to 1800mg a day (that's quite a bit more than the daily maximum that is indicated on an Advil box, I don't recommend you do this without consulting your doctor first). Only then did it start feeling better. Also, try treating it with ice regularly. Normally ice works best the week following the injury and I see it's already been at least 6 weeks for you, but it's worth a shot. Try to attach an ice pack to your wrist if you can. If not, fill up your kitchen sink with cold water and dumb a pack of ice cubes in it. Then leave your arm in the water for about a minute at a time every 10-15 minutes for the next 2-3 hours. Try that for a week.

If ice doesn't do the trick, and since your injury is not that recent, it's possible that heat will work better. Though my symptoms were almost gone at one point, my wrist has really been hurting for the past month and it looks like it's chronic now. Probably because I didn't take it easy long enough and went back to my regular activities before I was 100%. I hope you never reach that point. Good luck! :)
 
I've had chronic De Quervains tendinitis of the thumb and tendinitis of the backs and palms of both hands since 1977 due to a virus. Besides splints and anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots in the tendons gives the most relief. Call your doc and tell him/her that you aren't getting any better and could you get the tendons injected? May bring a lot of relief.

As for ibuprofen, the maximum dose for the prescription form is 3200mgs./day or 800mgs four times a day. It is fairly safe to take for a short period of time(6 weeks or so then reduce to 600mgs four times a day). Works even better when taken with 2 extra strength Tylenol(acetominophen). Report any stomach pain to your doc and stop the ibuprofen. It can cause ulcers.

Good luck...................Jenny
 
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