# From My Warm Crippled Hands....



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Two weeks ago I had a very minor pain in my ring finger of my right hand. I'm right handed. It hurt a little to bend it. A week later it hurt a lot to bend it. Today (about two weeks after this started) I have 1 "sausage" finger, 2 semi-sausage fingers, a very noticably swollen palm (where it meets the fingers) and I still can't bend or straight my finger. If I push on the palm, right about where you have callouses, I get a shooting (to the point of debilitating) pain through my finger and entire hand and even up my arm a bit.... this will continue for minutes afterwards. If I don't touch it or move it then it's just a consistent ache with occasional spontaneous minor shooting pains.

Saw dr. today. Not sure, maybe tendonitis, maybe something else. Running some blood tests to try to determine. In the mean time I'm having to do everyting lefty... including eat, write, type (with mostly just one hand), etc.

If I had to pick up a gun with that hand I'd be in a world of hurt and that's if I even could. 

This got me thinking about self defense with an injury... 

1) Make sure I learn to shoot off hand and to be accurate
2) Make sure I can shoot one handed. No two handed grips.
3) Make sure I can rack/cock/charge/etc. the firearm with only one working hand.
4) Make sure I can do one handed magazine changes
5) make sure I can do everything else with one hand.

You don't realize how much you rely on something until you lose the use of it.


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## d_saum (Jan 17, 2012)

Excellent point!!! I'm fairly lucky in that I can shoot lefty or righty. With a pistol, it doesn't matter which hand.. I'm about equal either way. With a rifle, I'm actually slightly better shooting lefty (and I'm a righty) then I am on my right side. I've never thought to try do one handed mag changes, etc.. Thanks for bringing this issue to light! 

And obviously.. I hope your hand heals fast!


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Chop off the offending hand. Sew on a war club. Charge the enemy. Hahaha, yep losing use of a body part definitely blows. You dont know what you have till its gone. Not that your losing your hand but temporary use of it.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

But keep your story coming along...no excuses!!!


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Didn't the doctor give you antibiotic? Sounds like a serious infection. Yikes.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I'm lucky to be able to use both hands almost equally. While being a pain I had shoulder surgery and found out that even the best ambidextrous person gets used to having two hands.. even right handed or left handed folks notice when you have one.. whether or not it is your dominate hand or not.
I hope you feel better soon..


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

CulexPipiens said:


> Two weeks ago I had a very minor pain in my ring finger of my right hand. I'm right handed. It hurt a little to bend it. A week later it hurt a lot to bend it. Today (about two weeks after this started) I have 1 "sausage" finger, 2 semi-sausage fingers, a very noticably swollen palm (where it meets the fingers) and I still can't bend or straight my finger. If I push on the palm, right about where you have callouses, I get a shooting (to the point of debilitating) pain through my finger and entire hand and even up my arm a bit.... this will continue for minutes afterwards. If I don't touch it or move it then it's just a consistent ache with occasional spontaneous minor shooting pains.
> 
> Saw dr. today. Not sure, maybe tendonitis, maybe something else. Running some blood tests to try to determine. In the mean time I'm having to do everyting lefty... including eat, write, type (with mostly just one hand), etc.
> 
> ...


You got gout bro,I do too.eat you some vitamin C in excess of 1000 MG and drink the hell out of water,preferably distilled.


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## TopTop (Nov 11, 2011)

Magus said:


> You got gout bro,I do too.eat you some vitamin C in excess of 1000 MG and drink the hell out of water,preferably distilled.


If it's gout the doc should have diagnosed it right away & confirmed it with a quick blood test. My doc has her own lab right in the office. She reviews the test results before you even leave the office & then prescribes the right treatment. If it is gout lay off the protein & alcohol especially animal protein & beer. Yea I have it too. It takes you to a whole new level of pain.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Took the dumb bastards 5 years to find mine, sorry.they suck.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions and recommendations. Not gout. Very remote chance of some type of auto immune but signs are pointing to tendonitis. My alcohol consumption... let's just say a six pack will last me a year, at least and I eat very healthy. I definitely agree on the cluelessness of most doctors. Years back I had a major illness that lasted over a year and 9 differnent doctors performing over 70 different tests never did figure it out. Over time it just went away. Also, no antibiotics as there is no vector for an infection. Don't worry about the story, it'll still be posted... I'm well "buffered" on it.  

Today it's actually feeling better again, still painful and limited movement but not as bad as yesterday. I'll be taking it easy for awhile and see if it continues to improve.

To expand on my original points, anything else I might need to do, pump/carry water, use gardening implements, use tools, take care of animals, work a radio, etc. All of that I'd be doing one handed right now. I don't know if you can really learn to be ambidextrous, but I know I sure as heck will be trying more activities off handed in case that ever becomes my only option.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Do some research on the internet and see if you can learn what it is. With today's specialist doctors, getting a diagnosis can be a problem, because they all are too focussed on one thing. 

Hope it gets better soon for several reasons! :flower:


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## horseman1946 (Oct 19, 2011)

Five years ago, I had triple bypass surgery, and was in a coma for 56 days, in various hospitals for four months, and had Parsonage-Turner snydrome in my left arm. As of now, I have regained about 75/80% use of the arm. I have a very hard time racking a weapon slide, and inserting mags, it also slows me down in any fine motor function activity. But, the condition is here to stay, and I have and will continue to live with it as is. So, I have lived your worry. I hope you regain full 100% use of the hand, because limited use of a limb sucks. You are in my prayers.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks horseman.

I checked your syndrome on Wikipedia and while they don't have much on it, what little they said isn't that good but they also said most cases do end up resolving themselves so I hope your 75/80 continues to progress to 100%.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

CulexPipiens said:


> Thanks for the suggestions and recommendations. Not gout. Very remote chance of some type of auto immune but signs are pointing to tendonitis. My alcohol consumption... let's just say a six pack will last me a year, at least and I eat very healthy. I definitely agree on the cluelessness of most doctors. Years back I had a major illness that lasted over a year and 9 differnent doctors performing over 70 different tests never did figure it out. Over time it just went away. Also, no antibiotics as there is no vector for an infection. Don't worry about the story, it'll still be posted... I'm well "buffered" on it.
> 
> Today it's actually feeling better again, still painful and limited movement but not as bad as yesterday. I'll be taking it easy for awhile and see if it continues to improve.
> 
> To expand on my original points, anything else I might need to do, pump/carry water, use gardening implements, use tools, take care of animals, work a radio, etc. All of that I'd be doing one handed right now. I don't know if you can really learn to be ambidextrous, but I know I sure as heck will be trying more activities off handed in case that ever becomes my only option.


Bread and some fruits will set it off as well.


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

As long as we're in the subject of crips. I had been wanting to start a thread for compensating for disabilities or injuries. 
I am visually impaired, not blind, not close thanks to meds. (No Meds... Eek). But I have a bad blind spot in my left eye that I have learned to "look around". It takes practice but can be done. The hardest has been firing a weapon. Can't sight the darn things with 2 eyes. I've been training a lot more lately using the new ACP. And added a laser to it as well. I'm happy to say you can fire quite accurately with one eye. 
Its always great to come and read and learn how others deal with everything.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

I didn't know about everything else that was mentioned regarding triggers/sources of onset for gout, but I did read that sardines and herring were no-no's, as well as mushrooms and organ meats.

CulexPipiens, I hope this comes to a head soon, and hopefully you will learn of the cause...sux not knowing, even if it mysteriously goes away without intervention, cuz you don't want to go through it twice if you can avoid it.

It definitely brings a whole new meaning to survival when dexterity issues come into the picture. When everything you routinely do on a daily basis becomes a struggle, or at least requires a great deal more effort and time to accomplish, life in any less comfortable time or place will be be far more challenging than it should to be.

Great points brought up here, and no doubt more will follow.

Speaking of disabilities, mine was short-term, but being on crutches for foot/ankle injuries (3 separate incidents) back when I was young (and much dumber...early to late teens), could nowadays present me with very challenging times ahead, including but not limited to, loss of work. I don't ever want to go there again, but it does open my eyes to the perspective of serious time constraints to do much of anything, even in a non/pre-SHTF environment.

Hmm...I sit here now imagining what it would be like to carry a long-arm or side-arm while on crutches (holstered pistol would be nice, while a slinged long-arm would be cumbersome to shoulder quickly..quick sling detach device would help...shooting from the hip is do-able with tons of practice, but only at close-range)...anyway, hobbling up/down stairs, with narrow passages. Now, sight and fire said weapon, quickly enough to be effective, yet not be overcome by recoil in case a second shot were required, either due to lack of ability for first round contact, or multiple subjects, on the move or hidden, now that I've alerted them to my whereabouts and intentions...chamber another round if not semi-auto...hmm...one missed shot and I think I'm a goner. Maybe it would be best to stay behind cover and snipe through a small opening and have full-radius areas of coverage...yep.

Hand-to-hand would be out of the question, at least if it were a rapid-transition scenario. With more than just a few seconds to react, it would still be a short struggle to the death, I'm afraid. A quick take-down and ground conflict is my only chance, so I could hopefully control the assailant's arm/hand movements long enough to gain advantage. Not my idea of a winning combination.

Keeping your balance while needing crutches to walk/stand is bad enough without trying to do any of these things...just my thoughts...never tried any of it, but I have a pair of old wooden crutches in storage...just hoping I never need them again.

Keep the thoughts coming, everyone!

Great thread, Culex!


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

Magus said:


> Bread and some fruits will set it off as well.


Nitrites and preservatives set the Rooster's gout off. He hasn't had a piece of baloney (his favorite), a weiner or commercially produced ham or sausage in years. Dried beans will also bring on an attack. If I ask him what he wants when I buy groceries, he always says baloney and I always say "No, I'm not buying that and you know why." His hands are terribly misshapen, he has knots on his elbows and and permanently enlarged knees and feet because of bouts with both gout and rheumatoid arthritis. The pain keeps him from walking and then blood clots develop and a bad heart valve contributes to the swelling in his legs. Anyone with gout has my sympathies.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

CulexPipiens said:


> Two weeks ago I had a very minor pain in my ring finger of my right hand. I'm right handed. It hurt a little to bend it. A week later it hurt a lot to bend it. Today (about two weeks after this started) I have 1 "sausage" finger, 2 semi-sausage fingers, a very noticably swollen palm (where it meets the fingers) and I still can't bend or straight my finger. If I push on the palm, right about where you have callouses, I get a shooting (to the point of debilitating) pain through my finger and entire hand and even up my arm a bit.... this will continue for minutes afterwards. If I don't touch it or move it then it's just a consistent ache with occasional spontaneous minor shooting pains.
> 
> Saw dr. today. Not sure, maybe tendonitis, maybe something else. Running some blood tests to try to determine. In the mean time I'm having to do everyting lefty... including eat, write, type (with mostly just one hand), etc.
> 
> ...


 Stay on top of that finger.My 7 yr old grandson fell off bike basic scrap.Got infected with staff and it took weeks of antibiotics to cure him.Get well soon.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Well, good news, it's gotten better to the point of at least 90% of my original movement. That last 10 percent still hurts although more like a tightening/restrictive pain sensation as opposed to the shooting pain it originally had. Through out the 90% range there is little to no pain most of the time. Blood tests the doctor had ordered were pretty much useless as the results were inconclusive. Gee, big surprise there.

At this point I believe I could now hold and accuratly shoot a firearm again and all the other day to day tasks that were painful or nearly impossible to do are, once again, possible now.

I will still take away a valuable lesson of making sure that I practice anything important with both hands as you never know what life just might throw at you.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Point Shooting*



cengasser said:


> As long as we're in the subject of crips. I had been wanting to start a thread for compensating for disabilities or injuries.
> I am visually impaired, not blind, not close thanks to meds. (No Meds... Eek). But I have a bad blind spot in my left eye that I have learned to "look around". It takes practice but can be done. The hardest has been firing a weapon. Can't sight the darn things with 2 eyes. I've been training a lot more lately using the new ACP. And added a laser to it as well. I'm happy to say you can fire quite accurately with one eye.
> Its always great to come and read and learn how others deal with everything.


If you have a laser sight on your handgun, you have a ready tool to teach yourself to point shoot.

Point shooting is based on your inate ability to point your index finger directly at a target.

Unload your weapon and without useing the sights, practice pointing it at various objects or targets.

When you think you are pointing it at a selected target depress the laser switch and see how far off target you are.

Continue doing this until you can point your weapon directly at a target without accessing the sights and confirm your aim with your laser sights.

Now you can continue this practice with live fire on the range.

After a lot of practice you will be confident in your ability to point shoot. This gives you the ability to focus all your attention on your target without having to focus on the rear sight and fuzz out your agressor.

Dry fire and pointing your weapon and then confirming with the laser sights is more important that live fire drills in developing your instinctive aiming ability abd it costs nothing.

One more hint, if you find you are always high or low, you need to change the grips until you find a set that lines up your extended trigger finger parallel to the barrel of your weapon.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I agree with Machinist. You gotta take matters into your own hands a lot of times. I was very, very sick for 2 1/2 years. I was in and out of the hospital. Sometimes hospitalized for three weeks at a time. My bloodwork was terrible, but no one could ever figure it out. Turns out it was all a reaction to my bloodpressure medication. Within a week of getting off the medication, 90% of my bloodwork returned to normal. No more symptoms.


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

BillM said:


> If you have a laser sight on your handgun, you have a ready tool to teach yourself to point shoot.
> 
> Point shooting is based on your inate ability to point your index finger directly at a target.
> 
> ...


Wow! Thanks BillM!
I'll start doing that!


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