In this post, I wish to inform all readers that I will be, at least temporarily, moving to a less-frequent blogging schedule. Some of my friends already are aware of a detail which I’m going to share with all readers. Over time, I have been experiencing steadily increasing pain in both wrists and hands while I work at a keyboard. A couple of months ago, I went through a series of tests and my medical doctor informed me that the diagnosis was clear: I was experiencing the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and that the symptoms would almost surely worsen if I did not give my hands and wrists some rest. If I didn’t give my hands some needed rest, I’d eventually require surgery in both hands/wrists in order to restore their functions. Given how many millions of keystrokes I’ve made on keyboards since I bought my first computer in 1986, it is not surprising that I now have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. The left hand is in the worst shape as the fingers simply begin to cease functioning correctly when I am using a keyboard for any length of time.
Needless to say, I’d much rather not have surgery as good surgical outcomes are not guaranteed. For a couple months, I have been meaning to take my doctor’s advice but so much has been happening in the world that I have not meaningfully reduced my blogging schedule. In doing my previous post, the health effects I was experiencing made it clear I really do need to implement my doctor’s advice. In order to give my hands a chance to recover without surgery being a necessity, I’m going to shift to a blogging schedule which allows for more rest in between posts in order to reduce wear and tear on my hands. I still will be doing email almost daily, but even the time I spend in processing emails will necessarily be reduced as well. I trust that readers will understand the need for this action. It is my hope that lessened time at a keyboard will allow my hands to heal without surgery.
In addition to resting my hands more, my doctor has also prescribed the use of a TENS unit to be used daily on both hands and wrists. I’ll also be taking nutritional supplements recommended to me by persons with a naturopathic/holistic background. It is impossible to know how long it will take for the hands to heal and recover, but it is certain that they will worsen if I do not reduce my keyboard time. I’d very much appreciate the prayers of readers for a full recovery without the need for surgery. Obviously, if a major event happens on the world scene, I will interrupt my “down time” stretches and post about critical topics. There are a lot of backlogged topics about which I have wanted to blog, but I hope that you will understand the need for my lessened blogging schedule.
