Carpal Tunnel Makes Me Feel Like Darth Vader!
July 21, 2007
One of the recommended treatments for carpal tunnel is to wear wrist splints while you sleep, while you type, and other times you’re using your wrists. I’m wearing a Futuro splint on each hand at night, at work, and various times during the day and feel like half man/half machine. Now I know what Darth Vader must have felt like with all that gear on!
The good news is I had some nerve tests on Friday and there is no permanent nerve damage. I still have numbness and pain which hopefully be controlled by rest and treatment. If I don’t improve the next step is to try cortisone shots and I’d like to avoid that. The final step would be surgery to remove a band of tissue from around the median nerve to relieve the pressure and I really hope to avoid that.
It’s strange having to avoid being on the computer when you’re on it all the time, I’m going through a bit of computer withdrawal. At least I can catch up on some of the personal finance books I’ve been accumulating but haven’t had a chance to read.
Thanks to everyone who’s sent their well wishes! I have an old copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking and am going to fire it up thanks to the suggestions of some friends and readers. I’m also going to check out a book on chronic pain the Happy Rock recommended, thanks for the tip!


All posts by Ben Edwards
Brett, I’m actually using an older version, DNS7, the preferred edition, that I had laying around from a few years ago. I noticed your post about transcribing WAV files to text with Dragon, how could someone with an older version of Dragon accomplish this?
I’m using DNS9 and I think its saved my hands.
I bought the latest edition last January (got the preferred version as opposed to the base level). Its not perfect but it is very very good.