So, I have been beading and creating for years. Literally. However, over the past 5-10 years, I have been noticing that my hand cramps to the point that my fingers lock up when doing certain things (stringing beads one by one on a string, crocheting, embroidery, hand sewing, writing, etc). I can understand cramping when you have been at it a long time, but we're talking after about 5 minutes, folks...10 minutes, tops.
I paid a visit to my doctor who sent me to a neurologist to explore the possibility of Carpal Tunnel. 'Great', I'm thinking, 'I hate surgery'. However, I failed every carpal tunnel test the neurologist put me under. After sitting for a few minutes with his arms crossed, his hand supporting his chin, he tried a simple exercise. He gave me a clipboard, paper and a pen and asked me to write. Sure enough, after several sentences, my hand started to cramp, my fingers started to lock and my handwriting began to change. I had always noticed this before, but just thought I was over-using my hand. He said that my hand was spasming while I was writing. Freaky.
His diagnosis? Focal Hand Dystonia (aka musicians cramp, aka writers cramp). Turns out, it is a neurological muscular disorder in which the basal ganglia in your brain sends signals to the affected area to involuntarily spasm. The spasm is what is causing the pain and the locking fingers. It is a very uncommon disorder afflicting persons of certain professions who use the same repetetive fine motor functions with thier hands. As a side note, dystonia can affect anything from your hands to your head to your whole body.
Well, I'm sitting there thinking, "Well, now what am I supposed to do? Beading and creating and jewelry is my business? I really don't want to close up shop and go back to the office!" Well, there are treatments. Unfortunately, there is not alot of research about this disorder and we really don't know alot about it. Drug therapy treatments are basically ineffective, the side effects of the drugs usually being worse than the benefit. Botox injections do help as they slightly paralyze the muscles that spasm without rendering your hand useless, but toxin injections? And you need them every three months. Physical therapy has shown to help in some cases. My plan of attack? I don't know yet. I have to go back to see a neurological muscular specialist to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatments. All I know is I don't want to stop working on my business. I love doing this and am so complete in my life between business, family and God, that to give up my business would be very devastating to me. I don't know where things are going to go from here. All I can do is trust God that he will take care of me and that he knows exactly what he is doing. I'll tell you what, though. I am going to keep working my business, kicking and screaming all the way, until I absolutely cannot do it anymore. I think I may just design jewelry for shorter periods of the day...1/2 hour here, 1/2 hour there, etc, instead of 4-5 hours all at the same time.
I will keep you posted of the progression of this soon-to-be saga. For more information about Dystonia, visit the Distonia Foundation. If you think you or a loved one has dystonia, please get to your doctor!
