Re: life's challenges/hand pain

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I've had extremely severe hand and especially forearm pain for ten years...since

I was 41 and in occupational therapy school. This was my biggest problem for a

long time. Now my feet and lower legs are a bigger problem.

For me, whatever part I use (or overuse) is the part that gives me pain. I take

1800mg of Neurontin daily. Without Neurontin I definitely

could not work.

Teaching swimming is what I've done all my life-since I was fifteen and that's

36 years. I have a swim school and aquatic therapy practice that I run out of my

backyard pool.

I've had many career difficulties and dissappointments to deal with over the

past twenty years. At that time I was a college level swim coach and it seemed

that I had all the options in the world. I was rear ended by a Lincoln

Continental and I immediately got bad pain in my right arm.

It was thoracic outlet syndrome which has nothing to do with CMT. It's caused by

a severe whiplash injury whem the muscles that surround the nerves and blood

vessels that go to the arms are in spasm. My problems appeared to come from that

accident and it

was another ten years before CMT was diagnosed.

Many of the signs were there long ago but like many others my condition did not

fit a " typical " pattern, whatever that is. I was always athletic although I

admit that I was aware that everything I did seemed to be harder for me than for

my team mates.

Most of the time I enjoy what I do but I do not enjoy the fact that I work so

hard that when I'm done I really can't do anything else. That's why I write

sometimes and sometimes I don't get involved at all.

It's still good to know that this group exists. Many times I relate to things

but do not have the energy to write. I admit to being unhappy about the impact

the CMT has had on my finances and my career and many other things. But having

this site can be very helpful. The recent posting that Gretchen posted on

climbing out of the sand pit.

Thank you everyone!

Deni