A Pricey Happiness

The other day I woke up to the sound of my beeping phone, several reminders that I received a text message. Still groggy at 2 am I found an alarming message from my husband who’s at work. Said he’s feeling super low, shabby, and all over the place. What gives? He can’t even tell. To appease his low spirits I kept up with him until 3am exchanging texts filled with mixed contents… some made sense while the rest were just “ yeah, “ “I know,”  “it’s ok,” “ be strong,” and “you’ll be fine.” It’s like trying forcibly to make someone smile despite my inability to cheer myself at 3am. And finally, he said his goodnight again with the assurance that he’s already fine. Big smile, I worked wonders on him in just an hour!

The next day when he clued me in that he’s on his way home, there was a certain tone of merriment in his text message. I was relieved to know that the sourly husband is now Happiness personified with a capital H!

A knock on the door, hubby appeared, smile reached up from ear to ear. I almost felt like a mother after a child won an oratorical contest only this time the child became materialistic. He reached out from his pocket and showed me his new toy. Just when I thought I made magic happen, I instantly sunk at the sight of the culprit. A shiny, sleek, black Blackberry 8520 was held up in my face ready to be admired. My husband was bought and his happiness was expensive. But, who am I to argue, he brings home the bacon and if it means rewarding himself from the stress of work then so be it. Besides, maybe it was about time he upgraded from his old touch phone to a fully functional and professional mobile phone.

My CTS

Christmas, New Year, birthdays, earthquakes, tsunamis, and a send-off to the airport went and I have not a single entry… nada! Going by the daily routines in my life as a housewife, left me neglecting the one thing that helps me sane… writing. So, this 2011 I hope to keep up with the commitment I made to myself, one entry a day. A little late, I know, but better late than never as the old cliché goes.

It could be hard for me at times because my overzealous mind wanders all around the living room floor… overzealous yet devoid of any thoughts and ideas. Finding what to do next was always an easy task, though, so I wonder why I stopped. Well, not really stopped, maybe, a better term would be a temporary froze-off.

You see, my hands always got in the way. Haha, seize the humor for it is more painful to enumerate the causes that delayed my resurrection. And as of this writing, my hands together with my shoulders are acting up ageyn… as the Brits would put it. I found out through thorough research and endless electrical pains that shoot from the tip of my middle fingers up to my shoulder blades that I actually have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Unfortunately for me, both hands, arms, and shoulder blades have started to react to the symptoms. Although, the perpetual nagging of my husband to see a doctor and have a more credible physician (in comparison to me) examine my pains have not transpired yet, I may still be actually wrong. But, looking at the signs and symptoms and waking up at night because it was excruciatingly difficult to dismiss the pain---which is again another and more disturbing sign that this needs treatment, my findings are more likely to be accurate.

 

This is not really the first time that symptoms started showing up. Years ago, I relied on my own wits and decided that the occasional tingling pain on my index, thumb, and middle fingers were just your typical numbness when the hands and wrists are tired from a long period of a tedious or repetitive work. But, through further reading I found out that the people who are more at risk of CTS are electricians, chefs, secretaries (endlessly typing/encoding reports and/or taking notes from their bosses), construction workers, sewers, even Julianne Moore joined in the picture, and then HOUSEWIVES!. Does this mean that my condition worsened from staying at home and doing household chores? The years spent at the office and busying myself with crafting and manual writing (which I still prefer most of the time) and spending an enormous amount of time in front of a computer is already taking its toll on me. But, no way will I credit my being a housewife a major contributor to this condition! Oh, maybe parts of it. *wink*

Armed with a new medical term and fear that my CTS may get really worse than better, I walked myself to youtube.com for self-help videos on how to perform a self-therapy. I was skeptic at first. But, following the instructions from this bald muscled-man everyday since my discovery of his videos, I’d say there were improvements. These exercises may not be much and I still need to see a physiatrist, also to provide a good physical therapist referral, but, hey at least it allows me to sleep through the night.