Thumbs Up!

After over two years of avoiding using my thumbs, it is most remarkable to open a jar without a tool. Just my hands. Turn a door knob. Hold a pen normally. Type with all my fingers. Carry the grocery bags from car to kitchen. I would say that my pain factor has been reduced by 95% and that the strength in my hands is near normal. The side effects of the nerve block shots are tolerable, a lingering feeling of a slight lump in my throat and the right side of my tongue feels a little thick. I'm working on some aversion therapy to alleviate the remaining itching and burning sensation in my palms. My fine motor skills have not yet returned so small tasks remain a challenge. The side effects of the Lyrica are the most limiting issue I have to deal with right now. Waking up is difficult though I have been sleeping well nearly every night. My morning coffee alleviates the slight headache I awaken with. Speaking in full sentences is something of a chore and I find myself pausing frequently when I can't summon up the next word. These are all considered normal side effects, and I'm on a relatively tiny dose of 50 mg a day. The fog doesn't entirely lift until mid-afternoon, so I've been arranging my day around my druggy limitations. It sounds as though I will be able to wean off the Lyrica after my doctor visit next month if my condition continues to improve. After feeling banished from all things joyful and powerless to change my circumstance for so long, I'm grateful to be feeling more like my sassy old self. All I have to say is, if correct diagnosis and treatment substantiate a miracle, I'm nominating Dr. Cook for sainthood.