(Though, I know, not only writers get it.)
This is a roleplay blog, so everyone here writes, whether you do one line or novella, you are a writer, and as a writer myself, I want to say something I wish I knew, and something that I think is really important to warn against.
If you feel symptoms of carpal tunnel, especially if the symptoms are persistent or very specific to carpal tunnel, please take care of yourself, rest, and find a proper way to treat it. Yes, I know most people recover from it without it turning into this big, life altering thing, but it can, and nobody told me that at the time, I didn't even know what I had until it got to the point it was impacting my life more and more.
My first symptom, about 4 years ago now, was one of my fingers being a little swollen, enough I noticed, but also so little that everyone around me questioned if it was really that. At that time, I was working on my own work, but also so deep into the roleplay community, typing out paragraphs and paragraphs until early in the morning, or sometimes doing writing work through all night.
It was one finger then, and since it wasn't painful, I brushed it off. Now, I have carpal tunnel in 7 different places throughout both my hands, and though it began with writing, it later spread due to other activities, like gaming sessions, exercise, or even scrolling continuously on my phone. It isn't just fingers, it can also be wrists, as well, and that pain spreads up the forearm once it gets to that point. The only place you can't get it in the hands is the pinkie, that's it.
My fingers get so swollen I can't bend them, my grip is weak due to my wrists, and sometimes, when doing nothing, the pain still comes, or my hands shake. I have to ask people for help with mundane things, but thats only if I can, otherwise I'm left to navigate a life wherein most things aren't accessible to someone without full use of their hands. Some days are good days, but, days like today, when I had to use sports tape and a brace just to find some sort of comfort, are rough, and I wish I'd known then to just let myself rest, or to ask for help.
So, please, take it seriously. Worse case scenario, it's not that serious, best case scenario, you keep yourself from a world of pain before it's too late.
I know this isn't my usual content here, but I felt a responsibility to warn against this, especially knowing there are people here who are younger than me, who can lose some sense of their independence or mobility just for wanting to write and act out their passion in the face of symptoms that don't present as seriously as they can evolve.
Take care of yourselves, love yourselves, value yourselves enough to do something good for yourself, and protect your future self from what you can change. ❤️
gummygunk
baratheonpilled
romaincrisis
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