Dealing With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I’ve been dealing with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for some time now. I think it’s time to take a break from things.

For about a year and a half now I’ve been battling carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, I haven’t been to a doctor just yet, so I’m not 100% sure it’s carpal tunnel syndrome. I do know a number of people who do have it, and they all say they’re pretty damn sure I have it.

Most of the time I get a pain in my forearm like a sore or tired muscle. This pain is also at the inside of my elbow and top of my shoulder quite often. From time to time I get pain in my pinky finger, index finger, or middle finger. I hardly ever get pain in my wrist, which is why I wasn’t sure if it was carpal tunnel syndrome. More recently I’ve been getting pain in a couple of my bottom knuckles. I was wondering if I’m starting to build arthritis as well!

What do I do about it? I’ve been using certain wrist wraps, bengay, heat pads, and more recently ice packs. Of course, the best thing to do is to stop using my right hand all together. It’s going to be tough to stop playing games and writing as often as I have, but I need to give it a try between jobs. I can still play a few RPGs using only my left hand, so there’s that. I want to rest up my right hand as much as possible before my next big job at IGN.

I’ve also been giving serious consideration about switching careers from the video game industry to foreign language translation. I’ll be using my voice more than my hands. It’s a shame since I’ve been into video games my entire life, but I have to look after my health above everything else.