You all love hearing about my thumb, right?

I went to see a new orthopedic hand doctor yesterday (Nicholas Fiore for posterity, and, speaking of posterity, the last doctor was Kimberlea Staton -- yes I use this journal to help me document my healthcare). He didn't seem to think I needed to go back into a cast, at least he didn't suggest doing so, and even recommended that I spend more time out of the splint in order to avoid additional pain due to stiffness that comes with immobilization.

He has, however, put me on a stronger NSAID than I normally take, in order to knock out any inflammation that may be causing pain. I'll be on meloxicam for three weeks and then we will see how the joint is feeling. To be honest, it seems to have been getting a little better over the past week since I had made the appointment, so who knows whether the drug will really be the reason for the healing.

It sounds like I may need to be careful with my thumb for many more years, since it is now more easily injured and, when injured, any swelling causes joint pain that sort of feeds off of itself and increases the swelling. The good news is that the bones themselves look great, with no evidence of arthritis at all.

So, tentative good news, but we'll see how it pans out.

Trying Something New

I've been taking a Tuesday evening yoga class at my company-provided workout facility. The classes they offer run for 8 weeks at a time. For the next 8 week session, the evening yoga instructor will be unavailable, so the woman who manages the facility will be teaching mat Pilates. I've never taken a Pilates class, but I'm going to try it out this evening and see if I want to sign up for the whole session.

Wish me luck!