Splints are not Glamorous

When I was first diagnosed I saw an occupational therapist who recommended that I wear resting splints at night so that my hands and wrists would feel better in the morning.  They are quite effective for that and I have worn them for 25 years - of course they need to be replaced every few years.  To deal with the fact that plastic can make you feel very warm, even with small ventilation holes in it, I cut up cotton socks to wear as liners.  I posted these pictures of the resting splints that I use for my hands and wrists at night in my online support group.

This is the comment I got from Judy after she saw the pictures.

"Your hand/wrist splints look very much like mine.  I don't have to wear them much anymore.  I used to wear them every night.  One night, my arms got stuck together with the Velcro on each splint.  I had to have Jim help me get them separated.

I can put them all on and look like I am ready for Halloween. You should see a box in my closet - I have about every kind of splint you can think of in the box plus ace bandages.  I have all kinds of ankle wraps.  I used to go out of the house looking like some kind of a mummy with all of my wraps, splints, etc."

So that really brings home the glamour, or lack thereof, of taking care of yourself.

For my fingers I have found a more stylish and very effective alternative. Silver ring splints keep your finger joints in a good position and look like up to date and unusual jewelry. The most frequent use for them is to correct a swan neck deformity (love the RA vocabulary). I can show you a very obvious example of that, and will, but be aware that with more effective drugs and treatment you don't see fingers like this so often anymore.

So you see here the finger without the splint and then with it. Showing these pictures almost feels like stripping. Unless I am demonstrating textbook examples for medical professionals my fingers are very seldom front and center

The silver ring splints can be used for other hand problems as well (like EDS for example) and can make joints more functional.

                                                                          digisplint.com

I have read clinical studies that say that results of using splints are inconclusive. There are a few reasons for that lack of consensus. One is that people find them uncomfortable or ugly so they don't continue wearing them and leave the trial.  In my opinion the other reason is that those who run the studies would have to follow the people for many  more years than their funding would last to be able to see a difference, and would have trouble finding a control group who would agree to participate and not use anything.

We're all so individual with our autoimmune diseases.

                                                                     CafePress.com

I have more splints but not more pictures, so I will follow up with more in the future. I'm like Judy. A whole box of splints under the bed.  As they wear out. I don't throw them out, just in case.

Not the Feet of My Dreams

At the risk of being too literal, I elect my feet for the "Achilles Heel of RA" trophy.  For the past 30 years, day in and day out they keep on giving.

They were the first sign of RA - I could neither get a diagnosis or walk without a limp.  By the time things improved the feet were beyond hope of wearing "nice" shoes.

                                         thehomemaderenegade.blogspot.com

Yes. my feet are trapped in bad shoe jail.  I became resigned/somewhat accepting but still feel socially handicapped with sensible shoes.  I went to Walking on a Cloud (shoe store) 20 years ago and they quickly steered me to the "elderly shoe section" where I found shoes even less stylish than this pair known as the Lady Pillow-Back. Doesn't that sound glamorous?

You'll find me every day wearing my sensible New Balance shoes, and now I have even gone to velcro closings.  I was going to say it doesn't bother me now but even in this post I wince at the words velcro and shoes in the same sentence.

I'll never be a rheumanista because I choose function over fashion. In my own mind I'm glamorous. Just don't look down.