The pain and numbness in my hands and wrists finally reached the point where I was unable to work Wednesday 23 July and Thursday 24 July. After working the assembly line Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for nearly a ten hour shift, I awoke later with both hands all but paralyzed. I cannot but make it to about one-third the way to a fist in both hands and cannot pick anything up greater than a couple of pounds. I cannot grip or clinch anything with either hand. Often there is shooting pain, tingling, and numbness present. Home therapy has been uneffective as both massage and heat applications have been futile. I cannot button my pants or tie shoes, and I am staying home as I cannot safely drive my vehicle as I cannot grip the steering wheel and would be helpless should I have to respond quickly to an emergency situation. Little if any improvement has occurred Thursday. I do have use of most of my fingers for some applications (like keystroking for this blog), but any action that requires any strength in my fingers is either a no-go or accompanied by excrutiating pain. It appears from what I have read on the internet is that I may need to rest and avoid any exertion in my hands for as much as several weeks. I also have to believe I need to give up any thought or idea of keeping my employment in the short term, let alone the long term. This promises to be a great setback as I will be forced back into lower paying employment with working conditions that are less than rosy. After a brief spell of sunshine, it is starting to look like the gloom is on the way back, if not here already.-
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