Last year I got repetitive stress injury..sm

have been working on and off as an MT for 20 some years. One year I worked radiology and I can remember actually putting out 200 reports one day. I never got carpal tunnel with the keyboard but could get it with the mouse. About two years ago, I had a busy stint where I was probably working 6-7 straight hours, then my fingers began to hurt. First it was the thumbs, then it was all my fingers. Just ached. Not arthritis, because joints were not red or swollen. I even bought a parafin bath, tried NSAIDs. Finally investigated on the internet to find out I had repetitive stress injury. I stopped typing (fortunately I own a small MTSO) and just let my fingers rest. To this day, two years later, of almost NO typing, all it takes is about 3 hours straight typing and it's back. I've decided I've hurt my fingers irreparably and any further damage I do now, I will just pay for later with arthritis or something. Sorry to hear about your disability.

• those of you with hand pain, carpal tunnel, tendinitis - related to typing...? sm
  • thank you for all these wonderful suggestions. - I will be trying them :)
  • I had bad wrists from the get-go - Bad wrists.
  • I started getting symptoms after about 3-5 years. Nobody could believe it. sm - MT
  • Carpal tunnel--what works for me - Linaeb
  • Not CTS, but ... sm - sb
  • Transcribing for 20, only at home 1.5, but now I hurt. sm - omt
  • I had most problems in my elbows, as I was favoring - MQA
    • question - sm
      • I'm sorry that' s happening to you. My doc - MQA
  • Mine was before I became an MT. I used to have to write - Have had surgery twice
  • Last year I got repetitive stress injury..sm - Old MT
    • thank you both for the ideas - nm

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Well, I broke my right hand years back, around 1986, and still went to work, without a cast, cause I had to work..Would work till it hurt too much and made me nauseous, then would go to the ladies room, get cold water on a towel, put it on my hand and go back to work.

In 2003, I tore my R rotator cuff.  Opted for no surgery as I do not have insurance..Had to still work, Im the only *bread winner*..Put my R arm in a sling..took lots of ibuprofen, rubbed my shoulder with Ben Gay..Sometimes had to pick up my R arm and place it on the keyboard cause my arm couldnt do it..When I got on the keyboard, I was find..it was just lifting to my keyboard..It was hell..but what could I do..I will not rely on a govt program, never have, and I had to make a salary, have no family to depend on, would never ask my friends..So I did it myself..R shoulder still hurts sometimes, especially when I sleep..but I was able to get through it and you will too..

My son was hit by a car 7 years ago and sustained a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma and went through over a year of rehabilitation. He was 15 at the time and finished high school, went on to Junior College and has just finished a year at a state university. He has struggled with learning disabilities and short term memory problems since the accident and has barely passed his classes. It looks as though this was his last semester at school because his grade point average isn't high enough to let him continue school. He will be put on academic suspension. He wanted to go away to school so badly and worked so hard to make it and I know he will be so disapointed when he finds out he won't be going back in the fall.

He is definately a miracle and I thank God everyday that he is alive but I don't know what to do to help him anymore. My question is "Is there anyone out there with a similar situation who can give me some advice on where to go from here?"

I've transcribed since 1983.  You can lessen hand stress if you observe how you hold your hands as you type.  When I was in my twenties I noticed that there was a real difference in the way I held my hands and how the older transcriptionists (they had their wrists up and hands pointing down at the keyboard).  I have always had my wrists laying on something and my fingers are going up.  I have never had one bit of carpal tunnel or pain whatsoever.

i am quite upset.  one of my co-workers passed away.  we here all know it was from job stress, but we are not to admit it and were repremanded so by our superiors.  basically it came down to "die or get fired".  lucky for her she died before she could get fired.

now i am sitting here at work today wondering what the heck am i supposed to do? we cannot talk about the job stress and that is what did her in, but she was sick and getting sicker and this is why she passed away.  she was sick and getting sicker from the stress dawg-gone it. 

nobody gets it.

tuesday she told me that a lot of her sickness had to do with wondering if she was going to have a job or not and what would she do if she got fired?  she was beside herself with worry.  she worked her for 25 years, and was a good employee and excellent Transcriptionist until the new supervisor took over and started ragging on her like a pit bull dog and his prey.  and this is a catholic hospital.  i guess this is the new christian work ethic.

i need to vent.  any comments would be appreciated but since i am at work please make them nice.  i have had enough bad stuff happen around here today.

So, you're saying that you got tired of the stress and long hours so you bacame a TRANSCRIPTIONIST!  You crack me up.  Everybody knows that as a Transcriptionist there is never any stress or long hours.

When my kids were young, there were a few tricks I used to cut down on hectic mornings.  I didn't make sandwiches ahead but I did prebag chips and cookies and place is a drawer.  That way just had to reach in and grab a couple of bags and lunch was halfway prepared.  The night before, kids always picked out the clothes for the next day.   And there was no changing minds that morning either, or they lost 1/2 hour of TV time.  Also, backpacks got loaded up the night before and placed by the door.  A little extra thought and effort the night before made mornings a little less hectic.

have several reports for you to transcribe have different degrees of difficulty.  One may be ESL, one may be dictating on a cell phone on his car, one may be trying to do a 15 dictation in 3 minutes, etc.   Leaving a blank is definitely better than guessing.   They are just trying to get a feel for your skill level.  Okay you can't do the ESL or the speedy doc, but you can do the orthopedic doc with ease.  

They may need someone for a difficult account and maybe you won't get that job, but they may need someone for clinic notes, or maybe an easier account and you would do well with that.   You'll get paid less than if you could so the slurring doc without blanks. 

With the slurring doc listen to the report one time time all the way through.  Don't try to fill in any blanks.  Next go back and listen again, this time trying to fill in blanks.  You may be able to get one or two of them this time around.

If you don't pass/get hired at least it was one more experience you have had. 

I don't test well.  I can ace the transcription part, but if they have questions on the test I may not do well.  I had one test that was timed and I was really freaking because I didn't know some of the answers without looking them up and the test timed out on me before I even finished it.  They still offered me a position.

One thing is for sure, you won't get the job if you don't turn in the test.