The Allen key splint!!

[Ali_H]

Well I’m experiencing inflammation in my hands and as of yesterday my first signs of deformity in a finger at the moment as the swelling is pulling/pushing (?) the top half of my index finger towards the middle finger 😕 Alas no suitable splint in the house or village chemist so I’ve put one of those flat pack Allen keys to good use until a splint arrives in the post... I did have a yearly rheumy appointment (phone) coming up for Monday but they’ve cancelled for obvious reasons - letter arrive yesterday). Now taking naproxen, which I don’t normally need, so hopefully it will settle sooner rather than later.

Q... what improvisations through the years have worked for you?

All the best

Ali 😎

PS... gutted that the song the other day wasn’t you ‘You spin me round like a record’ I thought that I’d finally got one right 😟😱 CALL THE REF!!! 😲

[Patatiger6]

Hi I also have arthritis in my fingers and thumbs but I have found that taking Flax seed oil and Glucosomine sulphate has kept the swell down for years when I stopped taking it for a few months it got really bad then I read back on my diary and went back on it and the fingers are good again but one thumb joint is getting worse I take naproxen now and the for other joint and coltsfoot Emulgel soothe it The splint you made was very ingenious and hope you have a good day

[Ali_H in reply to Patatiger6]

Thanks,I’ve taken flaxseed for about 5 years now for dry eye etc and it’s served me well along with my turmeric and vit D.... I suspect that my current inflammation is a residue gift from having COVID in October and being off MTX for two weeks followed by 2 weeks at half done. No glucosamine for me due to allergies... the strange thing is that hand doesn’t really hurt but the left one does??

A side note on the flax seed oil... if it is in capsules these are thicker capsule casings which don’t dissolve so readily and thus the capsule is further through the system before the oil is released - I now bite my capsules before swallowing and my dry eye has been better since doing this... not the best taste in the world but hey ho!!!

Have a good one 😎

[janmary]

Ingenious- but the ‘free arm’ of the Alan key looks a bit tricky (though could be useful as a hook gadget!). Lollipop sticks , especially the flat ones, are good.

[Ali_H in reply to janmary]

Alas no lollipop sticks in the house... but a good excuse to pop into the village store and get one though 👏👏

[MadBunny]

Great improvisation there😁

[Ali_H]

Thanks... Janmary is right about the hook though - I’m making bread later so that will be interesting 🙃

[bubblyalex]

What a clever improvisation. Super impressed! 😁

[Hidden]

I’m impressed at you ingenuity. Like you I get odd symptoms. My right toe is numb , immobile and drifting but it’s my left toe that is painful.. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[Ali_H in reply to Hidden]

It’s madness... I think in the past we’d have been certified for saying ‘look at this normal digit it hurts like heck, it’s hot and throbs all the time.... oh by they way this one over here is deforming at an alarming rate but feels fine’ 🙄🙄

[Hidden in reply to Ali_H]

I don’t think I will ever get to understand this bloody disease..🥴

[Mumcon]

I’ve been suffering terrible pain in my middle finger for months Have put off contacting Rheumy because of the situation but I think I will need to It’s like a red hot poker in my finger and it keeps me wakened at night

I bought a splint from Boots ages ago but I found it made it worse I think I’ll try your idea xx

[Ali_H in reply to Mumcon]

When I get my finger splints, we have ordered 2 different types, I’ll post what they are like and if I feel that either of them are helping at all.All the best

[essexgirl]

Brilliant I’m suffering the same atm ... gonna try that ... my knuckle feels like it’s broken

[Mumcon in reply to essexgirl]

It’s no joke Is it? Xx

[Paula-C]

They're also useful to put in the hole in a Yale key to use as a lever for turning the key if your fingers are really painful.

[Pippy25]

Certainly a different approach to splinting but clever too. I would need the full set on my fingers and toes too I'm afraid. Sorry you didn't get the quiz guess the other day but loved your answer. Sometimes Spooky likes to fox us

[Ali_H in reply to Pippy25]

Re quiz... we will just have to keep the pandemic going until I get one right!!! 😳😷😳

[Pippy25 in reply to Ali_H]

I'm sure you will get one soon!

[Niao]

Excellent! I've made some out of layers of cardboard before, but nothing as impressive as this! 😁