Thursday, February 4, 2021

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2006. This was classic Mattie. He LOVED playing with clay. If you look closely, you will see that he had clay all over the place. Stuck in cars, trains, and his car carrier. Ironically after every play session, we did a clean up, which wasn't a fun task to teach Mattie, but it worked. He understood his role as a helper, and that he was part of the family, and therefore we all had responsibility for our things. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.

• Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 26,642,744
• Number of people who died from the virus: 454,596

On World Cancer Day it seems appropriate to share this story. I went to see a doctor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital today for my hand. While on campus, I always check out the Children's Art Gallery. A Gallery that meant the world to Mattie, as he was at it's grand opening in March of 2009. Not only was he there, but he contributed a LEGO model of his "ideal hospital room" and behind the model was a story Mattie created! 

March 2009 at the Children's Art Gallery Grand opening!

The story was typed up and framed! Mattie has been gone from our lives for 11 years! But Mattie's story remains in the Hospital's art gallery. I am grateful to MedStar's art therapy and child life departments, because they understand that childhood cancer IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE MEDICINE. 

Unfortunately around 7 children die A DAY in the USA from cancer. As a mom who lost her only child to cancer, it means the world to me to see Mattie's story, which is part of his legacy, STILL on display in the Gallery.  

On World Cancer Day we remember Mattie as well as all children impacted by cancer, and their incredible and courageous families who support them.

Meanwhile, for the past two months I have been dealing with finger pain, stiffness, and clicking when my middle finger was bent. So I went to see an orthopedic hand doctor today. He confirmed that I have trigger finger. Diagnosis of trigger finger doesn't require any elaborate testing. Basically he did a physical exam, and I had to open and close my hand, checking for areas of pain, smoothness of motion and evidence of locking. Ironically I did not realize where the pain was originating from until he pressed on the tendons in my palm. 

The hand has flexor tendons that fix to the forearm muscles and bones of the fingers. Contract the muscles, and the flexor tendons live up to their names and allow the fingers to flex and bend. Each of the flexor tendons passes through a tunnel in the palm and fingers that enable it to glide smoothly as the finger bends and straightens. This tunnel is called the ‘tendon sheath.’

Along the tendon sheath, bands of tissue called ‘pulleys’ hold the flexor tendons firmly to the finger bones. The tendons pass through the pulleys as the finger moves. The pulley at the base of the finger is called the ‘A1 pulley.’ This is the pulley that is most often involved in trigger finger.”

Stage 1: The hand is tender at the site of the inflamed pulley and tendon.

Stage 2: The affected finger will catch or click when bending it, but it doesn't get stuck.

Stage 3: The most severe, the finger will get stuck in a bent position (like your are pulling a trigger). The tendon is too swollen and gets stuck in the pulley. 

You get trigger finger when that A1 pulley thickens or makes it tough for the flexor tendon to move through it when the finger bends. As time passes, nodules can form on the flexor tendon, which causes pain should the finger flex. In the most severe instances, your finger might lock or become fixed in a bent position.

This is a photo of the internet. But exactly what happened to me today! I was given an injection of a cortisone into the tendon sheath to reduce inflammation and allow the tendon to glide freely again. This is the most common treatment, and it's usually effective for a year or more in most people treated. But sometimes it takes more than one injection.

The most common side effect of a cortisone shot is “flare.” I have been told to ice my hand, but I can already tell my finger is very swollen! In fact after he gave me the shot, my whole finger went numb for about an hour. Fortunately he warned me and prepped me for what to expect. There are NO KNOWN reasons for trigger finger, but he said there is a correlation between people who have carpal tunnel (which I got when pregnant with Mattie, and continued to have bouts of it even today) and trigger finger. I am grateful for early intervention, as I don't want my finger to land up permanently bent.