A glimpse of early Summer hope, then...

New fingertips appeared briefly!

Time passes, and my ability to cope with life without fingertips improves, even if my fingers don't show much improvement! The fingers wax and wane in terms of symptom severity. In the early stages of my issues, I could look forward to annual remission in the summer months. That ended in 2018, when my fingers split open in October and haven't seen complete remission to date (today being September 1, 2021).

My fingers looked their best during an early summer road trip this May/June. We took three weeks to venture from Seattle to Eastern Nebraska (and back) via rural back roads. We took our little Chihuahua dog, camped and staying in little motels. The weather was just starting to heat up - and it got hot quickly. 

Things got hot and stayed hot (over 100 F every day) in our part of the world, a place unaccustomed to such heat. I don't mind the heat. Actually, I like dry, hot climates above all else. Places like Moab, UT. But I digress, as I live in Seattle where it is not a dry heat. It's humid.

I can't explain with certainty what made my fingers improve, nor can I explain their undoing. It could be related to soaking in the natural healing waters of our beautiful country. Our road trip included visits to a number of mineral hot springs, including Moccasin Springs, in Hot Springs, SD and the public bath house in Thermopolous, WY.  

But, for whatever made them improve, things changed I am now back in HAND HELL!

Lookin' crusty (August 2021)

On the upside, my attitude about my hand problems continues to evolve and improve over time. It's a blessing! I no longer care about the minor arthritic pains, which I now consider a sign of graceful aging. I have friends who died young and will never experience arthritic ailments - but I'm still here, and thankful for it.

Back to bad (August 2021)

I started playing music regularly about two years ago, and nowadays I try to spend at least an hour a day playing something - my accordion, a melodica or one of my vintage pump organs. 

I'd love to play guitar, but can't handle holding down strings on the fret board. I do play on occasion, using a slide guitar that sounds surfy-awesome with open tuning and a slide bar - using finger picks on the right hand. I make do with whatever my hands allow, switching instruments as needed. If split fingers make playing the bass side of my accordion impossible, I just switch to the pump organ or harmonium!

Life goes on and I resolve to make the most of each day I get to live on this planet. I will follow up on the possibility that soaking in the natural mineral springs led to the improvement in my fingers. 

I'd like to send out a greeting to blog reader Sara M, fellow sufferer of rheumatic issues and another denizen in Hand Hell. I hope your hands are feeling OK!

(2021) Hand-Hell Blog.