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What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

nsaphra.github.io

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Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#51

Post by nsaphra »

arkades wrote: post #31
neltnerb wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this has happened to several family members in the US, though thankfully mine was diagnosed properly because I could point to family history. Initially they wanted to write it off to migraines (I can't blame them since it's more common and can have similar symptoms at first) and now nine years later it's painful to use my hands and I've mostly given up martial arts. It would almost certainly be worse if I hadn't…

One of the doctors took them seriously, did a biopsy, and gave them a diagnosis. They did not like their diagnosis because “idiopathic” means “we don’t know what causes this,” which the patient translated as “go the fuck away.” As if all human disease is deeply understood and an admission of ignorance is equivalent to laziness. They then continued going to additional doctors.

Hi, I wrote the post! I'm actually very grateful to my neurologist who gave me my idiopathic diagnosis, because he was the only doctor to figure out the mechanism of action. He's been enormously helpful.

It doesn't change the fact that, as a patient, an idiopathic diagnosis is not a satisfying outcome if it doesn't point to a course of treatment. And it's certainly not something I view as a "final diagnosis" -- I'm patient, and technology and medicine are still improving and I hope it'll be possible to identify the cause and treat it in the future.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#52

Post by jonathanyc »

casion wrote: post #46

Fibromyalgia And idiopathic disease are not terms for "go away". They mean "I've tried what I can think of and theres no further testing we can recommend" Notably, a positive punch biopsy for small fiber neuropathy IS diagnosis with treatment that works fairly well. Ideopathic simply means that the base cause is unknown. The author need to educate themselves further about what doctors can do and what words mean. He h…

At the beginning of the story I empathized with the author, myself having had to deal with pain in my hands that required injections to resolve.

But their attempt to make their article more “funny” and dramatic at the expense of their doctors rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not cool to use other people like that to get more clicks.

The tipping point for me was the author making their doctor ask them to leave their office. It’s just as bad as people being rude to retail workers who can’t accept a refund.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#53

Post by rntz »

casion wrote: post #46

Fibromyalgia And idiopathic disease are not terms for "go away". They mean "I've tried what I can think of and theres no further testing we can recommend" Notably, a positive punch biopsy for small fiber neuropathy IS diagnosis with treatment that works fairly well. Ideopathic simply means that the base cause is unknown. The author need to educate themselves further about what doctors can do and what words mean. He h…

> Notably, a positive punch biopsy for small fiber neuropathy IS diagnosis with treatment that works fairly well. Ideopathic simply means that the base cause is unknown.

What is the treatment you claim?

Wikipedia claims that "Treatment [for small fiber neuropathy] is based on the underlying cause, if any." Given that idiopathic means having an unknown cause, that seems to contradict your statement.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#54

Post by rntz »

jonathanyc wrote: post #52
casion wrote: post #46

Fibromyalgia And idiopathic disease are not terms for "go away". They mean "I've tried what I can think of and theres no further testing we can recommend" Notably, a positive punch biopsy for small fiber neuropathy IS diagnosis with treatment that works fairly well. Ideopathic simply means that the base cause is unknown. The author need to educate themselves further about what doctors can do and what words mean. He h…

At the beginning of the story I empathized with the author, myself having had to deal with pain in my hands that required injections to resolve. But their attempt to make their article more “funny” and dramatic at the expense of their doctors rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not cool to use other people like that to get more clicks. The tipping point for me was the author making their doctor ask them to leave their offi…

I don't think the author is trying to exploit doctors to get clicks. I think they're expressing genuine anger and frustration with the healthcare systems they've encountered and the dismissal they've experienced from doctors in those systems.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#55

Post by melling »

stevekemp wrote: post #41
tcoff91 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try doing some rock climbing either outdoors or at the rock gym. Fixed my hand pain real quick.

In my case too much bouldering caused forearm pain that lasted for two years. Didn't stop me from typing, but it did have a significant impact on my daily life :/

There are lots of different stories and reasons for RSI. I’ve saved a bunch of them in a Github repo:

https://github.com/melling/ErgonomicNotes/blob/master/README...

I’ve also saved a bunch of Programming by Voice links:

https://github.com/melling/ErgonomicNotes/blob/master/progra...

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#56

Post by Ididntdothis »

modeless wrote: post #50
stevekemp wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my case too much bouldering caused forearm pain that lasted for two years. Didn't stop me from typing, but it did have a significant impact on my daily life :/

How much was too much? I can certainly imagine that bouldering could cause wrist injuries. But in my case, like above, it strengthened my wrists and improved the pain I was having from typing.

It just depends on how you are built. I tried to get into climbing for a while but the constant strain on the fingers caused more and more pain over time until I could barely use my hands. Took many years to get back to normal.

That’s why you should test a lot of advice if it works for you. Things that work for one person can be damaging for another.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#57

Post by melling »

latchkey wrote: post #49
stevekemp wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my case too much bouldering caused forearm pain that lasted for two years. Didn't stop me from typing, but it did have a significant impact on my daily life :/

I also suffered from hand pain from typing and took up climbing both inside and a bit of outside for a good 8 years solid. I found bouldering to be way more intense than just top rope (eventually getting into lead) climbing. Most of my hand/arm injuries were from bouldering. I concur with the previous response though... climbing, done well and not over doing it... was the 100% solution to my pain problem. Sitting and…

I don’t suppose this could be translated into specific exercises in the gym?

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#58

Post by jonathanyc »

rntz wrote: post #54
jonathanyc wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the beginning of the story I empathized with the author, myself having had to deal with pain in my hands that required injections to resolve. But their attempt to make their article more “funny” and dramatic at the expense of their doctors rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not cool to use other people like that to get more clicks. The tipping point for me was the author making their doctor ask them to leave their offi…

I don't think the author is trying to exploit doctors to get clicks. I think they're expressing genuine anger and frustration with the healthcare systems they've encountered and the dismissal they've experienced from doctors in those systems.

A doctor telling you they don’t know what the root cause of your problem is is not dismissal, unless all of the author’s doctors are acting in bad faith.

I was sad to hear that because of my bone structure in my wrists I will have to be very careful when typing for the rest of my life in order to avoid the pain coming back. I didn’t swear at my doctor when he told me that.

Re: What Does a Coder Do If They Can't Type?

#60

Post by cat199 »

shakna wrote: post #48
m12k wrote: post #10

That story of how the doctors just dismissed her pain as delusion is terrifying. Doctors are supposed to be people of science, but one of the very fundamentals of science is to acknowledge that you don't know everything, that your current knowledge is just a theory that can be improved upon. I find there's a tendency among doctors to think they know every possible disease, and if someone comes along with one that doe…

Getting a diagnosis when you don't have something easily understood can be an utterly soul destroying process. I have fibromyalgia. Not as a label stuck to something that can't be understood, but firmly fitting to a disease that isn't yet fully understood. (Yay for me - I have every known symptom at one time or another.) It took ten years, an enormous amount of pain, two neurologists, three GPs, a psychiatrist and a…

> and now they're able to help.

what was the nail-down / how are they able to help now?

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