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After what I did to myself at Office Depot today, I had to make a massive lifestyle switch this afternoon. And by that I mean, of course, that I moved the coaster for my coffee cup and/or water glass from the right side of the recliner to the left. I also switched the mouse to the left side of the keyboard. Since I got the new computer in December I’ve been content to work the mouse right-handed, but I aced myself out of that option at Office Depot today.
This is why I never take anyone else’s pain lightly. I know that days like this are possible for me. I don’t think it will be a permanent condition, but I can imagine how it would feel if it were, and that gives me empathy with chronic sufferers. Meanwhile, allow me the indulgence to bemoan my own misery, however temporary it turns out to be. Ow.
Here’s what happened. I had to go to the office supply store because I was running out of printer paper. When I got to the checkout counter, the box (it only had three reams in it, but it was still on the heavy side) was in my cart. I tried to get the cart as close to the checker as possible, so that she could read the bar code with her magic wand, but she pointed out to me that the code was on the side of the box facing away from her. So I reached down at an awkward angle and turned the box around and lifted it so she could reach.
That’s when the pain started, and it never got any better after that. Worse in fact. And I still had to go to Target to get some underwear.
Most of the pain is in the back of my right hand. The wrist also hurts, and occasionally the sensation shoots up to my elbow. The hand looks swollen to me, but I’m a poor judge. I tend to imagine external things when I’m feeling something internal. It’s a coping mechanism, I suppose. As soon as I got home I took the highest recommended dosage of the strongest pain reliever I could find. I also hunted up the wrist brace I used before and strapped it on. | 
