I have to have the joints in my fingers (and thumbs) taken out due to severe erosive arthritis (per my rheumie, is eating away bone faster than any she's seen; she does not know what type this is)
I test almost twenty times day/night (with alarms set during night) , due to hypo unawareness and other medical conditions which make BGs unpredictable.
With no joints in my fingers, does anyone know HOW I am supposed to test (picking up tiny test strips, inserting into meter), milk fingers for blood? And how do I inject?
I have asked for help from my drs' offices (rheumie's office, surgeon's offices that have therapists, and diabetes educators) and they cannot tell me how I am supposed to do these things without joints (there is no one in household who could do it for me)
Has anyone had their joints fused? (I think the proper term is arthrodesis). How do you do these things? And can you clue me in on how to do other activities that will be impacted? (like dressing, cooking, etc)
I cannot schedule the surgery until I find a way to do the testing and injecting, since that is essential for me to exist. However, the longer I wait for surgery, the more bone is destroyed, and the surgeon has less bone to work with, and thus a less favorable outcome. Thanks, Les PS: Apparently joint replacement is not an option with finger joints because they so often fail.
I test almost twenty times day/night (with alarms set during night) , due to hypo unawareness and other medical conditions which make BGs unpredictable.
With no joints in my fingers, does anyone know HOW I am supposed to test (picking up tiny test strips, inserting into meter), milk fingers for blood? And how do I inject?
I have asked for help from my drs' offices (rheumie's office, surgeon's offices that have therapists, and diabetes educators) and they cannot tell me how I am supposed to do these things without joints (there is no one in household who could do it for me)
Has anyone had their joints fused? (I think the proper term is arthrodesis). How do you do these things? And can you clue me in on how to do other activities that will be impacted? (like dressing, cooking, etc)
I cannot schedule the surgery until I find a way to do the testing and injecting, since that is essential for me to exist. However, the longer I wait for surgery, the more bone is destroyed, and the surgeon has less bone to work with, and thus a less favorable outcome. Thanks, Les PS: Apparently joint replacement is not an option with finger joints because they so often fail.
