Except that since Friday (as I type this, its Sunday), my hands have ached. Ached is the general way to describe it, but along with the literal all-over ache, I've had sharp stabbing pains in various places. My right wrist is where a burning, gravelly pain is radiating from most of the time. I wear a brace at night, every night, on that wrist. The pain alternately shoots down my fingers and from that little jolt, my finger joints feel like they're burning for long moments after.
The general ache feels as if my hands were rapped soundly with a large hammer. No real pain in the sense I can't do anything, but so achy that I can't rub my hands to make them feel better (like it does when I have an arthritis flare-up). I grasp one hand with the other and it just causes more pain. The ache is like a large bruise.
That seems to be the overall "normal" thing to this fibro pain. Everything aches. Like a bruise. Like I've fallen off the horse. Been soundly rapped with a hammer.
I don't remember if I mentioned it (and I'm not going to check now), but I started doing a self-portrait project in February. 365 Days of self-portraits. I'm up to day 295 today. I haven't missed one yet. I didn't think I'd keep going this long, but hey, here I am. Today's attempt was to hold out my hand and try to get a shot of a water droplet landing in my palm. After about ten minutes of standing outside (in the 23° Fahrenheit cold), my hand was soaked, I'd taken maybe thirty shots and didn't get a single keeper. I dried off my hand on my wool peacoat and tried to come up with something else.
I figured since my hand was already cold, I'd just stick it into the snow and get a photo of it covered in snow. I took three shots before I realized I needed to change my camera setting, then had to dip my hand in the snow again. By then, my hand was numb. It was so cold that I lost feeling. I chuckled to myself over that, because it took the snow to take the pain out of my hand. I stopped chuckling the instant I tried to move my fingers. They had stiffened so much I couldn't bend them. I grew up in Alaska, I know what to do if this happens (which usually is by accident, not for a photographic opportunity). I ran cool water over my hand till I could move it.
What followed was that hot-skin pain for a long time. I don't know how long that lasted because I didn't time it. Now my skin is a bit sore (its been hours now) but my hand no longer hurts. My right hand still does. The right one still has that all-over hammered ache.
I'm tempted to stick my hand in the snow again when I go outside with the dogs this evening.
Oh, and for your enjoyment, the photos I got today.
Day 295 of 365.
Water droplets (after these shots, I tried to catch them).
I'd say the pain and cold were worth it. Just like the other day when I sprawled out, face-down on my deck, to get the other photos.
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