Carpal Tunnel Syndrome again

Hi all. I'm going to try not to type too much for a while.  After seeing the doctor this week, she advised me to wear wrist braces on both hands and to limit the activities that seem to cause the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.   Let's see....that includes typing milking the cow lifting heavy things (bales of hay, feed bags, buckets of water, even milk buckets.....) shoveling manure working with the wheelbarrow hammering nails moving anything bulky feeding chickens, geese, cows gathering eggs (when the basket is getting full) cutting wire with clippers and on and on and on.   Driving for too long starts my hands tingling because of the nerve damage already in progress and the prolonged position in one place. So I will do what needs to be done, try to let others help with the heavy stuff (20 bags of feed in my car, to be brought into the barn by Michael.  30 bales of hay on the first floor of the barn, and I can't pitch in and help to move them upstairs.  Mounds of last-year's manure, which I've offered to a few eager gardening friends.....) I'm feeling a bit helpless, but the potential alternative would be surgery if I push it too much farther.   Moving lots of wheelbarrows full of manure as the weather thawed a week or so ago, and helping to unload those 30 bales of hay from our friend's truck didn't help, and neither did starting to shovel chicken-litter in the main part of the barn.   With spring around the corner, I know that the use of my hands and arms will be necessary in almost every aspect of what we do around here.  Gardening could be challenging, to say the least! So.....no more updates for a while, until the tingling and weak feelings up and down both arms and especially in my wrists and hands is easing up a bit! Maybe I'll send spring-time pictures instead!  ;) Laura http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/