Any advice on caring for fingers/hands while meds are unavailable?
tl;dr, lost insurance due to ACA changes, job doesn’t offer it, job searching in USA is a wasteland and I’m stuck uninsured with no meds for the time being. my state does not offer Medicare/medicaid expansion. I am trying to get into a program at my local hospital, but there are no specialists who work with that program either.
my current job requires that I use my hands constantly and I was nearly in tears yesterday during a rush bc even the bones further down in my hands hurt at the moment. in particular, the DIP joint in both my middle fingers has started to warp in a way I don’t really know how to describe, but they’re also painful and interfering with my job. they are bending backwards like hyper-extension and starting to turn toward the outer edge of my palm. I am losing my grip (literally and figuratively) and getting clumsy, which is very bad bc I handle expensive and fragile inventory.
I see very mixed information on whether or not splints would help, so I’m looking for literally anything that might give me some relief or structural support in my fingers. or clarity on whether or not splints are useful here. I think preventing the backwards bend would help a lot. they’re so bad that my left one looks like the tip of my middle finger sticks up at a 45 degree angle if I try to lay my fingers flat, and the joint feels like it’s full of pebbles (constantly clicking and snapping) but also somehow “loose.”
even if it’s temporary, I will try anything. I can’t afford to go to a doctor out of pocket beyond the most basic, basic needs at a GP or NP, so I’m trying to do everything I can to patch myself together until I find a solution. thanks in advance.