Tenosynovitis

WTF. That's exactly what I would have thought had I heard this term before 1 month or so. But now I know that this is a kind of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) now becoming common to software professionals. It started suddenly.. no knocking on the door, no formalities, no early symptoms, nothing, just started. I was driving my bike for Yercaud and when we took break on our way, I felt my thumb got stiffened and there was pain in bending it. I tried to ignore it because it might have happened for any reason. But this pain continued for a week and sometimes my thumb was used to stuck in a stretched position and I had to use my other hand to bring it to normal position. Now, I thought, was the time to visit some doctor. I googled a bit and found Hosmat is considered to be hospital for orthopedic problems. I went to Hosmat and waited for my appointment. Here's the conversation with doc-

Doc: Hi Ashok, What hapened?
Me: I'm having pain in my thumb near wrist.
Doc: For how long?
Me: I think a week.
Doc: Did you hurt it? any accident?
Me: No, not that I remember.
Doc: (held my thumb in a stretched position) Now try bending your thumb.
Me: It pains.
Doc: Operation karna padega.
Me: OPERATION????
Doc: See Ashok. Aisa hota hai ki there are these tendons passing through this tunnel. By some reasons sometimes this tunnel gets blocked. so.......
Me: But OPERATION?
Doc: It's not that BIG operation. Ok. Let's get an X-ray of this incase you having doubts.
I went and got my X-ray done. Returned with the report.
Me: Sir, report.
Doc: (Looking at X-ray film) See, there is no problem in bones.
Me: (Saala, I have seen only frog's internals, how the hell I can comprehend anything on this x-ray). Ok sir. But operation???
Doc: (Smiling) So you want to be sure about this. Go and get ultasound report.
I left and got my ultrasound done. In that report, it was written in BOLD CAPITAL letter "TENOSYNOVITIS of abductor pollicis is suspected". Returned to doctor and showed him the report.
Doc: See. It is the same thing. So when do you want to have this surgery?
Me: Is there other option?
Doc: Hmm.... I can do the plaster but then It may return again.
Me: OK sir, Let me think. By the way, what will be the cost of this SMALL operation?
Doc: If you have shared room, it will come around 16K bucks.
Me: Ok sir, I will think and decide. Thank you.
Doc: Ok.

Well, I left and did some googling on tenosynovitis and found a lot of stuff there. Some interesting ones were from handsuniversity and wiki. Finally I dropped the idea of having surgery so soon as one of my friend told me that in Hosmat, they prescribe surgery for everything... Rest story I will write some other time.