Brittle Nails redux

Oops, I forgot--one more aging issue. I asked my new dermatologist what she recommends for soft, splitting nails. Her advice combines internal and external treatments. The external part: put almond oil on nails with a Qtip, then buff the nails. Guess the buffing enables the oil to adhere to the nails. She said do this once a week and don't use nail polish again until the nails have healed. The internal: in addition to Omega 3 fish oil, which I already take, she recommended taking something called biotin--3 mg per day. I found a vitamin product called Hair, Skin and Nails, which has biotin plus some other stuff. So I bought that and just started taking it. My nails do look better--except for one that has a big diagonal split in it. But then I've been staying out of the garden due to the high temperatures and my propensity to overdo it once I get going...

Age Obsessed

Well, so much for daily blogging! Not sure what the barrier is--I'd think of tidbits to write, and then wouldn't go to the computer. My excuse is that my husband has been working from home since he had knee surgery in mid-April, and I rarely got on my computer. Anyway, back to my quest to find nonsurgical ways to look younger (or slow down future aging).

I picture myself looking younger than I obviously do, given comments people make to me. I won't shop at Harris-Teeter on Thursdays any more, because the check-out person asked me if I was eligible for the senior discount. OK, I just turned 58, but I don't want people to think I'm in my 60s. And the Starbucks barrista misheard something I said and thought I mentioned visiting my grandkids. I know 58 is old enough to be a grandmother, but since my only son is only 18, I'm sensitive to the notion that I look like a grandmother. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I am. So I can pretent that I look young(er), but then reality throws a punch at my jowly jaw.

I recently visited a new dermatologist, to get anti-aging advice. I wanted her opinion as to what works, and what doesn't. My biggest problem is sagging skin, especially in the neck area. She said the only way for me to fix my sagging skin/neck was to get a lower facelift. She said nonsurgical options such as laser treatments need to be done in one's 30s as preventive measures; that technology didn't exist when I was in my 30s. Guess that explains why the laser treatments I tried when I was in my 40s didn't work. She said not to waste my money on expensive creams--something I've seen on the Internet from basically all dermatologists who've weighed in on line.

But I still wonder about exercises--seems like part of the problem is weak muscles. So I'm doing exercises from a book I bought called the Yoga Facelift. I read that Japanese women do facial exercises/massages every night--not sure why that isn't promoted here more. I tried to find exercises on the web, but couldn't--hence the book purchase. I'm going to do ones for neck, jawline, lips and forehead daily for a month, and see what I think. Or more accurately, what others think.

The dermatologist did give me a treatment for my starting-to-emerge age spots. It's a combo of a cream called Azelex and the bleaching agent Hydroquinone, both prescription drugs. I'm supposed to use the combo daily for 3 months on my hands as well as forearms and neck/chest. So we'll see how that works. She also prescribed the Azelex for my face/neck as an anti-aging cream. She was going to prescribe Retin A, but I mentioned that my skin broke out when I tried Retin A some years ago. I was using Tazorac (prescribed by another dermatologist), but thought it was making my skin a bit tough. So I guess "anti-aging" is different from "anti-sagging". I just started these regimens yesterday; I hope my facial skin will tolerate the Azelex--it's very sensitive.

She told me not to waste my money on Kinerase, which is what I'm currently using as a moisturizer at a cost of $129 for 2.8 oz. She recommended CeraVe cleanser (instead of Cetaphil) and moisturizer. It's really cheap, and available at CVS. So I'm using that. I didn't save the sales slip, and I don't remember how much the cost...OK, I looked it up--you can buy 12 oz CeraVe moisturizing lotion for $13.79; the 12 oz bottle of cleanser costs $12.59. You know it's inexpensive, because I had a hard time finding it at CVS--it was on the bottom shelf, where the other inexpensive products are. Plus I went to the CeraVe website and found a $2 -off coupon. But I can't figure out how to print it off--directions said I needed to install a "coupon printer," which I did, but it still didn't print. I'll go back to that once I'm done blogging.

I also asked what I can do for emerging lip lines--some have just emerged, and one is very deep. I'm convinced they worsened after I spent hours one day gardening--even though I was wearing a hat and sunscreen. Anyway, she said the only treatment for that would be an injection--she uses Juvenex. The Yoga Facelift book discusses how injections weaken the muscles (the dermo confirmed that this is how injections work)--the exercises in the book are designed to strengthen muscles. I prefer that approach. The dermo said people typically need Juvenex treatments about every 18 mos. Not as frequent as Botox for brow lines, but I still don't want to go that route. So I'm doing a lip exercise and using a lot of Vaseline. And trying to be more careful about hours spent outside (I need to do an entry on Horticulture Therapy).

So these are my biggest problem areas--saggy neck, beginnings of age spots, and lip creasing. My upper face doesn't look that bad--I'm hoping the facial exercises for forehead/brow will be good preventive measures. I suspect the saggy neck is due to years of seesawing weight gains and losses--+ or - 35 lbs. I had an eating disorder that didn't have a name--it's now called binge eating disorder. My neck was already starting to sag when I was in my early 40s. But I can always hope that targeted exercises will help...

The dermatologist did confirm that I am using good sunscreens--combos of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. My previous dermatologist said these were the most effective sunscreen ingredients. So I searched the web and found that a brand called Blue Lizard from Australia has the highest concentrates of both--Blue Lizard for sensitive skin has 5 percent titanium dioxide and 10 percent zinc oxide. Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby has 4.9 percent titanium dioxide and 4.7 percent zinc oxide, which is the highest among non-Blue Lizard brands from my research. I use these on my face, neck and hands, in part because my face won't tolerate other kinds of sunscreen ingredients. It's funny--with all the new, fancy ingredients such as Helioplex (Neutrogena), zinc oxide is still the best. So the lifeguards who smeared it on their noses back when we were growing up (do they still do this?) had the right idea.

The woman who wrote The Yoga Facelift, Marie-Veronique Nadeau, notes that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are mineral, rather than chemical, sunscreens, and that's why they are nonirritating. She also notes that the ozone layer that screens out harmful ultraviolet rays is nonexistent in Australia. (See p. 133 of her book.) If this is true, it would explain why Australia has such a good sunscreen product in Blue Lizard.

My Voice

My "out there" idea for how I would try to make some money after I left my job was to do voice overs. Hence one of the reasons for my blog title. (That's the literal one; the more figurative relates to finding new bearings after leaving a job at the same organization for nearly 32 years.

I took an adult ed session on voice acting last year and enjoyed it--and thought I'd be good at it. I signed up for a training package that included lessons, on-line resources, recording studio time and ultimately a set of demo disks (based on the studio session). Now I have to figure out how to market myself--something I'm not used to doing, and which isn't easy for me.

But I'm also having difficulty with my voice--I'm getting hoarse really quickly when I talk, and my throat hurts after I sing for even an hour. So I'm reading a book I bought years ago about vocal technique, and am back to basics practicing breath support. I've always had difficulty with my singing voice, even though I have a modest amount of talent. I suspect that I've been singing incorrectly--somehow tightening muscles in my jaw or elsewhere near the vocal chords, and not supporting consistently enough with by diaphragm. So I'm hoping at a minimum that my voice won't wear out as quickly, and am always hopeful that my singing voice will be more consistent.

Anyway, having vocal problems isn't a good start for trying to do voiceover work. But my main concern is that I'll spend a lot of time (and some amount of money) trying to get work and have nothing to show for it. But that's the type of risk I wanted to take. I just need to figure out how to limit the amount of money I invest. The lesson package was not cheap, so I've already invested quite a bit.

So I will chronicle my steps and progress in trying to get voice acting work--starting with trying to get my voice into better shape.

Ring finger jam--with rings

Just as my trigger finger was healing, I jammed my ring finger while spreading 20 bags of mulch in my garden beds. I had my rings on at the time, and didn't think to take them off right away. The jam really hurt, but I kept working. By the time I went back into the house and tried to remove the rings, it was too late--my finger, especially my knuckle--had already swollen. I didn't think too much of it, but tried to put an ice bag on it--didn't work well, because the ice bags are so big. It wasn't until later that night that I remembered--the finger injury kit I bought at the drugstore had a little ice pack in it designed to slip on over a finger. But I needed to freeze it for at least 2 hours before using it, and it was already late at night.

This of course happened to me on a Saturday--I always seem to get injuries on the weekend, when I can't easily check in with a doctor. By Sunday my finger was quite swollen, and I got more and more nervous that they would have to cut my rings off. Not sure why I didn't do research--ice was the right idea, but I also should have kept the finger raised above my heart level--something I will remember in the future. Along with not wearing my rings when I am doing manual labor.

I didn't want to go to the emergency room to have it checked out--I was afraid they would cut off my rings. I didn't want to say anything to my husband--these of course were my wedding ring and a diamond ring. Not my engagement ring--I hardly ever wear that, after a close call where the diamond fell out some years ago. A story in itself --my husband was determined to find the diamond, and did. On the floor of a ski shop where we had been earlier in the day. When he finally asked my how my finger was doing (back to the finger jam story), I said I was worried they might have to cut off the rings. I could tell he was freaked, although tried not to show it. He said he thought the swelling would go down; no need to cut off the rings...

I cooked dinner on Sunday, which I shouldn't have done--I'm sure the cutting and other preparing didn't help the swelling. But it was Palm Sunday, and I bought rack of lamb so I could try a recipe from the WSJ that came from a DC restaurant I haven't been to--the Blue Duck Tavern. The recipe called for marinating the racks overnight (I bought 2 but should only have bought 1 for 3 people), then browning the lamb before cooking it in the oven (in the pan) and marinating it with a mustard sauce. At the same time I cooked asparagus as laid out in the recipe (also cooked in the oven). The recipe was very good, although the lamb was probably rarer than it should have been. My husband only learned to eat food that's less than well done since we've been married. But we all ate it; it definitely was juicy. I'll probably use the recipe again for a special occasion, but cook the lamb a bit longer. My oven usually cooks fast, so I thought I was OK with the minimum time noted in the recipe. I should have used a meat thermometer... Not sure why rack of lamb is considered so fancy--I've never ordered it in a restaurant (too expensive), and have had it only once, I believe--at a ski resort in Quebec called Le Chanteclair. They had gourmet meals every night there. Anyway, my husband asked what exactly is rack of lamb--I said I thought it was just a bunch of lamb chops stuck together. Not sure whether the rack is where the individual chops come from, or whether they come from another part of the lamb. I assume the rack is from the ribs--some of the chops are from the shoulder, I believe.

On Monday my doctor made room at the end of her appointments (she was finishing around noon because she was headed for a Seder that evening). I could move the rings, so she said they didn't need to be cut off--yet. She confirmed that the emergency people probably would have cut them off. She made me a splint (said the one I was wearing--from the drugstore finger kit--was not good. It was straight, which she said could stiffen the joint). She told me to keep my hand raised above my heart, and continue to use ice. If the swelling didn't come down, the rings would need to come off. And she would do a xray to see if any bone had splintered--that apparently sometimes happens with a jam.

I kept my hand up the rest of the day, including at night (she said to prop my hand up on pillows), and used the ice pack the maximum 4 times. Yesterday (Tuesday) morning the finger looked bad--I couldn't really move the rings and the area above them was quite puffy. I used the ice, then decided to take a shower. After I was done, I put hand lotion on, and found that I could move the rings. I got them to the knuckle, and after a few tries finally twisted them over the knuckle and off my swollen hand. Was I relieved! I still spent the entire day with my hand raised--watched movies on TCM since there wasn't much else I could do, and I wasn't feeling well. My husband took the dog to "doggie day out" so I wouldn't have to walk her. (The day before, I ginned up a makeshift sling with a scarf so I could keep my hand up.)

By dinnertime last night, I realized that I didn't really need to keep my hand up any more--the swelling would come down eventually, and the immediate danger of losing my rings was over. So I'm not as concerned about the finger. In fact, I'm using it right now--doing my usual typing. It doesn't hurt at all, but keeps changing color--red, blue, yellowish green... And the lower section, just above where the rings were, is still very puffy.

So I'm off to yoga--free classes this week at the yoga studio, to make up for all the classes that had to be cancelled during the February Snowmageddon. Hopefully, my recovering fingers (trigger and jam) will be OK during downward facing dog...

Trigger Finger Repaired-I hope!

I wish I'd known what I had was Trigger Finger (fixable) and not arthritis (not fixable)--I would have visited a doctor much sooner! The orthopedist confirmed that what I had was TF, and said the conservative approach was to first try cortisone shots. So he gave me a shot at the base of my middle finger, where the misfiring tendon was. That was 2 days ago--I have a pretty large bruise on the palm of my hand where the shot was--and it hurts if I put pressure on it. But my finger joint seems fine.

I think he said that cortisone works for about 40% of people with TF--and they don't have to do anything else! If the joint starts locking again, he'll do a second shot. He said if 2 shots don't work, 22 won't work. So then he would do surgery to (I guess) keep the tendon from catching and preventing the joint from unlocking.

So if you have a finger joint that locks in the bent position--see an orthopedist and get it fixed!

Brittle Nails, Brittle Nerves

Brittle Nails: For some reason my nails have been peeling and nothing I've done has helped heal them. Internet search revealed a bunch of different suggestions--lanolin being the most popular cream; mixed reviews of products such as Hard as Nails. My Mom always swore by gelatin. (Root cause, according to Internet search: aging.) So I asked my dermotologist (when I was there to seek treatment for a skin blotch on my face) what to do. He said nothing taken internally would do any good, since the nail ends that peel are already dead. Thus shooting down the gelatin fix. He said peeling nails are the result of dryness, and suggested that I put petroleum jelly on them.

So I've been putting Vaseline on them ever since--has helped a bit, but I think the cold weather also was a culprit. And I do think nails are better off with polish on them--I was leaving them unpolished, but that seemed to protect them less.

Vaseline is so greasy, I get it on everything (especially the TV remote when I put it on in the evening). But it absorbs more quickly than one might think, and if you wipe it off your palms, it's not as messy. I like the fact that my dermatologist comes up with inexpensive fixes. Before I went to him, I started searching for lanolin cream, until I remebered that I'm horrible allergic to it. I once wore a lambs' wool sweater on a plane flight to Florida; it felt like my back was on fire by the end of the flight, and I couldn't do anything about it (no change of clothes in carry on.)

Brittle Nerves: I thought that getting myself out of an increasingly stressful work situation, plus doing more yoga and meditation would help calm me down. But I can get just as impatient (when waiting for a prescription, for example). So it must be me, not the work. Something I need to continue to focus on and manage.

Trigger Finger

I guess it's inevitable that some of my blog would be about age-related health issues. Here's the latest: for some time the joint in my left middle finger has been stiff--sometimes it would lock, and I'd have to unfold it gently with my right hand. I assumed it was arthritis, and hoped taking glucosamine/chondroatin each day would help, even though a recent study shows that treatment to be little better than the placebo.

Anyway, yesterday I yanked on my dog's leash (to keep him from attacking another dog) and my left finger locked. But I couldn't unlock it, and it hurt so much when I tried that I walked the rest of the way with my finger locked at a 90 degree bent angle. It was scary and painful. So when I got home I asked my son to look up "locked finger joint" (since I couldn't type) and found that what I have is called "trigger finger". Multiple causes, not necessarily arthritis. Happens more frequently in women, and often is the result of repetitive gripping motion. I think it's all the years of gardening (pruning, weeding) that did it for me.

An ice pack finally did the trick--my finger joint unlocked--and I bought a splint per Mayo clinic web site suggestion. But I plan to see an orthopedist to see if I need more extensive treatment--either steroids or surgery.

Seems like since I've stopped working I've had more health problems-dizziness, sinus/cold/allergy (not sure), and now Trigger Finger. I hope it's not because I have more time to notice health issues...