Ow, my hand

Since Thursday morning, I've been fighting off stiffness and pain in my right hand. It isn't something that developed over time. I went to bed Wednesday fine (although I was fighting off a cold) and woke up with a hand that didn't like being flexed and tensed in certain ways. I've tried a number of treatments to allay the pain and stiffness, with limited success.

• Ibuprofen - doesn't seem to do much
• Heat - depends. Submerging my hand in warm or hot water, especially running water, feels really good, but it's impractical at best for any sort of long-term solution. Hot compresses and chemical heat pads don't seem to do a whole lot of good.
• Ice packs - this actually does some good, although again it's not terribly practical.
• Wrist brace - if anything, this reduces my range of movement, which cuts down on what kinds of things I can do that hurt.
• Topical ointments - mixed. Aspercreme does little to nothing that I can tell. Menthol gels, on the other hand, keep my hand cool and tingly, which feels nice.

Fortunately, after Tuesday I can start taking paid time off from work (hooray 3 months!), so I plan on seeing the doctor on Wednesday if I can swing it. At this point, I think it's just tendonitis. There was some concern at first that it might be carpal tunnel, but it doesn't fit the pattern of symptoms, and the repetitive movements that lead to that don't really bother me. Typing is a little rough, but that all depends on the angle of my wrist to the keyboard, and mouse usage doesn't hurt at all. The only problem is my wrist rubbing on the edge of my desk (my mouse and keyboard are on different levels, so it's a bit awkward), so I need to get one of those foam or gel wristpads. Right now, I've got a Darth Maul beanie filling in for one of those, and he seems to do the trick.