OCD is destroying my hands.

Raziaar

Raziaar

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Any of you out there have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, whether officially diagnosed or not?

I'm seeking some advice. I don't really know what to do and it's driving me nuts. I have OCD and it applies to certain things. Not the stereotypical things people think of with someone who has OCD.

Anyways, the thing that is bothering me most, is my hands. At some point last year my fingers started popping with even the slightest bending. I don't know what caused it initially, but my right hand middle and ring finger pop whenever I curl them. So literally without even trying, I can pop my fingers. This eventually developed to my left hand ring finger as well, and I have basically become addicted to popping them as much as I can in this way.

If I had to count, I'd say I pop them intentionally and unintentionally about 2000 times a day(no lie). It's gotten to the point that I have serious pains sometimes, nerve pains and other pains shooting up and down my forearm on the right hand. Sometimes the pain is more localized and hurts along the finger itself.

Short of going to the doctor and being prescribed pills, what can I do? Chop off my fingers?
 
You need to go to your doctor asap. You could be setting yourself up for severe arthritis later on in life.
 
My doctor? As if I have my own doctor? Heh. Will have to find one if it comes down to that. Can't really afford it, but this has been driving me insane for over a year, and it's getting progressively worse and more intense, both the frequency of how often I do it and the pain I experience
 
American health care system ftl :(
 
sigh... me and my assumptions based on the NHS. :(
 
Tape 3 fingers together or something.
 
cut your fingers and replace them whit robotic claws
 
Ouch man. I thought I was bad with my clicking. You definitely sound like you need to get help though, even if it is going to be expensive. Can't put a price on your own health.
 
ive had ocd for a while. only thing i can say is its not gonna just go away on its own. You need to do something about it now.
 
Shift said:
Stop doing it.
Click to expand...

Really helpful. Do us all a favor and stop posting.

Raz, different psychological tricks may end up not working on account of the OCD. This isn't a bad habit, it's a straight up instinctive obsession. I also recommend seeing a doctor.
 
Jesus, people on here just don't see a joke when its there in front of them on here. But what I said is about as helpful as what anyone else can contribute to be honest, there are no doctors on this forum as far I know, so what really can you say except see a doctor.

So i believe I will continue posting.
 
Shift said:
Jesus, people on here just don't see a joke when its there in front of them on here. But what I said is about as helpful as what anyone else can contribute to be honest, there are no doctors on this forum as far I know, so what really can you say except see a doctor.

So i believe I will continue posting.
Click to expand...

He's looking for advice, not snide comments from idiots. And there are probably a number of psychological alternatives that are worth trying. A doctor may not even be able to help. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not largely uncommon, and there's nothing wrong with asking others about their experiences with it. Raz is clearly concerned for his health, and I don't really think that laughing is very helpful.

Either way, I'd really prefer it if you did stop posting.
 
I've had mild OCD for as long as I can remember. I never scratch out a word when I get it wrong. I draw a rectangle around it and then fill it using either a pencil or an ink pen. Also, I keep everything at certain angles and positions for no reason. I organise files and folders on my computer. Right now, every folder on my computer has an even number of icons (except C:\Windows). I used to defragment my comp. once or twice a day, but not so much now. I sometimes double and triple check whether I have closed a door (I open and close it again and again). At one point I was obsessed with forcing the air out of my mouth. That didn't go very well...
 
I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, mostly consisting of constantly having to check of the doors are locked when I'm home, and constantly check so that I haven't lost my keys, wallet and phone when I'm out. This is usually accompanied by a certain procedure of blinking and breathing.
 
Yorick said:
He's looking for advice, not snide comments from idiots. And there are probably a number of psychological alternatives that are worth trying. A doctor may not even be able to help. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not largely uncommon, and there's nothing wrong with asking others about their experiences with it. Raz is clearly concerned for his health, and I don't really think that laughing is very helpful.

Either way, I'd really prefer it if you did stop posting.
Click to expand...

....who are you? lol You should get your head out of your ass and realize he was only joking you clown.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I guess one of these days I'm going to have to go see the doctor.

By the way, I don't care if anybody jokes about it, since I joke about stuff all the time. For me it's not a joking matter, but I can still appreciate humor :)


Naph said:
Tape 3 fingers together or something.
Click to expand...

I have actually tried this. I've used cloth and tape and wrapped them around each problem finger that causes problems. With them being wrapped like, it prevents them from popping when I bend them, so that even if I tried I couldn't pop them. However... I realize that I'd need to have them on for weeks and weeks for the fingers to heal to the point that they don't want to pop anymore just from my movements.

Problem is... i've had them on for about two weeks once, being careful not to pop while I took them off for showers and reapplied them. For some reason I just never was able to continue with it.

One thing I notice is that after waking up from a long sleep, they don't want to pop as easily. I can tell they're being healed somewhat. I tell myself, "This is the perfect opportunity! Don't pop them starting now, do anything but pop them and you'll have it fixed!"

Five seconds to a minute later, I've found myself having popped them about 30 times without realizing it. They make this sharp clicking noise too, not like the normal deep knuckle cracking sound.
 
Oh I used to have that in my left pointing finger but it never started hurting like it did with you
 
I used to have OCD really bad. I still have a little bit of it on occasion. But I really started to get rid of those OCD habits around 12-13, the same time when I decided to stop believing heavily in the christian faith.
For some reason I notice OCD is related to people who believe heavily in a religion or faith.
I think it's partially because of the formality and rituals that a religion drives in, and the idea that if you don't do those little "rituals" something bad will happen, which leads to paranoia.
or maybe I am just to observant.
Obviously this isn't true in all cases. I still have to check if the doors are locked constantly. Or if appliances are off. But thats a logical fear at least.
 
OCD can be pretty nasty, especially with rituals that result in physical pain. Try controlling it yourself as others suggested by taping the fingers, but if it gets really bad and you can't stop, you really ought to see a psychiatrist.
 
I do the same thing (crack my fingers alot) and get the same pains, and my advice - keep doing it, it's what I do. It's cool to crack your fingers, especially while threatening someone... You... You do want to be cool.. Right?


Seriously, it could be worse... I do what you do, and get the same pains (seriously), but I also chew my finger nails to the skin, then I'll start chewing the skin off the ends of my fingers, I don't know if that even hurts me or not, because I play guitar so it's all callused where I chew...
 
Dog-- said:
I do the same thing (crack my fingers alot) and get the same pains, and my advice - keep doing it, it's what I do. It's cool to crack your fingers, especially while threatening someone... You... You do want to be cool.. Right?


Seriously, it could be worse... I do what you do, and get the same pains (seriously), but I also chew my finger nails to the skin, then I'll start chewing the skin off the ends of my fingers, I don't know if that even hurts me or not, because I play guitar so it's all callused where I chew...
Click to expand...

I'm not cracking my knuckles like you see most people do it. The joints that are popping are the knuckles closest to the fingertip. It doesn't look macho in the least.
 
I wouldn't be able to stand to be around you. I hate when people crack their fingers.

And then then crack their back...

And then their neck...

*shudder*
 
Qonfused said:
I wouldn't be able to stand to be around you. I hate when people crack their fingers.

And then then crack their back...

And then their neck...

*shudder*
Click to expand...

You can't really hear it if you were around me. Like I said, it's not in that normal loud popping way. I curl my fingers, it's a sharp noise, but can't really be heard unless you're close to it.
 
I know someone said it before in a jokey / unhelpful way, but you really need to stop doing it immediately. Even if you go to the doctor he'd tell you the exact same thing, so you might as well start learning to stop now.

Think of that pain you get and the fact you might not be able to pick up a pen / type at work or hold someones hand because of ridiculously painful arthritus? I know that sounds overly dramatic and urgent but you need to be shocked into associating the 'pop' with the consequences, only that will stop you. Everytime you do it, remember that. You still need to go to the doctor to see what damage has been done, but seriously...stop.
 
Hectic Glenn said:
I know someone said it before in a jokey / unhelpful way, but you really need to stop doing it immediately. Even if you go to the doctor he'd tell you the exact same thing, so you might as well start learning to stop now.

Think of that pain you get and the fact you might not be able to pick up a pen / type at work or hold someones hand because of ridiculously painful arthritus? I know that sounds overly dramatic and urgent but you need to be shocked into associating the 'pop' with the consequences, only that will stop you. Everytime you do it, remember that. You still need to go to the doctor to see what damage has been done, but seriously...stop.
Click to expand...

I actually have trouble using a pen or pencil to write things. I can't do it for long before my hands really hurt. And it prompts me to pop them even more to alleviate the pain which actually ends up increasing the pain.

I've contemplating wearing gloves day in day out so I can't pop them... but that hinders my ability to type.
 
I used to touch everything an even number of times. It turns out I was allergic to Aspartame, and the fact that it is
drsvsrrvslc6.png


I managed it by willpower until I realized that though. Then they took me off Aspartame products and the twitches disappeared.

So my suggestion would be to stop eating anything that has ingredients like aspartame and then slowly go back to eating such things one by one every other day or so. When you start twitching again, you'll know what you're allergic to.

Aspartame IMO though.
 
Nah, I'm fairly sure it's not something food related. I don't drink soda, I absolutely abhor aspartame products, and generally I eat home made foods lately. Except for the occasional times when I open up a can of crappy chilli.
 
I have mild OCD... If I am walking on a tile floor, I either have to step on every other one if they're small enough, (or every other pair and so on, unless they're the tiny inch by inch ones, then I don't bother) or for huge squares on the floor, I have to be sure not to step on the crack. When I'm eating cereal, I have to have an even number of peices in my spoon, and if I have less than a whole piece then I have to gage how much is missing and take a tiny bite out of another piece. This is only the case when I first wake up, however.

Also, in th morning, I have to do things in a set order, or I get this dirty feeling. I have to first, eat, then rest a bit more, take a shower, get dry, use my mouthwash, brush my teeth, then I get a bit more toothpaste and brush my tung, then cup my hands, sip water, rinse, and spit. Then I have to get dressed, watch 5 minutes of news, and go to the bus. That's my morning.

Then when I get home I come to hl2.net to check on my favorite (most hated) friends! :D

And, yes, no matter what it takes, find a way to stop cracking your knuckles. Who cares if you can't type now? If you don't stop now, you won't be able to type for the rest of your life. STOP IT!

This reminds me of a Mad TV skit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYLMTvxOaeE

:D
 
I love that clip. Perfectly suiting to this thread. I like Mad TV, others don't seem to, but I don't care what they think.
 
My dad has very severe, diagnosed OCD. A lot of people self diagnose and it's pretty much giving the disease a shit name.

Howwwwever, I'd suggest finding something to do INSTEAD of popping your fingers, like whenever you feel like doing it, do the other thing. Something you enjoy, or every time you don't do it you could reward yourself with something you wouldn't usually do. My dad had a jar and every time he did his thing he put money in it, like a swear jar. It sounds really stupid but sometimes just a couple of days break from a habit can help to ease it off.

I would suggest seeing your doctor, they're pretty helpful in situations like this, I can't imagine he/she'd give you pills but they can refer you to see someone who will help you stop.

Or try hypnotherapy, that worked for my dad too.
 
Wear a glove on one hand. When you go to crack your fingers again you'll feel those gloves and remember that you're supposed to stop.

Eh.
 
Wire explosives to your genitals and have tiny denonators implanted in the joints of your fingers.
 
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