Apparently, I'm "Not Normal"

Shocker of a title for this post, no?

I had an appointment with a hand doctor (specialist) earlier this past week (Tuesday the 17th), which I had gotten scheduled just about 2 months ago.  If you've read the "About" page, then you may recall that about 2 months ago is when I found some actual rehab exercises for my hands and those joint relief pills (Osteo Bi-Flex).  I kept the appointment because:

1. It's a pain to get scheduled in (seriously, I had to schedule 2 months out, and that was the absolute soonest).
2. What can it hurt to get input of an actual specialized hand doc?

Quick flashback...  A little more than two months ago I spoke with my PCP (Primary Care Physician) and explained that my hands were killing me.  I was tired of the pain, I was tied of the "wait and see" approach of "letting them rest in order to heal them."  I was done.  I wanted to see a specialist and see what the longevity of a steroid shot in the hands would be, and/or depending on that, the possibility of surgery.  That's where I was at with things.  I was ready to have someone cut my hands open and try to correct whatever was going on.  By the time I heard from the Bone & Joint practice I had already spent about a week working with my new rehabbing routine that I found on YouTube, and I had seen a TINY bit of a difference, not a lot, but enough to make me think there was hope.

Okay, fast forward to the appointment.  I rattle off what my Physical Therapist and I both concluded was most likely going on, and what I had been doing in the past couple of months (in comparison to the past couple of years).  He examined my hands and then explained to me what he knew from the x-rays and from the examination.  Now, I don't recall things verbatim, so I will sum them up as best as I can.

1. At this point I do not have de Quervain's Tenosynovitis (not sure he ever stated I did or could have had it or not, just that I do not (at this point), because he could really only go by what he was seeing right than and there in all fairness - and I certainly wasn't in pain like I was a few months ago - he did offer me some reading material in regards to it at the end of the appointment but then kind of laughed and said "..though you probably are well versed on it at this point.")
2. My wrists have a "[ulnar] variance" - I'm not normal.

I hear you asking "Okay, wait, hold up.  Not normal?" ... well, yea.  My wrist bones have a gap in them are not properly parallel (click the variance link, it explains it...okay, and there is a bit of gap if you look properly).   While this is not normal , it's also not horribly abnormal (paraphrasing).  This is most likely the cause of my pain as well - that is, in conjunction with everything else , and put me in a bit of a worse situation than "normal" people.  (more paraphrasing coming...) Apparently this "variance" causes my hands to rely more on arm muscle, than on the tendons, to operate properly.

"So what did the doc tell you that you should do??" 

He said to keep doing what I'm doing (basically), in regards to my rehabbing, not spending more time on the computer than what is necessary, etc.. etc..  Also, that if things start to flare up, to back off and "rest the hands."  Again, bottom line:  keep doing what I've been doing the past couple of months, and listen to my body.  I know, shock and amazement, right?  My hands are nowhere near the mess they were 2-3 months ago, so obviously I'm doing something right.  Now, he never actually endorsed the Osteo Bi-Flex or the rehabbing with the glove - matter of fact he seemed a bit leery or skeptical of the rehabbing with the glove.  I told him between those two things, something is working - and we both basically agreed "no harm no foul, keep at it."

So that's the update on that front.  Below is a cropped / combined picture of my x-rays, so you can see what I'm talking about, followed by an x-ray from a normal wrist...

My wrists, in Dec. 2014

X-Ray of a normal wrist

i. De Quervain's Tenosynovitis link: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/de-quervains-tenosynovitis/basics/symptoms/con-20027238
ii. (Ulnar) Variance information / link:  http://radiopaedia.org/articles/ulnar-variance
iii. X-Ray from proper wrist linked from: http://radiopaedia.org/cases/normal-wrist-x-rays