Some of you know I’ve been having pain in my fingers for a while now. I’ve been to my GP and 2 orthopedists. They all agree it’s not carpal Tunnel or arthritis, but that it IS “over-use” on the computer keyboard (but NOT the piano keyboard).

My finger tips seem to be taking the worst of it (on the computer keyboard) and it‘s causing pain in other parts of my fingers.

I was browsing the Web looking for solutions. Are any of you familiar with these Gorilla Tips Fingertip Protectors? They seem to be padded enough to "cushion" impact.

Gorilla Tips - Amazon
Gorilla Tips - Musician's Friend
Gorilla Tips - Walmart

Or.......is anyone familiar with what I'm experiencing and can offer other solutions?

Mark

Mark, these are for protecting the fingers from abrasion, and they're not at all useful for piano or guitar players. About 5 years ago my fingertips were raw and bleeding, the pain was awful, and that's what one of the 14 doctors I went to told me to use.

It turned out that the root cause of my problem was a deficiency of vitamin D. My D level was only 10 and should have been 50. I began taking 5,000 USP per day and within three weeks my hands and fingertips were completely healed. I've been taking it ever since to maintain a level of 50 and the problem has never returned.

One of the things I discovered is that as we age, we loose the ability to absorb vitamin D through sunlight. I get lots more exposure to the sun than most folks, mowing the lawn and sailing on Chesapeake Bay, but even with all that exposure I was not absorbing much of the needed vitamin. Of course, I use sun block to prevent skin cancer while sailing and working outdoors, and when the weather gets cold, most of us wear long sleeved shirts, long pants and coats, which also blocks the sun.

Just something to consider,

Gary

I take Vitamin D, I thought it made your d@#k hard, not your fingers.

To ensure I get enough Vitamin A and D, I take a Halibut Liver Oil capsule daily.

Halibut liver oil contains more vitamin A and more vitamin D per unit weight than any other common food.

In addition, it contains 7 percent each of the essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, and small amounts of vitamin K.

Cod liver oil works about the same, but with halibut liver oil, the capsules are smaller, and you don't get any aftertaste.

The fat-soluble vitamins in fish liver oils are best absorbed with a meal that contains fat. Absorption of vitamin A, D and K is inhibited by some medications including antibiotics, antacids, steroids, laxatives, mineral oil and some cholesterol lowering medications.


Ian

Ian, have you ever had your vitamin D level tested? Most people have not, and the vast majority of the doctors know very little about Vitamin D. Cod liver oil and halibut liver oil only provide approximately 1,360 IU per tablespoon, which is not very much, especially for the elderly, a category of which we both fall under. Additionally, you reside in the frozen north, where sunlight absorption is quite low in comparison to southern climates such as the lower US states. Get it checked, old man - you may be in for quite a surprise at the results.

All the best,

Gary

I'm good to go, Gary...my doctor is very thorough, and that's why I take only the one capsule per day for maintenance, along with 1000 mg of Vitamin C.

The Halibut Liver Oil capsules I take contain 5000 IU of Vitamin A (2750 mcg) and 400 IU of Vitamin D (10 mcg).

I also drink a bottle of Ensure (with Fiber) every morning, and I eat pretty healthy, having several small meals per day rather than two or three of larger size.

For someone who was 66 this past March, I'm pretty healthy...the health issues I had several years ago were my epiphany, and since then I've taken serious measures to remain in optimum health.

Being healthy was always a priority after my freedom from alcohol and drug addictions at age 30, and it kinda got lost in the shuffle when I was sole caregiver for my late Uncle Jim (who had Alzheimer's) and my concerns about him were at the cost of my own health (stress was especially damaging).

Nowadays, I look after me first...a healthy selfishness.

Ian

Gary……..in my December 2014 blood test, I was short on Vitamin D. That’s interesting because I take tons of vitamins daily. So I bought Twinlabs D3 “dots”……2,000 I.U. 2x a day gives me 4,000 I.U. per day. I’m due to have my blood done again next week. It’s possible I’m not absorbing the Vit D for some reason.

You guy might find this interesting. When I was living overseas, I discovered they don’t sell vitamins in Europe…..only herbs, etc. After about a year, I asked my friend to send a complete package of all the vitamins I asked him for. I had previously read somewhere that it takes 3-4 weeks before you feel the effect. Sure enough, at the end of 3 weeks I was noticeably feeling full of energy……I actually felt a difference in my body!

Early last year, I realized I wasn’t keeping up with my vitamin intake (life is too busy to remember to take vitamins even!). So I called Vitacost and ordered another batch of vitamins. I also started taking them at various times throughout the day so my body was constantly bombarded with nutrients. And I added 40 grams of protein from Optimum Nutrition protein powder daily.

Sure enough again…..same thing happened. After around a month, everything kicked in and I’m feeling energetic again.

Sometimes I think the cure-all of anything and everything is good nutrition.

I’ll see what’s going on with my Vit D absorption next week. Sometimes it could be as simple as that.

Mark

Gary......did you actually try these? I found the company that makes them and called them today. He said they are padded enough at the fingertips to cushion the impact somewhat from hitting the keys on the computer keypad.

Mark

Ian.........I'm also impressed with YOUR health program too. I think that "how much does this piece of equipment weigh" question is not as important as "is my body receiving enough nutrients to cause it to work at it's optimum?"

If I feel physically "well", I will definitely play at a higher level.

Feeling sick, even a low-grade discomfort, can really take away my enthusiasm for playing.

Ian