I do not know where to begin here, except to say that I have a fairly extensive medical background, some psych issues that might bear discussion in this community, and have been trying to dust off and brush up on my long-neglected piano skills. As recently as two months ago, I thought that I'd been progressing sufficiently rapidly to justify considering it a way to make a buck and have fun. However, the last couple of weeks have seen a bothersome but ignorable tingling/numbness in the little finger of my left hand become hard to dismiss as a glitch. It does not go away, and becomes worse at night.

I'm over forty-five, and have done some physical jobs. May have injured my back, b/c I have intractable lower back pain (60 mgs. Cymbalta and acetominophen, 500 mgs as needed), left-sided neck pain of long-standing, and cannot presently afford to see an MD. Would prefer not to take narcotics, as there is a predisposition to become addicted to almost anything. Have lost almost an inch in height--perimenopausal, with some DJD.

Have wondered if fish oil supplementation might work until I can see a doc. Working on that. Fish oil, or anything else that has been used to relieve the numbness and clumsiness--in addition to the parasthesias, I feel as though the fourth and fifth digits are encased in cement--would be looked into and discussed further with interest.