Thread "the wilcox law has the flu" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 7:06PM, Jun. 26, 2012

I refuse to make a comic update that consists entirely of the phrase "sorry for lack of updates" so I'm posting here.
As it turns out, my arms are so fucked up I can't hold a pen steady for more than a few seconds. This has been a recurring issue with me for the last few years, but it's taking its sweet time to get better this time. The comic will continue when I'm able to goddamn draw again, whenever that is.

Posted at 5:06AM, Jun. 27, 2012

that sucks! what's wrong with your arms?

Posted at 5:06PM, Jun. 28, 2012

Doc says mild arthritis, but I dunno. If it was mild I wouldn't have to constantly baby them. So I'm gonna try to get in to see a rheumatologist to confirm whether it's arthritis at all; and if not, to help me figure out what it is so i can FIX it. The original plan of "ease the arms into a routine so they don't act up" isn't working that well – it does work in practice, but when my arms inevitably throw a fit and become useless, I have no way of figuring out what set them off. Did I overdo it on the last day of my three week drawing routine? Or did i increasingly agitate them over the course of those three weeks? I have no idea! So basically I'm only 30, and it takes me a week to turn out the same amount of work that most artists twice my age can do in a day. If I work any harder than that, my hands become useless for weeks or months.
Never drawing again isn't an option, so I may just go with cortizone shots.

Posted at 5:06AM, Jun. 29, 2012

Is that a diagnosis based on X-rays, MRI, CRT scans or whatever or just questions and probing?
There are a lot of things that can affect your arms and have similar symptoms.

I had severe pains and numbness in my arm when I used it a certain way, causing weakness in my fingers… It wasn't until a lot of different scans and things that it was found to be a nerve trapped in a spur of bone in my neck.
That problem fixed itself in time after the nerve resumed its proper place.

-this originally happened after I'd fallen down and landed awkwardly…
I've had similar issues before though with trapped nerves: a thumb joint that was paralysed for 6 months on one occasion(had to make a splint using elastic bands so I could draw and hold things), on another it was numbness/pins and needles/fiery pain for about a year all in one arm.

All went away eventually though. ^_^

Anyway, I hope your problem is able to be mitigated! and if it really IS arthritis, there are a lot of pills that work to lubricate the joints and stuff like that, you don't always need stuff like Quaritsol.

Posted at 10:07PM, Jul. 16, 2012

was able to update again this week!

i'd really like to be updating twice a week again, and maybe in the near future those days will come back. just posting to let everyone know the comic isn't dead, and i'm always working on it in some way.