Several months ago I said I was going to get out of the shooting game; I had hurt my hand in 2011 and could not use it effectively. since I was a dentist and needed my right hand, cutting out any outside uses seemed like a smart thing.
Many here told me to keep on, to shoot left handed, to practice, do physical therapy. so I did. I have been shooting left handed, first with .22s, then with .38 special wadcutters, a real light load in my GP100, which soaks up a lot of recoil. Still not bringing out of the safe the .41 and .44 magnums, but had gotten back to pretty good accuracy with the left hand.
Two weeks ago I went back to the dentist with Osteopathic training who found the impinged Ulnar nerve. He was surprised my hand was not a lot better. he examined me again and found that I had another nerve impinged. he manipulated my arm and told me it would take a week or so to get better. It took a week. I still do not have 100% use of my right hand, but I am not so sure that it is because I have not used it much in the past 4 years and it is weak.
Last week a local gun store held a pistol shooting competition at their range. I entered, thinking "why not?" I was shooting my GP100 with my light wadcutters. I won the competition! The nice thing about practicing left handed? when my right hand got too tired to hold well, I just switched to my left hand and accuracy did not seem to drop off.
I am still not ready to try the big calibers, but it is on the horizon.
Now, with me seeing that use of my right hand fully may be in the future, I am a bit mad. I had MRIs, CT, nerve conduction tests, just about everything that could be tested medically was. And it took a dentist with osteopathic training to find impinged nerves. And he was apologetic that he did not find the other pinched nerve the first time.
so thank you all for telling me to not give up., and if anyone thinks they have reached the end of their rope with a medical condition, I will tell you, go somewhere else. Get another opinion. I was never a proponent of Chiropractors or any alternative method of treatment/diagnosis. My own brother is an MD. but I am not so sure that modern medicine has it right now. It is mostly based on tests and procedures, and not as much on the doctor's skill and experience. In my opinion, that counts for a lot.
So I am back in the game; I have no doubt I will work up to the big calibers again, I am already looking for lighter loads for my .41, there is another competition in about a month!
David
Many here told me to keep on, to shoot left handed, to practice, do physical therapy. so I did. I have been shooting left handed, first with .22s, then with .38 special wadcutters, a real light load in my GP100, which soaks up a lot of recoil. Still not bringing out of the safe the .41 and .44 magnums, but had gotten back to pretty good accuracy with the left hand.
Two weeks ago I went back to the dentist with Osteopathic training who found the impinged Ulnar nerve. He was surprised my hand was not a lot better. he examined me again and found that I had another nerve impinged. he manipulated my arm and told me it would take a week or so to get better. It took a week. I still do not have 100% use of my right hand, but I am not so sure that it is because I have not used it much in the past 4 years and it is weak.
Last week a local gun store held a pistol shooting competition at their range. I entered, thinking "why not?" I was shooting my GP100 with my light wadcutters. I won the competition! The nice thing about practicing left handed? when my right hand got too tired to hold well, I just switched to my left hand and accuracy did not seem to drop off.
I am still not ready to try the big calibers, but it is on the horizon.
Now, with me seeing that use of my right hand fully may be in the future, I am a bit mad. I had MRIs, CT, nerve conduction tests, just about everything that could be tested medically was. And it took a dentist with osteopathic training to find impinged nerves. And he was apologetic that he did not find the other pinched nerve the first time.
so thank you all for telling me to not give up., and if anyone thinks they have reached the end of their rope with a medical condition, I will tell you, go somewhere else. Get another opinion. I was never a proponent of Chiropractors or any alternative method of treatment/diagnosis. My own brother is an MD. but I am not so sure that modern medicine has it right now. It is mostly based on tests and procedures, and not as much on the doctor's skill and experience. In my opinion, that counts for a lot.
So I am back in the game; I have no doubt I will work up to the big calibers again, I am already looking for lighter loads for my .41, there is another competition in about a month!
David