See the Latest Hottest Tips from Sterling Creations For January

Hello there and welcome to our monthly feature of all kinds of tips.
We at the business desk are pleased to bring you our monthly feature of a plethora of tips that cover a wide range of topics.
All of our tips are designed to help you save time, cut down on your research, and help you get ahead.
So go ahead and read on.
This week we bring you our monthly tips.
It’s what we do for a living! We help you to help yourself!
Enjoy!
From the business desk team at https://www.sterlingcreations.com.
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld

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Helpful tips for January 2023

In this issue:

General tips
Articles of the day
* What is trigger finger
From the pages of Donna’s travel diary
* What is your emergency kit?

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General tips
Courtesy of the research team at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca

With huge thanks toMelanie Mama Peach

1) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Carpet

Spot Removers
For any stain:
* Make a sudsy solution of Tide laundry detergent and water. Brush the suds into the stain vertically and horizontally with a soft brush. Blot dry as much as possible. If stain persists, repeat process.
Grease Stains:
* Pour a generous amount of either baking soda or cornmeal over the spots and brush lightly through the pile of the rug. Leave overnight and vacuum off the next day.
Doggy Spots:
* Rub with a solution of vinegar or lemon juice and warm sudsy water. Blot and repeat if necessary. Or blot up thoroughly. Then pour club soda over the spot. Blot again. Place a dry white towel over the stain and put a heavy book on top of it. If the towel becomes soggy, replace with a clean towel immediately.
Cola And Coffee Stains:
* Quick action and an ice cube will generally remove these stains from pale carpeting. Blot the spill immediately, then rub an ice cube over the spot and blot again. Or blot up the excess, then rub with a solution of vinegar, detergent and water.
* Try shaving cream. It is ready instantly and is often more effective than water solutions.
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2) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Carpet
Repairing A Burn
* Remove some fuzz from the carpet, either by shaving or pulling out with a tweezer. Roll into the shape of the burn. Apply a good cement glue to the backing of the rug and press the fuzz down into the burn spot. Cover with a piece of cleansing tissue and place a heavy book on top. This will cause the glue to dry very slowly, and you will get the best results.
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3) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Carpet
Removing Sooty Footmarks
* Try an art gum eraser on light-colored carpets
* Sprinkle soiled areas with salt. Wait 30 minutes and then vacuum.
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4) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Carpet
Removing Candle Wax Drippings
* Place a blotter or brown paper bag over the spot and put a hot iron over the blotter. After a few minutes, the wax will be absorbed into the blotter. Repeat if necessary.
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5) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For Carpet
Getting Rid Of Ball Point Ink Marks
* Sponge with sour milk. When milk is absorbed, apply again until the spot disappears. Make your own sour milk by adding a few teaspoons of vinegar to fresh milk.
* Saturate with hair spray. Allow to dry. Brush lightly with a solution of water and vinegar. Blot up excess.
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6) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Best Of Hints For The Carpet
Flattened Carpet
* If heavy furniture has flattened the pile of your rugs, raise it with a steam iron. Build up good steam and hold your iron over the damaged spot. Don’t touch the carpet with the iron. Brush briskly.
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Articles of the day
Chosen by the Business Desk team

What Is Trigger Finger
Trigger finger is a condition that causes pain, stiffness, and a sensation of locking or catching when you bend and straighten your finger. The condition is also known as “stenosing tenosynovitis.” The ring finger and thumb are most often affected by trigger finger, but it can occur in the other fingers, as well. When the thumb is involved, the condition is called “trigger thumb.”
Anatomy Of The Fingers:
The flexor tendons are long cord-like structures that attach the muscles of the forearm to the bones of the fingers. When the muscles contract, the flexor tendons allow the fingers to bend.
Each of the flexor tendons passes through a tunnel in the palm and fingers that allows it to glide smoothly as the finger bends and straightens. This tunnel is called the “tendon sheath.”
Along the tendon sheath, bands of tissue called “pulleys” hold the flexor tendons closely to the finger bones. The tendons pass through the pulleys as the finger moves. The pulley at the base of the finger is called the “A1 pulley.” This is the pulley that is most often involved in trigger finger.
Normal finger anatomy:
The tendon sheath attaches to the finger bones and keeps the flexor tendon in place as it moves. The A1 pulley is near the opening of the tendon sheath.
Description
In a patient with trigger finger, the A1 pulley becomes inflamed or thickened, making it harder for the flexor tendon to glide through it as the finger bends. Over time, the flexor tendon may also become inflamed and develop a small nodule on its surface. When the finger flexes and the nodule passes through the pulley, there is a sensation of catching or popping. This is often painful.
The thickened nodule on the flexor tendon strikes the A1 pulley, making it difficult to straighten the finger.
In a severe case of trigger finger, the finger locks and becomes stuck in a bent position. Sometimes the patient must use his or her other hand to straighten the finger.
Cause:
While the causes of trigger finger are not well known, several factors may increase your risk for developing the condition. These include:
• Medical conditions. Trigger finger is more common in people with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Forceful hand activities. The condition is known to occur after forceful use of the fingers and thumb.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of trigger finger often start without a single injury. They may follow a period of heavy or extensive hand use, particularly pinching and grasping activities.
Symptoms may include:
• A tender lump at the base of the finger on the palm side of the hand
• A catching, popping, or locking sensation with finger movement
• Pain when you bend or straighten the finger
Stiffness and locking tend to be worse after periods of inactivity, such as when you wake up in the morning.
In a severe case, the involved finger may become locked in a bent position.
Doctor Examination
Your doctor will be able to diagnose a trigger finger by talking with you about your symptoms and examining your hand. Typically, x-rays or other tests are not needed.
During the exam, your doctor will look for:
• Tenderness over the flexor tendon sheath in the palm of your hand
• Thickening or swelling of the tendon sheath
• Triggering when you bend and straighten your finger
Hand examination
During the examination, your doctor will check your finger for stiffness and signs of locking.
Treatment:
Nonsurgical Treatment
Initial treatment for a trigger finger is usually nonsurgical.
Rest:
Resting your hand and avoiding activities that make it worse may be enough to resolve the problem.
Splinting:
Wearing a splint at night to keep the affected finger or thumb in a straight position while you sleep may be helpful.
Exercises:
Gentle stretching exercises can help decrease stiffness and improve range of motion in the involved digit.
Medications:
Over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help relieve pain and inflammation.
Steroid injections:
Corticosteroid, or cortisone, is an anti-inflammatory agent that can be injected into the tendon sheath at the base of the trigger finger. A steroid injection may resolve the triggering over a period of one day to several weeks. If symptoms do not improve with time, a second injection may be given. If two injections do not help the problem, surgery may be considered.
Surgical Treatment
If your finger does not get better with nonsurgical treatment, you may wish to consider surgery. Surgery is elective. The decision for surgery is based on how much pain or loss of function you have in your finger. If, however, your finger or thumb is stuck in a flexed or bent position, your doctor may recommend surgery to prevent permanent stiffness.
Surgical procedure
The surgical procedure for trigger finger is called “tenolysis” or “trigger finger release.”
The goal of the procedure is to release the A1 pulley that is blocking tendon movement so the flexor tendon can glide more easily through the tendon sheath. Typically, the procedure is done in an outpatient setting with an injection of local anesthesia to numb the area for surgery.
Surgery is performed through either a small open incision in the palm or with the tip of a needle. The A1 pulley is divided (released) so that the flexor tendon can glide freely. Although pulleys have an important function in the hand, releasing the A1 pulley should not cause problems in the future.
Trigger finger release surgery
During trigger release surgery, the A1 pulley is cut.
Complications
Complications can occur with any type of surgery. Your doctor will discuss the risks with you before surgery and will take specific measures to help prevent complications.
The most common complications following surgery for trigger finger or trigger thumb include:
• Stiffness in the involved finger.
• Inability to straighten the involved finger. If you were not able to straighten your finger completely before surgery, you might not be able to do so afterward.
• Temporary soreness or swelling at the site of surgery
Less common complications include:
• Persistent locking or clicking. This may indicate that more of the pulley needs to be released or may be caused by another problem in your finger.
• “Bowstringing.” In a small number of cases, the tendon may “bow” away from the bone, resulting in reduced range of motion. Bowstringing occurs when one of the more important pulleys is released.
• Infection (rare)
• Digital nerve injury. This may cause numbness or tingling along part of the finger.
Recovery
Most patients are encouraged to move their finger immediately after surgery.
It is common to have some soreness in your palm. Elevating your hand above your heart can help reduce pain and swelling.
Although your incision will heal within a few weeks, it may take from 4 to 6 months for swelling and stiffness in your hand and fingers or thumb to go away completely.
If stiffness, swelling, or pain persist after surgery, your doctor may recommend seeing a hand therapist.
Outcome. Patients who have surgery experience significant improvement in function as well as relief from the pain of a trigger finger. Still, if a contracture or loss of motion was present before surgery, complete range of motion may not be restored.

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From the pages of Donna’s diary
What is your emergency kit?

We are now living in a travel world whereby losing one’s luggage is becoming more and more of a reality. I learned this only too well when I traveled to Portugal in the Spring of 2022.

A growing number of travelers have decided to take over stuffed carry on luggage onto the aircraft so that they would not need to worry about losing their luggage. I for one however still prefer to pack my suitcase but here are some things that you can stuff into your carry on in order to defend against lost luggage.
Keep in mind that this little kit should be able to keep you going for a day or two until you retrieve your lost luggage or you are able to buy replacements.

First, make sure that those little things you take conform to the size limit.
Toothpaste and tooth brush.
Shampoo.
Hair brush.
Deodourant.
Hand or body lotion.
Body wash.
A change of clothes.
Underwear.
Razor blades if necessary.

This should be enough to keep you fresh and clean as you wait for your luggage to be delivered
I’m Donna J. Jodhan enjoying my travels.

To learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com

On your next trip you could enrich your down time with some of my audio mysteries. Take them with you wherever you go!
In the car, on the plane, on the bus or train, at the beach, anywhere!
Affordable, portable, (computer or i device) and you could either purchase or Subscribe for unlimited access to my library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can now take advantage of our free downloads here.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

 

 

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