I spent 5 months last summer in a wrist support and taking daily stomach-upsetting anti-infammatory drugs purely due to tendonitus from over enthuiastic game playing.
It played up for weeks and weeks with symptoms exactly as you describe and I ignored them. Suddenly overnight the symptoms just "blew up" - wrist/hand/forearm swollen up like a ballon, agonizing, couldn't even hold a teaspoon for breakfast cereal. This took three weeks to subside to just merely very weak and very painful. Simple daily functions like driving, dressing, and eating became almost impossible without help from my wife. Luckily at work I was able to manage without using a computer too much for a couple of months.
I used a mouse and keyboard exclusively left handed until earlier this year (2003). By Christmas 2002, except for right handed mouse use, I was almost back to normal but still couldn't do things like push open swing doors. Now, about ten months later I have just about made a full recovery. However, now I always use a mouse left handed at work. I never use wrist supports - they just *minimize* damage. You want zero pressure on the bottom of your wrist and no unnatural twist in the angle your wrist hangs off the end of your arm. Ideally you want no fast repetitive wrist actions. I use a combination of soft cushions, small bean bags, lay-z-boy recliner chair arm, tray on lap with mouse/keyboard, and sensible sitting position to get my hands into the optimal mouse positions. (Amongst a lot of other things this is a position where the wrist is not resting on any hard surface (with the edge of mouse mats and desks being about the worst position you can find) but in the air at a higher level than the mouse with the fingers *lightly* holding the mouse, not clenching it now matter how excited you get!, and most action coming from your elbow/shoulder). Try to keep the wrist immobile and rigid. I also now stop immediately the wrist starts to ache - even a little bit! I have tried loads of pointing devices of all sorts and after spending a fortune I reluctantly came back to a mouse. Can't find a proper left hander anywhere though.
There are many web sites with excellent advice. Take it for god's sake. If you are getting wrist pain and base of thumb pains then those sheaths around your tendons are already well injured, inflamed and significantly damaged. They need a lot of time (weeks/months) to heal and recover. When they stop hurting after a break from the keyboard & mouse they are not "better", they have just temporarily dipped back below the pain threshold. They may take ages to heal. Stop the damage now. Be afraid. Be very afraid!
Health warning rant over.
Whew!
Incidentally, in the early days I damaged the achilles tendon in my foot due to awkward movement getting into and out of my recliner chair - its usually a two handed "push up with two arms and twist out from seat job" but with a damaged arm I was doing it one handed and getting extra support from a leg action. Unfortunately the leg couldn't take the pushing and twisting action. I couldn't even walk for three days, had to take a week off work, and had to use a walking stick for about three weeks.
LOL
~SDC~
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