Chronicle of chronic pain not merely doom and gloom

Winnipeg Free Press

7 hours ago

Imagine making your living through writing and cartooning but enduring severe pain in your hands and arms every time you hit a letter on your keyboard or pick up a pencil. This is the personal dilemma faced by Gabrielle Drolet and described in her memoir, Look Ma, No Hands.
A journalist, essayist and cartoonist based in Montreal, Drolet's written work has appeared in the New York Times, Globe and Mail, the Walrus, Vice and Teen Vogue. She also contributes cartoons to the Globe and Mail, among other publications. Drolet has won awards for her essays on disability, and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Guelph.
An account of debilitating pain impacting someone else's life might sound like a depressing read, but much to her credit as a writer, Drolet manages to include a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour along with cute, engaging cartoons to lighten the tone of her memoir. Even when bravely sharing her darkest moments, when thoughts of suicide were looming, her honesty and strong spirit shine through.
Look Ma No Hands
Drolet's chronic pain began in 2021, when at age 23 she was living in Wolfville, N.S. with her girlfriend. The COVID pandemic dictated that Drolet work from home, and she admits she often sat in bed or on the couch hunched over her laptop.
Her first symptom began with pain in her fingers when typing, then progressed to pain in her wrist after picking up a pencil. Then came an aching feeling in her neck and hands, sudden jolts in her elbows and a constant soreness in her forearms. Soon the pain was keeping her up at night, leaving her exhausted and in increasing discomfort.
She believed physiotherapy might help; the first two she saw diagnosed her with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Told to do a series of exercises and stretches and wear splints when sleeping, Drolet found no relief.
After breaking up with her girlfriend and moving to Toronto, Drolet received a new diagnosis, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) — a compression of the nerves in your chest. She blamed her prolonged sedentary lifestyle and bad ergonomics for triggering this condition. Having a name for her condition didn't help her daily pain management.
Drolet started using voice-to-text technology to keep her freelance writing career afloat, but was frustrated by the lengthy process required to weed out mistakes, and how the tone of her writing seemed to change. However, she gradually became used to the writing tool.
Her personal relationships suffered as well. When telling others about her chronic pain, she discovered they generally reacted in one of three ways: being overly sympathetic; doling out advice; or praising her for enduring her disability. Never sure of how to respond, Drolet found herself expressing her thanks and trying to downplay her situation.
Settling into a new life in Montreal while balancing her freelance and university studies, Drolet describes how she had to reconfigure her personal outlook. She forced herself to leave her apartment and meet new people. This change helped her mentally and emotionally, and surprisingly eased her physical symptoms to some extent.
She continued seeing a physiotherapist regularly to help with TOS, but a referral to a doctor and results of an MRI gave her a new diagnosis — a herniated cervical disc. When the specialist told her that he wouldn't recommend surgery for her condition, Drolet was able to accept this knowing she now has the skills she needs to live a satisfying life.
Drolet's journey as told in Look Ma, No Hands is intensely personal, but resonates with anyone who has faced their own challenges — whether physical, mental or emotional.
Andrea Geary is a freelance writer in Selkirk.