Lately there has been very little relief from the rain,drizzle and fog-RDF is the common term here even used on weather broadcasts.The rotten weather is really taking a toll on my arthritis and doing an extra bad job on the neuro-muscular condition in my hands,I have to immerse them in very hot water several times a day just to keep them somewhat supple.

I've never seen fog so thick-even in daytime,the fog is so bad that they have started putting up roadsigns that are in Braille.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Hi GS , sounds like your having a terrible time mate , maybe you need to move south for the winter months , somewhere warm like texas should do the trick i'm starting to think of doing that as well getting old is no fun at all , hope the weather picks up for you , we had it trying to snow here this morning , global warming , arses, i wish it would hurry up and heat scotland up a bit , cheers
Alan

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Hello,for what it's worth the great Les Paul had arthritic fingers/hands later in his life. He used/invented a machine that he stuck his hands in before playing or performance,from what I understand it was basically a hot steamer. This seemed to help him be able to play.
Perhaps this may be a road to travel or at least something to build on.Keep you spirits up and rock on.Craig

I hear you Alan-loud and clear,we're on about the same lines of Latitude as Scotland so we probably are suseptable to the same type of rotten weather especially being surounded by water.When I was on a cruise a couple of years ago I picked my 2 favourite places down south and that's St. Thomas,U.S. Virgin Islands and Grand Turk,B.W.I. they are absolutely the most beautiful spots I've seen.The beautiful constant heat there is just right and not too hot due to the wind coming off the water-the perfect conditions to cure these tired old bones.All I need to do is to get a psychic to get me the winning lottery numbers the day before the draw.lol.

Hi Wingman-Les Paul has been a great inspiration for me to press on despite the pain. I do something along the lines of what he did and that's to fill up the sink with water that's almost scalding hot and plunge my hands and forearms into it for about 15 minutes and all the time I knead my hands and forearms as well as doing hand and finger stretches my chiropractor gave me to do.I do this several times a day and even get up in the middle of the night to do it when my hands are paining so much that it wakes me up.

I can't urge guitar players enough to do finger and hand excercises and stretches before and after playing.Never wash your hands in cold water,always get it as hot as you can bear.You also must wear the warmest gloves or mitts that you can find,a really good source for them is: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/ they have a vast array of the best of cold weather gloves and clothing,another great place is : http://www.cabelas.com they even stock battery heated gloves and mitts and gloves that are suitable for sub-arctic conditions.

A musician's hands and fingers are his/her most important asset and even more important than their legs consequently they must be given the kid glove treatment-pardon the pun.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I feel ya. I have not been able to play guitar this weekend. I've only been able to sit up an hour or so at a time. I'm about to lay back down with the heating pad and an ice pack. I probably slept maybe 2 hours in a row last night. Chronic pain sucks!!! Take care of your spine too. I hope someone young reads this and takes better care of themselves. There is no glory in being layed up. It is a total mind screw.

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My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.

I can totally empathize with you GS..I have arthritis also though fortunately it doesn't sound as bad as yours but I do get the occasional lock-ups and swelling. I have all sorts of creams ect ect. but find that Heat works best. Here's hoping you get some relief soon

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Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancin'

So cold effects arthritis aswell? Cold condition's are hell for my arm/hand, I litterally cant move it an its just in this tight, tense fist. And I can actually feel the cramps in the cold too. I wish I lived in the northern parts of Australia, where its warmer.

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former user radio_friendly_unit_shifter

below feezing temps mess with my knee from time time. (ACL surgery).
i used to think that was an excuse for missing work and such. now, i know better.

get well soon.