I've lurked HN for a long time, barely even commenting, so of course I realized the sort of people who frequent this site. Despite this, I did a double take when I read your username. I just got told off by the Zed Shaw! Sorry, I digress...

I'm using this situation with my wrist as a wake up call. I suppose I never really realized the damage I was doing to myself laying on the couch with my laptop. It started as a necessity when I lived with an asshole and confined myself to my closet of a bedroom where there wasn't room for really anything other than the bed. Slacking off, lying down watching a vid feels pretty comfortable (for the record, are you against lying on a couch in general, or only when that inactivity is coupled with a laptop? I've always thought of lying on the couch as being a good way to decompress, but I can change my ways if it's an overall bad thing) but I definitely see how I let things get out of hand.

I may have a job lined up to start in a couple months (I'm not a rockstar like most people on this site, so this is the best I've been able to do), and I'm bookmarking a few articles and HN comments to setup a proper office when cash allows. For the time being, money is quite the issue. I do have a desk, but as I said my chair is absolute shit. How important are laptop docks? Just sitting up at the desk will, I'm sure, be at least a step in the right direction. Can I get away with a shitty $20 Staples chair for now (as a first step) or is it essential that I dip deep into my reserves and get a $200+ proper office chair?

I'll Google for some introductory stretches for my whole body. I had real stress issues due to being a workaholic and having an asshole boss, so I need to learn stretching/relaxation tecniques as a matter of survival, since at least one of those two problems will persist throughout my career. From the tone of your post, I'm definitely leaning toward trying the massage thing at least once, if for no other reason than to get an initial boost on releasing any pent up tension.

As for the wrist stretches, I've been doing some I found just before I wrote my initial post tonight. I haven't felt any pain so far as I write this post. I guess they help.

These wrist problems seem to be a good kick in the ass to correct a systemic problem. I guess I came to HN looking for what amounts to band-aids for a bullet wound, and your additional ass kick was a good reminder that that's not what I need to be doing. I'll go price some new chairs tomorrow, and I'll take some initial steps towards better overall fitness.

Financially, some bigger measures have to be post-poned, but I can at least start with the things that are in my reach now.

Thanks for the kick in the ass. Seriously.

Edit: Oh, and you're right about the doctor. This isn't even close to the first time I've questioned his treatment (For instance, his office completely failed to fax in an ultrasound request for me last year, though when I called to check up on it they said they'd sent it and were just waiting on the hospital. At my appointment last week, he noticed there was no fax date on the form, so he had to admit it was likely never sent). There's a reason I tend to go to the walk-in clinic before I bother making an appointment with him.