Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Fingers' Nerves, Old Drinking Water

Hi, Matt: I’m a former San Diegan who now lives in China. The bed here is provided by my employer, and it is a bit more firm than the average bed in America. Strangely, every time I fall asleep lying flat on my back, I will wake up to find the pinky and ring finger on both arms to be numb. If I sleep in any other position, I don’t have the problem. What’s going on — J.B. in China

Don’t know what the medical care situation is in China — a little more needle-y than in the U.S., I’d guess — but obviously we here gots the troubles. That’s the only explanation I can think of for all the “What’s this rash?” or “Why does my kneecap itch?” or “Is the blue dot on my butt normal?” that we get. We here at the Alice compound are indeed a multifantastikal group. But all that comes to a halt when we’re asked to offer a medical diagnosis concerning body parts we can’t see. Yeah, a psychic reading from Dr. Matthew is cheaper than a trip to Dr. Doctor, but, unfortunately you get what you pay for. And by the way, a bed? Quite a perk. (Uh, what kind of job do you have?) So, anyway, here’s our big guess. We discussed this around the dinner table; naturally it ended in our trademark food fight, the only reason we talk around the dinner table in the first place. So, okay, hey, Matthew, get on with it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

That plywood mattress your boss presented to you — you sleep okay on it? Well, we’ve decided (mused, guessed, fabricated, whimsied — based on solid scientific research, of course) it’s at the heart of all your problems. Your fingers are numb because something’s pinching the nerves assigned to pinky-ring duty. Our fingers are oddly innervated — not individually but in groups. They’re at the end of two continually branching nerve pathways (one left side, one right side) that start at a common spinal cord connection in the middle of our backs, about midway between shoulder and waist. (At C1, for those who care.) Something about your posture when you’re supine puts pressure on some part of the nerve highways that end in your pinky and ring fingers, which have a common innervation from the final nerve branches in the hand. Roll over and the pressure is relieved. We can only predict more nerve and muscle problems in your future as you gradually smash your already too-hard mattress to the depth of a Quarter Pounder. All in all, perkwise, we’d rather have a 401(k) or monthly muffin baskets. Our sympathies and best wishes.

Dear Matthew Alice, et al.: My lovely wife of eight years and mother to our two great kids, bless her heart, puts up with a lot of my idiosyncrasies, having only a few of her own to get back at me with. There is one, though, that while not truly “annoying” does give me pause. As many do, she likes to bring a glass of water to bed with her. If she does not drink the entire glass, and it is still there the next night, she refuses to drink it, saying it is old (not one to waste water, I usually drink it). What perplexes me is why she would think it is no longer the same as the night before. She doesn’t care about the temperature, just says it’s old and tastes different. My memory of high school science class tells me you need an awful lot of heat to change H₂0. I don’t think the night light has that going for it. — Don, via email

“Old” water. What a concept. And maybe you were absent the day high school science class covered “evaporation.” Yeah, there’s a bit o’ truth to her mild complaint. The water she poured the night before is not the water she finds in the glass the next night. It’s gone a bit, well, dull might describe it. Aerated water tastes a dab fresher than day-old; no heat needed to evaporate out the oxygen dissolved in water. There’s also a bit more CO₂ in day-old water, making it taste a bit more acidic. Obviously none of this affects the safety of day-old water, since you’re still well enough to send an email. There are many more problems with long-term storage of water in plastic or metals or in poorly sealed containers. But that’s way beyond your bedside debate. So, here’s a hint for a cool Christmas gift for the wife: a bedside water carafe that allows you to put the drinking glass upside down like a lid. Not sure it will do a whole lot to keep the water young-tasting (if that’s the opposite of old-tasting) but at least she’ll know you’re thinking of her.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Colorado governor Polis’ days in La Jolla canyons

Why Kamala might not run for Calif. governor
Next Article

La Clochette brings croissants—and cassoulet—to Mission Valley

Whatever's going on with this bakery business, Civita Park residents get a decent meal

Hi, Matt: I’m a former San Diegan who now lives in China. The bed here is provided by my employer, and it is a bit more firm than the average bed in America. Strangely, every time I fall asleep lying flat on my back, I will wake up to find the pinky and ring finger on both arms to be numb. If I sleep in any other position, I don’t have the problem. What’s going on — J.B. in China

Don’t know what the medical care situation is in China — a little more needle-y than in the U.S., I’d guess — but obviously we here gots the troubles. That’s the only explanation I can think of for all the “What’s this rash?” or “Why does my kneecap itch?” or “Is the blue dot on my butt normal?” that we get. We here at the Alice compound are indeed a multifantastikal group. But all that comes to a halt when we’re asked to offer a medical diagnosis concerning body parts we can’t see. Yeah, a psychic reading from Dr. Matthew is cheaper than a trip to Dr. Doctor, but, unfortunately you get what you pay for. And by the way, a bed? Quite a perk. (Uh, what kind of job do you have?) So, anyway, here’s our big guess. We discussed this around the dinner table; naturally it ended in our trademark food fight, the only reason we talk around the dinner table in the first place. So, okay, hey, Matthew, get on with it.

Sponsored
Sponsored

That plywood mattress your boss presented to you — you sleep okay on it? Well, we’ve decided (mused, guessed, fabricated, whimsied — based on solid scientific research, of course) it’s at the heart of all your problems. Your fingers are numb because something’s pinching the nerves assigned to pinky-ring duty. Our fingers are oddly innervated — not individually but in groups. They’re at the end of two continually branching nerve pathways (one left side, one right side) that start at a common spinal cord connection in the middle of our backs, about midway between shoulder and waist. (At C1, for those who care.) Something about your posture when you’re supine puts pressure on some part of the nerve highways that end in your pinky and ring fingers, which have a common innervation from the final nerve branches in the hand. Roll over and the pressure is relieved. We can only predict more nerve and muscle problems in your future as you gradually smash your already too-hard mattress to the depth of a Quarter Pounder. All in all, perkwise, we’d rather have a 401(k) or monthly muffin baskets. Our sympathies and best wishes.

Dear Matthew Alice, et al.: My lovely wife of eight years and mother to our two great kids, bless her heart, puts up with a lot of my idiosyncrasies, having only a few of her own to get back at me with. There is one, though, that while not truly “annoying” does give me pause. As many do, she likes to bring a glass of water to bed with her. If she does not drink the entire glass, and it is still there the next night, she refuses to drink it, saying it is old (not one to waste water, I usually drink it). What perplexes me is why she would think it is no longer the same as the night before. She doesn’t care about the temperature, just says it’s old and tastes different. My memory of high school science class tells me you need an awful lot of heat to change H₂0. I don’t think the night light has that going for it. — Don, via email

“Old” water. What a concept. And maybe you were absent the day high school science class covered “evaporation.” Yeah, there’s a bit o’ truth to her mild complaint. The water she poured the night before is not the water she finds in the glass the next night. It’s gone a bit, well, dull might describe it. Aerated water tastes a dab fresher than day-old; no heat needed to evaporate out the oxygen dissolved in water. There’s also a bit more CO₂ in day-old water, making it taste a bit more acidic. Obviously none of this affects the safety of day-old water, since you’re still well enough to send an email. There are many more problems with long-term storage of water in plastic or metals or in poorly sealed containers. But that’s way beyond your bedside debate. So, here’s a hint for a cool Christmas gift for the wife: a bedside water carafe that allows you to put the drinking glass upside down like a lid. Not sure it will do a whole lot to keep the water young-tasting (if that’s the opposite of old-tasting) but at least she’ll know you’re thinking of her.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Holiday Guide – like none other

Candle-making, tree lighting, pajama jam
Next Article

Elevated ice crystals lead to solar halos, Cottonwoods still showing their tawny foliage

New moon brings high tides this weekend
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader