Maybe some repetive motion also.  To keep my hands warm for long periods of 
time inside a cryostat, I buy silk gloves or liners from Wintersilks (they 
have a website),, they come in sizes and are for right and left hand 
fits.  I obviously wear these underneath my protective latex or nitrile 
gloves. I do not lose dexterity with this layering, but be very careful, 
wearing gloves that are TOO TIGHT will cut your circulation and contribute 
to loss of sensation in your fingers.  Be sure to find the best glove for 
YOU, not something that is just supplied willy nilly.

  Reevaluate how you do your cryotomy, even how you sit at the cryostat to 
be relaxed and do some stretching, motion exercises of you hands, fingers, 
wrists, arms and back to relieve both cold and stiffness one encounters for 
long periods of time inside a cryostat.  Sounds like you need to restore 
your circulation frequently during the day, especially during a cutting 
session.   8 to 10 hours seems a bit excessive.  I would hope you get 
routine breaks from this kind of repetive work.

I also suggest your MOHS surgeon consider hiring another person to help, 
what you are experiencing my lead to some serious down time and physical 
therapy or not being able to work at all, then the surgeon would be in a 
terrible situation if they cannot do their work.  You are the third MOHS 
tech I have heard of who has some type of physical problem due to their 
work, the others had shoulder, back, neck and rotator cuff problems, and 
were always going to therapy to alleviate the problem.  I was appalled by 
their cryotomy technics, but most of all, the cryostat they used - it was a 
horror to watch.  Automated cryostats can help do trimming, and keep your 
hands out of the chamber.



At 05:41 AM 9/26/2006, you wrote:
>i am a mohs histotech and would like to know if anyone knows the limit as 
>to how many cases are acceptable in a day is there a limit to say no thats 
>to much when you are the only histotech doing all the work?  i'm only 30 
>and already have lost the use of my forfinger the only reason anyone has 
>come up with yet is that i have my hand in -26-30 temps for at least 8-10 
>hours a day.
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Gayle Callis
MT,HT,HTL(ASCP)
Research Histopathology Supervisor
Veterinary Molecular Biology
Montana State University - Bozeman
PO Box 173610
Bozeman MT 59717-3610
406 994-6367
406 994-4303 (FAX)



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