Thanks again, everybody, for all the very helpful and supportive input...

Nager: Good advice, especially about unclenching from fretboard. I was amazed to see how often Peter Finger does this, even with his lightning fast finger picking. Somehow, in the midst of those incredible runs he manages to unhook and flex without missing a note.

Kat: Many thanks for the info, and offer. I will see if I can find zhen gu shui locally, and if I can't, I will with much gratitude take you up on your offer. Accupuncture was going to be my next stop, but finding a good one is the problem...there are several in the area, but so far I've yet to find an authentic one, same with homeopaths. Did get some stuff from my chiro.--a topical tincture called M.C. (?) but tho I use it religiously (for the placebo effect if nothing else) it doesn't seem to do much but smell nice. And I not only changed mice, I changed hands. Easier than doing so on a guitar!

Dang it, Don...you've just taken away my excuse for buying yet another stringed instrument! But I do love my ought 16 NY and I fear it will be easier to fix my hand than find a guitar with a narrower (and less deep) neck that I like half as well. Here similarity begins to get shaky...I take 90 mg Armour (haha, the real thing!) and have to make do with my 88 Camry station wagon. Would dearly love to play in an Irish Folk Band but have to make do with singing The Quiet Lands of Erin to myself, faking it thru the Irish chorus.

Faswilli: Thanks for the input...all good suggestions, many of which I've already incorporated in my anxiety to stay away from steroids. The one thing I haven't done is merc. testing...I've been the dentist's best friend ever since I was a kid, so have a mouth full of mercury...but not the nerve or the money to have all those HUGE fillings replaced. All these autoimmune diseases aare highly reactive to stress (and that includes allergies) so I think stress reduction is key. I was told in '88 that I had 5-7 yrs to live. Now I may not be going STRONG, but I am still going! Good luck,Bill, to both you and your wife. Partners have a hard time w/chronic illness too.

Sorry this has drifted away from music so far...but for anyone experiencing curvature of fingers type problems, thru this thread I've found a great procedure, called needle fasciotomy, which is MUCH less invasive than the standard surgery done in US for this condition, w/down time 3 days instead of 6wks-6months. Only done in Europe but what a good excuse to go!