I'm weighing up surgery on my thumb joints

Don't want that last scar photo I posted to scare anyone off LOL ... I am attaching one I just took . 

Healing well after 6 weeks. 

Thanks for posting. My surgery (also my left thank God) is 2 weeks from tomorrow!!! It's good to see the process. Since you are still so close out, I am trying to gauge when I could go back to work. I do paperwork, like writing and stamping on every page of a referral (doc office) and scanning. I could probably do it one handed, but it would take me longer to do. I have a stamper i dial in a 9 digit medical record number, and i am assuming I will not be able to manage dialing that, so i will have to write in EVERY number on EVERY page!!!! At any rate, guessing by how you did, when would you think I would be able to manage that? I know you aren't a doctor. Just asking Patient to patient.  

I am in the insurance business , and spend most of my day on the phone or computer . I was back at work the next day . It was awkward but you get used to it - typing and phone work are a little difficult but manageable. You should be able to dial because you will be able to use the tips of your fingers , the cast allows a little bit of use which you will need for that , or for tying shows etc. I had no problem dialing . About the only thing I could NOT do was open mail, so I had a co worker open my mail. Make no mistake the first 4 weeks are tough because of the cast , but once the cast is off things get easier . I still have to go easy on things , no heavy lifting using thumb etc ... but I am not even wearing the removable cast much at all .Taking a shower is tough with the cast , you need to wrap and keep it dry , DR said to use 2 or 3 plastic trash bags , but my wife went out and bout me an arm cover that slides over the hand and goes up past the elbow - best $25 purchase I have made in a while - you just need someone to help you get it on before you get in the shower  Good luck !!! 

I am an accountant and work long days.  I went back to work after one week.  I was off pain meds by Monday (Friday surgery).  You are not allowed to drive while on pain meds.  I was ok after a week..very slow. I have had both hands done...did right hand first - that was a little more tricky.  I got an automatic stapler and had to sign my initials and date paperwork with my left hand....it was doable but perhaps not efficient.  Good luck!

Thanks! I hope I'm just as lucky!

I made it as easy as possible.  Pull on pants and slip on shoes also help. 

Yes! I have set up a bunch of one handed things and practiced too!

Been one year this week , and just to update everyone. The pain is gone , almost completely.

Every once in a while it gets a little sore - but for for all intents and purposes - the surgery

was 100% successful. I can open jars , play golf , play guitar , with no pain at all . Not sure the strength came back 100% , but not a problem. Prior to the surgery, for me to play nine holes of golf, I would put my hand in a cooler of ice all the way to the golf course , take three extra strength tylenol , then wear two gloves with a small piece of sponge inside JUST so that I could play nine holes without sever pain . Now - none of that . One glove , no ice , no pills nothing.

I only did my left thumb not the right , as the right was never as bad. When and if the time comes

I would not hesitate to do the right . So, if you are thinking of having the surgery , and you are

pretty much in pain 24/7 , I would say go for it. No regrets here , although be prepared , the first

4- 6 weeks after surgery is a little rough.

Nancyjo, I had LRTI 9/25, hard cast 2 wks., splint 4 wks., thumb brace at 6 wks. which were all 24/7 (brace only @night after mid-Jan.)  Took Rx for 48 hrs. post surgery, then switched to Aleve for a few days. Kept my arm vertical for 48  hrs., iced most of the day. Now only take Aleve 1-2x a week. Pain has been tolerable, comes and goes, but 6 wks out and therapy, it’s lessened and not as frequent during the day. Had a lot of pain in wrist, guess from immobility, but that has improved as well. Many on forum said post-op, thumb Pain is Gone! That may be true for some but for me it was just replaced with other pain, but, as I said, tolerable. For me the 6 wk. mark was the turning point: less pain, more mobility and able to do most things, albeit with stiffness but each week I see a bit improvement. I have followed instructions exactly and to-the-letter and PT says I’m about 2 wks. ahead. That being said, I don’t expect to have 98-100% back until the estimated 1 year. It sounds like you have had a lot more going on with your hand but am sure with good surgeon, good care you will have good results.  Patience and PT are requisites! Best wishes to you!

When I had mine done I began by using the powerful meds the hospital gave me which I took for about 2 weeks I think, then I moved down to paracetamol and I kept taking them until I didn't need them, which in one case was about 4 weeks until I was completely off them. I didn't stop completely but phased the drugs down slowly. Everyone is different but physio will cause pain as well so I am nit surprised you are in so much pain at this point if you are taking nothing

Obviously everyone is different, but I actually had very little pain and after about a week I was off meds.  It is now 12 months and the thumb is great, as a matter of fact, I am booked in to have the other one done in 7 weeks time. I actually went to a hand therapist, not a physio, and he was excellent, started movements very basic and only 3 days after surgery. After a week I could touch my thumb and index finger, took some effort though.  I did have occasional spasms for the want of a better description, and sometimes it ached a little, which I fully expected.  The worst pain was having the stitches removed, one somehow got stuck and he really had to force it to break it free, I dropped a few choice words that resonated around the surgery, that was akin to a good kick in the nether regions, I thought he had broken my thumb!!

Hi Nicolein, 

I'll private message you about the cream....the moderators won't let you mention any product names. I also get benefit from Gelatin and funnily enough, arthritis compression gloves work a treat. Instant relief when I put them on...better than any painkiller. All these work for me, but everyone is different and they may not work for you.

Thanks!  Never have heard of arthritis compression gloves!  Will check into it immediately! Thanks!

Had LRTI in late Sept. and took RX for only 48 hrs. only b/c they made me dizzy, unsteady and was afraid of falling, then switched to  naproxen for pain. For 3 mo. I had pain and spasms but it lessened in level and frequency weekly.  My marker for very little to almost no pain, and pretty much normal functioning, together with PT, was 3 mo. Have been wearing a hand brace 24/7 since Nov., see surgeon next week and am hoping I can ditch It during the day (was told I’d be wearing at night for 1 yr.!). Everyone is different so try everything you can till you find your sweet spot, hang in there, there’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Hi.. had my surgery late November. I am having most difficulty with pain. I cried everyday for the first 4 weeks. Couldn’t take prescription pain meds as they gave me heart palls. Been living on 6 to 9 Advil a day for last 6 wks but now affecting my stomach so I just switched to Aleve. Only took 1 yesterday and two today. Not cutting it.. I think I should be taking two ea time. Any thoughts. I am vigilant with exercising and OT but the pain is rough. Glad to hear any suggestions?  I hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Also now getting intermittent vibrating in top of thumb... anyone else??

Sorry you’re having a hard time. Are you still in cast/splint? Know that when I moved to a soft handbrace at 3 mos., it was a great relief but still had a lot of pain and stiffness. At 6 wks. I noticed that the pain lessened weekly although I still used ice for pain, trying to  avoid ibuprofen and naproxen, and used warm water to relieve stiffness before exercises. At 3 mo. noticeable weekly progress, less pain in frequency and strength, more flexibility, each week able to do something I couldn’t do the week before. At last MD appmt., he said there is steep improvement up to 6 mo., then it plateaus, ending progress at 18 mo. post-op. It’s a long haul. Assume you’ve checked in with MD and PT with pain concerns. Every patient is different, surgeries are not all exactly the same, patience is part of recovery although at times is in short supply,  but I hope you start to see improvement soon,

.

 Thank you for your reply. I am two months postop this Thursday. I have been out of the splint/cast for several weeks.  I had to stop taking the Advil because it bothered my stomach now I’m trying I’ll leave I can’t get through a day without taking something .  I put warm compresses on my hand prior to exercise and go to OT right girlie. It is just so much more than I ever anticipated .   Best of luck on your recovery 

Why haven’t you discussed this with your surgeon so they can give you different pain meds, there is quite a range to choose one. You could then find one that doesn’t cause problems. No need to suffer but the doctor needs to know so he can sort it. 

Thank you..  some of my messages have come out weird because I was speaking into the microphone ...sorry all.  I feel like I have had to call the doctor every other week because my pain has been challenging.  I have no idea what he could even give me because I get nauseated on most. Might call him today... again😕

Hi again DJ, so you’re about 4-6 wks post-op? If we had the same LRTI surgery, at 6 wks., I was definitely still having pain, throbbing, spasms, tingling in thumb, wrist, hand and arm, and pinching at tendon harvest site, not all at the same time but certainly some of it daily. As I wrote before, at 3 mos., just a month ago for me, I noticed an appreciable decrease in pain, spasms, etc., in  frequency and duration. And that matches what my surgeon said, a steep, progressive improvement from 3rd through 6 mos.  So now, at 4 mo. I’m almost pain free; still have stiffness in a.m., wrist flexes are painful but getting better, and a bit of pain doing hand exercises, but I’ll take it after almost 2 years of a useless hand and 24/7 pain. Forgot to mention, a yr. ago my GP Dr. suggested taking turmeric, an OTC anti-inflammatory, which I still take. Check it out w/your Dr.  Don’t know if it did much good pre-op because my hand was such a mess but maybe it’s helping me now, who knows. So it sounds like you have a little more healing time to go but hopefully you’ll start to seeing some improvement soon. It is a long haul but hang in there, keep in touch w/your drs., you’ll get there. Keep us updated.

Hi Kathleen, how much turmeric do you take?? I am only at 2 1/2 months post op. I can’t tell you how miserable I am, I cry every day. I work hard at my OT and I still have a good deal of swelling, pain at the site and now joint pain in my fingers.  I just hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel because I don’t see how I can take much more. I tried easing up on Advil and Aleve and I was in total complete agony even though it doesn’t take the pain entirely away. Any input anyone wants to provide to me I’m glad to hear.   My pain level is rough… And the more swollen I am the worst service as well . Dj

 Sometimes my words come out incorrect as I am speaking into the microphone, I apologize. My last sentence was the more swollen I am the worse I feel 

Can you private message me about whatever you have been using for your pain ... cream and gelatin I’m in a lot of pain thank you. Dj

Hello DJ, I’m so sorry you’re having such a rough time. I assume you’ve checked in with your surgeon and OT and they’re aware of your pain issues, what have they recommended? I take 500mg of turmeric daily which was suggested by my GP a year ago; she said it helps with inflammation, i.e. arthritis, in some. Another help was ice which I still use for pain, 15 min. at a time however often I needed it. I think I mentioned before, 3 mo. was my turning point, each week after that 3 mo. mark,  I was able to do something with my hand that I couldn’t do since the surgery and even before. Until the 3 mo. mark, I had pain at surgery loc., wrist, hand, and even up my arm. Remember, your hand/arm has been immobile for 6-8 weeks!  At 3 mo. that all began to decrease markedly. I still have a bit of stiffness in wrist and it’s been 5 mo. Everyone has their own healing time, tolerance, and yours may be a bit longer than others but I hope you check with your Dr. to see if something more can be used to give you some relief. If you can access YouTube, I watched a young blonde woman who had an extremely difficult recovery. She recorded several sessions during her recovery and that gave me encouragement while I was in the healing process. I’ll look for the title of her sessions and post. You may find some more tips with her. Back to you later.

Hi again, found the YouTube videos:  

This one is titled: Basal Joint Arthritis - CMC Surgery,

She’s done videos taken at Day 1, Day 10, 3 Weeks, 10 Weeks, 3 Mos. and I watched one done at 18 Mos.(?) recently and was happy to see she’s doing well. Hope these videos give you the same encouragement they gave me! Let me know. Haven’t figured out the private mail process but if you’re able, feel free to pm me.

Moderator comment: I have removed the link(s) directing to site(s) unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

Thank you

 Hi Kathleen, I saw the info on YouTube so no need to send me the link. Your information was very helpful. Next week will be three months for me so hopefully looks start improving thanks again