Lili Krakowski on wed 31 jan 01
Hello. I'm back again, this time even more briefly than last year.
Again I will be cut off during the Spring Break of the College of
Charleston. Never mind. It's good to be back.
Ok. Last year I asked re: CARPAL METACARPAL SURGERY. This December 4th I
had it.
Let me backtrack. The cm joint is the big joint where our thumb/hand
meets wrist. If you ever had kid gloves you know that is the big bump
it's hard to get a freshly washed pair of kid gloves over. If you wear a
wristwatch, or your jacket sleeves are the right length it is right above
that part of your wrist.
Anyway. My RIGHT one wore out. Sharp, ever sharpening pain till it got
so that any thumb movement hurt a lot. Then came increasing numbness.
To cut it short. The carpal metacarpal joint was worn out to the point
that I was losing strength in my thumb. My thumb also was turning over
when I lifted something like a plate. Instead of the thumbnail looking
skyward, my thumb would flip and the nail look towards my left.
The glucosamine and B6 suggestions had not helped at all (I am told some
people respond, others don't)
First MD missed that the numbness was coming from a Return of Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome, NOT the cm problem
Second MD sent me for an EMG which is an unpleasant exam where they check
nerve function through small shocks (disagreeable but really not too bad,
and I'm a coward) That confirmed carpal tunnel had returned. I had my
first ct surgery 20 years ago, and had not known it can come back. Be
advised. It can.
Although 2nd MD did not do the surgery (I wanted it done over the winter
and we have been wintering down here) the surgeon I went to here, agreed
with #2,
The procedure is called TENDON INTERPOSITION ARTHROPLASTY, and consists,
so it was explained to me, of removing a piece of tendon from the inside
of the forearm rolling it up --as the MD said "like a sock" and stuffing
it into the destroyed joint, thereby filling the space left when the
cartilage and then the bone at the joint self-destructed.
He also redid the carpal tunnel bit and said that the first surgery had
been perfectly done, BUT the scar tissue etc had encroached and it had to
be redone. The redoing is a much lengthier and complicated procedure,than
the first and also hurt a lot more afterward. After #1 I was fine in 6
weeks, this has taken much longer and STILL hurts.
I was in a plaster cast one week, a fiberglass one for about 4 and a
splint which really is a removable plastic cast for another 4. I am not
sure what happens then (if it is interesting I will report) but I expect
that it will be another month before my hand is "normal" again.
I had never been in a cast before, and can only speak as a right handed
person having a cast on her right hand.
I practiced all Sunmmer learning to be left handed. Flossing my teeth was
hard but I managed by using an extra long piece of floss and attaching one
end to the medicine cabinet knob. Tying shoelaces was impossible so I wore
slip ons (clogs) I used slacks with elastic waistbands, and managed blue
jeans by lying down on my back to button just-out-of-the-wash ones.
(Something I had not done since high school 50 + years back.) The
bra-problem (Gentlemen, you may be excused)
was solved by over the head sportsbras. Getting them on and off was hard
only while in the plaster cast which weighed a ton.
I could not button small buttons, and managed my hair only because I wear
it short. If you ever wanted to cut your hair this would be the time.
ALSO; NONE OF MY JACKETS, SOME OF MY SHIRTS, ALL OF MY TURTLENECKS AND
THERMAL UNDERSHIRTS, ALL OF
MY SWEATERS COULD NOT BE PULLED OVER MY CASTS. (SPLINT IS REMOVABLE) I
GOT SOME FLANNEL MEN'S SHIRTS AT THE GOODWILL, AND FORTUNATELY MY CHORE
COAT UNBUTTONS AT THE CUFF SO I COULD WEAR THAT.
Eating in public has been impossible, unless I am eating finger food. Most
of the time the pain prevented cutting food.I
could not cut and stuff like salad was hard to manage. (Wish I could say I
lost 10 lbs; alas, no!)
I had pre-cooked a lot of stew and meat ball type food and frozen it.
Good idea.
I have found that the odd postures, extra, unusual use of left arm and
shoulder,inability to do my back exercises, has left my upper back and
neck miserable and I'm chiropractoring it asap.
And: as with carpal tunnel carpal metacarpla problems are far more
frequent in women than in men. So don't let that cute guy sweettalk you
out of chekcing with a hand surgeon as soon as you feel things going
wrong.
Blessings and good health to you all.
Lili Krakowski
Marcia Selsor on thu 1 feb 01
Dear Lili,
Nice to hear from you except I wish it were under better circumstances.
I had bilateral CT surgery 20 years ago. I hope I don't again, but I
knew the problem could recur and they'll only do it twice. Have a speedy
recovery from here on out. Are you going to NCECA? You are nearby, right?
Marcia
Lili Krakowski wrote:
>
> Hello. I'm back again, this time even more briefly than last year.
> Again I will be cut off during the Spring Break of the College of
> Charleston. Never mind. It's good to be back.
>
> Ok. Last year I asked re: CARPAL METACARPAL SURGERY. This December 4th I
> had it.
> SNIP
--
Marcia Selsor
selsor@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/Tuscany2001.html
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