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Belinda's Hand Surgery Experience

blinda75@swbell.net 

January 27, 2002

I had rt hand thumb & knuckle joint replacement done on 1-17-20. so far so good. please excuse typing as i am down to 2 fingers & a thumb. i almost didn't get to have surgery because of a fever of 99, if it was 100 then it was a no-go. My PCP said he could not 'find' any infection , be siddes my groudy sinus as he & i call them & HE said they looked about normal for me. so even w/ increased wbc & low temp the surgery was on. This all took place at 3PM the day before surgery. my surgeon said i would be off for about 2 weeks. I called the OT & SHE said 8-12 weeks because of ot. i will learn more at the great unveiling on 1-30-02. i wear a bib of a towel clipped on w/ clothespins because eating w/ the wrong hand is messy. straws & paper cups help. my hubby got 2 'body' pillows at walmart they really helped to hold
hand up cheap.. we got a wedge foam arm thing from ot $$$$ the cheap pillows worked better.


i had to stop writing to help with supper. my non cooking husband was scaring me to death chopping up onions for chili!!! so i remembered that i had not told you who & what was gong on. I had my last Enbrel shot the day before surgery, this is my first week off. Enbrel worked for about a year for me but it slowly lost it's effectiveness. I an only on 5 mg pred daily now, 30mg MTX a week, Evoxac 3x /day, prinivil 20mg, premarin 1.25, 2-3 insulin shots depending on sugar levels, Glucophage , flexeril, effexor,ultram, milk thistle, folic acid etc. I have been on gold shots--always ask to be numbed first , allergic reaction which I think has made it hard for me to keep any gold around(bg) I have been on almost every NSAID, except the cox-2, had to stop those because of kidney problems. I started with asiprin taking them until my
ears were ringing then take 1 less the next day--i'm lucky to hear & not because of 70's rock. I have been on Arava, penicillamine,plaquenil all with MTX at different times.

this hand surgery is my first joint replacement. both knees have had arthoscopy. 1 week out from surgery & pain is the same in both hands. I am sleeping only in 4-5 hrs at a time only a little less than normal for me. But being off work I get to take 1-3hr naps when i want. The downside is that i do not 'feel' bad but i can't do anything 1 handed.
Personal care is very time consuming & I don't even try to shave anything thank God for MTX hairloss, because it will be awhile before I can do that. my hubby is very helpful but after watching chop an onion he is not coming near me with anything sharp. He got me a table that has a flat side & a alittle side for holding books that i just love. it came from a wireless catalog & was about $100.00 way worth it for reading and eating. i get a bib 2 clothespins & a towel & flat side for my surgery hand with tilt side flat or very little tilted . i must be loosing wt because i sure get alot on me.lol
i will send updates when i can.

February 12, 2002

Last wednesday I had my bandages removed from my rt hand. It was
bruised up & swollen. I have 2 lines running down my hand & 1 line down
my thumb. I went home with a sleeping splint that fits on the palm side. The next day I went to my OT Robin & she made my dynamic split. My hubby was 1 of her kids soccer coaches. I really like living in a smaller town. I have several exercises to do every hour or so for each finger. I can shower now w/o A plastic bag. I have ot 3 times a week. Make sure to bring all of your splints to each appt. because your ot can change them. I can also use heat packs at home now. At 4 weeks I am driving a little. I am still getting tired easy that maybe because of the Enbrel washout or not. Robin the world's best OT made a built up pen for me to use. I was looking forward to being off work & not being able to do much. Ha ha that lasted until I realized that I still can't get socks on by myself!!

February 28, 2002

It has been about 6 weeks post-op, I had a slight infection that has cleared up & my scars are looking much better. The weather has been even more strange than usual, going from 70's to 17!! I have missed 2 ot appt. because I could not get up & dressed in 2 hours. I am still very fatigued & slightly anemic so I will get an iron shot tomorrow at my internist. We had to make slight adjustments to my daytime splint because of swelling, I am having a flare. I cried when I took off my
nighttime splint & saw that my "new" joints were swelling. It is hard to describe the feeling it is like a blank spot with pain around it. If I sit & think about it I swear that sense the implants as not being me. I maybe having this flare because it has been 6 weeks since I had Enbrel. I started Kineret on tuesday, forget Wednesday's till 1:00 Thursday am so I will wait until I get up again to take the second dose. The injection site is sore & a little bruised but hay pretty for a 1 handed gimp. The injector thingy was way too much to do 1 handed. I see my hand surgeon Tuesday March 5th, I hope I can return to work after that at least part time.

If anyone has any questions please email me
Belinda

April 28, 2002

I'm back!! sorta anyway. Bad hard drive 3 weeks in the shop for upgrades & other fixes and that was just the computer.

Belinda's rt hand joint replace is a success.  I can touch my thumb to all my fingers.

I am still weaker in that hand & it tires out before I do.  My surgeon wants to do my wrist, elbow & left hand all at 1 time.  I am going to wait awhile.  I can still remember that I could not pull up my on underwear for a few days & it was weeks before I could put my bra on alone.(It sure is more comfortable without one when it is hot).