Hi KJ,
sorry you are having surgery.   Right now I am recovering from surgery on my
right wrist.  I had some of the bone of the ulna removed.

The time period that you are still in the surgical dressing is the most
difficult.  Do you know how much use of your fingers you will have?  When I
had my non dominant hand out of commission the biggest issue I had was not
having it to stabilize things for my right hand.  If you have no use of your
fingers then dressing is a bit more difficult.  Getting on a bra is a
pain..I just went without unless I absolutely had to go out. Glad press and
seal works great to wrap the cast in so you can shower.  I transferred my
shampoo and soap to dispensers that had push down nozzles so I didn't have
to pick them up to squeeze..  I could drive but had trouble reaching the
door to close it.  I used a cane, I just hooked the handle onto the arm rest
and pulled until I could reach it.  As long as you aren't lifting anything
too heavy the cast provides a solid surface to balance things with as you
carry with your other arm.  You might want to precook some casseroles and
such so you don't have to worry about cutting and cooking things for several
days.

After the cast comes off really just push the movement as much as you can as
quickly as you can.  I love moist heat before doing my exercises.  I found
that my fingers really stiffened so keep them moving as much as you can
while you are casted or splinted.

Who is doing your surgery?  I know a couple hand doctors up your way

Karen

hi kj, good to see you!
well, your wrist surgery sounds more extensive than mine, which i
didn't think was possible, but i only have one incision on the back of
my wrist. it was described kindof like yours--cleaning up a bunch of
junk. since our surgeries were different, it's hard to equate them in
terms of recovery, but mine was very easy. as a matter of fact, i was
typing a day or two after it with the doctor's encouragement. he said
that was the best PT for it. i DID request PT also which helped me
build strength. i can't even remember how long i had the wrist
bandaged. all i know was, it was not long. (my wrist was already
autofused).

the one negative--my scar is ugly. melinda sent me some great mother's
belly butter which helped a lot.

hugs, diane

Well,,,, I guess that walking on your hands is out for sure now.   Tips ya
say,,
be calm, cool, and collected.   I know you have the best doctors and nurses.
So just let it all happen as it will.   I also know that you are in the
prayers of most everyone that has read your words.
Harv

Hey KJ,

great to hear from you again.  You take care and heal quickly. Will be
praying for you.

<snip>

Practice using the "other" hand before surgery - taking care of feeding,
bathroom stuff, etc. A little practice can help a lot.  Make sure you've
got an electric or battery toothbrush. Have somebody loosen all the jar
lids in the house.  Best of luck to you!

/Beth <Lefty for all of summer '05>

Hey KJ glad to hear from you, but wish it as w/o the surgery.

I had both sides done at Cleveland Clinic because I had so many finger
and wrist issues with each side they fused the fingers and wrists at the
same time.  I was bandaged to the tips of fingers and about four inches
above the wrist line.  I was able to use the free hand to help steady
things.  There was surprisingly very low pain involved.  As everyone has
all ready stressed get all of your clothing, beauty aids, food, kitchen
utensils arranged to be used by one handed person.  Practice is advised.

I had excellent Docs (Thomas Hunt).  When I was younger (surgeries 6/98
and 11/99) The incisions were soooo fine you needed a magnifying glass
to see them  I can see them to this day, however, most people cannot
find them.

Rehab was easy and comprehensive.  I am able to use all of my fingers
including the thumb on my left hand that has a rood in it. Even though
my wrists are fused I am able to do most things.  Opening lids, using
tools and anything requiring fine motor skills are problematic.

Don W

hi kj!  it's great to see you again!

bummer that you have to go through this, kj, but it sounds like your hands
will feel much better after that's cleaned up.

ok, so you already know all the stuff about me having wrecked my wrist about
a year and a half ago.  my fingertips, to the second knuckle, were exposed
and semi-usuable, despite the hurkin' bandages and/or the casts.  so, i
could do some things, with a bit of effort.  couldn't type with my left hand
though, cuz the bandaging and cast got in the way of the keyboard.

i'd recommend elevating your hand constantly for the first week at least,
cuz it helps with the swelling, pain and with that hand functioning sooner.
keep a pillow handy, even when you're doing nothing special.

if you're remotely like me, who can't stand lounging around in a robe
24/7--if you or your dh has a pair of boot hooks (these hooks help pull
their boots up/on), one of these will come in handy for pulling up, or down,
your jeans and panties, from across your bod with your good hand.  slip-on
shoes.

before surgery, BUY or find a coat with expecially large sleeves,  that is
an absolute MUST!!!  you'll freeze this time of the year not being able to
get your bandage or cast through a coat sleeve--i learned that the hard way.
not even one of my dozen coats and jackets fit over the bandages.

before surgery (at least i thought of this beforehand), i cut the sleeve
seams, from cuff up, on a couple of over-sized sweatshirts, so i could
re-stitch them later, same goes for long-sleeved jammies.  also, it helps to
have a warm sleeveless fleece cape for indoors, in case it gets chilly and
sweatshirts aren't warm enough.  they are way cheap and can be found online.

the waterless shampoo is good to have on hand, in case you don't have help
washing your hair.  but somehow, i think you will have help for that.

i used a heavy and large flower arranging frog to stick and anchor a bar of
soap onto, so i could lather up a washcloth.  squeezing a bottle of shower
gel was simply too hard for me to do one-handed.

all the rest of the suggestions offered are very good ones, too.  but i'll
emphasize--do practice doing things one-handed, before surgery, especially
buttons or zippers, if you will be wearing clothing that have those
fasteners.

wishing you the best possible outcome with this surgery and hoping that your
recovery will be swift.
hugs,
kate

Hey gang!! I know, I know, I never call unless I need something!!! ;-
P
But I have been keeping tabs on everyone!

I'm having left hand/wrist surgery next Tuesday. A few
tenosynovectomys, (yes, a few!) some joint synovectomys, some tendon
repair and I dunno what else. He said I'd have two large (6-7 inch)
incisions, one on each side of my hand/wrist.

It's been ten years since I've had any hand surgery and I've never had
wrist surgery. So I need some help from the experts! Any tips to help
me deal with being one handed while I recover? Any advice to help
speed my rehab time?

Still Smilin!
~KJ

Wow, you're really going all out at once, aren't you?  Hmmm, it's been 18
years since I had any work done on my non-dominant hand/wrist.  First
recommendation is to celebrate the fact that it isn't your dominant one this
time!  #2 give yourself at least 4 x the usual amount of time to complete
tasks as everything takes longer.  Meanwhile, tell folks you can't do much
for at least 2 months!

And start now to drive home to the family that they have to do a lot more
around the house.  It took me TWO weeks to get Mike to sweep the kitchen
floor last year when I was restricted!  Silly divil!

more directly - naturally make sure you keep that arm well elevated for the
first week, which I'm sure the doc will tell you and you know anyway.  
Generally, I'd say wriggle your fingers around throughout the day from the
beginning, but with all the work you're having done you might check with the
surgeon on that.  

Oh, and based on a mistake I made with my first CTR, think carefully about
your clothing!  Wear something to the hospital that will be easy to get back
on for driving home!  And get any slings, ace wraps or ice packs you might
need in the first days to a convenient place NOW.

And don't work your PT too hard, but do it - my doc last year made the point
to me that I'd have less pain long term if we didn't try to get ALL the
movement back, but of course, you're getting so much done, you need to work
to avoid scar tissue problems.

Can't think of anything to add to this list - do ditch the bra though and
have large shirts and easy to pull up pants (2 loops sewn into the top of
the pants to pull them up are helpful - big enough to put your arm in.  That
was one tip from someone before my surgery and it was great.

Good luck KJ - will be thinking of you - drop by to tell us how it is going.
Are you still on Orencia and will they take you off for a bit?

Kelly