<snip>

       But I think that that statement about the superflous tendon is true
       Last year I had a lot of pain in my left wrist, enough that I,
       who ordinarily never take anything for anything, agreed to have a
       cortisone shot in the wrist. This was a reasonable improvement for
       about 3 weeks and then, walking down the street one day I got a sudden
       intense pain in that wrist, a pain much worse than what had sent me in
       for the cortisone shot. I made the earliest appointment I could with
       the hand surgeon, for about 5 days later. The pain began to recede the
       next day & by the time I got to my appointment it was completely gone.
       
       The surgeon had nothing to look at, and told me frankly that he
       had no idea what was going on. Then he picked up my hand, looked at it
       carefully and burst out laughing. He told me that a certain tendon was
       gone: I must have snapped it, that it was a tendon so useless that it
       was often removed to use in replacing more important tendons in other
       parts of the body, and that he was guessing that that tendon had been
       at the root of my original problem and now that it was gone I probably
       would have no more problems with the wrist...and he was right.

       Unfortunately I also had carpal tunnel in the wrist so I'm typing this
       in spite of the dressing I'm wearing after finally having the surgery
       for that yesterday.
                               --thelma

Oh, Kate, that sounds terrible. I'll  be sending good vibes for a good outcome
and protection of your ability to play.
---
Joan

I am so sorry to hear that it is not over for you Kate.

My thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this next
stage.

    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

 Kate, the doc took a tendon from the inside of my wrist to make the thumb
joint he replaced.  I don't know how much he used but there was just one
very small incision.  Will be praying for the surgery to go perfectly, and
also your recovery.
 Gwen

 > thank you, sj.
 >
 > i didn't want to post anything about me until i knew something more than
the
 > uncomfortable challenges i've been experiencing with this
wrist/hand/thumb
 > situation (thank goodness for percocet).  it seems like everytime i
thought
 > i knew something, things changed or weren't what they seemed to me to
be.
 >
 > saw my hand surgeon this morning.  up until this morning, i've been
going to
 > my OT sessions twice a week and diligently doing, at home, the things my
 > therapist suggested, trying to recover range of motion.   made some
 > progress.  unfortunately, my left thumb is recalcitrant and would not
yield
 > to these active or passive persuasions.  i'm to have 3 more ot sessions,
 > before the 28th, just to strengthen things a bit more.
 >
 > apparently, my hand surgeon knew, before sending me to ot, that surgery
 > would be required on this thumb's flexor pollicis tendon.  his nurse
greeted
 > me as i sat down in the exam room, this morning, with "oh.  that's
right.
 > you're having surgery next week." and didn't know that i wasn't informed
i
 > had been scheduled for surgery on december 28th (have to be there at 11
 > a.m.).  interestingly revealing faux pas---it was a revelation that he
 > decided on surgery before sending me to ot or even talking to my hand
 > therapist once he did send me to her.
 >
 > so, there will be an incision at my thumb's end joint, one at my wrist
and
 > one further up my arm, possibly a 4th incision, though he didn't say
where.
 > he wanted to take the tendon from my left ring finger, which would have
 > disabled that finger, to graft its tendon to my thumb.  nah, uhhhh!!!!
 > that's my chording and fretwork hand on guitar and would also mess up my
 > flute fingering (and what would that permanently stiff/straight finger
do to
 > my typing???---just shoot me now, if i can't type, too.).  then he
wanted to
 > take a tendon from the underside of my  left wrist and didn't say what
that
 > would do to whatever originally used that tendon-- i was too
shocked/stunned
 > to ask, cuz he made it sound like it was a superfluous tendon (like what
 > tendon is not necessary for something?)  but he did say that many tendon
 > grafts often let go, eventually, and have to be redone---fun thing to
have
 > to be alert for or look forward to, eh?   i
 > think/hope/think/hope/think/hope/think/hope i managed to talk him back
into
 > fishing for the severed tendon and repairing it.  my fingers are crossed
 > that the missing part of this flexor pollicis tendon is easy to find,
repair
 > and that's it is not shredded.
 >
 > anyway, this surgery, next wednesday, should take an hour and a half, he
 > said.  he said my synovitis in that wrist is going wild and may have to
be
 > dealt with too, while he's at it.  my left wrist is currently a full 3
 > inches bigger in circumference than my right wrist--this thick left
wrist
 > doesn't look like a wrist that big belongs to this short forearm.LOL
nurse
 > said i should be able to drive the next day after surgery, when i asked
her
 > how long before i can drive again---why am i thinking/feeling like that
 > answer sounds just a teeny bit optimistic or maybe a teensy bit
molifying?
 > if anybody knows if her statement is true, i'd sure like having your
 > reassurance.
 >
 > that's where i'm at, as of today.  sorry i haven't had the focus to post
 > more on asa.  i've actually frequently got that hand and wrist in my
 > dreamtime warming mitt and have only had a couple of days, these past
two
 > months, where i felt like two-handed typing was ok for a little while.
this
 > situation has been a teeny bit distracting.
 >
 > wishing all of you a very happy and heart warming holiday season.  love
ya
 > and miss all of you.
 >
 > kate
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > "Squirrely" <squirrely@tekrealm.net> wrote in message
 > news:11q4r0jo5ej55f@corp.supernews.com...
 > Sweetie,
 >
 > It is good to see you posting. I have missed you greatly. Have been
thinking
 > about you alot. If and when you are feeling up to it can you give us an
 > update.
 >
 >
 > --
 > Love and hugs to all
 > Good thoughts coming your way too.
 >
 > Squirrely Jo
 >
 >
 >

Hhhhhm, I don't know about a doctor that lets someone else do the telling
about an operation but I am sure he is a good surgeon if you have him.   You
know we will all be thinking of you from now tell then.
Merry Christmas
Harv

{{{{{{{{{{Kate}}}}}}}}}}}   Been thinking about cha even if I haven't called
lately.

DeeTee

Thanks for the update Kate, will be holding you in prayer for the new
surgery on the 28th. You take care and heal quickly.

Whoops, forget to say in the other post, Thelma, I hope you heal quickly.
Thinking of you too.