cmc thumb recontruction with fcr autograft.

Untitled
Writing goofy-handed

I’ve had a condition for a while now, which really plagued me at the beginning of the spring 2013 semester, in which my right thumb was causing me a lot of pain. My current ortho said he thinks a big injury must’ve occurred to knock my thumb our of alignment and bone was grinding against bone. It was so painful at the start of school that I worried I wouldn’t make it through my classes. Some history from an older post here. Treatment included getting a cortisone injection and being told to wear a thumb splint. No PT was prescribed, or exercises or alternative therapies. Surgery was actually the first suggestion I received. The doctor could feel bone grinding against bone in the base of my thumb and metatarsals. It was painful but the cortisone helped me through the entire semester. I got a second shot after the semester ended, but think working at B&N probably was harsh. Days on cash register caused aches despite wearing the splint.

I went back to the doctor last week, and he said the surgery would be a good option. I asked if it could be done after summer school, and before the fall semester. He said yes. He said I’d be able to type. I asked about writing, to which he replied I’d figure it out. Hrm.

After doing research on a “cmc thumb recontruction fcr autograft” which is what the nurse wrote for me on the paper when I asked for details about the name of the surgery, I saw people complaining about the horrible recovery. Intense pain. Weakness, etc. I decided out of fear to get a second opinion and made a call today. I’m waiting to hear back from the physician about my request for a second opinion. I think I’m going to switch to him no matter what since his credentials are so much better, and I found good online reviews for him, and really poor reviews for the doctor I’m currently seeing. One review for the current doc I’m seeing says he messed up the person’s ulnar nerve during surgery (confirmed by a nerve specialist) and his arm atrophied terribly as a result. Also, that he has an 8-inch scar that’s crooked and he’s been told by medical professionals it was shoddy stitch-work.

So, the surgery on 8/20/13 might be off… depending on what the new doc says. If I do have to get it, I may ask to postpone it til Winter break. Christmas and New Year’s will suck, but at least I’ll have more than a week to heal before school starts up again.

I’ve been practicing writing with my left hand since I’m afraid of what will happen if I cannot write at all with my right post-surgery, or in the event of pain before I get the surgery done. It’s getting better, but it’s slow-going.

Life is OK though, overall. Things could be worse, so I’m not gonna complain about my situation, but at the same time think I need to be more cautious about this surgery and how it will affect my education and ultimately, my life’s goals. (This could knock me off track an entire semester if I’m not careful).

This entry was posted in health, injuries, ramblings and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply