Thumb fusion

[bendytwistything]

Thanks folks op went well, they decided to reconstruct the ligaments in the end and will fuse it if this proves unsuccesful.

It took 3.5 hours (which surprised me) but the surgeon is very pleased with how it went, its just left me sore and miserable. They put a pin to hold it in temporarily which i've got to have removed under general in 4 weeks

[sarahh]

Hi ya thanks for the update. 3.5 hours wow. I hope you are feeling better soon hun and take care.

Sarah x

[Kayzee]

I hope it works chick

Big to you and hope the pain eases soon

Kay x

[Shadowlady]

Wowzer! 3 1/2 hours! Check you with your posh op.

I'm kinda glad they tried to re-contruct the ligaments, sounds like there's more space for hope with that one!

Healing vibes straight to that thumb of yours hun ...~~~~~zzzZZZOOOOMMM!!!!

Shadowgirl-the-annoying-nag says take it real easy, drink plenty of water, get loads of vit C down you, and feed yourself up with a load of nutritious, healthy, yummy food - ok?

Humungous and I hope the pain eases off soon my lovely!

My bestest of the best wishes for you B2T2, x
S

[Sue New]

Gosh 3.5 hours is a looong time.

I hope the ligament reconstuction was a success and that once the pin is removed in a month's time, you will soon be on the road to recovery.

Take care B2T2

[bendytwistything]

Had my bandage changed and my scars are huge much bigger than i thought/was told.

It looks like frankensteins (sp)monster

[Shadowlady]

Oh no! Honey! Did they offer any advice about helping the scars to heal as well as possible? Are you getting plenty of vit C and green veg to help it along? I do hope they improve!

[bendytwistything]

I've had the pin out of my thumb and apparently its looking very good. I've got a cast on it for 2-4 weeks then freedom! lol. Possibly having the other one done soon if this has been beneficial.

[Sue New]

Hi B2T2,

Sorry to hear your scar is so huge . Did you mention to the surgeon before hand about the healing problems associated with HMS/EDS?

To be honest with you, I am a little concerned about scarring with my upcoming carpal tunnel surgery - not really from an aesthetic point of view - more from a healing point of view - as previous scars I have had have split open during healing and gone hypertrophic. My surgeon seems a little "gung ho" about the op and keeps saying it is a really simple procedure, and I didn't feel confident enough to say that I tend to heal badly .

I hope the scar starts to get better soon Do you think this first op has been beneficial or is it too early to say yet?

Take care,

Sue.

[hannah]

Oh Sue
I think that mayhap telling him about poor healing would be a good idea, otherwise he will dismiss your concern as pre-op nerves. I know it is far easier to advise than to do that cos I am terrible when it comes to disagreeing with Drs! - I can tell everyone on here exactly why something I've been told doesn't make sense, but when faced with a Dr, the old 'he must know best' surfaces and I clam up
Does the surgeon have an email address? or could you talk to him on the phone?
Telling him will make him more cautious durig surgery and maximism the healing chances.

Sorry to waffle on.

Hannah

[Retro]

Hi Sue,

I agree with Hannah, you really do need to speak to the Surgeon about your healing problems because it has caused you so many problems in he past.

Perhaps you could see your GP Practice nurse before hand to see if she can help at all with post-op care??? It may be that when the stitches are taken out they could be replaced with steristrips just to make sure the wound doesn't split? There are also many different types of dressings so the nurse might be able to help with finding the one that's most suitable for both your wound and delicate skin? These are just my thoughts.

Lindsey

[Joski]

Sue, I too would urge you to discuss the healing and scarring issues with your surgeon. When I had my wrist fusion done my healing issues were a major concern and my surgeon actually brought in a plastics surgeon to close the wound. They closed it tighter, with puckering of the edges to allow for it spreading, using special sutures and it was closely monitored throughout my recovery.

Unfortunately because my condition is complex, my wound still split open three months after the surgery! I ended up being in hospital for three weeks on double dose IV antibiotics with a very badly infected arm. However, the section of my wound that didn't split has healed very well indeed and is very neat compared to other scars.

So please do talk with the surgeon about your worries, so you can minimise the risks of poor healing and scarring.

Best wishes.....Jo x

[Jooolz]

I just wanted to post an update about my thumb (s). since my post at the begining of this thread - I never had the surgery - My consultant told me that he thought it might be better to defer the op & just wait and see what happened as that sometimes with age the joints can start to seize up. ( I am 46 now) so I waited and was extremely sceptical - didnt think it would get any better- both joints in r thumb kept subluxing and dislocating - but they did start to do it less often - and now althought mt thumb joints are uncomfortable and painful at times - they sublux less frequently.
I am generally pleased that i didnt have the operation on my thumb. I tried using splints but they made my fingers and other thumb hurt more - I eventually had some success with a tailor made thumb compression support- which my local hand therapist made for me. I dont need to wear it all the time but used with painkillers and a green lipped muscle rub it helps a lot.
Of course I have had to adapt my lifestyle a lot - I find writing very uncomfortable- I use a pen-again which makes it a bit easier- and type more than write. and drink from glasses with handles or tumblers with small enough diametres ( so it doesnt over stretch my thumb) - I have given some consideration to typing positions too- such as gel pad for wrist.
Jooolz

[Sue New]

Hi Guys,

I went to see the orthopaedic surgeon today about my unstable thumb and he is still wanting to operate. He said in the 1st instance he wants to try ligament reconstruction and said something about doing a procedure called "reefing". I am not quite sure what that involves, but I asked him if it could be done under a local anasthetic as I have had too many generals lately, but he said that the operation is too long to be done under a local and needs a tourniquet to cut of the blood supply so it would be too painful. I haven't made a final decision, as I can't really justify having yet more time out of work, so the surgeon is giving me 3 months to try to strengthen the muscle at the base of the thumb which has completely atrophied, and if there is no more improvement, he will then operate.

Has anyone has a ligament reconstruction of the thumb that involved this reefinf procedure? i can't seem to find any info on it on the t'internet.

Sue.

[lizzy123]

Hi Everyone,

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with this issue...I have an issue with my thumb though, it doesn't really hurt unless under strain or in the cold. My mine issue is the weakness, I just get frustrated with the lack of grip and how it just gives so easily. I went to my GP a couple of years ago who did refer me to a specialist but after X-rays he said that because it was my left hand (i'm right handed) and I wasn't in pain all the time he wasn't prepared to do anything and I should consider myself lucky as a lot of people would love to be double-jointed! I was obviously not impressed by this.... I'm thinking about going back for a second opinion because I'm fed up now and think fusion is my best option. Does any one have an idea of how much this would be if I went private? (UK)

Thanks