1. Anticipation is by far the worst part.2. You have to take off all your clothes except underpants. and put on THE GOWN
3. They open the gown in the back, just in case they have to . . .
4. I was awake and watched the procedure. Because of the tourniquet that stopped the flow of blood, and the very fine drugs, the whole thing appeared diagramatic and detached. Looked like a demo plastic model in an anatomy class.
5. They play the surgeon's choice of music in the OR -- Clearly not the patient's (different generations!).
6. My hand was numb for a couple of hours. By the time it wore off I had a couple of Norco tabs and felt fine.
7. I felt lazy and slow while on the Norco and didn't do much except sit around, read a little, doze, and eat.
8. There are no hygiene issues. A plastic bag secured with a rubber band keeps the bandage/cast dry during showers and shampoos.
9. Except for pushing, pulling, or lifting the hand is quite useful.
10. I had no pain and stopped taking the Norco after 48 hours (I couldn't drink wine while on Norco, soooo . . .)
It already feels better than before -- no numbness and tingling! Amazing!
How did you know you needed surgery? I'm afraid I'm headed in that direction, but it really is the last thing I would want to do. And you're glad you did it, yes?
ReplyDeleteI saw an orthodpedic hand specialist who sent me for nerve tests which identified carpal tunnel syndrome with some nerve damage. My hands went numb at night and ached, would also be numb depending upon position during the day. I'm glad I did it, glad it's over, and should have done it sooner. If you have good insurance, and surgery is recommended, go for it!
ReplyDeleteI better have good insurance, since I work for Blue Shield!
ReplyDeleteHave yourself checked out -- down time is really minimal: day of surgery + 24 hours and you are nearly as good as new -- sore hand that needs babying for a month, but there's nothing you can't get done. How was I to know where "anonymous" worked?
ReplyDeleteWho else is anonymous?
ReplyDelete