Nerves



Pretty, huh?

I had my first post-op appointment yesterday with Dr. A. The tech took the splint off  (yay!!) and then Dr. A came in. I was a little anxious about having the stitches taken out because I passed out this summer after I had the stitches taken out. The incision had a steri-strips over it and Dr. A took that off. 

Yet another scar....

I was waiting for him to remove the stitches, but then he told me that because I had had such a bad reaction to a stitch this summer (which was the reason for this surgery) that he only used a few internal stitches and didn't use any stitches that had to be removed. He used one of the incisions from surgery last summer...it's just bigger. It has bruised a little, but it's really not too bad. 

The big old bump is where
the incision is.

I, unfortunately, have lost all or some of the feeling where the scar is, on part of the top of my hand, and up the side of my little finger. The scar is pretty swollen and it is really hard. Dr. A told me to start rubbing it to hopefully wake the nerves up. He then wrote a script for more hand therapy for the next 4-6 weeks and said he wanted to see me again in 4 weeks. After I made my next appt, I went down to the therapy clinic. Since I didn't have an appt, I had to wait until one of the OTs had a few minutes to see me. I was called back and talked with the OT for a few minutes about what had happened and why I had to have surgery again. My OT from before came over to see me and look at my wrist. She had a patient (or 2 or 3) at the time so she couldn't talk for too long. The OT I was seeing decided to just wrap my wrist up, told me to start doing the exercises from before to start getting the movement back, and told me to make an appt for next week with the other OT. I really thought he would do more, but that was it, and he sent me on my way. My wrist feels pretty good. It is a little stiff but I am trying to get it moving again. The sensation (or lack there of) of not having feeling in part of my hand or feeling like it has lidocaine in it is very different. There is a small spot that almost hurts when you touch it and if I move my pinky in a certain way, I can feel the nerves almost being jostled around, if that makes sense. I am very glad this surgery (and the terrible few days after surgery) are over....really, really, really hoping that this is the last one!