4 Months Post Op Trigger Finger Surgery and Still?

Hello, Peoples.

Despite my forum name I'm not quite happy after surgery. To begin, I had L index and middle trigger release done 4 1/2 months ago. The R index, middle, ring done 3 1/2 months ago. My L fingers PIP joints are still sore but had what some MDs feel may have been RA. I took 2 cycles of Prednisone for 20days on a tapering dose 10mg BID. I helped get my ROM back but also had anxiety side effects. I'm now off the Prednisone, L index and middle fingers are still sore.

R fingers (index, mid, ring) are still triggering (surgeons says at the A2 pulleys, since the A1 pulley was cut), stiff, and painful in the AM. After about 30mins, I can move them, but still painful and stiff throughout the day. All the surgery fingers (L index and middle; R index, middle, ring) are mildly swollen.

I've tried 800mg Ibuprofen 3x/day. Nothing. Celebrex 2x/day-made my fingers swell, bad. Prednisone, initially worked well, but on the last 20day cycle, AM stiffness was returning plus the anxiety side effects-bad. Acupuncture 4x. Cool stuff. Needles in my R leg=twitching on L index. Two Certified Hand Therapists for exercises and iontopheresis and ultrasound. Still AM stiffness, pain, triggering.

I'm an Occupational Therapist, so I know the importance of exercises, scar massage, paraffin baths, contrast baths (alternating ice/hot). I've seen 5 doctors, and will see a 6th hand surgeon this week. Work has been put on hold. Im trying to stay optimistic.

Can others of you who are post op several months or years tell me your experiences of what worked? Thanks for sharing.

If you had some doctors say it's RA then go find a good RA doctor in your area and get the bloodwork done, morning stiffness is one of the keys to RA, also have any of the doctor mentioned a predinoze injection, these do hurt but might offer up relief and if you do have RA then you need more time to heal up and more pt...ask about continuing the pt...
!st step is to get checked by an RA doctor and get it ruled out before anything else as another hand surgeon won't touch you if that's the case, because RA can delay healing it has been delaying my healing from my recent knee surgery...
Also, we are not all text book cases and some people are naturally slow healers...tart cherry juice might help with the pain, drink at dinner time as it makes you sleepy and only use 1/4 cup...too much can cause diarrhea.
Ginger might also help...
Many well wishes and I hope your doing better soon!