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Posted 1/19/2016 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Just the half cast for 4 weeks. The pin comes out at that same time. Then its O.T. 3x/week. The O.T. people will make me a splint/brace. The brace will stay on 24/7 for 12 weeks except for bathing.
I have heard every Dr does things differently.
I am a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, and open the little blister packs of medication for 20 pts every night ( full time ) which amts to about 80 or so pills a night. Thats how my hands got so badly arthritic w/ so much bone loss. Ive been a nurse for 17 yrs. In my case I'll probobly be out of work for 3 months. I had 2 weeks sick time, and won't use vacation time, just incase i have bad days after i return to work. I sure hope not. Im missing work already!
Try not to overuse the hand. Keep it elevated and still if possible. I find the stillness of the hand helps the pain a little.
Donna
Posted 1/24/2016 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi All,
I am new to the site but did a lot of reading on various forums and blogs like this one before deciding to go forward with my surgery. I am happy to find an active thread here, many that I read were closed.

I am 60 and have suffered for years with pain at the thumb joint. I am an artist and a tennis player so giving up the use of my right Hand for 6 months to a year is a tough decision, but the intended outcome makes it worth it. I know the journey to recovery is a long one and look forward to sharing my ups and downs with others.

I have every confidence in the world in my hand surgeon, and he was very honest with me about the long process it takes to recovery. I appreciate candor in a doctor. I am now 5 days post op from LRTI surgery on my dominant right hand. I followed the recommended course of pain medicine for the first three days, and I am now comfortable only using Motrin. Up until last night I slept on the sofa with an elevation pillow for my arm and so far my fingers are very mildly swollen but not bad at all. My pain is more focused on the forearm where the tendon was removed then it is on the surgery site, but the pain is dull and tolerable. I am actually surprised that I am not in more pain given the extent of the surgery, removal of bone, tendon etc. I have Experienced shoulder pain probably from hauling around the half cast, I put heat on it last night and that helped quite a bit. Today it is better.

I have about 10 more days before I go to have my stitches removed and a hard cast put on. But thought I would just start this dialogue now to introduce myself and to see if I can help any others that may be beginning this journey.

Best to all!
Posted 1/29/2016 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Molls & welcome to Healing Well. Good to read that you are faring well so far with your surgery thats encouraging.

Molls, this is a very old thread & many of these people are no longer active here at Healing Well. They made one post & moved on. I would suggest copying & pasting your post above & make your own thread. You will get a better response from active members & a lot of people never read these older threads.

Documenting your recovery here would be so beneficial to others contemplating this surgery. It is always nice to read something positive. We have lots of people that read these posts. Only a member can post at Healing Well. Also, you can click on any members name & it will show you the last time they posted at Healing Well.

To start your thread click Post New Topic, type in a heading & then put the above post in there.

Take care.
Posted 2/12/2016 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

This was a great forum to run across, to hear how other people are working thru their stages of recovery from LRTI surgery. Misery loves company, so they say. I started out with RA about 30 yrs ago and now have osteo. I strained my thumb about 3 yrs ago and got progressively more painful, until I couldn't take it any longer. The pain took over my brain, so it seemed....I had no quality of life or social life in my "pain mode". My surgeon started out conservatively with injections and physical therapy with no success and decided that surgery would be best. I'm 6 wks post-surgery and have had a splint on (no hard cast) the entire time, I also got an ulna shortening on the same arm since I was having pain on the outside of my wrist as well. The dr said that I could remove the splint to bathe or rest, making sure I didn't put any pressure on the thumb area. I had very little pain and some swelling the first few days, but now I have no pain anywhere. I start physical therapy in a week.....when I try to move or turn my arm now without the splint it feels very tight and stiff so I don't push it. My biggest disappointment is the length of time it takes to recover and have full use of that wrist and hand. Compared to the debilitating pain I had, it'll be worth it! I'll post updates as time goes on.....good luck to all the other people who are recovering as well!
Posted 3/30/2016 10:43 AM (GMT 0)
hello this is my first time on this site. i am in desparate need of lrti surgery and am planning it for early october 2016 the pain is just too much. why is the recovery so long for this surgery? the ceo of my company just had a heart transplant and was back to work in 2 months but all the sites ive visited are showing anywhere from 10-14 weeks for this surgery . can anyone explain why confused
Posted 5/10/2016 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
I am scheduled for a CMC arthroplasty w/ligament reconstruction and FCR tendon ....on June 3, 2016. I'm very nervous about this whole thing. I read that some feel better fairly quickly while others take a long time to recover. I'm trying to figure out how long I will need help/assistance? My daughter is coming to help for approximately 2 weeks and then my husband leaves for a business trip about the same time she leaves. Will I be ok on my own at that point? about how long do you take pain medication?

thank you for your responses
Posted 5/20/2016 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
Had LRTI surgery on May 3rd. I needed the pain medication (Percocet) for a couple of days after. It would have been nice to have had someone to help me at home, but I managed just fine. I slept in a recliner for the first couple of nights as it was easier to keep my arm elevated. Any swelling I had was gone by the third day. I was driving again 5 days post-op, much to my surprise. I had the sutures removed today (19th) and given a simple brace that I can remove to shower, etc. In fact, I am not wearing it right now, as I type, it feels good to move my fingers. I have some stiffness in my thumb and have to be careful not to put too much pressure on it, but it's improving every day. I can move my wrist quite well, make a tight fist, touch my thumb to all my fingertips, etc., all with no pain. As of today, my doctor said there will be no need for a hard cast (Yay!). I have a follow up visit in a month to see what I might need for therapy. All in all, I think my recovery is going remarkably well. I too was very nervous about the surgery and recovery time.

Post Edited (SueBerth008) : 5/19/2016 10:03:56 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/28/2016 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
I am new to this site, I had carpal tunnel surgery on 8/12/2016 all went well was using 4 days after, still have a lot of pain in thumb, surgeon just looked at x-rays that were taken prior to surgery and both thumb joints are destroyed with arthritis, I am 46 yrs old, surgeon says due to age he doesn't recommend the surgery and there might be another underlying reason due to the pain, some examples he gave me are, RA, lyme disease, ALS, and lupus, I just had blood drawn and return to doctors on Friday for results. My questions are if there is another cause will I benefit from the surgery? As off now pain is increasing in both thumbs along with pain in right shoulder and outer right arm, ibuprofen, anti-inflammatory do nothing. Next question is I am not employed at the moment and I do not receive unemployment, I am currently looking for work but If I decide to go through with the surgery prior to finding employment am I eligible for disability and how do I apply?

Thank you
Roberta M
Posted 9/28/2016 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Roberta & welcome to Healing Well. I saw your post & wanted to pop on & say hello. After reading what the surgeon said of the possibility of an underlying condition that may be contributing factor you really need to find out for sure if there is something else brewing. Depending on what the testing reveals will determine whether surgery will be an option or not.

I am assuming that you are asking about Social Security Disability. To be eligible a person has to be disabled for at least one year, if not longer. If benefits are awarded they will pay at the 6 month mark. The odds of getting benefits at the 6 month mark are not very good. Most people have to wait until they can get a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. This can take 1 & 1/2 yrs or longer depending on the back log of cases being set before yours.Your own drs have to be on board & must state that you are unable to do any type of substantially gainful employment. SS has vocational experts that look for jobs people can do within their limitations. Check out their website to see what you will need to do if you decide to go that route.

Keep us posted on how you are doing. Take care.
Posted 11/18/2016 3:43 AM (GMT 0)
I am new to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I am 60. I am on day 8 after my LRTI surgery on non-predominant hand. I waited too long for surgery and broke end of bone off which had to be removed too. Stitches out, soft cast off on day 7. Hard cast on now and will be on for 5 weeks. Then splint and physical therapy. Still have allot of swelling and knuckles especially sore and bruised. Having burning feeling at end joint of thumb that wont go away and nothing helps. Assuming it is temporary nerve pain. Need to have other hand done too and am not looking forward to it. General Anesthetic made me nauseated and vomiting for 4 days although they gave me medicine to prevent. Looking forward to sharing recovery notes with you all.
Posted 12/2/2016 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
I had LRTI surgery on right (dominant) hand Oct 5 2016 Had left hand done on Nov 23 2016 Yes it has been very hard and painful. Cast and stitches were removed from right hand at 2 weeks. I also started PT that same day and got the custom made brace. I get cast off and stitches out Monday My dr told me normally at least a 3 month recovery time, but my age (61) plus im diabetic could take longer. There were days all i could was sit with both hands up and take pain meds. My right hand is moving very good, but still has quite a lot of pain. l am very limited on what i can do. I can now take brace off to shower and eat. Im glad I had this done as I am a farmer and gardener. My advice is not to have both hands done as close together as I did. I still have what I call burning pains shooting thru both hands. I'll try to post results after cast and stitches are removed Monday. This is a recovery we can not rush.
Posted 12/24/2016 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. I'm sharing my recovery information from LRTI surgery on my dominant, right hand. It is now four days post-op and the first day I am not in a lot of pain. Thank God for voice activated commands on my iPad. Losing the use of my dominant hand is frustrating, but I'm learning to do things with one hand. Your recovery stories would be much appreciated and my story will be shared to help others.

The decision to proceed with the surgery was a difficult one. Losing much mobility in my hand and the escalation in pain was the tipping point for me. Fortunately I was able to find a good surgeon who has performed thousands of these procedures. He told my husband that it was good that I chose this surgery as my joint was bone on bone.

Good luck to those of you considering this procedure. I'd be happy to share my information if it would help you with your decision.
Posted 12/24/2016 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Perk & welcome to Healing Well. Thank you for sharing your info. You have posted on an older thread that has not had much activity. If you wouldn't mind can you copy & post your post above & start a new thread? Look to left & click Post New Topic & paste your post to it. That way you will have your own thread going that you can update on.

Take care. Thanks
Posted 12/28/2016 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
I had LRTI surgery 3 months ago and am struggling with my wrist, which was not a problem before surgery. I can now bend it forward some but very little backwards. It looks misshapen. X-rays do not show any broken bones or dislocation. Am in physical therapy once a week from the beginning of rehab. PT person says misshapen look is from swelling. Can't use hand much due to pain in wrist. Thumb is doing as well as I think it should be, painful but progressing. Any thoughts?
Posted 3/31/2017 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
cry I had an artificial joint implant place about 6 months ago, and am still having pain, limited motion and very little strength. 2 dr's opinions tell me to remove the implant and i have been given two different new surgical choices. The LRTI and the Mini Tightrope (aka suture button suspension) are the procedures offered. The recovery times are 4 months and 3 months respectively. My problem is deciding between procedures as I am no where near retirement and have a job that requires both medium weight and fine motor hand skills Looking for advice. (recovery from implant should have been 3 months)
Posted 5/5/2017 5:41 AM (GMT 0)
I had bilateral trigger thumb surgery, bi-lateral carpal tunnel surgery and then LRTI surgery on both hands. All the surgeries went well and freed me from pain except for the LRTI surgery on my non dominant hand. I had this surgery in August of 2016 and I still have pain at the incision site, my hand is very swollen still and actually looks deformed. For reasons related to insurance, I can't go back to the surgeon who performed the surgery. I will have to find an ortho who will review my situation but wondered if anyone had any ideas what might be happening and if this is a bad outcome? Just looking for others who might have had a healing period this long.
Thanks
Bobbi
Posted 5/9/2017 10:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hello! I'm new to the site, having found it through this thread. I'm having LRTI surgery on June 19. I'm supposed to travel from FL to CA and AZ to see family on July 21 for 2 weeks. My husband will be with me and knows he will be handling all the luggage. Is this realistic? Will therapy be a problem or can the therapist give me instructions to do myself during the two weeks? Thanks in advance for any input.
Posted 5/14/2017 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. I just joined this forum. I am contemplating LRTI surgery possibly in September. I have had CMC joint OA for going on 7 years, have had 10 injections in my right hand and wear splints at work. It has progressed to the advanced arthritis stage. I have it in my left hand also but it's moderate, have had two injections in left hand. I am a lab technologist and this all began from uncapping vials and pipetting. I have a work comp claim but they say it won't cover surgery because it's a "pre-existing" condition and that it covered previously because work aggravated it.

Anyone else have any experience with work comp? My brother is telling me that I need to fight to keep it as work comp. or I might get fired if I can't do my job after surgery. This is making me sick. I just want to have the surgery and keep working another 6 to 7 years so I can retire. I think if I make a stink my job situation will be worse. I am thinking from what i have read from people's outcomes that I should be fine after surgery. My supervisor understands it's a long recovery and there's enough desk work I can do while I am not completely recovered.

Also, I am not sure if I am at the point of needing surgery yet. I am tired of the pain and dealing with twice yearly injections. It takes quite a while for the pain to go away and it comes back sooner than it used to, but I wonder if I am being a baby. I am also wondering that if I put it off longer will things start to fuse (I was told that this will happen eventually-they call it burning itself out)....if that happens will the surgery and recovery be more difficult?

Thanks
Posted 5/15/2017 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hello JJJ & welcome to Healing Well. Sorry to read about what you are dealing with. I am guessing the pending surgery is going to be authorized by private insurance, is this correct? Who is currently covering the cost for your hand, WC insurance of private insurance? My experience has been if private insurance finds out the condition is work related they will not cover any treatment, they tell the person this is between you & the WC insurance.

Your brother is absolutely correct that the worker's comp insurance should pay for any treatment relating to your injury. Their denial based on an pre-existing condition is a bunch of bull. Your dr can type a simple statement saying that the repetitive use of your hand has aggravated a condition to the point of needing surgical intervention. By this the dr is not saying your condition is a direct result of any injury, it is an aggravation to a pre-existing condition, which by the way is covered under the worker's compensation laws. Look up the worker's compensation laws online in your state.

Your employer has this insurance to protect them in the event of someone getting injured while working for them. That is what they pay those premiums for.

I urge you to consult with an atty that handles nothing but worker's compensation claims & get his/her advise. Most of them offer a free consultation. Gather up any papers you have received from their insurance & take those with you. Do you have it in writing they are denying payment for the surgery?

I worked in the legal field over 20 some odd years & we ran into this quite a bit. The insurance companies used this as a way to stall things. The longer they hang onto their money the more they make in interest. When medical care such as yours is denied, the people never did anything to fight for what they were entitled to under the law. The only way they did get it was getting an atty involved.

I am curious about your private insurance being involved. Take care.
Posted 5/15/2017 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Straydog. The good news is that work comp WILL cover it now. I got an e-mail today. What a relief. I had told the claims adjuster that I was aware that I could dispute it and had found a phone # online. The e-mail said after reviewing everything again that they will cover. Wish me luck that I don't run into any snags! It's a big relief.

I probably won't have the surgery until September due to people being on maternity leave and summer vacations. I just had my 10th injection nearly two weeks ago and my hand is feeling some pain today so this can't happen soon enough, I'm so tired of pain and hassle and splinting.

One question I have for anyone is about "staging" of the OA. On x-ray it was called advanced. I have read about the Eaton stages but it's not staged. Is advanced considered the stage at which they will do surgery? I guess it was kind of left up to me whether to do it or not. I want to get my full function back so I can hand sew and things like that again and not get deformed. I was told they don't really know when it might start to fuse but that it complicates the surgery.

Thanks!
Posted 6/9/2017 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all! I am scheduled for trapeziectomy with LRTI on both hands this year (UGH). My right (dominant) will be done first in July, with my left scheduled for December. I live alone and am concerned about the recovery time. I have 3 dogs to take care of and know that it's going to be difficult. I know that everyone is different, and my doctor told me to expect to be off work a week, but then should be able to return (I do administrative work). Can anyone send me pictures of the cast/splint you wear right after surgery? Or tell me - are my other 4 fingers free to move about so I can type, use them to pick things up? I have absolutely no idea what to expect or plan for and I'm one to plan, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again in advance and I am very glad I found this site - it has provided much info to me that I didn't know.
Posted 6/10/2017 11:02 AM (GMT 0)
Tips from Lrti
Had Dom right hand done so pecking with my left.
1. Dr. said start taking pain meds (strongest doses) as soon as you get them to get ahead of the pain by the time the block wears off.
2. Elevate and ice-the only comfort I had even on pain meds.
3. Block wore completely off 18 hrs after surgery.
4. Prescribed Vicodin took 2 every 4 hours once block wore off it was not enough and Dr. Said to take Advil every 4 hours in between Vicodin and that helped.
5. Day 2 pain and swelling severe.
6. Plan ahead for food-used yogurt to take meds with. Chicken soup and rice,muffins and peanut butter.
6. Elevate: have pillow for hand in bed and chair
7.Ice: liked soft touch fabric cold compress the best- get 3 -nice and light on hand and tuck nicely under thumb
8. Use gripper shelf liner in key spots in kitchen to eat and fix meals. You'd be surprised how often you use you other hand to hold things.
I'm starting on day 3 goal is shower,I'm post any insight if I have any, pain is manageable, I'm off the Vicodin and using Advil along with elevation and ice.
Posted 6/10/2017 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
Mizz_J
Will send you pics of wrap but don't have your contact info or a way to post pics in the reply
Posted 6/10/2017 11:31 AM (GMT 0)

Lpark said...
Tips from Lrti
Had Dom right hand done so pecking with my left.
1. Dr. said start taking pain meds (strongest doses) as soon as you get them to get ahead of the pain by the time the block wears off.
2. Elevate and ice-the only comfort I had even on pain meds.
3. Block wore completely off 18 hrs after surgery.
4. Prescribed Vicodin took 2 every 4 hours once block wore off it was not enough and Dr. Said to take Advil every 4 hours in between Vicodin and that helped.
5. Day 2 pain and swelling severe.
6. Plan ahead for food-used yogurt to take meds with. Chicken soup and rice,muffins and peanut butter.
6. Elevate: have pillow for hand in bed and chair
7.Ice: liked soft touch fabric cold compress the best- get 3 -nice and light on hand and tuck nicely under thumb
8. Use gripper shelf liner in key spots in kitchen to eat and fix meals. You'd be surprised how often you use you other hand to hold things.
I'm starting on day 3 goal is shower,I'm post any insight if I have any, pain is manageable, I'm off the Vicodin and using Advil along with elevation and ice.


Thanks much for the info - esp so soon after your surgery! You give me hope - because if you are on here and typing on day 3, and going to attempt a shower, perhaps it's not as bad as my brain keeps trying to tell me it is. I am sorry you had so much pain yesterday but glad it's better today. My email is [email protected] - if you can send pics, that would be great.

I am already planning ahead for food - going to make in advance and free individual portions. My friend lives across the street, thankfully, so she will be there to help when needed. I have another friend coming to stay with me for the first few days and up to a week, if I need her. I'm just looking forward to getting it done and over with as I have been living in constant pain for months now (shots and meds just aren't working anymore).

Thanks again and speedy recovery to you!
Posted 6/10/2017 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
Mizz_J
Just sent you pics
Sounds like you have a good plan!
My husband took off of work to help me and he has been a god send! I also have 3 dogs,lol!
On day 3 the other 4 fingers are useless and swollen.
My original plan was to go back to work Monday but if I still need to ice all the time I won't.
I'll keep you posted.
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