Re: surgery- wrist- your experiences

[Guest guest]

I had hand/wrist surgery about 6 years ago. My right hand was becoming deviated

to the right. The hand surgeon moved the tendons over one finger from the right

to the left. After bracing and therapy my hand is in line. The pain had been

nil for quite a while, but I do get some pain in recent months with extensive

repetitive motion and lifting too heavy objects. However, I consider the

surgery successful and well worth the time and therapy involved in the

healing/rehab process. Good luck.... darlene

Darlene Felder

darlene.felder2@...

[ ] surgery- wrist- your experiences

Hi all,

I haven't posted in eons, been busy & doing quite well.

I'm in Oz & recently secured a referral to an orthopedic surgeon for my right

wrist/thumb. I had to almost beg my Rhuemy for an appointment as he didn't

believe that I knew the difference between active RA pain & joint damage pain,

even though I've had RA now for nearly 6 years. This same Rhuemy has never

ordered an X-ray of any joint, only a chest x-ray before he put me on

Sulfasalazine & pred.

My last X-ray's were in 2005 & ordered by a specialist who referred me to my

Rheumy.

and were my right & left hand & damage then was possiblity consistent with age

& use (no x-rays for comparison)

The waiting list for an orthopedic appointment is huge so it will probably be

a couple of years yet ( I don't have private health so I'm going public, which

is free here).

I'm starting a dog training business & my wrist is a liability as the pain is

incapacitating even if I only lightly snag my thumb (for example) in my pants

pocket as it brushes past. Generally it(wrist) doesn't bother me unless I knock

it or use it too much for heavy duty stuff like pumpkins (I'm a Chef) or having

a bit of a flare.

Be interested to hear from anyone who has had surgery on any joint really, but

particually hands & wrists.

Also, how do doctors test for synovitis?

god bless,

Sharon of Oz

[Guest guest]

--

> I'm starting a dog training business & my wrist is a liability as the pain is

incapacitating even if I only lightly snag my thumb (for example) in my pants

pocket as it brushes past. Generally it(wrist) doesn't bother me unless I knock

it or use it too much for heavy duty stuff like pumpkins (I'm a Chef) or having

a bit of a flare.

>

> Be interested to hear from anyone who has had surgery on any joint really, but

particually hands & wrists.

>

> Also, how do doctors test for synovitis?-----

I was diagnosed with RA 13 years ago. Outside of severe flares, it tends to

limit itself to primarily my hands and feet. A couple of years ago, I had

tendon ruptures on my right hand, and severe wrist pain. Hand surgeon did

tendon repairs along with going in and cleaning up around the bones in the wrist

to file off any sharp edges, and resecting the ulna (taking about an inch off of

the head of the ulna and surgically pinning it to preserve motion). It was a

long and painful road, but I pretty much have full motion in that hand, and only

have pain if I do Way too much during a flare.

Just this June, I had surgery on my left hand. Deterioration in that wrist had

progressed to far, the surgeon could not do the same type of wrist

reconstructive surgery because there wasn't any decent bone surface to work

with. So he did an arthrodesis, put in a titanium plate to totally fuse the

bones in the wrist. Now splint-free and all weight restrictions off, I am SO

happy I decided to do this. Even though I lost wrist flexion and extension due

to the fusion, I can still palm up/palm down, my grip is getting stronger every

day, and No Pain.... I basically wasn't using that hand prior to surgery due to

excruciating pain with any wrist movement. Again, Very painful surgery to have

done, but worth it all now.

Talking with the surgeons beforehand, they described basically 3 options (in my

case, anyway...): going in surgically and 'cleaning out' the joint spaces,

filing off sharp bone edges etc. (tends to need to be done again later if/when

there is more disease progression); arthrodesis/fusion which is permanent and

does sacrifice some mobility; and total wrist replacement which from all the

research I did has unreliable success rates and at this time lasts about 5 years

before having to be replaced.

The only diagnostics I had beforehand other than, I'm sure, a thorough review of

notes/history from my rheumatologist, were x-rays and CT scan for my left/worse

wrist.

I lifted a 5-pound bucket of water yesterday and carried it upstairs and back

down with my newly-fused left hand - no pain then, no pain this morning.

Whoopie!

Deanna

[Guest guest]

I don' post very often, but I just had wrist surgery this AM.. I've had a

very swollen right wrist for approx. 2 yrs, which my rheumy thought was from

the RA. Last appt. I asked if she could inject it, and she preferred that I

went to an orthopedic dr. Well, he took one look, and said, " I don't think

that's from your RA. " After an mri, he was right! So today I had a

" monster " cyst removed (in his words J), and he trimmed a tendon that was

torn and dislocated. I don't have pain..yet..it'll probably hit me in the

middle of the night. I'll keep you posted. So far the worst part is doing

everything with my left hand!

Regards, Patty