OT: CTS surgery?

Anyone have personal experience with the "open hand" surgery?

How did it go? Was it effective? Has it lasted?

Reply to
Swingman
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Yep, had it about 10 years ago, it is a simple procedure, and has been very effective. I had it in my right hand, I was at the point I could barely pick up a pen and sign my name. Now all is good. Recovery for me was about three or four days with just a bit of discomfort, but the numbness had gone, with another couple to get the stitches out. With the help of meds I was back at work the day after surgery.

I would not hesitate to do it again if necessary, but do not see that day comingany time soon.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

If you're talking about surgery to correct dupotron's contracture, I had an in-office, non-surgical procedure about three years ago and the results ha ve been excellent. Rather than cutting into the hand to free the restricte d tendon, the surgeon does so with a needle inserted at the problem site. After stretching out the affected fingers, he placed my hand in a removable cast for about two weeks.

Larry

Reply to
Gramps' shop

That's about where I am now. Good to hear. That's encouraging. Thank you!

Scheduled for surgery on the 22nd on my left hand on 3/22, and then 90 days later on my dominant right.

At my age, would just be glad to be able to play music again ...

Reply to
Swingman

Yes.

All Sxs I performed went well. The procedure is simple and very rarely is there negative or unsatisfactory results.

Reply to
Sonny

Thanks for the feedback.

Feeling better about it already. You'd think someone who is a musician as well would know more folks who have had it done.

Reply to
Swingman

This was diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome by nerve conduction testing, but the two often go together.

Reply to
Swingman

It is really bad if you can't turn the radio on. :-) Don't worry about it, just a local, quick snip and scrape and stitch it up, and you should be out in no time. Stop by the pharmacy on the way home, you may need the pain killer the first night, after that it is easy. Are you wearing the brace? They are pretty cheap at a drug store and do help, both before and after surgery.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

I've had it on both hands and it was no big deal. There are two basic ways to do the surgery: the old way involves a short incision vertically on the palm (basically along the 'life line') and is well proven while the new way, for cosmetic reasons, involves an incision along the base of the palm in a crease and calls for more subtlety and a longer reach inside the palm and means that more can go wrong.

In either method you will probably have a Bier block for anesthesia and bleeding control. If, as a woodworker, you do a lot of complex glueups, ask that you be allowed to keep the long latex band that is used for compression of the arm. It does wonders in the shop, odd as it seems.

I was back at the lathe within days of both of my surgeries and had no ill effects. Good luck.

Reply to
BenignBodger

That made me think.

A few years ago when I was active in the woodturning club, one of the most talented woodturners in the club was about 75 at that time. He turned a lo t and aggravated his hands to the point they almost didn't work, and the pa in was constant even when he wasn't doing anything.

He went to a clinic in Houston (since they didn't offer it here at the time ) to have the procedure done on the most painful hand, then was turning aga in in about two weeks but had to wear a bowling type glove for a while to s tiffen his wrist. About six months later he had his other hand done, and t he same results. I saw him for about 3 years after that and he told me he never had any problems afterward.

Go for it!

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

I didn't but my friend did. Said it was the best thing he did, should have done it sooner.

Reply to
woodchucker

Not a musician - a bass player...

Reply to
Mike Marlow

Swingman wrote in news:IqWdnQuEh7uV-HnLnZ2dnUU7- snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Karl,

I had that surgery on my right hand in April '04 and on my left about two years later. Was it effective? OH HELL YES! Before the surgery, I couldn't move my right thumb far enough to grasp a glass of water or bottle of beer, or pick up coins from a table. Three months post- op, I could easily open my hand wide enough to grasp anything I could before the problems started, and I could pick up a dime by the edges.

Has it lasted? OH HELL YES! I made tracings of each hand before surgery, and at intervals afterward, to give an objective measure of how much my range of motion has increased. (My issue was reduced range of motion in the thumb.) Not only has it increased in each hand, but it *continues* to increase even ten years after the surgery.

My only regret is that I didn't have the right hand done sooner: although it's come back much better than the surgeon predicted it would, some of the loss of motion appears to be permanent.

Reply to
Doug Miller

I had the surgery about ten years ago. It was fine except I couldn't play the piano afterwards. But then I couldn't play it before either.

Reply to
Geeezer

Thanks, Doug ... that's encouraging news.

Reply to
Swingman

') Damn ... I was hoping for more talented fingers than what I had.

Reply to
Swingman

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