4 1/2 months later:
I'm still very happy with the results of the surgery. I no longer have pain in my left wrist, which was the first priority, but I have also regained function that I did not know I had lost. The beginning of the story is in this post about the fusion.
Here's a picture of my right hand when I try to turn it palm up. You can see that I can't make it level, as you would if someone were giving you change.
A. McKinnon
Now here is the left, after the fusion. Before it was like the right wrist and did not turn palm up. (that motion is called supination) Now I can make it turn almost 90 degrees with my elbow at my waist.
A. McKinnon
It took some work and exercise to regain that range but it was well worth it. An added bonus is that I can type faster now.
I also have copies of the X-rays at the bottom of the post. If you do not like to see X-rays then don't go all the way to the end. Not everyone has an interest in the actual nuts and bolts (only too true) of orthopedic surgery.
This picture shows how well the scar has healed four months later, and a ring splint that I wear for a swan neck finger, in case you are curious about the silver ring.
A.McKinnon
This hardware did not cause me any trouble at the airport.
Here is the link to the post about the actual surgery
The X-Rays
A.McKinnon
When I was first diagnosed I saw an occupational therapist who recommended that I wear resting splints at night so that my hands and wrists would feel better in the morning. They are quite effective for that and I have worn them for 25 years - of course they need to be replaced every few years. To deal with the fact that plastic can make you feel very warm, even with small ventilation holes in it, I cut up cotton socks to wear as liners. I posted these pictures of the resting splints that I use for my hands and wrists at night in my online support group.
This is the comment I got from Judy after she saw the pictures.
"Your hand/wrist splints look very much like
mine. I don't have to wear them much anymore. I used to wear them
every night. One night, my arms got stuck together with the Velcro on each
splint. I had to have Jim help me get them separated.
I can put them all on and look like I am
ready for Halloween. You should see a box in my closet - I
have about every kind of splint you can think of in the box plus ace
bandages. I have all kinds of ankle wraps. I used to go out of the
house looking like some kind of a mummy with all of my wraps, splints,
etc."
So that really brings home the glamour, or lack thereof, of taking care of yourself.
For my fingers I have found a more stylish and very effective alternative. Silver ring splints keep your finger joints in a good position and look like up to date and unusual jewelry. The most frequent use for them is to correct a swan neck deformity (love the RA vocabulary). I can show you a very obvious example of that, and will, but be aware that with more effective drugs and treatment you don't see fingers like this so often anymore.
So you see here the finger without the splint and then with it. Showing these pictures almost feels like stripping. Unless I am demonstrating textbook examples for medical professionals my fingers are very seldom front and center
The silver ring splints can be used for other hand problems as well (like EDS for example) and can make joints more functional.
digisplint.com
I have read clinical studies that say that results of using splints are inconclusive. There are a few reasons for that lack of consensus. One is that people find them uncomfortable or ugly so they don't continue wearing them and leave the trial. In my opinion the other reason is that those who run the studies would have to follow the people for many more years than their funding would last to be able to see a difference, and would have trouble finding a control group who would agree to participate and not use anything.
We're all so individual with our autoimmune diseases.
CafePress.com
I have more splints but not more pictures, so I will follow up with more in the future. I'm like Judy. A whole box of splints under the bed. As they wear out. I don't throw them out, just in case.
