Latest news

I keep seeing some improvement regularly. Above are the latest pictures. The top one shows my hand extended as far as I can get it at this point. So you can see I am not back to normal yet. I also still don’t have full strength. I sometimes can and sometimes can’t open a new milk bottle etc. But I am still gaining on it.

Still gaining on it

I am at 16 weeks now and still gaining every day. The Dr. says that the tendons should be as strong as they are going to get. They cannot be damaged from normal usage now. I am still gaining strength and mobility. I still have a long way to go before I'm back to what used to be normal. The scars are healing quite nicely and are not very noticable. I will post more pictures when I can.

Graduation day!

I had an appointment with the Dr. yesterday. He said no more splint. I have been wearing it at night. He said, no more therapy. He said, you don’t need to come back and see me, but if you can stand it, I’d love to see how you are doing in 3 months. The therapist said I was probably the only person who ever actually did the exercises they told me to do. They were quite impressed with my progress. I don’t have to continue exercises however I do feel my hand/wrist getting stiff and do the exercises occasionally to loosen up. I can type with all 10 fingers. I played guitar in church and even finger picked. It is still a bit awkward but I’m gaining on it. I’ve been driving for over a week now and it just gets easier. The strength is not back yet. I still can’t lift more than a couple of pounds but they said that is the last to get back. They said just live normally and all of that will come back. The Dr. said that the place where he sewed the tendons together are not quite at full strength yet but will be in another month.

It has been a long haul. Carol has been the ultimate trooper, driving me everywhere, doing everything for me and taking care of me. Now she can relax a bit.

Almost there

I have been without splint now for a couple of weeks. I only wear it at night. I have gained a lot of use back. I am typing with all 10 fingers although it is still a bit awkward. I can use my right hand for a lot of things I haven’t been able to do for some time. I can write. I can use fork and spoon. I can do light cutting (with a knife). And best of all, I can drive. I am going to start playing guitar again tomorrow at church. My therapists say that they are amazed at how well I am doing. I tell them they’ve given me so many exercises to do that it takes me 30 minutes out of every hour to complete them. I am pretty good at doing them too. They said, maybe 4 more weeks of therapy. A man came into the Hand Clinic (where I go for therapy) the other day who had had tendon transfers in his wrist as well. He still had the big splint and bandage on. I think he had had his surgery within the past week. He had been bitten by a shark! We talked a bit. I told him, “Do the work!”

We have started to work on strength training and I am gaining quite a bit every day.

Gaining on it!

I am only wearing the splint at nights now. With therapy and hourly excercises, we are working the hand and arm. Though I still have a long way to go, I have gained a lot of mobility back. I don't have dexterity yet but I think that will come along. We have started working on gaining strength back now. I can do a bit more each day. I still can't drive yet but I think it won't be long.

I'm gaining on it.

I have been doing therapy. I am gaining a lot of mobility in this arm. I still cannot do much with it but have more mobility than I have had in a long time. Exercises all involve stretching tendons & moving the hand and wrist. I am 3 weeks into therapy and the Dr. said 8-12 weeks of therapy. The pictures above show the exercises I am working on. Once an hour, I do a series of exercises. I have been using the new connections and the therapist exclaimed about what a great job Dr. M. did. Streightening out my fingers and thumb is the motion I had lost and you can see in the pictures how that works. You can also see how the splint has been cut down to allow more movement.

Healing

Yesterday we went to the hand clinic where I will have therapy when the time comes and they removed the big cast like bandage and created a splint. The best part is I can take it off and wash my hand and arm and put lotion on. In two more weeks I should start therapy to learn how to use my hand and fingers again. I'm getting there!

You can see the splint that was created for me and the incisions on the back and underside of the wrist.