My one real pleasure in life is drawing and painting. I have been doing it since I picked up my first crayon. It was an endless activity for me as a kid. My family assumed by the time I hit my Freshman year in high school I would major in art at college. In spite of all the flares, whiplash, etc. I remained faithful to the hobby. Somehow during the worst flares it was my best distraction. I sprained my thumb in mid -January and instead of improving the pain has only escalated. I have had xrays to rule out broken thumbs, but it doesn't rule out torn ligaments. I won't see an orthopedist until March 12 and I am dreading what they will tell me. My mother had surgery on her thumbs years ago and she had to give up her favorite hobby of rug hooking and said her thumbs have never been the same since then. The one thing I am grateful for is that I have not had any flares for three months and back pain has not bothered me either. My biggest concern is that maybe the break did not show up on the x-ray or it happened later because the bone at the base of my thumb looks very different than my left hand. For a little objectivity, I asked my mom what she thought and she agreed it looks different. The hospital that did my x-ray is the same hospital where another hospital claimed their x-rays sucked. My ortho wants me to get x-rays [different hospital] before my appointment [day of the apt] but they are closed today so I am waiting for tomorrow to go there.
Hello Dozer,
I am sorry to hear about your thumb, as I guess your worst fear maybe that it will stop you doing something you love. Hopefully this will not happen, or if it does you will adapt. I wish you luck with your x rays, at least you will know. Let us know how you get on
Take care, Anne
Keep us posted, dozer. Hoping your thumb is set right soon so you can get back to what you love.
Thank you Anne. I don't have much patience and I am reluctant to ask for help unless clearly what I want to achieve can't be done with one hand. I have been able to adapt somewhat. I just get a little creative with my elbow and left hand.
AnneV said:
Hello Dozer,
I am sorry to hear about your thumb, as I guess your worst fear maybe that it will stop you doing something you love. Hopefully this will not happen, or if it does you will adapt. I wish you luck with your x rays, at least you will know. Let us know how you get on
Take care, Anne
H dancermom,
I am trying to be optimistic about how they will diagnose it. The positive news is after wrapping it (ace bandage) well over 100 times to get the most comfortable position for the thumb and FINALLY! my thumb is happy. The doctor at the hospital (2 weeks ago) did the worst imaginable wrap. The hospitable I will be going to is very reputable and they helped me out with my spinal stenosis.
dancermom said:
Keep us posted, dozer. Hoping your thumb is set right soon so you can get back to what you love.
Thank you Danbcermom
dozer said:
H dancermom,
I am trying to be optimistic about how they will diagnose it. The positive news is after wrapping it (ace bandage) well over 100 times to get the most comfortable position for the thumb and FINALLY! my thumb is happy. The doctor at the hospital did the worst imaginable wrap. The hospitable I will be going to is very reputable and they helped me out with my spinal stenosis.
dancermom said:Keep us posted, dozer. Hoping your thumb is set right soon so you can get back to what you love.
Hi Dancermom,
I went to a great hospital. The nurses were wonderful. There was a gentleman that came in to make sure things were being done as they should and he started up a nice conversation with me. They did x rays and no broken bones. Then they just asked what I would like. I noticed they had shelves full of immobilization supports and I asked for something better than the ace bandage. They gave me a tiny little metal support and I cannot tell you the difference it made in my pain level. I went from excruciating pain to tolerable pain in minutes. There definitely was a difference in quality of staff. They told me not to use the ace bandage at all. All I ever wanted was to get support for it. I have my appointment with the hand surgeon on the 11th and they told they will do an MRI then
dancermom said:
Keep us posted, dozer. Hoping your thumb is set right soon so you can get back to what you love.
What good news, dozer. So glad you had a good experience at the hospital.
Hi Dancermom,
I went to the orthopedist yesterday and she confirmed my fears. It is a torn ligament and will need surgery. She did diagnose as I thought it was - skier's thumb. I am waiting for a lady to call me and schedule the surgery
dancermom said:
Keep us posted, dozer. Hoping your thumb is set right soon so you can get back to what you love.
If surgery will fix the problem, well and good. A temporary nuisance, but well worth it if you get good results.
My exact sentiments