I am scheduled to have thumb joint replacement surgery ( anchovy method ) in September. I was wondering if any one else has had this done and if so can you tell me how the recovery went and if it was successful. I am very apprehensive about having this done as it is on my dominate hand and I live by myself. I am afraid that I wont be able to do things such as feed my animals or even wash and dry my own hair. any experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated
I had a similar surgery. My basal joint had become extremely unstable, and I had a tendon transfer to replace the ligament there and tighten the joint. A neighbor of mine had the surgery that you are talking about. Our recovery seems to have been very similar, so here goes.
I had this surgery two years ago, so I feel like I have enough perspective. When it needs to be done on the other hand I will go right ahead and do it. You will need to follow up the surgery with therapy to strengthen the hand again. That’s an important part of the process. The one thing that I think that I can do that my neighbor can’t is pinch. . . .for example, when you need to en up a bag of chips or coffee.
The recovery process. . . . It hurt, and there was a lot of swelling. I was much happier after the first week, when I had a hard cast put on. It limited motion much better and protected my hand better. When I got the final cast off six weeks post op, yes, it hurt. But some heating pads and gentle motion really helped me to get over the worst of the stiffness fast.
You will need to do a lot of things one handed, including opening up med bottles. It was quite impressive what I could accomplish with one hand while recovering. I definitely needed help the first days. I was able to wash my hair one handed, but had my daughter tie it back for me. I couldn’t tie my shoes. I started cutting everything open with scissors. I got spring loaded ones that could be used with either hand.
It is not necessarily an easy recovery, but you will get use of your hand back, and that makes a really big difference.
Thank you for sharing your experience. the thing I am most worried about is I still work full time and my job requires me to be able to pinch to pull shelf tags off to change the prices. I was hoping to go back to work at 6-8 weeks post op but from what I have been reading that don't look like it will happen. on the bright side of things, I will be glad to get rid of the pain that I now have in that hand.
Stoney said:
I had a similar surgery. My basal joint had become extremely unstable, and I had a tendon transfer to replace the ligament there and tighten the joint. A neighbor of mine had the surgery that you are talking about. Our recovery seems to have been very similar, so here goes.
I had this surgery two years ago, so I feel like I have enough perspective. When it needs to be done on the other hand I will go right ahead and do it. You will need to follow up the surgery with therapy to strengthen the hand again. That's an important part of the process. The one thing that I think that I can do that my neighbor can't is pinch. . . .for example, when you need to en up a bag of chips or coffee.
The recovery process. . . . It hurt, and there was a lot of swelling. I was much happier after the first week, when I had a hard cast put on. It limited motion much better and protected my hand better. When I got the final cast off six weeks post op, yes, it hurt. But some heating pads and gentle motion really helped me to get over the worst of the stiffness fast.
You will need to do a lot of things one handed, including opening up med bottles. It was quite impressive what I could accomplish with one hand while recovering. I definitely needed help the first days. I was able to wash my hair one handed, but had my daughter tie it back for me. I couldn't tie my shoes. I started cutting everything open with scissors. I got spring loaded ones that could be used with either hand.
It is not necessarily an easy recovery, but you will get use of your hand back, and that makes a really big difference.
If you work with an OT post surgery, s/he should be able to help you solve these job specific problems, either using your hand in a different way, or using a tool to help you. You may well be able to return to work sooner than you think, depending on the exact nature of your job. A little bit of creativity can go a long way.