I went to the hand doctor this morning. She said my diagnosis was correct, I have "trigger thumb." She said we could try splinting it, but she said unless I had a real aversion to a steroid injection, she didn't think there was much point in trying any kind of non-invasive therapy. I told her my only aversion was that I knew it would hurt, and she said, well, it only hurts for a minute.
It did hurt, a lot, but she was right, only for a minute, because then it was numb. Kind of like going to the dentist. My thumb was numb for a couple of hours, but now it feels mostly like it did before. She had said that if it doesn't help, I can have a second injection, then we could consider surgery. I asked her how long to wait before we tried a second one, and she said if it wasn't better in 3-4 weeks, to come back.
I was kind of disappointed to hear that it might take that long to see an improvement, but hopefully it will be quicker than that. I asked if there was anything I should avoid doing, and she said not to pick up anything heavy or do anything really strenuous with it (like opening a pickle jar) for a couple of days, but other than that, they don't really know what causes it. I had assumed it was a repetitive stress injury, but she said probably not.
So anyway, now I just wait, I guess.
Hi Willa,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your thumb. I would say it sucks but I'm not sure if you're into puns. :-)
Please take care. I'm sending healing thoughts your way.
Monique
P.S. I received the prayer beads and I love them. They're beautiful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI hope you defy the odds and feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI had trigger thumb surgery on both hands, and I'm glad I did. I did try the steroid injection, but it was temporary. A friend of mine had several injections and when she finally had the surgery, her recovery time was much longer than mine, so I was glad I just jumped in and had the surgery.
ReplyDeleteA huge plus for me is that although it's a hospital surgery, they don't give you general anesthesia. HATE anesthesia...
Good luck!
Did they suggest ice or anything else that might help avoid surgery? I would read up on the surgery. With my stupid carpal tunnel (which I know is a totally different thing), it was worse AFTER surgery. It's never been better. The things that helped the most were icing it, wearing a brace, and the biggest--physical/occupational therapy. But if it's not caused by repetitive movements, then who knows? Better not be caused by beading or knitting. :) Take care, Willa. I hope the injection works.
ReplyDeleteStrangely enough, knitting seemed to *help!* Or at least doesn't seem to make it worse. She didn't really suggest anything. It does seem to be better on the weekends, so contrary to what the doctor said, I do think it's probably related to the computer/mouse.
ReplyDelete