Trapeziectomy op pain

ulikcathy

Hello my name is Cathy and I have just had Trapeziectomy op done on my left had on the 14th nov, I have had the dressing cleaned and cast put back on, then on tues I had my stitches out and the wound looks good, but my consultant insists that the plaster be put back on for the next 6 weeks till the 10th jan, I have had it adjusted yesterday as the cast is so heavy its hitting off the wound and causing me so much pain, I can only get slight pain free when my hand is straight up, my index finger base is numb and feels very tight to move and my thumb has these pulsing pains most of the time, what I would like to know has anyone had there original cast left on for the entire 6/8 weeks and if so did they experience a lot of pain thank you

[Deleted User]

Hi Cathy welcome to the forum,I am sorry that currently you are experiencing a lot of pain, I have never had a trapeieotomy myself,but i am sure someone on the forum has and can talk about it with you. Of course you can talk to a person on our helpline telephone number 08088004050.i you want to.
All the best as you go to any forums Living with Arthritis forum and chit chat are our most popular.
Christine

dreamdaisy

Hello, I have had many ops but none requiring a plaster, the only thing they all shared was time to properly heal, which can be a long process dependent on a number of personal factors. Your operation was done just over a fortnight ago which is comparatively recent, it can take us years to reach the point where surgery is deemed the next course of action but its benefits are not instant: they should be though, shouldn't they, especially in this day-and-age of instant gratification.

When I had my double carpal tunnel op done I remember my surgeon telling me that certain areas of the body that lack flesh can take a good while to heal as the basic material is not there to work with. Post-op pain was not a nuisance as such because everything else carried on hurting in its usual fashion (I have two kinds of arthritis) but if your pain is localised you will surely feel it more keenly. What pain relief do you take? I have found over my arthritic years that a little on a frequent basis is the best way to cope with matters. I wish you well. DD

ulikcathy

hi dreamdaisy thanks for your reply, yes I need to have patience as I looked at other reviews where people have had something similar and they are recovering much quicker, I only take painkillers at night as I suffer from a peptic ulcer so very restricted, maybe its this very heavy cast, which as I mentioned is the original one since op and it’s very uncomfortable and with the wound right under it it’s not making it any better, I will wait for another week and see where i’m at.

dreamdaisy

I think there's a tendency to think that surgery only affects the bit that's wrong but there is also a great deal of 'collateral' damage with internal structures being disturbed as they are moved out of the way, nerves severed and the like: it is this hidden healing which takes the time. Nerves re-growing can lead to us feeling odd sensations in the affected area and beyond. I thought casts were removed by being cut off - how odd they have reused the original.

Being an impatient patient is a natural response but I have never bothered to gauge my recovery time against that of others because that is not relevant to me or my circumstances. Recovery and recuperation is the one time where we must be self-focused and do what is right for us: others can go hang. DD

dreamdaisy

bumped up for amytan.