Trapeziectomy

Hi I am new to this group and am having a trapeziectomy early next month. I also have tenosynovitis on the ulnar side of my wrist which the surgeon is going to ‘abrade’. Does anyone know anything about this?

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[Deleted User]

Hello and welcome scha5193 to Versus Arthritis Community Forum

I sorry to read of your issues re trapezietomy and tenosynovitis, unfortunately, I'm not in a qualified position to give you a direct answer without searching the net, I wouldn't want to give you any wrong comments. I can't seem to find anything directly on our site. Can I suggest we throw this open to the forum in the meantime because we are very likely to have regular forum users with better knowledge than me. I will point out your post to our Forum Supervisor also.

Can I also suggest you give our great Versus Arthritis Helpline 0800 520 0520 a call.

Enjoy the forum.

John

dreamdaisy

It is almost a weekly event, someone posting about having or having had a trapeziectomy, there are many to be found on this board. I hope yours goes well and be prepared for a longer recovery than you might expect.

The term abrade means to erode (either naturally or deliberately) so I guess your surgeon plans to (for want of a better word) 'shave' away the part of the tendon which is leading to the synovitis but I am not a doc, just an experienced arthritic who has had a double carpal tunnel op. Good luck! DD

Parlicoot

Hi there scha5193

Just to add to this conversation, you can find information about trapeziectomy and download our factsheet from this page of the website:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hand-and-wrist-surgery/

and scroll down to the section on "Common types of hand surgery".

Also, here is a thread by Megrose2 who had the operation and posted about it before and after:

https://arthritiscareforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=50379

Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon. The best person to get a proper safe medical description of your proposed surgery is to ask your doctor or surgeon to explain it to you.

Do join in on the forums and also come back and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Brynmor

scha5193

Thank you to everyone that replied. I will follow up after my op.

Forgetmeknot21

scha5193 wrote:

Thank you to everyone that replied. I will follow up after my op.

Hello I had a Trapeziectomy 16 weeks ago and I am still recovering. As expected I have found it to be uncomfortable most of the time and some days need to take pain medication. I didn't quite realise not having the use of 1 hand could be quite so challenging. My washing up is still not so good. I have not regretted having it done and I'm looking forward to being completely free of pain. It is a long haul but well worth it in the long run.

I wish you a speedy recovery. Just also to say I was in a plaster and a hand splint for 11 weeks which I didn't expect. And only at 12 weeks was able to return to driving. That is still painful but getting there. Good luck

KF56

scha5193 wrote:

Hi I am new to this group and am having a trapeziectomy early next month. I also have tenosynovitis on the ulnar side of my wrist which the surgeon is going to ‘abrade’. Does anyone know anything about this?

Hi, I'm also new to the group and had a trapeziectomy on 23rd October last year. Despite attending my physiotherapy appointments and doing the exercises , I still have lots of problems. I still take pain killers every day, have continuing pain, stiffness, hyper-sensitivity in the scar and surrounding area. There is continuing weakness and swelling in the thumb. I would have accepted these symptoms if I had been given full information prior to the surgery, but I honestly feel the leaflet I was given did not go into enough detail. I urge you to read as much as you can prior to the surgery, talk to lots of people and ask for lots of details. I was told I might be driving after 6 weeks and the scar might be sore and tender for 6-8 weeks. Unfortunately, this is totally unrealistic. Recovery is very slow and can be extremely frustrating. I wish you the best of luck and hope your recovery progresses better than mine

scha5193

Well after my operation being cancelled twice I have now had my trapeziectomy and the tenosynovitis sorted. As someone else replied I am in a cast and was expecting quite a lot of pain. However apart from immediately after the op when had a great deal of pain once back on the ward hardly any pain at all. Plus my lack of pain has been ongoing. Some discomfort but no pain. Am having my cast off in March 3 weeks after my surgery and can’t wait. I know I’ll have another splint but hopefully one I can take off the bathe etc.

maria1976

Hi, I am new to this site but sadly not new to arthritis 🙁

I am due to have a trapeziectomy next week and would be very grateful for any hints and tips which might help me manage my expectations, especially when it comes to driving, dressing, cooking etc. Thank you 😊

CarylW

Hello @maria1976 and welcome to the forum. It's great to see you already posting, and I am sure our members will respond with some help from their own experiences.

In the meantime, have a look at this from our website which should give you some useful information..

https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/1420/trapeziectomy-factsheet.pdf

Good luck for next week and please let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Caryl

maria1976

Thanks, I will!

Hellesbelles

Hi @CarylW , I have had both mine done.

As I live on my own, I batch cooked loads of meals to freeze during in the week before the ops.

If you buy fresh veg, prep them & store them in the fridge beforehand, or buy the pre-prepared or use frozen

After the op, you could get someone to prep them up for you. My daughter & daughter in law were brilliant in that respect !

Dressing was slightly difficult at first, but I bought 'pull on' bras with which I could get on (with a bit of difficulty!) with just one hand. Loose sleeved tops, (always put your bad arm in first), jogging trousers, poncho style jumpers were a god send in the early days!

You learn how to manage, and whilst it's limiting to start with, with the help of a good hand therapist & excercises, you should be back to normal around 10 weeks - although everyone is different.

Driving is advised after 8-10 weeks, as long as your therapist agrees, but only short journeys to start with.

If I think of anything else, I"ll let you know - I am sure others will share their experiences and suggestions.

Good luck for the op - hope all goes well for you, keep us up to date with your progress 🙂

Helen x

maria1976

Thank you Helen - some useful tips 😊