Monday I had open carpal tunnel surgery. I had a hard time finding personal resources on what to do, what to expect, and how to plan before and after. So here is my experience, along with whatever advice I have for other folks going through the same thing. Be warned, I am an asshole, so for folks finding this in a search, this material will reflect me.
Read more after the jump. This is a long one!
I am PatientC. Welcome! This is a disability oriented blog where issues and intersection are discussed at my whim and with varying degrees of humanity, snark, and intensity. Content can be adult at times, farcical at others.
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Evil Hand Issues!
Monday was the day. I went in for open carpal tunnel surgery. I was in a panic. Not about the surgery, that was pretty routine. The panic comes from the idea of not being able to use my dominant hand for weeks.
I read. I keep house, as I can. I write. I game. I sew. I bead/make jewelry. I fuck. Everything I do needs that hand.
I have never had a cast, so this is another reason this is going to be a nightmare. I am sure I will bang it into everything, and I hate the idea of not being able to use my dominant hand. Turns out, it is a small, soft wrap and not that bad at all. It does sometimes itch like fire inside, though. Arg!
I am now back at my desk and am piecing together an article about the whole surgery et al, since I only found a few good resources. I am recovering well, and hope to avoid the ever present threat of flare while I heal.
And I need to be spiffy for a friend's wedding this weekend!
I read. I keep house, as I can. I write. I game. I sew. I bead/make jewelry. I fuck. Everything I do needs that hand.
I have never had a cast, so this is another reason this is going to be a nightmare. I am sure I will bang it into everything, and I hate the idea of not being able to use my dominant hand. Turns out, it is a small, soft wrap and not that bad at all. It does sometimes itch like fire inside, though. Arg!
I am now back at my desk and am piecing together an article about the whole surgery et al, since I only found a few good resources. I am recovering well, and hope to avoid the ever present threat of flare while I heal.
And I need to be spiffy for a friend's wedding this weekend!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
ProPatient Rides Again!
I am in ProPatient mode again! So we will have a lot to talk about. I find myself, more than anything else, going to see labcoats when I go out. I have the patient versus consumer philosophical discussion fairly often both out loud and in my head. I am sharing personal information with strangers a lot, and you know how much I enjoy that sort of thing.
I have a lot in my head about medical information: how it is shared, used, what direct input I have as a patient, all that sort of thing. I think that this is a terribly important thing tha we almost never discuss, and I want to be a part of fixing that problem.
I am going to have open carpal tunnel surgery here soon. I am in PT for my back, which is a necessary step to get the insurance to do something for my bulging disks, but we are getting a lot of other work done. One rheumatologist has confirmed lupus, another calls fibromyalgia, my GP and I think that, sadly, they are both correct. I am cutting down on caffeine and cigarettes. Or trying to, anyway.
Since the carpal tunnel surgery is coming up first, it is what I am preparing for the most. I am beyond aprehensive about losing the use of my dominant hand for a while. And hey, if you know of any low cost or free speech to text software, I would greatly appreciate knowing about it! Please share it below.
This has triggerd a long delayed house reorganization. The basement is undergoing the worst of it, because it had become a place to simply store things, and the ablity to work there was lost in piles of stuff. The same was true for my desk: it was buried in all kinds of paperwork not deemed an emergency at the time.
Of course, politics have been formost in my mind as I go through all of this, and the discussions of entitlements and the Affordable Care Act have emphasized the truth: politics are real life! And we need to talk about them. Here, politics are life and death and quality of life.
I have a lot in my head about medical information: how it is shared, used, what direct input I have as a patient, all that sort of thing. I think that this is a terribly important thing tha we almost never discuss, and I want to be a part of fixing that problem.
I am going to have open carpal tunnel surgery here soon. I am in PT for my back, which is a necessary step to get the insurance to do something for my bulging disks, but we are getting a lot of other work done. One rheumatologist has confirmed lupus, another calls fibromyalgia, my GP and I think that, sadly, they are both correct. I am cutting down on caffeine and cigarettes. Or trying to, anyway.
Since the carpal tunnel surgery is coming up first, it is what I am preparing for the most. I am beyond aprehensive about losing the use of my dominant hand for a while. And hey, if you know of any low cost or free speech to text software, I would greatly appreciate knowing about it! Please share it below.
This has triggerd a long delayed house reorganization. The basement is undergoing the worst of it, because it had become a place to simply store things, and the ablity to work there was lost in piles of stuff. The same was true for my desk: it was buried in all kinds of paperwork not deemed an emergency at the time.
Of course, politics have been formost in my mind as I go through all of this, and the discussions of entitlements and the Affordable Care Act have emphasized the truth: politics are real life! And we need to talk about them. Here, politics are life and death and quality of life.
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