This was my first surgery and so I was pretty nervous. However I was also hoping that the surgery would relieve a little of the swelling and I would be more comfortable with the idea that my hand bones would be stabilized and not be dislocated again. Read more below if you want to know about the procedure and outcome...
Here is a brief description of the procedure.
1. The anesthesiologist put me on some sedatives and an axillary nerve block.
2. Make a dorsal incision along the top side of the hand and wrist.
3. Clean up any visible damage to the tendons, suture the ligaments onto the carpal bones, and evaluate if my median nerve had been compressed.
4. Place K-wire through the skin (percutaneous) to ensure stability of the hand while ligaments heal.
5 . Close up the incision with stitches and put a split cast back on the wrist, just short of the elbow.
6 . Make a final evaluation with x-rays.
Surgery was not so bad. While I was awake, I was pretty inebriated. The surgical team was listening to some classic rock and I could tell everyone was in a pretty good mood. It just felt like I was camping with some friends and hanging out in my tent.
The prognosis was good, or at least the surgeon was very happy with the outcome. At this time it was not believed that I would have any serious nerve damage and no further surgery would be needed.
I was told to return in two weeks to change my cast and remove the stitches.
Lesson Learned Today: If possible find a surgeon that is a specialist in your particular injury and really enjoys their job. My orthopedic surgeon is awesome.
If you are on the East Coast, consider someone who worked or studied at CV Starr Hand Surgery Center.
1. The anesthesiologist put me on some sedatives and an axillary nerve block.
2. Make a dorsal incision along the top side of the hand and wrist.
3. Clean up any visible damage to the tendons, suture the ligaments onto the carpal bones, and evaluate if my median nerve had been compressed.
4. Place K-wire through the skin (percutaneous) to ensure stability of the hand while ligaments heal.
5 . Close up the incision with stitches and put a split cast back on the wrist, just short of the elbow.
6 . Make a final evaluation with x-rays.
Surgery was not so bad. While I was awake, I was pretty inebriated. The surgical team was listening to some classic rock and I could tell everyone was in a pretty good mood. It just felt like I was camping with some friends and hanging out in my tent.
The prognosis was good, or at least the surgeon was very happy with the outcome. At this time it was not believed that I would have any serious nerve damage and no further surgery would be needed.
I was told to return in two weeks to change my cast and remove the stitches.
Lesson Learned Today: If possible find a surgeon that is a specialist in your particular injury and really enjoys their job. My orthopedic surgeon is awesome.
If you are on the East Coast, consider someone who worked or studied at CV Starr Hand Surgery Center.
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