Recently, I had surgery to release the tension in my wrist from carpal tunnel. I've had it for years and my Neurologist had been seeing me every three months for those years to test the strength in my hand. Over the last few years, I was fairly sure that there was more damage going on, but my doctor kept telling me it was okay.
While I was at the Romance Writers of American Conference in Denver, the pain and numbness in my hand became extreme.
It felt like electricity under the numb outer skin and when I went to do my laundry at the hotel laundry room, I kept dropping the quarters.
By the time I got home (and that was a whole other adventure), and visited a surgeon for a consultation, I was told I should have had the surgery years ago.
To say that I was stunned was an understatement. To say that I became angry, was an understatement.
I'm not one that does well with needles or blood, but when the surgeon said that they were just looking to 'preserve what you have left' well, that got me right in the gut.
So it's been a couple of weeks since the surgery. The bandage is off, the incision seems to be healed and there's still a little weakness and/or a twinge here and there... but miracle of miracles.. I have feeling in my four outside fingers and my thumb on and off.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Don't wait. Don't settle... if your gut is telling you to check and check again... do it. Listen to your body.
I should have been as tenacious as I expect some of my heroines to be... but I wasn't. And it almost cost me the use of my hand and the feeling in it.
What is your body telling you? It's time to listen!
Wow! What a story. Over the years I've learned not to trust doctors and I tend to push them. I don't care if I ruffle their feathers, they'll get over it. You are so right, we need to listen to our bodies. We know when something is a little off or just plain wonky. I'm so glad you're healing well. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks... yeah... I think part of why I didn't fight is that I wanted him to be right... silly? probably.. I let the fear get to me... never again!
DeleteAmen, sister.
DeleteI dealt with my carpal tunnel in my right hand for 18 years. It started when I was pregnant with my second child, and never went away. I had good days, but lots of bad days, and eventually except for handwriting, I turned into a lefty. I opened jars with my left hand, turned keys with my left hand, stirred pots with my left hand. I had had some knee work done by a very good surgeon, and I mentioned my carpal tunnel to him one day, thinking he was just a knee guy...he sent me off for tests and I had surgery three weeks later. Best thing I ever did, and it's been about 9 years now. There is still some weakness in that hand, and I'm still living live as a lefty due to habit, but it is soooo much better. The only thing I've noticed about it post-surgery is that I can no longer bring my pinky over easily to my thumb. That is minor and livable.
ReplyDeleteyeah.. the more I work my hand the better it's getting... at first my thumb was really numb.. but it's getting better.. i have much more feeling now than I had before the surgery! Glad you're better.. it's amazing what we will 'put up with' right?
DeleteI had carpal tunnel surgery years ago and I understand what you went through. It's not fun, but so many writers have the problem. Thank heavens for Dragon voice recognition software! Now, if I can learn to use it so it recognizes my Texas twang, I'll be all set. You are right to caution people to act if they don't agree with their doctor. If my daughter had listened to her first primary care doctor, she would have waited six months to learn she had breast cancer. She got a second opinion and had surgery immediately for a very aggressive type of cancer. The oncologist said that in six months, it would have spread to her chest cavity. Trust your body!
ReplyDeletegood luck on the TWANG... I tried Dragon before.. but (i blame my theater background) when I try to dictate, I do the 'voices' and Dragon hated my dropped G's lol i spent so much time going back and back and back to fix things it was faster just to type
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