I had my post-op check-up yesterday and this is essentially the advice I got. Things are healing nicely and I should go ahead and use both of my hands normally as much as possible. Yay! The visit was well timed because it came after a few days of my left hand feeling much better and my wondering how much it was safe to try to use it.
I have stretching exercises to do several times a day. But when I described the skills I was especially anxious to have back (touch-typing with two hands and piano playing) they said those things were excellent therapy and I should go ahead and do them too. Typing this blog is quick and easy compared with the one-handed hunt and peck I've doing since the surgery. The exercises are pretty easy too. I was worried that I might have a really sore hand by the end of the day but my hand actually feels better. A little tired and sore at times, but not as much as on Monday.
Piano takes more strength in the fingers and I'm being a little cautious still. I sat down yesterday and played a simple little Mozart piece and enjoyed it very much but my hand was tired. I think I'll keep doing just a little bit of piano every day until it gets easier. It may take a while to work up to playing for a whole church service, but now that I know that it really will happen it's much easier to be patient. I have been thinking for a long time about buying a new piano, since the one we've got is pretty old and has a lot of issues, and David and I have decided that's off the burner and we'll make it happen soon :-)
Remember Dr. A (who originally met with me and gave me a reassuring diagnosis) and Dr. B (who actually did the surgery and scared me to death with the possibility of malignancy and loss of use of my thumb)? Yesterday, I met with another member of the team, Dr. C, who basically said Dr. A was right and confirmed that a very thorough biopsy found absolutely nothing scary. Whew!
After that, I was handed over to an OT who taught me my stretching exercises. When we were done I asked her if it was OK for me to drive. We have good bus service here but still with David away at the moment it has been a huge pain not to use the car. She said she thought it was fine but they're really supposed to let a doctor make that determination. We went out in the hall looking for Dr. C, but he had just gone into an examination room with another patient and she spotted another doctor I'd never met and asked him if he'd talk with me for a minute. Let's call him Dr. D. Here's a summary of our conversation:
- Dr. D, looking at my hand: So what did you have done here?
- me: short summary
- Dr. D: About four weeks ago? I did that!
- me, looking puzzled: You did my surgery?
- Dr. D: Yes, I was working with Dr. B.
I took the bus to this appointment and got home on the bus, but later I did an errand with the car and I felt like a kid on the last day of school! I have always said that I appreciate living in a city where I don't have to be totally dependent on our car and I try to take public transportation to save energy when I can. But being able to hop in the car and go directly where I wanted to go without worrying about bus schedules or roundabout routes is truly wonderful!!! I hope I remember to appreciate it for a while at least instead of taking it totally for granted....
