To be honest with you I really don’t know why I came here and generally why I have decided to write this post, anyway, here I am doing it (without any ideas why). So, I am having this surgery scheduled in 2 weeks, I am having it scheduled for 10th of november. Of course, by that time I wanted to know more about it and how risky it is and people’s experiences before and after it.
I have read over the internet that there are a lot of people dealing with frustration as well as discomfort regarding with this surgery and I also saw that it requires a very long time for a full recovery, which, all of this, doesn’t make me happy at all. anyway, in this moment, the most important stuff what I want to know is only in how bad condition was your thumb when you realized that you should have this procedure? I mean, was it something that came into your mind right away? Or it was something that you have been suffering from for much time and only after that you decided that you need to have it??
I’m a 65 years old male, I’m a landscaper and I am practicing a healthy life style since I was in my 20’s which is why I can say that I am eventually in a pretty good health (especially for my years and comparing to other people my age). It seems to me that I’m mostly wearing out the joint generally. Both of my thumbs are in a very bad condition, however my left thumb is in a better condition than the right one, I can feel that the right is worse. Last year I have planned to do this procedure approximately the same time (I remember that I was ready doing it in October), however, I wiped out my right shoulder soon before I was planning it and that’s why I had to tend to that more. this is the reason why this procedure has been delayed with one year now (in fact, a bit more), anyway, I have actually got by much better than I thought that I would do.
I am working approximately 20 hours in a week, I am maintaining a very beautiful garden around our house (my wife helps me a little but mainly, everything is on me), I am also having 19 chickens which I am also responsible of, plus I am doing my own cooking most of the time. besides, I’m a fisherman who is fishing AT LEAST 2 days a week, mostly salmon and halibut. Living in Washington and having an active as well as very healthy life style.
Anyway, both of my thumbs are bothering me a lot, however, the right thumb is bother even more than the left one, I can feel that it is in a much worse condition. This is the reason why I am now planning to have the procedure done on my right thumb this year (on 10th November) and the left thumb next year (I guess, also around the same time). I can’t do both of them otherwise I would be completely functionless, but I need to work in order to pay my bills, I want to fish and I don’t want to be a helpless old man. Moreover… social sec it is not enough to get me by now and that is why I am now trying to do my best about it. I do have a lot of pains as well as a big lack of strength occasionally and obviously this is something I need to fix, however, this doesn’t stop me, I am able to do whatever I need to do and I don’t even need help for that. when you are at this age, you are learning how to “work arounds”. Therefore, due to the fact that my thumbs have actually been holding up with me a lot more better than I was thinking that they would hold, I’m now thinking that maybe it would be somehow better to continue off like that until these thumbs won’t cause me even more problems (and that’s especially after everything that I have read here). I need to mention here that I am not having any constant pains or something like that, I can feel them worse only at times, plus I am not taking any kinds of pain killers (I believe that they should be taken only in exceptional situations). I am constantly working, I am frequently fishing, I take care of my garden the whole year around this is the reason why I really don’t want to be forced to have this surgery anytime in spring, in summer or in fall because I’m the busiest then (I guess as everybody else).
Having all that said, I would really be thankful if somebody would tell me how bad your thumbs were before you have had your surgery??? Have you had constant pains?? Were the intolerable?? How can you described them? this might help me a lot.
Well I'm having some troubles with my thumb and I would like to ask something about basal joint arthroplasty because I'm thinking about having this surgery. Especially I would like to talk with those who already had it and passed thru this situation, however every non experience and only theoretical part is going to be appreciated. I mean that everything is welcome. So my biggest wonders are what is one's recovery time like and how is the pain after the surgery. Also some information about approximate prices is going to be great! I would like to know everything about how much time is going to take the surgery, what is the result, how much time is going to take full recovery or at least until the pains is going to disappear. I have read something about it on the internet but I'm far away from understanding it because I have no knowledge in medicine that is why I need some simple responses without sophisticated terminology for a guy like me. Thank you all in advance for the reponses and have a great day!