Trigger Finger & Ganglion Cysts

Weird title, huh? Well yesterday I had surgery on my right hand. Yes, I am right handed. Remember back when I tried out the milking machine because I was having problems with the arthritis in my right hand? I haven’t been able to straighten the middle finger on my hand for a while and it had gotten pretty painful and swollen. First we tried a steroid shot in the palm where the trigger finger originated. It took the pain out of the finger joint, but not the palm joint and it didn’t allow me to straighten out my finger either.

Why did I choose to have surgery? When I found out that I could have full range of motion in my finger again without the pain in my palm and the popping of my knuckle, I was ready. I will still have challenges with arthritis, that’s not going away. The work of survival will only increase, not decrease with time, and I want to be able to do it as best I can for as long as I can.

Here is some information on trigger finger, if you are not familiar with it. This site has some great visual examples.

After the steroid shot, and before the surgery, the ganglion cyst in my right wrist start growing fairly quickly and had become sore, affecting the bottom joint in my thumb as well. Yesterday when we talked to the doctor before surgery we asked him what he thought about it. His suggestion was to remove it now so I would only have one recovery time. So we did.

Because we chose to remove the cyst along with fixing the trigger finger, I am in a splint for a couple of weeks. The doctor did this to support the wrist muscles while the cyst site heals, otherwise I would just have a soft bandage across the palm of my hand and have free use of the hand. I’m limited to carrying one to two pounds in my right hand, but it’s amazing how quickly you adjust to doing things differently.

I can type, well sorta. My right hand makes more mistakes, especially my pinky. The articles may be a little shorter for a while, so I thought I would let you know why.

Folks, if there is anything you need to take care of, medically, financially, stocking up or buying items for future projects, I would recommend you do it now if you are able. One look at the news tells you that there is more than Christmas coming over the horizon. Unfortunately, it has already come to California, Paris and many other parts of the world. We can’t emphasize enough, avoid crowds, even if it is the holiday season and you have things to do, find another way to get them done. Be extremely vigilant, and unfortunately, trust only a very select few. The time of fear and chaos is fast approaching, don’t let it find you off guard.

Until next time – Fern

Visit Thoughts From Frank and Fern at http://thoughtsfromfrankandfern.blogspot.com/