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Old 03-17-2010, 07:20 AM
rock n roll kid rock n roll kid is offline
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Default operation...opinions needed

osteo arthritis in my thumbs pretty bad. left thumb has lost 80% of movement and right one is slightly better.

learned yesterday the out of pocket cost for the first thumb is about $1000. the second shoukld be less by filling the detutable the firsrt time around.

will be in a cast up to mid forarm for 1 month, then some re-habs for a few weeks.
my mother is 93 and has this badly also. she has managed and it has been roughh for her in her later years to use her hands correctly.

questions ?
has any one else went thru this and what were the results ?
are there any vitamins or supplements that i could takee to lesson this condition ?

thanks ahead of time for your needed imput

rock
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Old 03-17-2010, 09:29 AM
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gunlovingirl gunlovingirl is offline
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I can't offer any advice or do's and don'ts, but I can offer my sympathy and well wishes. I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands, so I know the pain you've been through. I know there are differences between osteo and rheumatoid, but I can say that in the early stages of mine, I tried all the suggestions with no relief. Of course, ymmv. Good luck with the surgery.
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Old 03-17-2010, 10:04 AM
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My mom (83 yrs old) has rheumatoid arthritis in her hands and her hands are more like hooks than hands ---- feet too...
She had surgery to fix one hand. Looks GREAT - Unfortunately, it doesn't work and still hurts a bunch.

I would do a lot of research before I let anyone do surgery on my hands! Hopefully the results are better correcting the effects of osteo arthritis --- I don't know. But I'd sure find out.
My mom lives in Portage, IN -- If that's close to you I'm fairly sure she would talk to you about it.
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Old 03-17-2010, 10:15 AM
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I have arthritis in my left thumb and have gone through the whole battery of treatments including injections, immobilizers, anti-inflammatories, therapy, etc. The last resort is to have it fused. I'm almost at the point to do that as I have daily pain, but I'm just not sure how much dexterity I will have after the surgery, and if the loss of the use of my left thumb is worth the reduction of pain. It's a decision I'll have to make, just like you have to make yours.
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Old 03-17-2010, 11:49 AM
rock n roll kid rock n roll kid is offline
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Default good imput so far

and thanks

this is the same surgeon who done carpal tunnel on both my hands. he is at the hand center in indy. very good and competent guy.
he said he could get rid of the big humps on the inside of my thumbs... right now i use my hands pretty good but on a few years , who knows.

i am past the severe pain stage. so i was wondering also just how "permanent " this op would be . i probably wouldnt go thru it a second time if i could get by at all.

i keep thinking of my mother wio has endured this for many years. i hope i am as tough as she has been !
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Old 03-17-2010, 12:08 PM
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Default Second Opinion

My Wife and My Sister both are suffering from this problem and have so far avoided surgery but I guess it’s inevitable.
I have a niece who is an MD and Surgeon she suggested that they both have second opinions before surgery, they did, and the head hand surgeon at U of F gave them both good advice and is monitoring their progress.
I would suggest that you follow the same advice, ask your Doc for a referral to the Boss Hand Surgeon at the U of I Medical School, this is sort of the same as the old saying “Measure twice, cut once”.
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Old 03-17-2010, 01:44 PM
rock n roll kid rock n roll kid is offline
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Unhappy thanks again....

for the info.

to old sarge and the rest ...... i DID call my local docs office and ask for a second opinion. not that i dont trust the people at the hand center but it might be worth my effort to seek this out.

to be honest , my hands do work good and not a lot of pain but the future is what concersn me. ddoc at hand center said i have 85 year old thumbs on a 62 year old body !

the cost also has to be connsidered .they wont touch me untill i pay the COPMPLETE estimated cost of the surgery and the deductable !

some world we now live in
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