Post Surgery

No sewing or knitting for a while – had carpet tunnel surgery on my right hand (my dominant hand) yesterday morning. While I can move my fingers a bit, any movement of my wrist is uncomfortable, occasionally painful. All day yesterday and for the next two days I need to keep my hand elevated – as if I were doing a royal wave – to prevent swelling and reduce pain.

It’s astonishing how many tasks I can’t do – brushing my teeth with my left hand is a joke, pulling up my jeans and doing up the button on the top – a definite challenge. I start reaching to do something with my right hand, stop myself midway and change hands – but my left hand has very little fine motor control. And for the next few days I can’t drive my standard shift car. I’m hoping maybe by the weekend I’ll have more use of my right hand fingers so I can move the gear shift but for now I’m house bound or dependent on the generosity of friends to taxi me about.

The dressing comes off on Friday, the sutures come out ten days after that. By then, the discomfort should have subsided enough for me to function more normally. I’ve got my fingers crossed that now I might get back some function in my thumb – the numbness at my fingertips is definitely receded, if not yet completely gone, which bodes well for my return to reasonable function of my right hand.