Splint off, Sutures out, Butterfly Closures on! What a rainbow of colors: red, yellow, blue, green, indigo... (Perhaps I should have warned you about that photo.) Whew, did it feel good to get that thing off! As a veteran of other surgeries, it actually looked about as I expected. The medical assistant, PA, and OT that I saw were both impressed with the degree of swelling still remaining. Slicing into that dressing had been a good idea. In retrospect, I could have unwrapped and rewrapped it, but at the time it had seemed like 1) too much trouble, and 2) I didn't want to compromise the stability of the dressing. I have learned that swelling of the hand and fingers can continue for up to eight weeks, so I'm actually doing okay. The puffiness is decreasing.
The wonderful hand therapist, Diane Newman-Branch, MS, OTR/L, CHT, at the Doctor's Clinic in Silverdale, instructed me in three gentle range-of-motion exercises that I will do three times a day for the next month or so. I could hardly even do the first one, gentle thumb rotation; my movement was minuscule, but she was encouraging and said it will improve. That was two days ago, and I already see dramatic improvement. The "thumb bend" was equally challenging, but the "wrist bend" was a walk in the park.Custom-made Removable Splint
Diane crafted this lovely, form-fitting splint. It allows movement of my distal thumb joint, but protects the position of the thumb relative to the hand. I am not allowed to move the thumb far away from the hand or to pinch any object between thumb and finger. I am allowed to take it off to shower and do the exercises. Hooray!! Happy Dance!!!
Time for a Celebratory Manicure
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