April 9, four weeks ago, I had some repairs to my right hand - the ring and middle fingers. These repairs did not require the dreaded occupational therapy. Take a look at the before x-ray:
About five years ago my middle finger was fused. The joint was removed and two pins were wired so this joint would not cause intense pain anymore. It was good, except sometime before healing completed, the fusion was jolted...broken really, and the wire and pins shifted. Although my finger is listing to the right, it has been pain free until two weeks prior to this surgery. The wire was bulging between my long and ring fingers, threatening to break the skin. It wasn't really uncomfortable, just creepy. What was uncomfortable was a pin, whose hooked top was cutting into my finger pad muscle at the base of my finger, closest to the hand. It felt like a long rose thorn was in there, sticking, sticking, sticking. Ouch! The surgeon tried to remove the pins, but the bone has grown onto them, so he cut off what he could, making the ends smooth to the bone. The wire has been re-positioned so it is flat against the bone and comfortable. The repair on this finger was a success and I don't have any pain.
About 10-15 years ago I had joint replacement of my ring finger. That artificial joint has collapsed with age and my bones protruded on either side of my finger. The doctor shaved the bone sides down and repaired the tendons that had slipped off the top of my finger. Not that it does any good, as that finger, like the long finger, is frozen in place. Currently, I have the feeling of a steam burn down the length of the back of my finger. Even the breeze makes it burn. It will improve with time.
Looking at the x-ray, you can see that my thumb was fused (on the same day of the middle finger surgery, years ago). My first and second finger have 20 year old artificial joints. Other joints are deteriorating, but are not intensely painful, so the doctor and I chose to let them do their own thing. It looks like my middle joint of my pointer finger would be intensely painful. It is not. My middle joint on my pinkie finger has fused itself.
I like this doctor. His attitude is, if it doesn't hurt, don't mess with it. I'm with him!!
