Tag Archives: piano

Will the Days of Hitchhiking Return?

Posted on by MaryO

 

Yesterday (May 16, 2025), I had an appointment with a new-to-me hand and wrist doctor for pain I’m having in my right thumb.  As a pianist/organist/bell ringer/balalaika-ist this isn’t a good place to have pain.

I even have a handle on my coffee cup that’s giving me pain so I’ll have to drink left-handed for a while.

Of course, the first thing they did was take x-rays.  The tech put my hand in all kinds of positions I didn’t know were available and asked me to hold them.  I’m sure that  these didn’t help my pain at all.

The x-rays showed:

Arthritis of carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of right thumb, Degenerative arthritis of metacarpophalangeal joint of right thumb, and Degenerative arthritis of interphalangeal joint of right thumb.

Ok, then.

The doctor came in and asked questions, touched, pushed, pulled places on my thumb – “Does this hurt?”  DUH

 

There were the usual 3 options.  Brace/Voltaren, injection, surgery (Trapeziectomy).

Google AI Says:

This surgical procedure, commonly known as trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) or suspensionplasty, is used to treat thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint arthritis. It involves removing the trapezium bone, a small bone at the base of the thumb, and then either suspending the thumb’s metacarpal bone (the bone in the thumb) to the second metacarpal bone with a suture or tendon or using a tendon to support the thumb metacarpal base. 

Here’s a more detailed explanation: 

1. The Problem:

  • Thumb CMC joint arthritis causes pain, stiffness, and limited movement in the thumb. 
  • The trapezium bone is a key part of this joint and can become damaged or worn out due to arthritis. 

2. The Procedure:

  • Trapeziectomy:
    The surgeon makes an incision near the thumb’s CMC joint and carefully removes the trapezium bone. 

  • Suspension:
    To prevent the thumb metacarpal bone from collapsing into the space where the trapezium was, the surgeon often uses one of two methods:
    • Suture Suspension: A suture is used to connect the first metacarpal bone to the second metacarpal bone, providing support. 
    • Tendon Interposition: A tendon is used to support the thumb metacarpal base and act as a replacement for the trapezium. 

  • Other Procedures:
    In some cases, other procedures may be performed to further improve stability or function. 

3. Benefits:

Reduced pain and improved thumb function, Increased thumb mobility and flexibility, and Better grip and pinch strength. 

4. Potential Risks:

  • Continued pain, swelling, stiffness, or weakness.
  • Nerve damage and numbness.
  • Scarring.
  • Infection.
  • Bleeding.
  • Allergic reactions. 

trapeziectomy-factsheet

So, yesterday, I opted for everything except surgery…for now.

First up was the dreaded injection.  I’d read on some message boards and found out from some friends that this “could” be painful.  Major DUH.

As usual, the doctor froze the skin with lidocaine (XYLOCAINE), then injected Betamethasone (CELESTONE) into the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of right thumb.  This was a new steroid for me so…

Celestone Soluspan is a steroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation.

Celestone Soluspan is used to treat many different inflammatory conditions such as allergic reactions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, inflammation of the joints or tendons, and problems caused by low adrenal gland hormone levels.

Celestone Soluspan may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

From drugs.com

 

I showed the doctor the brace I had been using.  Years ago with my knee issues, I discovered BioSkin braces for people –

like me who are allergic to neoprene among other things.

Of course, the one I showed him was a reject, being more for carpal tunnel so he “gave” me a thumb spica.  I said “gave” in quotes because they billed me $105.  Presumably, insurance will pay.  I looked it up on the brace company website and found that it would have cost me $45 to buy from them.  Nice markup!

The new spica worked well – I’m to wear that during the day – but I can tell I was starting to itch, so I ordered the BioSkin version from amazon.  That won’t come for a couple weeks, though, so I’ll be itching some.

The doctor also recommended icing for 20 minutes at a time several times a day.  I told him I’d bought a thumb freezer gel pack and he’d never heard of that.  Maybe I’ll take one in next time.

Looking at past posts in this blog, I found that thumb issues have been going on since 2018 but I guess that what the ER did then worked until now!

Hopefully, I get another 8 years out of this visit!

 

My Days of Hitchhiking are Over

Posted on by MaryO

…At least for a while.

Today, I made an appointment with a hand and wrist doctor for pain I’m having in my right thumb.  As a pianist/organist/bell ringer/balalaika-ist this isn’t a good place to have pain.

I even have a handle on my coffee cup that’s giving me pain so I’ll have to drink left-handed for a while.

I do have a good brace for now.  Years ago with my knee issues, I discovered BioSkin braces for people –

like me who are allergic to neoprene among other things.

These are the times of doctors – dentist on Friday, dermatologist on Wednesday. hand/wrist next Friday.  Getting old is the pits!

I know what the first 2 do but have no idea about the H/W doctor.  X-rays?  cortisone shots?  Nothing – we’ll watch it and see what happens? Some dread thing I can’t even imagine?

Looking at past posts in this blog, I found that thumb issues have been going on since 2018 but I guess that what the ER did then worked until now!

 

Monday – Seven Weeks Post-Op

Posted on by MaryO

Things are really getting more normal here as time goes on.  7 weeks ago, I never would have imagined it.

DH still can’t drive but he asked to borrow my car one day last week and I said NO.  Soon, though.

He’s able to put sweaters over his head now, a big improvement from a few weeks ago when he was cutting t-shirts in half and wearing 2, or using a safety pin to hold everything together.

Next Tuesday, March 26, he’ll go for his first cardiac rehab.  I don’t know if they schedule the “real” ones then, but this is more of an intake meeting and a test to see where he before he can get started.

I’ve started resuming my regular activities – on Saturday, I went to a 5-hour with no problem and I wasn’t spending my time worrying, either, although some mornings when he wakes up late, I’ll go check to be sure he’s breathing.


One thing I’ve done as part of our more healthy eating – I bought a soymilk maker.  I had one in my cart on amazon.com for a while, watching the price.  Then, one day, they didn’t offer it anymore.  I kept searching on amazon for several days and the next version became available.  I put that in my cart and watched.  On Wednesday, the price dropped to $119 – $20 less than the first one I’d wanted.  I jumped on that and ordered it Wednesday.  Thursday, it went back up to $139 so I played that right!

The soymilk maker arrived on Saturday and I made almond milk first.  Today, I have soybeans soaking right now and will make the first batch of soymilk in about an hour.

Bob's Red Mill

Bob’s Red Mill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just went on amazon to get a link to the one I got and found the price back to $119!  It comes with a small bag of Laura soybeans to get you started but I’d already ordered Bob’s Red Mill.

Yesterday, I was singing in the choir at church and DH decided to go along.  Before church, so many of the choir members and others went over to give him a big hug and say how well he looked.  During prayer request time, he stood up to thank the church for their prayers and folks started clapping.

After church, we decided to stop for breakfast in a newesh restaurant in the neighborhood.  While waiting in line, some neighbors also arrived.  They said they hadn’t seen either of us for a while.  I mentioned DH’s heart attack and it turned out that other man had had one too, about 15 years ago.  They had lots to talk about.  The other guy did a kind of at-home chelation which sounded a bit odd but it worked for him to remove calcium deposits.  It didn’t sound like anything I’d want to try!

This morning I was teaching piano and one of my students is the associate pastor of my church.  He said how powerful that DH stood up yesterday and demonstrated the power of prayer.

Not much else here – everything’s pretty normal except for not driving or walking the dog but those things will come.

Hooray!

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Monday – Six Weeks Post-Op

Posted on by MaryO

day-mon

Another slow day.  The 3 walking events from last weekend were just too much for now.  In all three instances, they involved parking garages and it was cold.  I remember the visiting nurse saying to put a scarf over his nose to keep the air coming in a bit warmer but, of course, we didn’t have a scarf.

Someone had asked DH to meet at iHop tonight.  I weighed in and said that they should meet at Bob Evans because we knew that there was something there he could eat and we had no idea if there was anything at iHop.

The day slipped by in naps and DH never made the call.  His phone was off and he finally got the message that the person had been waiting for 30 minutes at iHop.  <sigh>

The dog got to go for a ride when we dropped DH off.

Fortunately, DH got a ride home so we didn’t have to go back out.  He said that I was right (of course!) – there wasn’t anything on the menu he could eat.  But he managed to cobble together something with fresh fruit, dry toast and herbal tea.  I thought the only fruit there was in those syrups.

day-wed

We had snow, sort of.  Big, heavy stuff that would have been good for a snowman but we weren’t going out, except for me walking the dog.

I was having a movie kind of day and heard someone out in the driveway, shoveling.  I went out to investigate and found two women from church clearing our driveway.  That was so nice 🙂  In a bit DH came out and said hello, too.

day-thurs

Thursday, I was into day 2 of an itchy cycle.  I haven’t written about that yet, so there’s something to look forward to!  As a result, I don’t do much of anything but itch and be miserable.  At night, I can take Benadryl which helps the itching and makes me sleep.

More on that later!

day-fri

Fridays, I normally play piano duets with an older friend but I hadn’t been since before Christmas.  I decided it was time to go back so I took DH along with me.  We all had a nice visit – we’ve known my friend and her husband for maybe 35 years.  She had a heart attack about 15 or so years ago so DH was able to ask lots of questions.

When we got back, it was nap time, again.  It’s still mostly do something followed by an equal length nap but it’s getting better.

day-sat

I had been awake until 4:30 am so I wasn’t in a great mood when I woke up.  DH wanted to go walking at the Mall – but first, a stop at Staples for more business cards.

I was already tired before we got to the Mall but we walked a bit.  Stopped in the Apple Store to look at iPad Minis, then turned around.  He went into Zales to get the ruby he didn’t get on the first day, the anniversary-heart-attack-day.

On the way out of the mall, he said we could go to Bob Evans for breakfast and I said no way!  Too tired.

day-sun

Back to Staples to pick up the cards from Staples, then on to walk around Wal-Mart.  DH looked longingly at no-salt peanuts.  I showed him the back with the calorie counts and pointed out the size of 1 serving and asked if he could stick to that.  He put them back.

Back home and more nap time.

He says he’s feeling better and better, has lost more weight, no more pain killers.  Hooray!