Once up on a time, back when I was in my testosterone-fueled 20's, I hit a punching back really really hard. It hit it so hard, in fact, that it broke some ligaments in my left wrist - possibly a bone as well. I'm not sure about the bone - because I didn't go to a doctor to find out.
The swelling eventually subsided, and then it seemed to heel on it's own over time. After a few months it seemed to be "as good as new"!
Then, 3 or 4 years ago, my wrist started bothering me. Two bones were grinding against each other causing a lot of pain and somewhat limited mobility. I went and saw a nice doctor in Santa Cruz who told me (paraphrasing here), "Gee Barry, it looks like you are really fucked!" He told me that I should have gone to a doctor long ago. Since I didn't, there was nothing that he nor anyone else could do to repair my ailing wrist.
Just recently, I decided to get a second opinion. My wrist had gotten to the point where I couldn't put any pressure on it. Worst of all, I couldn't ride a bike - my favorite form of exercise.
I went to Dr. Sam Scott in South Portland, Maine. He said he could fix it. Back in early April, I had 4 point fusion surgery performed on my left wrist. The procedure involved removing the Scaphoid bone from my wrist, and then stabilizing the remaining bones with "fusion". Fusion is where your body's natural heeling powers are used to make two or more bones heel together as one. In this case, the four bones (the Lunate, Triquetrum, Capitate, and Hamate) we fused together. A metal ring is used to stabilize the bones until the fusion is complete. The ring stays in place after the surgery - because it's easier to leave it in than to take it out. Presumably, it also adds a little more stability to the area.
Here is a company that makes a cool-looking wrist fusion plate called the "hub cap".
Here are some recent x-rays of my left wrist after surgery. If you look closely, you can see the metal ring. There are little metal screws which radiate out from the ring - and hold those four bones (the Lunate, Triquetrum, Capitate, and Hamate) in close vicinity.
To the right of the ring, you can see a dark area where there isn't any bone at all. That area used to contain my scaphoid bone - which was removed during surgery.
I still have another month or two before I am fully recovered from the surgery. But so far, so good. The swelling is down, I can move my wrist and fingers without pain, and grinding and pinching is completely gone. I can type as fast as ever!
Negatives, at this point, are:
- My hand is weaker than it was. I am sure I'll regain my strength though. But, at two months, I still struggle to twist doorknobs with my left hand.
- I can't fully close my hand - especially in the A.M. In time, I am sure I'll regain the flexibility.
- I have limited range of movement in my wrist - which I knew was "par for the course". Full range isn't going to return. That's the trade-off.
I'll do another update in a month or so.
