NSSD

alantig said:
Update time.

Yesterday was 10 days post-op. Time to follow up and get the stitches out. The young woman who removed the stitches had a deft touch - didn't pinch at all, even when she snipped one on the short side. I was surprised when she removed the dressing - they'd told me not to change it at all (that was a surprise), so it was the one from the OR. The amount of blood was stunning - I won't say non-existent, but for a surgical dressing, it was pretty damn close. The incision is almost invisible - doc cut along one of the seams in my palm, and it's partly obscured by the line he drew to show me, but it's hard to see.

Doc said the hand is exactly where it should be. I wasn't sure, not having been through it before, but he was happy. I've got a lot of swelling yet - the middle segment of the finger is about 20-30% bigger than the right hand finger, the base segment is close to double the size, and the palm at the base of the finger looks like it had saline or something injected into it. The end result of that is that I still have pretty restricted motion in the finger - not as good as surgery day, but not as bad as before the surgery. The big difference (to me) is that I can work through most of that now by flexing it. I still have some restrictions as to what I can do, but it's at the "work through it as you see fit" stage. The incision site - or more likely, the stitch holes - still has some sensitivity, but that's about it. It's been about as pain-free as I could have hoped for.

And yes, before I started back to work yesterday, I picked up a guitar to test it out. Found out very quickly about the sensitivity thing! The finger itself is - as you'd expect - stiff and slow, and I still have a good bit of weakness trying to make some chord shapes, but I think that will go away over time. It's a damn sight better than the day before surgery, which is what I wanted.

So I've started thinking about guitar shopping again...
Click to expand...
Glad to hear everything is on pace for a full recovery! Not always the case with surgery. “Damn sight better than the day before surgery” this early into recovery has to be a great sign! I base this on exactly zero medical expertise or experience of course :)
 
alantig said:
Update time.

Yesterday was 10 days post-op. Time to follow up and get the stitches out. The young woman who removed the stitches had a deft touch - didn't pinch at all, even when she snipped one on the short side. I was surprised when she removed the dressing - they'd told me not to change it at all (that was a surprise), so it was the one from the OR. The amount of blood was stunning - I won't say non-existent, but for a surgical dressing, it was pretty damn close. The incision is almost invisible - doc cut along one of the seams in my palm, and it's partly obscured by the line he drew to show me, but it's hard to see.

Doc said the hand is exactly where it should be. I wasn't sure, not having been through it before, but he was happy. I've got a lot of swelling yet - the middle segment of the finger is about 20-30% bigger than the right hand finger, the base segment is close to double the size, and the palm at the base of the finger looks like it had saline or something injected into it. The end result of that is that I still have pretty restricted motion in the finger - not as good as surgery day, but not as bad as before the surgery. The big difference (to me) is that I can work through most of that now by flexing it. I still have some restrictions as to what I can do, but it's at the "work through it as you see fit" stage. The incision site - or more likely, the stitch holes - still has some sensitivity, but that's about it. It's been about as pain-free as I could have hoped for.

And yes, before I started back to work yesterday, I picked up a guitar to test it out. Found out very quickly about the sensitivity thing! The finger itself is - as you'd expect - stiff and slow, and I still have a good bit of weakness trying to make some chord shapes, but I think that will go away over time. It's a damn sight better than the day before surgery, which is what I wanted.

So I've started thinking about guitar shopping again...
Click to expand...

Atta boy! Glad to hear things are progressing well. Don't push it. Make sure you're in shape, and able throw the horns, fingers and fists when KISS rolls through. Just home from the Chicago show. You WILL NOT be disappointed!
 
Glad to hear your recovery is moving in the right direction.

Look forward to your NRASD (reward after surgery)!
 
You know what they say about riding a bike,....... if you fall off just leave it there and pick up a guitar.:p pick that guitar up daily, even if it's one chord for 30 seconds, it will help retain the muscle memory and return strength. 30 seconds today, 45 tomorrow, etc. Before long the pain will be gone and you'll be ready to jam again. Best of luck:)
 
alantig said:
Update time.

Yesterday was 10 days post-op. Time to follow up and get the stitches out. The young woman who removed the stitches had a deft touch - didn't pinch at all, even when she snipped one on the short side. I was surprised when she removed the dressing - they'd told me not to change it at all (that was a surprise), so it was the one from the OR. The amount of blood was stunning - I won't say non-existent, but for a surgical dressing, it was pretty damn close. The incision is almost invisible - doc cut along one of the seams in my palm, and it's partly obscured by the line he drew to show me, but it's hard to see.

Doc said the hand is exactly where it should be. I wasn't sure, not having been through it before, but he was happy. I've got a lot of swelling yet - the middle segment of the finger is about 20-30% bigger than the right hand finger, the base segment is close to double the size, and the palm at the base of the finger looks like it had saline or something injected into it. The end result of that is that I still have pretty restricted motion in the finger - not as good as surgery day, but not as bad as before the surgery. The big difference (to me) is that I can work through most of that now by flexing it. I still have some restrictions as to what I can do, but it's at the "work through it as you see fit" stage. The incision site - or more likely, the stitch holes - still has some sensitivity, but that's about it. It's been about as pain-free as I could have hoped for.

And yes, before I started back to work yesterday, I picked up a guitar to test it out. Found out very quickly about the sensitivity thing! The finger itself is - as you'd expect - stiff and slow, and I still have a good bit of weakness trying to make some chord shapes, but I think that will go away over time. It's a damn sight better than the day before surgery, which is what I wanted.

So I've started thinking about guitar shopping again...
Click to expand...


Glad to hear you're on the mend bro! Had a little cleanup done on my terminator shoulder..back in January myself, so I am just now catching up on my reading.

My advice...play thru the tenderness the best you can, but be careful not to push past your limits. I have a bad habbit of pulling the macho out of my pocket and usually end up paying the price for it. That being said, just have fun and do your best to not to over do it.

Hang in there bud! You'll be rocking some Fractured Mirror before ya know it!;)
 
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Haven't updated in a while - saw the surgeon a week ago today. He was very happy with the progress - said the scar tissue was about at its thickest and that it would start to thin out over the next few months. Said the swelling was what he expected to see, and that should start to go away in a few weeks. He asked me how I felt about things, and I said, "Well..." Told him my concerns and where I wasn't quite where I wanted to be, and he said, "Honestly, if you didn't play guitar, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You'd barely notice the flexibility you're lacking right now. But it'll come back. In a few weeks, I think you'll be really happy." Sent to an occupational therapy session at the hospital - they gave me some exercises to do, which I've been doing every day. Last night, I picked up a guitar to kill time while my recording Mac was booting up. Moved to play a chord that had been giving me trouble and...it was still trouble, but not as much. Interesting, because I felt like the finger hadn't progressed since the last time I'd tried. So I tried some other stuff, and was able to play somewhat acceptably for the first time in about three months. Whee! It's not there yet by any stretch, but for the first time in a while, I'm really confident that it will get there. I'd been starting to think about which guitars I'd keep if I couldn't play at an acceptable to me level. Glad I don't have to do that for a while!

And that wasn't even the big medical news here this week. My wife saw the surgeon who took care of her appendix cancer in 2014. Had a CT scan at the end of last week, this was a follow-up for the results. All clear. She's considered cured now. Doc said, "You don't have to see me again, which is probably good health-wise and because I'm moving." He's off to Dallas - a little too far for a check-up visit. She still sees the other doc who was key in her case - he moved just over an hour away, but she sees him for check ups, partly because he (and the surgeon) took such an interest in her case. Total fluke that it was even caught because she had no symptoms, but the first doc was on it like DTR on a Julie Bowen fantasy. The first time she saw the surgeon, he said the other doc had called him at 7:30 AM to ask how it looked, and he said, "She hasn't even been in here yet. Let me see her and I'll get back to you." I figure it's the universe compensating her for her poor marriage choices.
 
Congrats on your progress and a big congrats on your wife’s news! 5 year mark is a big deal!
 
alantig said:
Haven't updated in a while - saw the surgeon a week ago today. He was very happy with the progress - said the scar tissue was about at its thickest and that it would start to thin out over the next few months. Said the swelling was what he expected to see, and that should start to go away in a few weeks. He asked me how I felt about things, and I said, "Well..." Told him my concerns and where I wasn't quite where I wanted to be, and he said, "Honestly, if you didn't play guitar, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You'd barely notice the flexibility you're lacking right now. But it'll come back. In a few weeks, I think you'll be really happy." Sent to an occupational therapy session at the hospital - they gave me some exercises to do, which I've been doing every day. Last night, I picked up a guitar to kill time while my recording Mac was booting up. Moved to play a chord that had been giving me trouble and...it was still trouble, but not as much. Interesting, because I felt like the finger hadn't progressed since the last time I'd tried. So I tried some other stuff, and was able to play somewhat acceptably for the first time in about three months. Whee! It's not there yet by any stretch, but for the first time in a while, I'm really confident that it will get there. I'd been starting to think about which guitars I'd keep if I couldn't play at an acceptable to me level. Glad I don't have to do that for a while!

And that wasn't even the big medical news here this week. My wife saw the surgeon who took care of her appendix cancer in 2014. Had a CT scan at the end of last week, this was a follow-up for the results. All clear. She's considered cured now. Doc said, "You don't have to see me again, which is probably good health-wise and because I'm moving." He's off to Dallas - a little too far for a check-up visit. She still sees the other doc who was key in her case - he moved just over an hour away, but she sees him for check ups, partly because he (and the surgeon) took such an interest in her case. Total fluke that it was even caught because she had no symptoms, but the first doc was on it like DTR on a Julie Bowen fantasy. The first time she saw the surgeon, he said the other doc had called him at 7:30 AM to ask how it looked, and he said, "She hasn't even been in here yet. Let me see her and I'll get back to you." I figure it's the universe compensating her for her poor marriage choices.
Click to expand...
Good news on all fronts! Congratulations
 
Dude! That's killer! Stay after it!
A huge CONGRATS to Mrs. Alantig! :)
 
Glad to hear about your progress. Stoked to hear about the Mrs! I'll raise a glass in your direction tonight.
 
alantig said:
Remember those cool blue Silver Sky models that came out this year?

This isn't about one of those.

New surgical scar day - it's trigger finger surgery time. On the bright side, in a few hours, I should have full motion back in the finger, but I probably won't be playing for another couple weeks. Not that it's any different than right now - I can't bend the finger to play more than barre chords. But this should keep me from becoming a full-time slide player.

So, even if you've heard me play, if you can spare a good thought today, I'll be getting the Ginsu treatment here in a couple hours. This is my excuse for any gibberish I post later today. Any other day, it's just me.
Click to expand...

Every job I've ever had, has been dangerous and I've had to be very careful with my left hand so, I have an idea of what you're going through. Although, I've never had an accident. Knock on wood.


Sending good vibes, and happy thoughts, along with prayers
 
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