This has been a long time coming really. And today is the day. Originally I had seen a more local Hand Surgeon and he only offers the trapeziectomy surgery, for which he doesn’t believe I’m a good candidate for, due to my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome issues. ie by relying on a tendon that’s likely to be too lax to stay still, the surgery is very unlikely to be successful.

I’m definitely inclined to believe him, and I admire his caution. However waiting 5 to 10 years while joints are collapsing isn’t fun either, so I’m off to find out about possible different surgical options. Such as implants or fusion procedures.

As you can see it is collapsing all the time in the cmc and mcp joint. Making it difficult to hold pens, cups, and even flatten my hand to push up from.

So here I am, seeing a totally new doctor. It was originally meant to be Mr Craigen, but then it was switched to Mr Brewster and then changed again to Mr Bolt. So let’s see how this appointment goes…

Not at a bad appointment really, I was offered surgery literally next month, but I’m still using walking poles and sticks, so I’ve opted to return in 3 months time, and have new x-rays. He also wants to discuss my options with fellow surgeons.

He instantly ruled out the Trapeziectomy like the first surgeon did. And he also ruled out the Implant as he said it would dislocate too much. So I’m left with a Fusion or also known as Arthrodesis, which would change how the hand lies, but would limit range, therefore reduce pain. Or the other option is a customized version of Trapeziectomy with a sleeve to hold the tendon in place.

So lots to think about and research really, I expressed my desire to have this summer for camping and fun, and he really understood where I was coming from, which helped put me at ease. So we are pencilling in a winter surgery.