Day 35 – Improvements

The days continue with my five exercise sessions starting every morning and ending every night. I am still concerned about my fingers not being able to open completely and that they still want to curve inwards. However I have five more days until I visit the doctor and the physiotherapist again. To stay on a positive note, today I’d like to outline some of the improvements I have noticed since I have had the cast removed. Just to note, I could not do these things four days ago:

1. I can hold my camera in my left hand and operate the shutter with my right hand using my index finger
2. I can pull the right side of my pants together and I am now able to do up my pants button
3. I can open the fridge door with my right hand
4. I can shift my center console into drive and back into Park in my Honda Civic
5. I can press enter on the keyboard as well as click a few keys the some of my fingers
6. I can lift an empty cup of coffee
7. I tied my shoelaces yesterday, although in a very unique way
8. I held strawberries while I cut them with my left hand
9. I can plug the micro USB power plug into my Windows phone
10. I can lift a bottle of water and drink it using my right hand
11. I can do my zipper up with my right hand
12. I can pat my dogs with my right hand
13. my right hand is not hurt as much
14. my fingers are more nimble
15. my hand is not as deformed as it was two weeks ago

I still do not take any more painkillers during the day, however I am still taking the prescribed painkillers and one Advil before bedtime to help me sleep. I find that I have some good days and bad days and I’m not certain what I did to get the good days or what I did to cause the bad days. For example, I only slept one and half hours on Sunday night. I was up most of the night and fell asleep around 5 AM. When I woke up at 7 AM my hand wasn’t hurting at all. It seems like the swelling went down, my fingers were nimble, my stretching exercises were excellent and for the first day I felt real improvements. It was a huge jump forward. On Monday afternoon I decided to drive up to Ottawa and test-drive I fiat Abarth. My wife met me down in the plan was that she would test-drive it since it was a standard and I would be a passenger. However my hand was feeling quite well and I got in the car and I was able to manipulate the shifter using my right hand with the brace on. It did not seem to hurt at the time nor was it sore afterwards. By Tuesday morning when I woke up, my fingers were swollen and it was as if I went back three days. Did I overdo it by test driving the Abarth? I don’t know. I do not know why it was so good on Monday either. On Sunday I happen to have a double shot of wheatgrass for lunch with an amazing vegetable shake. I know wheatgrass works wonders and I’m starting to second-guess myself and think that it reduce the swelling. Probably not.

Mary, my physiotherapist called me yesterday to follow up on how I was doing. I’d center a link to my blog and she was able to watch the videos. She did explained that everyone reacts to surgery differently and that some have more or less swelling and more or less stiffness in their hands. It seems like I am on the far end spectrum of swelling and stiffness which means that I will have to work longer and harder to regain my movements. Now obviously I will not regain all of my movements but the goal is to have between 50 to 60% wrist movement and up to 75 to 80% grip strength. Mary was also concerned about my fingers and commented that we would discuss this issue with Dr. Steven McCabe next Tuesday and mentioned that physiotherapy is probably going to be required.

Since I am so far away from the hospital I will be using the physiotherapist locally in Cornwall, Ontario. I am assuming that the physiotherapist in Toronto will be able to relay the requirements to my physiotherapist in Cornwall.

I expect that the Dr. will have an x-ray taken next Tuesday see how the bones have settled in after the surgery. I am very anxious to have a look at that x-ray as well and while I am there I will ask for digital copy of the before and after x-ray for this blog and for my own personal interest.

For those of you in Canada I like to mention that I spoke with revenue Canada yesterday and they confirmed that much of my expenses including the hotel travel meals etc. would be tax deductible. Additionally, all of the purchases I’ve made such as Dragon software, VXI headset’s, WaterPik, electric razor, and other items to help me function properly without my primary hands are also tax deductible providing I have a letter from a doctor recommending these items. So for those of you going to this, it is important for you to have a letter from your doctor as specific as possible indicating what they recommend for you. Keep all of the letters and the receipts for tax time. In my case this is well over $2000 for hotel, train tickets, taxis, and more.