I can give two thumbs up :)
I went for my post-MRI results with the consultant today.
I arrived early (45 minutes early) and was pleasantly surprised that she saw me early!! :)
She and I discussed the results and she informed me that (at this point, certainly) I don't need surgery :)
She sneaked out to speak with the physical therapist in the other room and they agreed that he would see me today as well!! :)
So,
I have a splint that the physical therapist made specifically for my thumb (that I can start wearing tomorrow once the glue has set fully) that I will wear whenever I am awake and not doing my physical therapy.
I have to do many-times-daily exercises with Soft Turquoise (a "putty"-like substance, each colour designed with specific resistance).
Basically, I do a squeezing motion with the putty between my fingers and thumb to create a "sausage" (which, of course, looks quite interesting with lumps *gag*).
I then lay the "sausage" down and pinch along it keeping my thumb and fingers in a circle, taking care not to do what my thumb naturally wants to do.
(I have what's known as Hitchhiker's Thumb and a tendency to use different muscles and tendons than most people to perform my daily tasks. When I crochet I hold the hook with my thumb bent back like that and the physical therapist indicated that not doing that and doing the pinching exercises while NOT doing that should greatly help improve things! :D )
So, I go back in a week after having done my exercises for a week ("playing with my putty") and he will re-assess.
I arrived early (45 minutes early) and was pleasantly surprised that she saw me early!! :)
She and I discussed the results and she informed me that (at this point, certainly) I don't need surgery :)
She sneaked out to speak with the physical therapist in the other room and they agreed that he would see me today as well!! :)
So,
I have a splint that the physical therapist made specifically for my thumb (that I can start wearing tomorrow once the glue has set fully) that I will wear whenever I am awake and not doing my physical therapy.
I have to do many-times-daily exercises with Soft Turquoise (a "putty"-like substance, each colour designed with specific resistance).
Basically, I do a squeezing motion with the putty between my fingers and thumb to create a "sausage" (which, of course, looks quite interesting with lumps *gag*).
I then lay the "sausage" down and pinch along it keeping my thumb and fingers in a circle, taking care not to do what my thumb naturally wants to do.
(I have what's known as Hitchhiker's Thumb and a tendency to use different muscles and tendons than most people to perform my daily tasks. When I crochet I hold the hook with my thumb bent back like that and the physical therapist indicated that not doing that and doing the pinching exercises while NOT doing that should greatly help improve things! :D )
So, I go back in a week after having done my exercises for a week ("playing with my putty") and he will re-assess.