Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Buy One, Get One...Well...for Double the Cost

Today I went back to see my favorite South African Ortho surgeon to discuss the results of my NCS and EMG tests. Since the tests only showed a mild recurrence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (which I'm told never completely goes away) in my right arm, Dr. Millard advised me to give the nerve more time to heal and to do some nerve stretches. Nerves can take months if not years to heal so I'm stuck dealing with the recurring pain in my right arm.

I also asked Dr. Millard about the mystery bump which had appeared just on the outside of the bony tip on the right elbow. He said it was likely a slipped tendon but he hadn't done any work on that side of the elbow at all so it wasn't related to the surgery. I also told him that most people who have a Subcutaneous Transposition report 3-6 inch scars and the pics look pretty ugly but he somehow managed to give me this really faint 2 inch scar. His response was that he always thought he should have been a plastic surgeon!

Anyway, the tests had also confirmed Carpal Tunnel and Guyon Canal Syndromes in my left arm which was previously undiagnosed. At this point, Dr. Millard said the way to proceed was up to me. But given the history I had with my right arm, he suggested that I'd eventually end up having surgery but he couldn't advise when. So I can wait until the arm gets worse or go ahead with surgery now while it's still not that bad. My feeling on it is that it will be easier to recovery if the damage is less severe and I'd also rather get it over with.

The good news is that since this is my left arm and there's no indication of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome in my elbow, I'll only have to miss a few days of work and then I should be okay to return and just take things slow with one hand. I can also work from home if needed. So my second surgery is scheduled for April 26th, a little over 6 months after the first one. I'll have to withdraw from school for the Spring quarter but I should be pretty well healed by the Summer session.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Hey, I'm Bilateral!

So I finally sucked it up and decided to go back to see Dr. Millard. The big clencher was that I'm coming up on the end of my quarter at school and on the very slim chance he says I need to go back in for more surgery, I will have to withdraw from school again so I need to know sooner rather than later.

When Dr. Millard came in, he immediately said "So which arm are you here for this time?" which I thought was pretty amusing since I'd spent a very uncomfortable night the night before with BOTH arms hurting. I'd had a few symptoms off and on in my left arm since the summer but nothing major so I'd never brought it up. But I suppose now is as good a time as any. I told him that the pain in my right arm had been consistent over the past few weeks and I had some similar symptoms in my left as well. And much to my chagrin and totally expected, he said he was sending me back for another EMG and NCS but this time in both arms for the ulnar nerve in the elbow as well as the Guyon Canal and Carpal Tunnel in the wrist. I was really not looking forward to the needles and electric shocks again.

My second experience with an EMG and NCS was no more fun than the first one, in fact it was definitely worse. Mostly because it was doubled since this time I was tested in both arms. The tests were done this time by Dr. Rossi, a colleague of Dr. Millard's. First he did the Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) which isn't really fun but not horrible. The shocks can really make you jump and some hurt a little. Next came the Electromyography (EMG) test. This one is not fun! He took a small needle and poked it in various muscles of my arm and hand. Each time he placed it in a muscle, he dug it around and then would have me flex the muscle so he could listen and see the electrical activity of my arm. Flexing against a needle is quite painful. The worst places were when the needle was in my hand.

Afterwards, my hands hurt a lot and my arms just felt overall sore as if they had been worked really hard or were bruised. Dr. Rossi said that based on what he saw, I still had mild Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my right hand and mild Carpal and Guyon Canal Syndromes in my left, which was previously undiagnosed. I'm officially bilateral. So based on his results, there's no reason for me to have pain in my right pinkie finger or elbow, something I don't buy. So basically, the torture tests are inconclusive in my book. He can't tell me that I don't have pain when I do. Now I just have to wait to see what Dr. Millard says.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Pain Returns...

So it's mid March and suddenly I'm having issues again. My little finger and sometimes my ring finger are aching and sometimes my elbow feels sore and tender. I still get random feelings of being stabbed in the elbow with needles. I'm not sure if it's a result of more work being thrown at me since I switched jobs or if it's the result of something else.

On February 15th, I was at the movies with Rhys when I hit my elbow really hard on the arm rest. I very nearly let loose with some pretty bad words right in the middle of the movie but managed to hold my tongue which was a really good thing since it was a kids movie and the place was full of kids and their parents. Afterwards, my elbow was pretty tender for a couple of days.

Then last week, I was checking out my scar on my elbow (which is fading really well) in the bathroom mirror. I had my arm bent all the way back so my hand was touching my shoulder and I noticed a raised white line on the outside of my epicondyle (the boney bump of your elbow). Now, I've checked out me elbow a lot over the past few months and I've NEVER seen this raised line before. And there's no matching raised area on my other elbow either. When I run a finger over it, it's numb like novacaine. The area is about a centimeter long.

I'm pretty sure that it's not normal to be able to see a ligament or tendon or something suddenly appear where it wasn't visible before. It seems awfully unprotected from injury if I can see it with the naked eye just by bending my arm. I can't even imagine hitting it at this point. The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

So now I'm playing a waiting game. I'm hoping the pain that seems to have come at the same time as this suspicious raised bump is just the added stress of more work and will resolve itself. If not, I'll have to consult back with Dr. Millard and I really don't want to do that. I really don't think there's much else he can do on my right arm. Here's hoping that it all works itself out!