Dear Readers,
About 6 years ago a physician in New York City who specializes in bone care X-rayed both my hands. The X-rays revealed that my thumb joints were worn away. Pivoting, swiveling and moving the thumbs caused the joints to rub together. As a result the pain increased and was intense. Daily activities such as opening a jar, pulling plastic off a container, brushing the dog, opening the doorknobs were painful to execute.
The hand is made up of many tiny bones plus larger ones. If the thumbs are compromised we'll have obstacles carrying out the simplest of tasks and in addition - pain.
As the years passed and the pain got more intense another bone doctor suggested trying cortisone shots to the thumb joints before considering surgery. He cautioned me that the shots may buy only a little time, perhaps a few months, maybe even one year of relief.
The procedure is simple. Here is a walk through:
First you lie down on the office gurney. You extend your arm to a comfortable outstretched position. The nurse swabs your hand with a brownish antiseptic that feels cool. The doctor has your X-rays in front of him on a lightbox. Then he asks the nurse to raise your thumb to open up the joint. That hurts but is bearable. He injects lidocaine, a numbing agent, into the joint. You feel the injection but the area soon numbs. After 30 seconds he injects the cortisone. The injection lasts a minute or less. The office procedure is over at that point. The nurse slips a small bandaide over the needle puncture.
Over the next 30 hours my hand ached. Then a miracle, the pain in my hand subsided and almost disappeared. The cost to me was $127 not including the first consultation with the doctor.
Is the hand not the single most important appendage of our body?
A doctor once said to me 'we take better care of our cars than ourselves'. So true.
All the best, Denny
