Hand surgeon - Part II

Yesterday was the appointment with the new hand surgeon for my second opinion. I think I have found a winner. I liked this new surgeon much, much better. He is planning to perform the same surgery with the notable exception of using manufactured bone product instead of harvesting bone from my wrist. So surgery is set for the second week of December. They pushed it back two weeks from the initial date which I don't love but what can I do.

They will make an incision in the side of the finger, open up the bone and scrape out the tumor. Then they will pack bone graft into the bone and immobilize it until it heals. The crappy part is that enchondromas are very likely to reoccur. Because it is little more than an overgrowth of cartilage inside the bone it is a surgery that may very likely be repeated a few times. I was not thrilled to hear that part. So anyway, it will be outpatient surgery done at a surgical center. It will require a fair amount of follow up to make sure the tumor doesn't re-grow. After about 6 months I will go to once a year x-rays to keep an eye on it.

The best news of the day was that during the day I have switched from the removable cast to a "finger buddy system". I have to wear two straps around my ring and pinky fingers to stabilize them. It is so nice to not have the bulky cast on but it definitely hurts more to have it unprotected. But I'll take it.

I am so looking forward to having this chapter over and done with. It irritates me that this will be plaguing me over the Christmas holiday but maybe (if I look at the bright side) I should realize that this also means that while I am healing the girls won't be in school, Brian will be home (slightly) more and I might get more help. Silver lining...