[Beadingmypassion]

I'm new to this forum and am not sure which sub-forum I should be posting this issue on. So I'll start here.

Two months ago I tripped and fell. I cracked my left ankle and broke my right wrist. The ankle turned out to not be serious and is already pretty much healed. But the wrist and hand are in bad shape.

I had surgery to repair the break 5 days after the fall - I'd broken the tops off both the radius and ulna. The ER docs reduced the breaks and put on a cast, and referred me to a surgeon. Normally I'm a very effective advocate for myself, but I don't think I was at my best this time. I did a little googling to check out the doc, also checked Angie's List, and the doc got mixed reviewers. Suddenly unable to drive and dependent on a limited support system, I went with this referral. He seemed ok and had what seemed a good plan for the surgery. So I went ahead.

After the surgery the doc told me my bones were osteoporotic and soft, so for maximum stability he'd placed plates and pins in to hold both bones together as they healed. I've suffered some other breaks in The past - broke my R shoulder in a fall in 2008, my L elbow, also in a fall, in 2002 (no, I'm not normally a clutz). I'd healed well from both and, though not fun experiences, have recovered well. So I had no reason not to expect good results with the wrist.

But not having use of my dominant hand was initially, and continues to be, devastating. I'm a fine-beading artist and since I am otherwise physically disabled (severe scoliosis), my fine-motor skills have been a critical function in both my physical and mental health. When I broke my shoulder, though that was tough, I still had full use of my hand.

I was in a post-op cast for 2 weeks, then moved to a molded plastic cast for 4 more weeks as the doc was concerned about the less than optimum bone mass. I could take off the plastic cast to bathe, and do gentle flexing of the fingers, but that was all. I was in terrific amount of pain, both in the wrist and in the hand and fingers. My thumb, index and middle fingers felt like they were on fire, and at times so did my palm.

Once I got the cast off I started OT. this was 6 weeks post-op. By that time, it was clear that my hand was severely effected. I feel like I have more of a claw than a hand. OT has focused on building strength with theraputty, but this week she's having me pull back a bit because of increased pain. My OT is pretty surprised at the amount of numbness I have, and could only suggest that a nerve was somehow nicked. She could't give a prognosis, of course.

I saw the doc this week, and I have to say I'm totally unhappy with him. He's not a communicator, just wants to do the exam and shove you out the door. Any doctor that you have to ask questions as he walks away from you after a 5-minute exam is a bad doc, in my opinion. His assessment at this is point is that "you're basically healed now, let pain be your guide as to what you do." And he doesn't think I need to return for followup exams. I had to really push to get copies of my X-rays.

So, my current condition: the wrist doesn't feel too bad, feels like its healing and I've been doing the exercises to improve flexibility, and those seem to be working. But the fingers are the big issue. I have what I call "numb and painfulness" at the same time in the thumb and first two fingers, with a little numbness in the third finger. I'd had a little numbness prior to the break, due to carpal tunnel, and part of the surgery was supposedly a carpal tunnel release. I don't think it worked, rather that it made it worse. The thumb is almost totally numb, but at times feels like its on fire, especially at night if I try to rest it on a pillow. The fingers are a combination of numbness and pain, with the ability to feel a slight amount of surface texture, but if I pick up something cold it feels like ice, and anything warm feels scalding hot. Things like edges of rigid items, like plastic boxes or stiff paper, feel like knives are cutting me. The prickly part of Velcro feels like a million tiny needle poking holes in my skin when I grasp a Velcro strap to undo it from the brace on the opposite hand.

The hand overall feels but does not look swollen. The muscles of the palm and the palm-side of the fingers twang like an electric rubber band is being twanged if I move them a certain way. Very unpleasant and painful. Working with the theraputty loosens things up a bit, but I have to be careful to stretch the digits after doing the exercises to reduce the twanging.

I'm emotionally devastated and scared. I would welcome input from anyone who has been through hand and wrist injuries, and insight into treatment modalities, quality of life issues, length of recovery, etc. While I realize that two months is early days in this healing process, I can't help but think that I need to consider getting a second opinion at least, and that if I don't address the nerve damage issue early on, it will be too late.

I want my life back!

Thanks for any and all feedback.