Thursday 22 May
Not a bad day today, after an average night when I was woken up twice by either pain or lack of feeling in the wrist and fingers. The strategy I have adopted is to constantly stimulate the wrist, palm and fingers through deep massage and rubbing; this seems to help with the stiffness and intensity of the shooting pains. Deep massage with my left hand can be quite painful, especially on my recalcitrant middle and little fingers, and over the scar but it brings blood into the hand and seems to short circuit the skin sensitivity and burning sensation. As soon as I feel the burning pain starting to ache, I rub vigorously the area; when it is over the scar, it can be excruciating but I persist because after 2 or 3 minutes the pain diminishes and the tissues seem to regain some suppleness and as a consequence the pain is alleviated and does not become as intense. It also gives me a feeling of retaining some control over these pains, which really helps.
Another thing it does, I think, is to keep my brain aware of my right hand; I have a feeling that these constant reminders help reconnect the brain with my hand.
Constant movement and rubbing also help me use my hand more during the day, but it is a constant battle and I cannot let it stay idle for too long, have to stay vigilant, it’s a bit like being at war with your own hand/brain and trying to stay one step ahead on them.
This diurnal battle actually helps the nights; my hand was a bit more supple this morning than usual, less discoloured and more ‘irrigated”, more responsive when I woke up, it took less time to wake it up.
Exercises today:
- forced extensions
- slow extension and flexion with weight (1 kg)
- throwing darts
- dribbling and throwing/catching ball
- rice manipulation
- pushing away from wall
plus I started doing “push-ups” against wall, standing up, with my hands at shoulder level; a bit awkward but OK. My right shoulder and elbow are still hurting so this was my way to try to give them a workout.
I have also started carrying a 2.5 kg weight in my right hand with the arm extended along the body. I have read that helps the brain’s awareness of the hand.
Monday 12 May
Did a lot of exercises today, forced extension after heat and massage, lots of hook fist and flexing/extending fingers (doing it on a musical beat helps a lot), as well as the exercise against the wall and pushing away with the hand (did this about six times). This last exercise is quite painful, in fact excruciating but strangely satisfying: after 10 to 15 reps, it actually feels like I have exerted the muscles of the arm, it gives me the sensation of regaining control over my arm and reconnecting the wires to the brain; it’s like discovering new muscles after exercising, and it is a good feeling.
Scar is still sore, swollen and hard to the touch but hasn’t impeded the exercises so far.
Sunday 11 May
Long walk this morning with Janine (3 hours).
Exercises:
- heat, massage, forced extension: twice (once with 2.5 k weight, hanging off edge of table)
- rice, with flick of the wrist upwards: once
- shoulder exercises: three times
- reps with weight: twice with 500g
- hook and fist, gliding: once
After shoulder exercises, feel good, feeling of reconnecting with arm has increased
Scar still painful and inflamed.
Saturday 10 May
Did 3 hours of gardening in the morning (bringing and spreading top soil, planting seeds, mulching and watering).
Did a long walk in the afternoon (2 hours), with short runs on Malabar beach and climbing steep hill.
Exercises:
- did extensive rice exercise: transferred 2 kilos of rice from one bowl to another, four times; this involved grabbing the rice tightly into my fist (so that none would fall down) and opening the fist quickly to let the rice fall.
- massage and forced wrist extension (with other hand): once
- shoulder exercises: once, quite painful but I could lift my right hand a bit more in my back and still push away from the wall. These exercises make me feel that I am reconnecting with my right arm and shoulder, this is a good feeling, at last I am regaining a bit of control…
- reps with 500g weight over edge of table, felt OK; did quite a lot of reps.
My scar is still quite red and painful though. Am wondering if it is infected.
Friday 9 May
My scar has been sore and quite red for the last 2 days. Had a physio session today. Florence, the physiotherapist, thinks there may be an infection under the scar. Will have to kep an eye on it.
My wrist extension measurement was not better so the exercises I did during the week do not seem to have helped. I tell Florence that I really want to regain more extension, that my current extensin level is not acceptable to me, there are quite a number of movements I cannot do with the current extension.
Florence gives me a series of exercises to work on the extension and flexion and regain strength and flexibility in my arm muscles and shoulder.
2 hourly sequence:
1) apply heat
2) massage
3) wrist extension stretches (with other hand)
4) ROM X’s
Three times a day:
1) shoulder exercises
- hands on hips, press down, feel stretch in between shoulders
- standing against a wall, place hand behind back at the height where it can push the body away from the wall
2) with a 500 g weight: forearm on table, hand hanging beyond table edge, wrist extension upwards then slow and controlled descent
Sunday 4 th May
I have been doing a lot of exercises today. My goal is to regain more extension of the wrist towards the forearm. I cannot accept that I will have a stiff wrist for the rest of my life. I want to be able to do push-ups, if I wish to, yoga postures such as the cobra, salutation to the sun, the dog, the cat, etc., grab jars or bottles in my right hand and pour from them without positioning my forearm to allow for a limited extension. Regaining an acceptable degree of wrist extension has become extremely important to me.
The exercises I did today:
- more sitting at the edge of a chair, with forearm on right thigh, and lifting hand upwards; a number of sets during the day plus a few more in the evening after putting my hand in hot water to loosen it up.
- flicking wrist towards the forearm, in different positions: forearm horizontal, vertical, left hand holding right forearm, etc.
- hook fist and finger extension,
- a lot of rice manipulation, does wonders for regaining fine sensitory feelings in my wooden fingers and palm; also grabbing a handful of rice and then flicking the wrist upwards.
Had a reasonably long walk this morning (8-9 km). Did gardening for two hours in the afternoon: digging and putting soil in big bucket (using left hand and right forearm to push the shovel), carrying full buckets and spreading soil and mulch onto garden (with my right hand), watering (10 litre watering can), mainly with left hand but with occasional help from right hand. Was exhausted afterwards, am really out of shape.
Had to use the TENS tonight for about an hour, pain on surface of skin was too accute.
Trying to regain mobility-Saturday 3rd May
I have been asked to do regular exercises:
- hook fist to get my fingers more flexible, especially the middle and little fingers,
- extension and flexion of the wrist,
- grabbing rice in a bow.
Since I do feel better and more in control of my hand, I have also decided to work on the muscles of my arm and try to regain more wrist extension.
I have been doing arm movements: large circles forward and backward, circles with arm flexed and hand on shoulders, arms up and down, arms extended in front of the body and flexed back toward the body.
As for working on the wrist extension, I sit at the edge of a chair with my legs at shoulder width and my right forearm resting along my right thigh and I lift my wrist upwards. I have also used a light jar of fruit (300g) in my hand to add a bit of weight to the movement. I only felt a bit of disconfort, no real pain. Can’t tell whether the wrist extension has improved.
Later this evening had an attack of CRPS pain, not too severe and chose not to use the TENS. The pain lasted for about two hours. Middle finger felt very stiff and ‘woody’.
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