Sunday 25 May

Friday was not a good day, extremely tired; hand needs to be massaged frequently to keep some suppleness and reduce pain. Is stiff and swollen. Could only manage a few exercises.

Saturday: did some gardening, not too bad but clumsy. Burning skin and some shooting pains in wrist, and up to the elbow and shoulder.  Dribbled ball and threw it against wall, threw darts. Fingers swollen and sore.

Sunday: long walk in the morning to Maroubra beach, wore cotton ’sock’ on hand and wrist, can’t stand the wind on skin. Saw dolphins frolicking in the ocean, great view, sunny day, went to the garden in the afternoon and used hand OK.  

Am in quite a lot of pain at night, extreme skin sensitivity (I put the silicon sheet on the scar and this helped a bit) and electric pains in thumb and wrist, elbow and shoulder are better though.  I had to deep massage the palm, fingers and forearm almost continually to get a bit of relief.

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’.