Rant

[The Pianist]

Sorry, I should be asleep right now... I've tried... I've even got an assesment tomorrow at 9am... but I just can't sleep.

Being so much in love with music and the piano, I have mostly avoided contact sports because 1 I don't really like them.... but I was terribly concerned about the possibility of stuffing up my fingers majorly.

So all has been happy... no injuries... nothing

So whats happened now? Somehow the muscles in my left wrist have gotten too big or something and are shoving up against my tendons and nerves. I can't play 90% of my music because I have jarring pains in my wrist. Whats the solution, apparently its opening up my wrist and snipping the carple flap or something. Whats even better is that I'm right near exams... I'll be lucky to pass them even if manage to deferr the exams for ages.....


Damn

 

[MrMacphisto]

Sorry to hear that, man. I hope everything works out for ya.

 

[qjakal]

Surgery..

I had a similar problem and had it corrected surgically about 8 months ago. 3 weeks of physical therapy at a place that specialized in hands only and I was back to 95% strength and flexibility. I'd look into it, and the sooner the better, since it only gets worse, as you've already noticed. PM me if you'd like to discuss it in more detail...

Q

 

[The Pianist]

Thanks for the support... as with many things for me though.... I was depressed about it last night... but I got over it and was back to my normal happy self around noon today. It also helped that I've been talking to alot of people that have information.

Yeah, it does sound as if the procedure will be a breeze... still have been told I need to make sure I get someone thats good and all but it shouldn't be that drastic of thing eventually....

And also to do with uni, provided I have the documentation, they will left me discontinue the subject without recieving a FAIL (I will only know after the dealine) and even will lodge a HECS retractment form for me which means I won't have to pay for all the un-used lessons and the like. And a possibility that my piano lecturer is looking into, is that if I'm back up to health soon enough I might be able to overload a little next semester and I won't end up being behind all my peers....

So its looking better at the moment at the least.

 

[red indian]

DO NOT!!!!!!!!........

.......have ANY SURGERY OF ANY KIND!!!! with out thinking very long and very hard about it, and after seeking the advice of a minimum of two surgeons. Also MAKE VERY SURE that your medical advisors understand why you want ther surgery, and what you hope to acheive as a result.

I speak from hard, bitter, painfull and disastrous hand surgery to "prolong" my playing career.

PLEASE PM ME AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

 

[qjakal]

The hand of red

Sounds like we had 2 diametrically opposed experiences red. My left wrist was at the point of being unusable in most activities before I submitted to the inevitable. While I came out of it wishing I had done it far sooner, it seems you wish you'd never attempted it at all. Was yours botched in some way, or were there unexpected complications? Either way, sorry to hear it didn't go well and hope you're getting it corrected as well as possible...

Q

 

[The Pianist]

Though I've been told that the surgery has a very high success rate and is comparitively easy compared to some other operations, I am still hoping to find some other alternatives.

I have been told that Physiotherapy will not be able to solve the problem only help with the recovery.

I have been trying to look for alternatives on the internet, but all the sites so far are to do with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which involves the nerves and bones. My problem, although similar, instead involves the muscles and the carpal flap (the thing that holds your wrist together really). Unfortunately I cannot remember the correct name for the problem so that has also made it more difficult.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[Lazarus]

I have had...

Carpal Tunnel for awhile now, and am just now getting it fixed, as I can barely use my right hand, being right handed is a curse sometimes, but the numbness, and nerve damage is too extensive.

It has gotten to the point my hand will jerk, and if I'm holding something, it flies out.

The surgery is scheduled for sometime in the next month...

Laz

 

[red indian]

To answer your Q....Q........

......my surgery was to "correct" damage done to my hand due to a rare form of arthritis. It was becoming increasingly difficult to play but i was still able to do so. However, surgery was recommended by my medical advisors. Stupidly I agreed to it, assuming they knew what they were doing and why they were doing it. Unfortunately this was not the case and I ended up with the kind of standard job they would carry out on a pensioner who just needs to be able to get the top off a jar of marmite and sweep the kitchen floor.

The first operation sealed my fate and i have not played since (nearly four years now) I went back for another throw of the dice but the second operation just made the hand worse. Its the most expensive hand surgery ever carried out at that hospital but it turned out to be a waste of money.

So my advice it to be very carefull before having surgery on your hands if you are a musician.

 

[The Pianist]

Well, after my consulation a few things have been cleared up. For starters, surgery might be the solution to the wrong problem.

You see my GP was more interested in some degeneration on one part of my wrist (probably caused by a nasty sprain a few years ago) than the muscles pushing everything around. Eitherway though, she's referred me to a surgeon... not because she thinks that surgery will be the best option, but because he's a hand specialist and he might be able to give me a better idea of which direction I could head. Because as my GP told me, she only knows enough to be able to give me short term solutions... she needs someone else for long term ones.

Eitherway, I'm also going to check up with the Musical Physiotherapist to see if we can work backwards at all to any other hand specialists... and my Aunt's also having an occasional hunt around.

As far as everything else goes though, I discontinued my practical subject for this semester today so at the least I can give it a rest and it will also mean I can take a little more time while trying to find the best solution.

anyway, thanks for your support everyone... I'll keep you posted if anything happens.

 

[P50]

Ask your expert(s) about massive doses of the B-Complex Vitamins.

Approximately Zero persons have ever been hurt by increasing their B-complex intake, especially in the USA where food is the BU$INE$$ of the country. (You can prepare institutional and commercially processed foods far more profitably at the cost of the B-complex vitamins.)

Too much B-6 and you can risk a rare condition. I'm not a doctor and all that.

Ask about trying the B-Complex in extra large doses; like a B-50 complex twice and three times as much as you're doing now.

Selling point: a bottle of B-50 complex is pretty cheap. Vitamin stores normally beat the grocery stores on this.

Do a web search for vitamins and you will be quite happy with prices and convenience; click-click and delivered.

 

[The Pianist]

Just an Update

Well, I seem to be climbing up the ladder of "what the hell is wrong with it?." First it they thought it was RSI (and gave me drugs), then from an ultrasound they though I'd need to cut open my carple flap.... then from an Xray they thought I had some early stages of arthritis...

But now after seeing a specialist, I am off to have an MRI on my wrist because he thinks since all previous suggestions just don't have enough evidence to support them... I might actually have some cartlidge floating around in the wrong place.

If it turns out that I do... that'll most likely mean surgery.... but at least I'm hoping that since they'll be removing stuff that isn't really supposed to be there, that there'll be less complications and the like.

At the stage though, I don't really care what the problem is, I just want to find out so I know what I can do about it. It is just so time consuming booking appointments and tests... grrr... its so frustrating knowing that I'm going to have to wait another week to have a test for which the results wont be ready for a week after that and then after that hoping that I can book the solution fast enough.