Hand Surgery Update

Suzanne had her pre-surgery consultation with Dr. Higgins at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore today. Due to the holidays, she has opted to have the surgery on January 5th, rather than have the hospitalization and recovery interfere with the festivities. The aim of this surgery is to increase the function and flexibility in her right hand. Even though she’s right hand dominant, currently it is impossible for Suzanne to make a fist or pick up a cup of coffee, because of the loss of muscle and tightly wrapped scar tissue. Renowned surgeon, Dr. Higgins, has indicated that the surgery will take about 6 hours, and will result in a 4-5 night hospital stay, to monitor the grafted skin and migrated tendon. Image shows the tendon migration. Four weeks later, Sue will need to return to have some pins removed from the bones. And another follow-up surgery, three months later, will need to be done to finish what this surgery will start. Sometime after 4 weeks, but before the third month follow-up, she’s expected to have her final leg operation on the right stump, to [hopefully finally] close the weeping wound, and remove the traumatic neuroma which is causing much of the pain in that leg. And so it goes...