Curiosity Chronicles — 15

A post-surgery update

Feb 22, 2025

Hello friends

I have started writing this several times and flamed out each time. This year has been a lot already, hasn’t it? I figured, why bother keeping up with blog posts, creating art and newsletters when the world is burning? Who will want to read my ramblings at a time like this? But then I realised that keeping people apart and fracturing connections is what fascists and others seeking unchecked power want to do. It makes us controllable and susceptible to their misinformation campaigns. Not only that, but art, novels, poetry, letter writing and sharing life let us focus on the beauty surrounding us and stay connected. These things provide an outlet and an avenue to express not only love and care, but also dissent. So, dear readers, here I am to share my thoughts with you again, and I will continue to do so, as mundane as it may seem at this point in history.

Let’s get to it. This time, I have a post-surgery update for you.

I am finally back into the swing of everyday routines, albeit a little slower than I usually would after I had surgery to correct two issues in my right wrist in early November last year. The first was carpal tunnel syndrome, and the second was an abutment between the bones in my hand and my forearm bone, which is a genetic difference that made my ulna repeatedly crash into my carpals whenever I moved or put pressure on the joint.

My fancy new hardware and a wrist with more room to move. You can see the residual damage on the bottom of the carpals on the right from where the ulna crashed.

The why

My initial options for both were to manage with regular cortisone injections and cutting out activities that aggravated the issues. I tried this passive management approach for 18 months, and that just made me stabby because I had to stop doing all the things I enjoyed doing, as well as the things I wanted to do to get healthier.

Mid last year I was in pain, losing strength in my hand and arm due to the issues, and had I left them untreated would have resulted in arthritis in my dominant hand down the track a ways. Not great for someone who writes, paints and plays music. It would also have flowed onto the inability to lift weights and carry heavy things, as well as putting any pressure at all on that wrist, which in the long term not only would have stopped me lifting altogether but would have made it nigh on impossible to get myself up off the floor if I had a fall in my later years. So, I saw the surgery as a way of futureproofing myself and paving the way for a fit, active and with any sort of luck, independent elderhood. It was time to let someone else do a little stabbing to fix things once and for all.

The hospital

Given that this was my first surgery, I didn’t really have anything to compare it to. I knew some of what to expect because Mr Collier has had more surgeries than I have fingers and toes to count them on, and he walked me through what was likely to happen. Another silver lining to being married to a combat soldier! What we did not anticipate was that it was US election day, and the news coverage blaring in the waiting room did nothing to soothe my nerves. Nor did it help that we had to sit in said waiting room for longer than we were told to expect. Elevated blood pressure...oops.

By the time we were finally taken back to do the last of the admission checks, we were jumpy and felt rushed but had a good laugh when the admitting nurse told us we were a very cute old couple when he saw us holding hands, and Mr Collier kissed me to reassure me. Ouch! A bit of a rude shock to be called old. We don’t feel old, but I suppose it’s a relative thing to a young nurse. Also, it was a little sad that the nurse apparently hadn’t seen people our age being affectionate.

There were a couple of communication-related hiccups while we waited for me to be released, and thankfully, it was day surgery, so we could head home, regroup and settle in our own space.

The pain subsided quicker than I expected, but finding a comfortable sleeping position was difficult, and the heavy-duty meds in the first day or two made me feel loopy and disconnected, so I was keen to stop taking that as soon as possible. Over-the-counter meds kept things under control enough to ride the pain rollercoaster until it abated...or until I got used to it being there.

Perimenopausal hormones combined with broken sleep was a recipe for disaster though, and I had a couple of teary moments. Still, things got better when I started exercising again and could actively manage my frustration with doing things left-handed, heat rash from the dressing and splint, and not being in my regular routine. And although it sounds like bliss, I didn’t cope very well with being waited on hand and foot by my lovely and very patient husband. It seems I fare much better as the looker-after-er than the invalid. Now I know how Mr Collier feels when I mother-hen around him when he is injured or unwell! Sorry lover!

The Gilmore Girls marathon

My approach to managing the anticipatory stress of the surgery was to plan for a Gilmore Girls marathon while I was recovering and stuck on the couch. I gave myself something to look forward to! I had watched the series years before and knew that it was good fun — light weight and no surprises. Knowing the outcomes of a familiar story was very comforting when I was very much off-kilter in early recovery.

Mr Collier watched most of it with me and we both got invested in the drama, chose ‘teams ‘and debated where we wanted the storylines to go. It was fun and a great distraction. I am reliably informed that the GG forums online are utter madness and filled with scary opinionated people. Ha!

The rehab and recovery

Within a week after surgery, I was playing guitar for short stints — thankfully it was my strumming hand and not my fretting hand that was out of action! Fingerpicking was out of the question until about week eight and then it took some concentration.

Within two weeks, I was trying to draw and paint with mixed results when I decided to do an experiment drawing the same things with both hands to see how they compared. As my fine motor control started to return, I also experimented with looser styles and different media. There’s a link below to an article with those experiments on my art blog.

After three weeks off work, getting back into the swing of knowledge-work was very tiring. My brain took a surprising amount of time to get past the anaesthetic. My fuzzy head made everything go just that little bit slower when I was trying to think things through, and I was very grateful to be working from home, where I could nap at lunchtime. Not that I was cleared to drive until week eight anyway!

Oddly enough, I can tell you that driving after being unable to do so for a couple of months was possibly the best feeling of all! I love to be out in my racy red Mini!

As I slide past the four-month mark, I can finally draw for longer periods without wobbly lines. A couple of weeks ago, I attended my first Urban Sketching group meeting in a very long time. That was taxing but enjoyable, as always.

I got back into the gym with pulling exercises after Christmas, and this month, I have started with push exercises and some yoga to get everything mobile and flexible again now that I can bear weight on my wrist. Of course, I have been a conscientious little muffin and do the required physio exercises every day!

The happily ever after

It's difficult to tell yet, but early indications are that the interventions were successful. I have a little residual pain and lack of flexibility with the carpal tunnel part of the surgery, but that will come good in the next few months. Short-term goals for regaining normal use of the wrist and arm for weight-bearing activities are well on track, and the longer-term goals will be realised in about 10-20 years. So, we shall see, but I am very hopeful. I have no idea if the left arm suffers from the same genetic mutation as the right one — it has not yet manifested the same symptoms. If it does, I will be pressing for immediate surgery to get that fixed rather than wasting time trying to work around it, and being my non-dominant side, recovery will be way less frustrating! Onward and upwards!

The ‘what now’ for 2025?

I have yet to summarise my learnings from last year’s focus on sageing and think that rather than choosing a new focus word for 2025, I will take the time to consolidate what I learned and build some solid foundations for the transition into retirement in the future. I have time! In terms of writing topics for the coming year? I haven’t figured that out yet either. I shall figure that out as I go.

I have a feeling the year ahead will be a big one, so I shall sashay into it with a clear mind and happy and grateful heart ... and see what happens.