It has been six months, and I can finally say that things are starting to feel normal again with my elbow. It truly goes to show you what a slow process this recovery is in order to get back to 100%. If you have ready my previous posts, you would know that I was back to playing tennis and hockey and doing normal stuff after about 3 months. But in the last three months, there has always been a bit of lingering pain and weakness.
Now my elbow appears to be getting back to full strength. There is virtually no pain or discomfort doing normal, every day things. But if I exert myself with more strenuous activity (like hockey) there is definitely still soreness. The soreness seems to go away a day or two after the exertion. It is sore after my hockey games, but with a couple of days it is gone.
Another thing I have noticed which I have failed to mention in this blog is a weird discomfort when I put my elbow on a flat surface and put my arm at a 90 degree angle. What I mean by this: I like to put my elbow down and put my chin on my hand while sitting at my computer desk. It is very hard to describe: not a huge amount of pain or anything, just a weird discomfort. I imagine it is due to the ulnar nerve not being in its normal location...but that's just speculation.
All in all, I am pleased 6 months later. I finally feel like I can do things without saying to myself: take it easy, you recently had surgery.
Hi...Just read all ur posts becuz I just had Ulner nerve transposition (nerve was badly pinched in elbow) and carpel tunnel in the hand surgeries 4 wks ago. I work full time secretarial job & just a peck at keyboard right now but get it done slowly. Ijust turned 50 in Feb but I'm pretty active and up to the day of surgery I worked out w weights & and ran 2-5 miles everyday. I also am a bow hunter & ride 4 wheelers. I can tell you right now the thought of excersizing w wghts or even running make me cringe. I began some mobiliry therapy for the hand & first ? To the therapist was..."please tell me come Sept/Oct. I will be able to pull my bow back"???? She says hmmm 6 months yes u will. Im basically impatient and so he elbow is so uncomfortable and that pulling u say you feel I also feel! I Know I'm only 4 wks post op but I forget some times & simply tried to scrub something with that arm & wow the soreness or light pain/pull is there at that elbow like u said very tender. I truly don't envision ever being able to bow hunt or bow fish agan�� and the numbness & tingling seems to be more than before surgery and Dr says it could take years before that goes away and that the more part is the probably the nerve in hand waking up but that I will regain strength but not sure about muscle tone as I waited so long before seeing dr. Im thinking if u still have that pull/pain at 6 months then I'm not hunting this season no will I be riding 4 wheelers or dirt bikes his summer.
ReplyDeleteI am mother of 2 boys that play hockey & my husband plays & coaches at high school so I guess I will be avid fan with this elbow. I know I sound discouraged because I'm just so uncomfortable...Not really pain. And sounds like maybe I should not sell my bow or ATVs yet and just wait til 2018 season...Ugh! I need therapy for patients....Lol
Thanks for your posts cuz rally gave me some better time frames than the Dr or therapist gave!
Your experience seems very, very similar to mine! It is very easy to get discouraged and even easier to be impatient. I know it's hard to understand this at your stage in recovery, but after 6 months of recovery, you will probably realize looking back that six months is not long at all in the grand scheme of things. I look back now (my surgery was 2 years ago this week) and think it was just a quick bump in the road. And after years of suffering, I can't imagine not going through with it. I HATED not being able to play hockey. It broke my heart to not play in the father-son game at my son's practice. It drove me nuts to drive past tennis courts and see people playing and I couldn't. But now, I have returned to a normal life and having the surgery was one of the best decisions of my life. Hang in there! Don't give in to the temptations of exercise just yet! It will be worth it in the long run! -A.L.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the rundown!! I am considering having ulnar transposition after I threw something heavy under stress and somehow moved the ulnar nerve in my right elbow. This is my dominant hand grrr.
ReplyDeleteI dint have much tingling in my fingers unless I overdo it (like fixate on doing my hair too long or lift weights that require a bend in my elbow)
Still, I don't want to chance damaging the nerve further since it goes from the pinky to my neck!!!
But, I also don't want to mess up my arm for life!
I am a technologist, so I need my hands.
I agree that physical therapy won't help me pre-surgery but maybe post??
How long before u went to work or could shower normally??
Hi Dina! Thanks for reading. Post surgery physical therapy was an option with me. It was decided I did not need it...on either of my elbows. From what I remember, my surgeon said that some people need it, some people don't. I
ReplyDeleteAs for work, I was back to work after two days. I am a teacher so it was a little rough writing on the board with my left hand (as a righty) while my right arm was in a sling...but I got through it. I was relatively pain free with my arm in the sling so I didn't feel I needed to take a long period of time off. The problem was driving. I admit that I was stupid. I drove with my arm in a sling. One handed driving is not safe and looking back I should have taken more time off instead of commuting to work. I put myself at risk as well as other drivers on the roadway.
Showering: I'm really trying to dig deep into my memory banks here. It all depends on your definition of "normally." I was told from the start that I could shower. I just couldn't get my elbow wet for the first week. Then, once the stitches were out, I couldn't let the incision enter the direct water stream. After 3 weeks (I believe) I was free to shower without restrictions. I had to scrub using my other hand, of course.
Hope that helps! Good luck with your decision!
I have a question. I am 15 days out of surgery. Monday I accidentally used my bad arm to open my car door. Ever since then I feel or in worried that I messed thing up I'm just wondering if it's normal that the elbow feels as if there is a band around it? Like a weird feeling...numb, tingling like I have something around my arm. I do not remember feeling this in the days prior. Am I going nuts or are all these different sensations normal
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