great story in the NYT today re Nebraska doctor having to tell his chronic pain patients he must

[csziggy]

51. Yeah, sometimes nothing much helps

I called Vicodin my "stupid pills" because they made me so dumb - and lot of stupid things I did here on DU were while I was taking them. While the piroxicam helped, the pain in my knees finally forced me to get them replaced. The knees hurt less the day after the surgery than they did the day before.

I had arthroplasty in the left thumb - they took a piece of tendon and put it in the joint to replace the cartilage that was no longer there. Although I had carpal tunnel surgery on the right hand the year before and on the left hand at the same time as the arthroplasty, that damn thumb was more debilitating than almost any other injury or surgery I have had! The shoulder that was reconstructed was not as much hassle.

I had to wear a brace on it for six weeks so I didn't have use of it. When you are used to having two mostly working hands, having a thumb that is non functional really gets in the way - especially when it's sticking out all the time. I couldn't fasten a bra or my pants. Wearing elastic waist pants was OK but I really can't go out in public without a bra.

Good luck with the hands - just be ready for the inconvenience.