So, Tuesday I went to my doctors appointment to get my pins removed in the office by my PA (Physician ASSISTANT). I was a little nervous only because the PA was going to do the pin removal, not the wonderful Dr. David Seigel... Anyways, after about 10 minutes of looking around the room for the right tools needed to dig these suckers out, he asked me, "So, where exactly are these pins in there." I had a puzzled look on my face, because i knew the general vicinity, but I assumed it was his duty to pin point them. Anyways, he proceeded with numbing the area locally and making an incision.
After 15 minutes or so of digging around my newly healed thumb joint with a pair of jagged scissors, he told me that he usually doesn't have this type of trouble. Apparently, orthopedists have a joke that "hardware removal is like finding a needle in the hay stack." I doubt it. I was about to offer up my left hand to try and yank those pins out for him... After admitting to me that he felt like a failure, he said it might be best to book an appointment in the OR the following day (Wednesday). I was relieved for him to clean me up, and throw a bandage over my wound.
I wish that I had gotten some pictures of the bloody mess that was made during this whole ordeal, but didn't want to make the poor guy more nervous than he already was.
So, into the OR I went again on Wednesday. Apparently, my trapezium healed up so well and the bone cells were so proliferative that the pins were covered with healthy bone. Maybe due to the 2-3x daily laser treatment? It's a good sign though, and physical therapy is not even recommended. It will take a lot of time for the thumb to get back to normal(ish) range of motion and strength. So now its a test of something that I never have had much of: patience.
On a separate note, my knee problem from a few weeks ago is officially resolved, so that makes me happy.
BA - out
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