- Joined
- Dec 16, 2010
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- Location
- Stellenbosch
- Bike
- KTM 690 Adventure
I just wanted to share with you guys my story of a problem wrist, spanning 42 years, and why I may be looking at quitting motorcycling.
First of all, I feel the need to point out, before you fel too sorry for me, that this suffering is entirely my own making.
In 1982 I broke the scapoid bone in my lefthand wrist, in an accident involving a Suzuki Gt750, a wire fence and the near-miss of a show horse.
Anyway, the break was attended to and plaster-of-paris'd right up to half my fingers, and back to the elbow.
Then, 3 weeks later, I had to ride a MX race, and used a pair of pliers to "soften" the plaster around my fingers, as using a clutch was critical in an MX race. Not so critical at that stage, was preserving myself.
Well, the pain following that race presented the discovery that the scaphoid separated again. Further plaster and a few more months showed that regrowing is not on the agenda.
Then, in 1983 I underwent surgery to implant a silicone elastomer scaphoid prosthesis.
This never settled, and always gave me trouble, but it took me a mere 41 years to actually act, and then only because riding really technical areas became impossible painful, and I have to "hang" my arm straight down
most times while riding.
On the 10th of June this year I went to see Dr. Michelle maree, a wrist specialist.
I have a operation on this wrist dated for the 11th of July, in which she is going to cut the wrist open, clean out as much of the old silicone implant debris [caused by this prosthesis breaking up over years], and
freeing up the median nerve.
This median nerve is being compressed, and damaged, by swelling caused by the debris in my wrist. I am losing feeling in my thumb, index and forefinger, and the thumb base muscle is rapidly shrinking.
After this operation, new evaluations will show which path to follow forward, but I hope that this op will bring enough relief to avoid further action.
If you're not interested, gooi a ignore function.
First of all, I feel the need to point out, before you fel too sorry for me, that this suffering is entirely my own making.
In 1982 I broke the scapoid bone in my lefthand wrist, in an accident involving a Suzuki Gt750, a wire fence and the near-miss of a show horse.
Anyway, the break was attended to and plaster-of-paris'd right up to half my fingers, and back to the elbow.
Then, 3 weeks later, I had to ride a MX race, and used a pair of pliers to "soften" the plaster around my fingers, as using a clutch was critical in an MX race. Not so critical at that stage, was preserving myself.
Well, the pain following that race presented the discovery that the scaphoid separated again. Further plaster and a few more months showed that regrowing is not on the agenda.
Then, in 1983 I underwent surgery to implant a silicone elastomer scaphoid prosthesis.
This never settled, and always gave me trouble, but it took me a mere 41 years to actually act, and then only because riding really technical areas became impossible painful, and I have to "hang" my arm straight down
most times while riding.
On the 10th of June this year I went to see Dr. Michelle maree, a wrist specialist.
I have a operation on this wrist dated for the 11th of July, in which she is going to cut the wrist open, clean out as much of the old silicone implant debris [caused by this prosthesis breaking up over years], and
freeing up the median nerve.
This median nerve is being compressed, and damaged, by swelling caused by the debris in my wrist. I am losing feeling in my thumb, index and forefinger, and the thumb base muscle is rapidly shrinking.
After this operation, new evaluations will show which path to follow forward, but I hope that this op will bring enough relief to avoid further action.
If you're not interested, gooi a ignore function.