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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 16, 2017 - 06:10pm PT
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Hello All-
I had a knife accident on new years eve, and had surgery new years day to repair a partially cut exterior tendon on my left index finger. Sucks as I was just beginning to feel comfortable climbing again after an accident on el cap a year and a half ago. The tendon was cut on the knuckle where the finger attaches to the hand.
Surgery/recovery went well and I started physical therapy 2.5 weeks ago. I was making steady progress until last Monday night when I noticed a sensitive spot. It appears to be the end of a suture sticking out of my tendon. I can see/feel it moving back and fourth under my skin as I flex my finger. It is super painful if I press on it, but only that on tiny spot. The area has swollen up since then and it's get agitated from light use that prior to Monday night was not problem. There was no particularly traumatic event that triggered this.
My physical therapist says not to worry that the sutures will be absorbed in time or will eventually be "spit out" and rejected. I've read that tendon sutures are not the absorbable type because they must be stronger for the tendon. I have a follow up with my doctor, but not until next week Friday as he is out of town currently. I'm concerned about any potential damage this protruding suture may cause and whether it will be absorbed on its own or if there is a chance it may need to be opened up again to snip this off.
Anyone have experience with this and care to chip in to offer some piece of mind and perspective in the meantime before my appointment next week? I believe there are some hand surgeons who post here and certainly some people who have had similar surgery themselves. Thanks-
Matt
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Feb 16, 2017 - 08:02pm PT
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Dam Matty, you've had one hell of a time with your hands. I've got no advise on this one other than to heal up well.
Is your surgeon in a practice group? Is there another Dr. there who can check it out? Sounds like it might be a misstep by the surgeon, they might want to get on it right away,,.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Feb 16, 2017 - 09:50pm PT
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hey there say, matty... oh my... prayers for you to get well soon...
:(
say, we can bump this from time to time and see who can
possibly chip in...
but-- i can say this...
a friend of mine (not from a cut) had tendon damage, from a fall,
and:
she couldn't get appointments, etc, and keep waiting it out and
waiting it out, etc...
and never got the help she needed... now, the damage is taking
too long to repair, as--it is worse...
so--KEEP asking, AND do not give up, until you feel you
have all the info, and facts, etc, that you need...
better to try, than to regret it...
best wishes to you, in this search... and healing...
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2017 - 11:58am PT
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Thanks for the kind thoughts.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Feb 17, 2017 - 12:29pm PT
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Surgery sucks...
If nothing else it's unlikely whatever is protruding will cause any permanent damage in a week or less. Just keep icing it and take standard anti-inflammatories if you're able too (like 400mg Ib 3x day)
Now, if you're an ice climber, get an exacto-knife, some 91% isopropyl, some gauze, and.........
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Feb 17, 2017 - 12:37pm PT
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Care ful, I just spent 5 days hospital for a post op staph infection. I was 6 weeks past carpal, minor stuff and boom ! it flared in 2 days.
Where you at ?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Feb 17, 2017 - 12:41pm PT
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Unlikely that we will heal you but you know you're in our thoughts.
Now, you didn't actually wallop one of the little monsters, did you? :-)
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2017 - 12:42pm PT
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Live near LA, but in Colorado for the weekend. Have a follow up with my doctor next Friday that I will try to move up, just looking for opinions in the meantime. Thanks everyone, keep it coming.
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Feb 17, 2017 - 12:47pm PT
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Too bad, my hand surgeon is in Denver......silly him though, he thinks some of my hand issues may be climbing related (almost 40 years) !!!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 17, 2017 - 12:50pm PT
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Get better Matty!
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Camahoo
Trad climber
Dead Pine Ridge, Ca
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Feb 17, 2017 - 01:12pm PT
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The only advice is maybe pickup something you can get into for about a year to keep your mind off climbing.
Injuries to connective tissue flat out suck just because of the amount of time to heal. I completely tore the tendons connecting the lunate to the scaphoid in my hand making a lunge move. It took well over a year to be able to hang by that hand.
You have my sympathy, good luck with modifying your mindset to at lease embrace long recovery.
This may be a good opportunity to start having kids and when they graduate high school you will be all healed up and ready to climb.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2017 - 01:13pm PT
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Thanks Jan!
I was able to move be my doctors appointment up to Tuesday so that's good.
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Feb 17, 2017 - 01:21pm PT
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Matty,
If anything the doctor's office should have been able to (or able to now) get a message to your Dr. so he could relay a message back to you about what to do until your appt. It's good that you got it moved it up to Tuesday.
If you need someone else in the meantime, PM me. I have a great hand ortho in Santa Monica.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2017 - 01:39pm PT
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Thanks for the offer. My doc is outta town till Monday (so am I) and my appt. is Tuesday so just gunna wait it out. Just wondered if others had experienced any similar irritation from an internal (tendon) suture, heck maybe it's something else.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Feb 17, 2017 - 02:13pm PT
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Dam Matty...
heal up.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2017 - 10:43am PT
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I'm now thinking this may not be a suture from the tendon but rather one that was used to close the flesh above it. It seems to be close to surface today than before. Guess I won't know till Tuesday. Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. Let you know what happens. Sure can't wait to be healed up and back exploring the outdoors again. Sure is tender though and seems like it wants to break through at some point.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Feb 18, 2017 - 02:37pm PT
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Tuesday is a long way off! You know I'm close and I have an awesome array of pliers and forceps!
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2017 - 02:49pm PT
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Kind hearted offer Reilly but unfortunately I'm far away in Colorado. Otherwise you can bet yer bottom dollar I'd be there in a heartbeat.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2017 - 05:54pm PT
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Well my doctors appt is tomorrow and I'm about to fly back from Colorado. I hope I get good news but the longer I wait the more I convince nice myself that something is major wrong, sutures in tendon have ruptured or maybe there was a secondary tendon slice the doc missed. I'll keep my friends here updated and hope I'm just being a nervous nelly with a bad attitude but it's hard to be upbeat when waiting for a week in the dark with a condition like this. Thanks again for the comments and support-
Matt
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Feb 20, 2017 - 08:45pm PT
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Best wishes, Matty.
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