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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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“Appearance itself is part of function...”
Beautiful!
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/the-surgeons-who-make-toes-into-thumbs/381362/
On looking up pollicization, I did wonder why not use the second toe instead of the big toe? as it's also similar in size and perhaps not so critical as the big toe? But experience, I guess, shows otherwise?
"sometimes surgeons transfer the second toe, typically they opt to use the great toe"
"the procedure has come a long way since that first 1966 monkey job."
...
or you might wait a few years to let the art and science catch up? or research the current state of the art and proactively, clinically participate? in the spirit if Hugh Herr.
Spiess thinks that regular use of cadaveric parts is not so far off. “The field has evolved immensely in the last 10 years,” he said, “and I can see maybe within the next 10 years it becoming a routine art.”
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Adrienne,
My buddy Curtis finally got back to me with some photos. One of my earliest memories right after he had the surgery was that he told me the hardest part was that he had rear-ended at least one person while learning to drive again. He would often drive barefoot in his jeep and he found that without his big toe he would just barely miss the brake pedal when pulling up behind a line of cars. Thump! I think he had to buy a bumper or two over the years.
He is on a road trip up north right now but said you could call him any time. The Supertopo email function is a mess. Email me at
Tripolehq@yahoodotcom if you want me to get you his intel. Great guy with a wild story who still plays hard.
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quantum7
Trad climber
Squamish
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 9, 2018 - 11:14am PT
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Great responses from all of you - thank you! By the way,
the he is a she : ) Although, some days I wish I was a dude because maybe the thought of having a giant, weird looking thumb wouldn't be so bad.
@Gimp (Steve) I've read the chapter in Harry Buncke's Microsurgery "bible" on great toe transfer several times now and it's pretty wild. I wish I could afford to go straight to his clinic, but it is not possible. My surgeon has done over 100 of these transfers throughout his career and comes highly recommended, so I have to trust in that.
@High Fructose - read the Atlantic article recently, and that picture you posted is one I have seen before and only can hope mine would come out like that. For some reason my surgeon doesn't seem really keen on shaping the toe after the surgery. I'm not sure why, as plastic surgeons strive for good aesthetics in most surgeries. I wonder if it is because his patients are almost always men, and perhaps they aren't as concerned with appearance of the thumb? I do not have the nicest toes (years of climbing) so it would be nice not to have this bulbous thumb as the end result! But, I know function is more important than form in this case.
@Micronut - will email you
@Gnome - not a runner, but a hiker so I don't want to lose that
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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I want to say that you seem to be an extremely clear thinking person and I commend you on the way you are approaching this issue...my very best wishes for a great outcome!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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By the way Adrienne, I thought you were a dude too!! Not sure why, probably just the fact that Supertopo is so full of old mangy alpha males. So funny, Adrienne is a far prettier name for a gal than a bro any way!
Glad to be part of your journey and I look forward to watching it unfold.
Stay brave,
Scott
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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some days I wish I was a dude because maybe the thought of having a giant, weird looking thumb wouldn't be so bad.
But then you might have a toe like this.
Megan Fox has brachydactyly, clubbed thumbs, I don’t think any red blooded guy cares.
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