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| Image from reachpatients on Flickr. |
While my
mind is young and still very sharp, my body, unfortunately is beginning to
wane. There are many other things going on in the 60-year old body (shh…it’ll
be our secret), but what I want to focus on for this blog are the problems with
my hands.
Until
recently I had no idea I would ever need a hand surgeon. I thought I could
self-manage the aging process through massage, perhaps some chiropractic care,
and herbal supplements. While I am still a strong believer in all those things,
they did not end up working for me long term, and I had to begin looking at
other things.
What led to
my need to seek out a hand surgeon, and ultimately what likely turn into hand
surgery? Well, it started simply enough. A few years ago I noticed my hands
were not as strong as they once hand been; I had problems gripping things, holding
any amount of weight, those kinds of symptoms. I thought my problem may have
been carpal tunnel, so I investigated all the homeopathic options.
While I do
feel better having tried several variations of supplements that are supposed to
help with carpal tunnel, my hands just did not get any better. Then it started
impacting my family life. I was fearful of holding my grandkids because I
couldn’t trust my hands to hold them firmly.
So, for the
sake of my family, I am not investigating how to get treatment. Several of my
friends have suggested hand surgery is likely in my future. Personally, I would
love to forego the hand surgery, and maybe just have extensive physical therapy
or some treatment plan like that. I guess we’ll just have to see what the
doctors have to say.
Speaking of
doctors, did you know there are so many of them out there? I don’t just mean
how many doctors there are, but how many different kinds of docs? I was told to
go see an orthopedic surgeon, though I was told he may or may not recommend
surgery. No problem I thought; until I found out that not all orthopedists are
hand surgeons. Nope, there are some who focus on hands, others who focus on
ankles, hips, knees, and so on. Yikes, so much to consider.
Any great
recommendations on a Chicago hand surgeon? There’s a couple I’ve been
recommended to see, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on who works well and
who doesn’t.
