No, not that kind of one handed typing...
If you noticed I've been off the air for a while, it was due initially to work and then to surgery.
Work has been busy as we've approached deadline for submission of the proposal for the engagement I'm on.
And if that we're enough of an impediment, last week, I had surgery on my left forearm. The surgery was a combination exploratory / biopsy thing.
I've had a lump just above my wrist on the inside of my forearm for as long as I can remember. Every doctor I've ever asked about it told me it was a ganglion cyst. It has grown over the years to the point where it was becomming a bother and causing some pain. So, a few months ago, when I lacerated my thumb, I decided to go see a hand surgeon. The primary motivation was the thumb, but while I was there, I did one of those "oh by the way" things that people do to doctors. Well, that led to an MRI, which led to another MRI (with contrast) which led to the surgery.
Seems it isn't - and never was - a ganglion cyst.
While I won't know for sure until Monday, odds are, it is a plexiform neurofibroma. Most likely, it is benign, and I already know that it can not be removed surgically. For those of you not up to speed on your 'oma's, it is basically a tumor of the nerve sheath. In my case, of the median nerve. The tumor is quite nicely intertwined with the nerve and blood vessels. Thus the plexiform, or "bag of worms" descriptor. Removal of the tumor would result in the loss of use of my left thumb, index and middle fingers.
I had expected that the surgery would be performed under "twilight" anesthesia, but it ended up being done under general, which knocked me out. Sorry, couldn't resist.
I had also expected to have a little bandaid over the incision, but instead awoke to find an immobilizing bandage 2/3 of the way to my elbow. There must be splints or something in there, because for all practical purposes, it is like my hand/wrist/forearm is in a cast.
Thus, the one handed typing.
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Posted by David at November 10, 2006 06:21 PM