Chronically Unpleasant Appointments

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Tuesday was a big appointment day, with me visiting my dentist and my hand surgeon. Squeezed in between the two is a nerve study. You know what happens with multiple appointments? Yes, I am wiped out for days.

I saw the dentist to show him my three broken teeth, a missing crown, and a tiny cavity. He scheduled me to come back Thursday for a dental cleaning. So, today I sat through all the scraping of tough plaque. The  hygienist that having Sjogren’s disease causes tough to remove plaque. My mouth is sore.

He plans to start filling two of the broken teeth as cavities. He said that I could put off the crown replacement until January. This will save a lot of money, because the insurance only covers one crown per year. So, two days before Christmas, I get to get cavities filled. I’m sure that I would rather be baking cookies.

My nerve study was different than those in the past. The first two were done on a leg. This study was done on my wrist. Different positions were used to attach electrodes and needles to see the health of my nerves. The pain was much less than leg nerve studies. The wrist spot where the Scaphoid has died had poor nerve health. The other places were much less problematic. Testing the neck to the wrist showed a small amount of nerve impingement, so it wasn’t going to be a cause of the numbness and tingling.

After the hand surgeon read the results of the study, she came in to see me. She immediately talked about NOT doing surgery right away. She said that it is so drastic, she wanted to try one more thing. She knew I had been given steroid shots in my wrist, and she knew they didn’t help. She said she wanted to do the shot herself.

She gave me two shots and then my fingers started tingling and progressing to numbness. I was told that it was normal. She also discussed my custom brace, which I told her hurt a lot. She brought hand therapy up to fit me into a FORMFIT brace, covering a compression sleeve. This immediately felt comfortable and supportive.

This combination, she hopes, will give me more time to live without a fused (or worthless) wrist in my dominant hand. I really hope she’s right. I was dreading the surgery and the life that followed, even though it may be in my future.

I’m continuing to brace my wrist with the sleeve. It certainly feels better, and it could be the combination of brace, sleeve, and shots. I’ll take any hope.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Ps 107

Next week is Thanksgiving and I’ll have some of my family here. Hubby and I will do the cooking. I always made everything from scratch, but not for the last few years. No one has complained yet. I hope that you have wonderful times with family and friends. I also hope that you have things to be thankful for.

@2025, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert. This post contains my opinions and experiences, and is not meant to be taken for medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please consult your personal physician.