Unfill For Orthopaedic Surgery?

[running_scared 125]

So, I've been dealing with left wrist pain since I had my band put in 4.5 months ago, and I've had it x-rayed twice to check for a break that might be causing the pain. I never had a real injury to it, it just started to hurt a few days after surgery, from pushing myself up, and whatnot. I've seen physio and a chiropractor for it (as well as my family doctor) and they all think it should be healing, when it is just getting worse.

Well, the x-ray I had yesterday shows that one of the wrist bones (lunate) is dying (avascular necrosis), and I'm to see a hand surgeon on Monday, to talk about surgical repair. The surgery likely won't be pleasant, if the hand surgeon confirms the diagnosis. It will either involve changing the length of one of my arm bones, and fixing it with external pins, or doing a bone graft, depending on what the cause of the bone death is.

So, I just had another fill on Tuesday, that I wouldn't have had if I'd known that I might be having surgery in the next couple weeks, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had any orthopaedic surgery, and if you needed an unfill before.

I'll be calling my surgeon's office on Monday to ask his opinion, once I've seen the hand surgeon tomorrow, but I was just wondering if anyone else has been through something similar.

Thanks.

[Sojourner 2,446]

I had my gallbladder removed 2.5 weeks ago, under general anesthesia of course. My bariatric surgeon advised that I did not need to have my band unfilled for the surgery, so I didn't have any Fluid removed.

There were no complications from the surgery...

Good luck with your hand issues...feel better soon!

[BWESLEY 6]

i have had 3 surgery from the band and didnt have a unfill for any of them. glad to hear that your wrist pain isnt from the band i had sever arm pain from day one i just had my band removed and a bypass due to the problems with the band i am 3 years out and the arm pain never got better unless i was overfilled to the point of damage. good luck

[running_scared 125]

Just a bit of an update on my wrist:

I saw the surgeon, Monday, and the degradation of my wrist bone is bad enough that I'm no longer a candidate for any sort of repair/restoration surgery, and I now need to think about what I want to do moving forward.

I can start with pain management, and wait to see how my wrist changes. I have already lost 50% of the movement in it, and it will continue to decrease as the disease (Kienbock's disease) progresses, until the lunate completely disintegrates, and locks all of the other carpal joints, which will be extremely painful. I had a cortisone shot yesterday (which was extremely painful, due to the lack of space in the joint between the radius and the lunate) and I am being fitted with a wrist brace on Friday. If the cortisone shots no longer work (or if I the hand surgeon can't get the needle in anymore) I can opt to have all the nerves severed to my wrist, in hopes that it will relieve the pain. Neither of these options will improve my wrist's range of motion, but they may allow me to keep a more normal function for longer, and I may be able to keep the range of motion I have now.

The next option is a partial carpal fusion, which will also be painful and complex, as they will need to take a bone graft from my hip, to use, along with plates and screws, to try and encourage a few of the bones to grow together, with the end of my radius. I'll lose 80% or more of the movement in my wrist if I opt to do that. I can wait as long as I want to chose this, but the risk in waiting too long, is that the lunate bone will be so degraded that it will no longer be able to be fused with the others, and then I'll have to opt for a proximal row carpectomy, where they will remove all of the bones in the row closest to my arm, and put plates in instead.

If I opt for the fusion operations, or the proximal row carpectomy, I will no longer be able to move my wrist at all. However, the natural progression of the disease will do that to me anyway.

I have been referred to another surgeon, for a second opinion as well, so I can see what he would recommend. It is likely going to be at least a year until I can have any of the surgeries, as I have to wait in line behind many other orthopaedic patients.

Thanks for your input. I just wanted to update you.