NicholasB
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Apr 6, 2008, 3:53 AM
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Extensor Tendon reattachment postop
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First of all, I want to say this is a rather long story and I hope you read it. My name is Nick(26yrs) and I severed a tendon on Nov. 26, 2007 after punching through a glass window in my door. It was very bad to say the least. Right after I did this I thought that I cut an artery because so much blood was coming out. Also, I couldn't lift my hand up with my wrist. It was just hanging there but I could move my fingers. I thought I had cut a tendon but since I could move my fingers I wasn't sure. You must know that I am living in the country of Ukraine right now and when this happened. It was about 1am when this happened so the ambulance came and picked me up and took me to the emergency room. The doctor said I didn't cut a tendon and stitched me up. That night the pain was excruciating to say the least and I had no pain killers. The doctor gave me some but they didn't work in killing the pain. The next day I visited a doctor at the local hospital to get follow-up. The doctor was about 32 years old and he assured me that I had not cut a tendon. He said in two weeks we would take out the stitches. So I waited like a good boy and after two weeks he took out the stitches. After he took out the stitches and the bandage I could see a small bump on the opposite side of my wrist to where the initial cut was. I pushed on it and it hurt very much and I could hear something like crunching inside so the next day I went to the doctor and told him about it. He did another X-Ray and there was a piece of glass lodged in my wrist. It was about an inch long. So he cut open my wrist and removed it. Now I thought after him removing it my wrist would feel much better and start to heal. After one week I still couldn't bend it right and had no power. So I started investigating the internet and comparing my bad hand to my good hand and I saw a major difference. I noticed when I made a fist or exerted force a tendon popped up in my good hand and it didn't in my cut hand and I could also feel an obvious difference. If you make a fist and follow an imaginary line between your index and middle finger down to your wrist you will see the tendon pop up. It is a very strong tendon. I am describing my dorsal wrist so you know. It was very obvious to me but I thought it might be partially cut so I went to the doctor and told him this and he said that yes I could be right! WOW! What a horrible doctor. The same doctor who said I didn't cut a tendon 3 weeks ago and never even recommended getting some test to make sure. I pretty much diagnosed myself the whole time. After this he referred me to a "specialist" hospital here in the city of Dnepropetrovsk. SO I went there with my wife one day and met with a doctor. He sat me down at his desk and asked me to flex my fingers and etc. I could do everything so he said there is no tendon damage and that it's all in my head!! Honestly he said that but in Russian of course to my wife! I was done with Ukrainian doctors at this point. I just walked out and decided I would have to leave the country to get decent help so I took a train to the Czech Republic where I saw a doctor who told me that it could be partially cut and that an MRI would show if it was cut or not. Now you must know that I recommended the MRI and he said it would be expensive. I found out it cost like $900 bucks! Again he was rather young and didn't seem too knowledgeable. I couldn't pay that so I decided to come back to Ukraine and search more. I kind of gave up in Prague because it has become like the USA in their approach to medicine. Insurance based. Bad. Ukraine is still more social but it's bad because there doctors are some of the lowest paid in the world and they know what doctors make in the western world. I am not saying they are bad doctors because of this but it does have an effect. So I came back to Ukraine and it is now 2 months after the incident and I am getting worried because I know tendons need to be repaired very soon after they are cut or it's bad. So my wife asked her friends in Kiev if they could recommend a good orthopedic hospital and they did so we were off to Kiev. We met there with a doctor who first of all said to get an ultrasound which cost $30. I got the ultrasound and it revealed exactly what I feared...a torn tendon. Now I still don't exactly which tendon it is. I think it's the extensor longus or radial carpi..I don't know but I know you know. :-) So anyway I made an appointment to have the surgery. The surgery was done on Feb. 18, 2008 and the incident occured on Nov. 26, 2007 so about 3 months had passed. The total cost for hospital stay and medicine was $1,000. I paid a lot more than Ukrainian citizens but I earn an American salary and the average Ukrainian salary is about $250 a month so for me that price was great especially since I didn't have health insurance. I don't know what I would have done if this happened in the USA. It would have been bad for me I know. The doctor who did the surgery studied in Austria and is considered to be one of the best in Ukraine when it comes to the hand/wrist area. There are not many hand specialists in Ukraine as you can imagine many of them move overseas to make more money. So I had the surgery on Feb 18 and I had to wear a gypsum splint for 1 month and it came off on 17March. When the splint came off my wrist was stiff as a board. I went to see the doctor at that time and he said that I need to massage the area everyday to break up scar tissue and adhesions and to soak my hand in hot water. Also he prescribed electro therapy. Today is April 6th and I can bend my wrist a little more but it is still very stiff. I can bend it up much more than I can bend it down if you understand what I mean. In other words I can lift my fingers above my wrist but not below them very well. The doctor is in Kiev and I live in a city that is 8 hours away by train so that is why I don't go to him everyday if you are wondering. I am supposed to go and see him on April 20 and he will do some serious work with the hand therapist there and give me some more directions. Also he said not to lift very heavy things and not to use the hand very forcefully because the tendon is still reattaching itself. I think I put that right. The doctor took many great photos of the inside of my wrist and forearm. It shows the ruptured tendon along with his work and the completed job. I would love to send them to you and see what you think and also your advice on my situation. I attached one photo but it doesn't show the finished job. I would like to send the other photos also. I know it takes many months before I will be anything close to normal but want to know another doctor's opinion in the USA. I will be returning to the USA on June 1st and may need to visit a specialist for further therapy. Also, I have been taking Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements everyday. Please respond to me. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Nicholas
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