When I went to see the orthopedic guy yesterday I was really hoping that he would just decide to go ahead and do the surgery first, rather than have me wear this cast for 6 weeks and THEN find out that I need surgery and have to have a healing period after that, but such was not the case. He just put a better cast on it and said come back in a week. :-/
Did you have to wear a cast or splint after your surgery? How long did it take before you could really use it again?
I was in the cast for THREE DAYS, then started aggressive physical therapy and went into an inflatable cast and sling. It was sore, but I was using it and then some. I called my PT nurse "The Butcher of Prague" but she did get me almost 100 percent function back, so I can't complain.
I'm starting to get a little arthritis, not in the damaged joint itself but in the knuckle, which is a bit overstressed because of the scar tissue in the 2nd joint. I probably need to go back for either PT or for revision of the scar tissue - this is 20 years out from the injury, because my almost 20 year old daughter wasn't born yet.