Joint surgery

Hi, !

I know some of our members have had joint surgery done on their hands and I hope they see your post and comment here.

That said, I wanted to share some pieces from our health leaders about this topic. One of our health leaders shares her tips for managing surgery here (she briefly mentions hand surgeries) -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/navigating-surgeries.

Also, here's a piece from one of our health leaders that is a seasoned surgery survivor, though she discusses the reasons she hasn't had hand surgery in this article -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/hand-care-options. And please note the many member comments following the piece. Also, the author was diagnosed with JRA at age 2.

And, another of our health leaders that was diagnosed with JRA talks a bit about her experience with JRA and surgery here, though she brings up her hand surgery only briefly -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/trap-feeling-like-a-burden. Whether you choose the surgery route or not, please know you have people here who know what its like to be facing options that seem less than ideal. I do hope that if surgery is is your future, it goes well and your recovery is smooth!

Best, Erin, Team Member.

Hi . I happen to be the husband of Kelly Mack, the author of the second article Erin linked to. I just want to note, and what you will see in that article, is that Kelly opted out of hand surgery because her hands, while damaged, work and are not in extreme pain. Plus, no doctor was sure what exactly to do with her hands.

Every person has to make their own decisions based on their circumstances. I'm guessing you have had physical therapy, but I want to share with you this other article from Kat (the author of the third article Erin shared), who happens to be an occupational therapist, on hand strengthening: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/stronger-hands-exercises.

Hoping you can get various options and relief soon. Best, Richard (Team Member)