Radical Departure
Posts: 118
Joined: 7/19/2003
From: Fayetteville,
AR, USA
Status: offline
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Been a while since able to post, just wanted to bring anyone interested up-to-date. Its now been almost 2 months since the prop strike and surgery. At this time I've almost completed my first series of therapy. Having never been 'seriously' injured in my 47 years, this was a real eye-opener. So, if any of you ever catch a prop across the back of your hand and sever a few veins and tendons, (and I hope that none of you EVER have to experience this), here's what you can expect;
1. When the cast and braces finally come off between weeks 4-6, parts of your hand and all fingers will be swelled like a toad. The rest of your hand will look like it belongs on an 80 yr. old. Withered and 'depressed' or sunken. Chances are you'll not be able to move any fingers beyond small fractions of an inch. You'll notice that your the nails haven't grown on those fingers. After a few days of getting some air, you'll start to shed skin from the finger tips to the end of where the cast stopped. This will continue for a couple of weeks. You'll be amazed at the amount of shedding. Fingers will typically be somewhat numb, and the palm of the hand will seem to have no tactile feeling or sensation. Very much like your arm going to 'sleep'.
2. You'll make damned sure you have your brace on before going to bed, because nerves will start 'firing' as they heal while you rest. Ever go to nod off and just before you do, you have a feeling of falling and have to 'catch' yourself? You'll try to do it with that hand, or sometime during the night you'll unknowingly try to grab for something with it. Your hand isn't ready to grab, you will instantly return to an awakened state because it'll hurt like hell. Did the pain cause the dream or the dream cause the pain? Your 'funny' bone will be VERY sensitive, and you will learn to be protective of it.
3. The muscles in your arm/fore arm and hand will have atropied a surprising degree. Your injured arm will be noticeably thinner than your good arm. By now you'll have learned how to wash yourself, dress yourself (forget buttons and ties, just not going to happen yet. Think track suit style pants and polo pullovers.), how to open jars and a variety of other tasks with the good hand. You'll not be able to clip the fingernails on the good hand.
4. Therapy will start with measurements of how much you can move the fingers and wrist. At this time you'll get some movement out of the first knuckle below the finger tips from the least injured fingers. The others will be barely measurable. You may get a tiny bit from the wrist, and the thumb's going nowhere. Pain is not a huge component, but there will be a lot of discomfort due to swelling, muscle and tendon tightness. Like swimmers crap in the hand, only the fingers aren't moving in a cramped fashion. After 3 weeks of therapy you'll start to see a lot more movement in the fingers, but the main knuckles in the hand aren't ready to 'break over' yet. You'll constantly be moving fingers because 10 minutes after stopping they feel like they're connected with very tight rubber bands. Flex the fingers 'up' and your knuckles will feel like they have weights soldered to them pushing back under the skin. A very unnerving feeling. Only about now will swelling start to subside, though your hand will feel like circulation is being cut off at the wrist, a very balloon like feeling, also a bit unnerving as no position makes it feel better. Must keep moving the fingers. By this time you'll also start getting some movement out of the thumb and wrist. Typically you can get almost 90 degrees bend at the wrist, (think arm wrestling position), but for now, you'll only be seeing about 40 degrees worth on a good day. Keep flexing the wrist and moving fingers. Feeling is almost back in the palm. You may get enough movement to try and pick up something with the 2 best fingers... forget it, they won't have the strength, they'll be shaking so bad you'll think you have parkinsons.
At this point I'm no where near being able to fly or build, but every day gets me one step closer. The results are measurable. Next week I get a brace with tie downs, which will bend the fingers down and flex the wrist to start stretching and breaking over the main knuckles. At the current rate, I should be able to make a rudimentary fist come january. Then it'll be time to start building strength back into them. I would have NEVER dreamed that, in the big scope of things, such a small injury would take so long to recover from. I overshot the LZ a mile on that one. Its akin to starting over with a new hand, the muscles and tendons have to start over, building 'memory' into them so they stay stretched, everything touched feels weird and 'new'. Some days are depressing, thats just a fact. Some daily tasks seem impossible and you'll swear you're not making any progress. Just keep moving those fingers and flexing the wrist, you will see progress! And last, for anyone that ever encounters this, however it may happen, your new best friend will be your therapist!! Use one that specializes in hand injuries as well! They are the key to a successful recovery, no matter how independent you are! Hopefully, next time I update this, I'll be able to say I'm back flying, or danged close to it.
HM
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Radical Departure..
..from controlled flight
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Printable Version
All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> Crash & Rebuild >> RE: Prop Bitten 
RE: Prop Bitten - 
I was fortunate not to catch any tendens or nervs. I hope you recover quickly.. I know I will, I have to fly next weekend. 
RE: Prop Bitten - 
Keep up the good work.
