The MRI hath spoken

and so sayeth the surgeon: "There will be no surgery."

I'm not crazy, I really did hurt the thumb. I tore the RCL, and the evidence that I did was right there on the MRI scans. The RCL has healed, and is stabilizing the joint like it should. It's thin, and not 100% attached, but at this point, it's good to go.

However, (you knew that was coming, right?) I bruised the bottom end of the distal phalynx, probably by forcing the two bones into each other when I fell. There is also evidence that I cracked the bone. Now all the pain is due to the bruise. Apparently, bone bruises are good because they do eventually heal on their own. They are bad because they take months to heal. I am now at 2 and a half months since I originally injured my poor left thumb. So it could be a long time still.

I am supposed to go ahead and do things as much as possible. If it hurts, the splint goes back on. I am also supposed to find ways to do things that don't hurt my thumb. I am guessing my thumb won't ever be 100%, but it will be usable.

So, I am not crazy and I don't need surgery. It's a long time to heal, but it will eventually stop hurting. I'm calling it good.

The Thumb

It turns out that I didn't completely tear my left ulna collateral ligament. This is good! Instead, I completely tore my left radial collateral ligament. This is bad, but much better than tearing the UCL. If the UCL is torn, the only repair is surgical, because the ends can get pulled apart by the muscles in the webbing of your hand and be trapped. I am probably not going to need surgery, because RCL tears can heal more like a bone would--if the ends are close together and immobilized, they'll "grow" back. There aren't bones and muscles in the way.

So now, I am in this for 4 weeks, at which point I'll be starting PT or being scheduled for surgery. I'm rooting for physical therapy.

The new splint is hard plastic and I can clean it with rubbing alcohol. This is a good thing!