Losing my mind with De Quervains (Need advice)
I wanted to post here for a bit of advice and hear about other’s experience since I’m only a 19 year old student and I’m genuinely lost.
I’ve been experiencing pain suddenly since end of November. I went to physiotherapy in December where we had one appointment and they sent me home with a taped up hand and exercises to do. I was also recommended a brace to buy, which I did. I tried some of the exercises but it genuinely didn’t feel like it helped much and as a student I was so busy that I just started living with the pain until it just got worse. I contacted them asking what’s my next step, I was told to get a cortisone injection if it’s not better by February.
And of course, it was not better by February so I had to make an appointment with my GP. Which when my appointment did come, it honestly felt rather dismissive since I barely got to speak and they just gave me a referral to a hand surgeon place. I made my appointment for them later that day, and the earliest appointment available was in late March… By then actually my hand pain was getting less since I wore my brace everywhere.
By the time late March came by, I went for my appointment and spoke about what’s been happening. They recommended we could do surgery or an injection, I decided injection because it was in the middle of my quarter and I had exams. I had gotten the injection by the surgeon’s assistant, the surgeon explained to me I would have to do exercises to make sure my thumb does not get stiff. After the injection was done, I asked the assistant what exercises I should do and they told me just to take it easy and do my day-to-day tasks. Which is exactly what I did. The first 5 weeks were genuinely amazing, my hand felt so much better and I honestly forgot about the pain.
Now, 5 weeks after the injection, the pain started to come back but worse… It got progressively worse as the weeks went by. I’m now 8 weeks post injection and I feel like I’m losing my mind. The pain is worse than originally and sometimes the pain is so bad I cry. I checked on the app when my check up phone appointment is and it’s on June 18th and I just feel like I can’t wait that long. I also found out on the app that there were actually exercises to do… Now I’m wondering if this is why my hand is in pain again.
I’m seriously considering surgery but my whole family is against it. I really need advice on this or just for people to share their experience because I just feel like I can’t take it anymore. Do I just wait and keep using the brace? Now even using the brace hurts.
If you read all of this, genuinely thank you so much :)