08/01/2025
*Update on my hand issues: (bit of a long post, but I needed to vent a little, lol) 😂
Most of you are aware I have been dealing with carpal tunnel and more recently, thumb pain. I got a second opinion the other day and the news is bittersweet. The good news is I will not be closed for 6-7 weeks due to surgery. The bad news is I am not getting surgery to relieve my pain. 😕
I was diagnosed with thumb arthritis. Although the doctor could feel the tension in the joint when rotating my thumb, he does not want to do the surgery because I am only 48... his words. 🤷♀️ The surgery is quite intense and would put me on limitations for 6-7 weeks, but I would not be fully recovered until 6-9 months. I do admit, it would be challenging to groom during recovery, but I know I would figure something out. His suggestion was to try physical therapy, as I have already had injections which only helped for a short time.
As far as my carpal tunnel is concerned, he doesn't see an issue with it. Even though I still have pain from time to time, I don't have the numbness and tingling. Apparently, I must have that in order to get help. 😒 This is doctor number 2 who is basically saying the amount of pain I feel does not justify help.
Anyone who knows me well, knows I have a high tolerance for pain. I would not have gone for help if it wasn’t bothersome to my work. It is rather irritating to be told my pain isn’t bad enough. To make matters worse, the first doctor pretty much gave up on me, and this one wasn’t interested as he kept trying to send me back to the first. 😠 Regardless, I am done and will prevail without them one way or another! As I said, I have a high pain tolerance, so I will deal with it. I was just trying to make things a little easier on myself. Stepping down from pedestal now, lol! 😅
*My plan:
I am not ready to give up grooming yet! ❤ I will see what is involved with the therapy and go from there. I will do a lot of research to find ways to help with my issues. I will research ways to strengthen my hand as I have lost quite a bit of grip due to the arthritis. I will continue to do the best I can with limitations to my schedule, as I will not let this stop me from doing the things I love the most. I know it's not the best solution, but it is about the only one I have at this point. If I cannot find ways to resolve this and it gets bad enough to where I cannot do it anymore, I will try to find someone else to ‘hopefully’ help me.
I will do the best I can with your grooming requests, but please note I may not always be able to fulfill them to your liking. Please be open and honest with me if you find something you do not like, and we will discuss what can be done. Ask any groomer and they will tell you one of the worst things you can do is stop showing up without reason. We constantly wonder what went wrong. 🥺 As with anyone, we can only learn from our mistakes if we know what they are. So please communicate with me.
If you would like long, foofy hair for your dog (anything ¾” or over), I kindly ask that you seek another groomer. Longer, foofy hair requires more clipper and scissor time which puts more stress on my hand, especially big dogs such as large doodles. 😵
I am sorry I don't have a better remedy for this situation. I appreciate all of your support and understanding. 🥰
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