How’d you cope going from two hands to one (Dupuytren’s contracture surgery)

I’ve put this surgery off for a while, it’s now due.

Consultants said no driving for 6 weeks, no bike riding for 12 weeks.

How will I cope with only one hand?
How will I chop an onion?

Any insights???

mandolin….. No, not the guitar type one 🙂

Funnily though i do at times get a one-handed woman on Insta popping up and chopping veg etc.

That’s an eye openner!

I am waiting to get an initial consultation but  I never imagined that degree of one handedness.

Presumably the op is on your dominant hand?

I don’t know how you will manage but good luck.

Don’t worry. You’ll quickly adapt and it’s only for a short time.

Depending which hand it is you may find your daily ablutions can be a bit awkward and wiping can be tricky.

My right (dominant) arm was useless for about 6 months after my shoulder was rebuilt due to the operation and some nerve damage. It can be very, very frustrating but you have to accept that it is what it is. Don’t struggle and risk hurting yourself. If you need help ask for it.

As for onion chopping: no idea, sorry. 🙂

I’ll let you know. I am having my right hand done a week on Friday. I’m right handed.  Its going to cramp my style that’s for sure.  What I’m most gutted about is that after a long lay off, I’ve got back into the gym over the last 6 months and made good progress.  Still, it’s not far off stopping me me cycling, motorcycling etc so I’m very glad to be getting it sorted.

I’m not looking forward to this. Both siblings have it, I have early signs of it.

My brother is much more advanced and just been told they need to look at surgery at some point. He is an architect and rider, both of which need his dominant hand to work well.

Yea it’s my dominant hand, I might also have to move house during that period too and I live alone.

Buy some bags of frozen chopped onions. Or chop now and freeze.

Ask for an appointment with the department’s OT (Occupational therapist). They will have some tips and ideas for bits of equipment that may help… like a chopping board with edges or spikes so you can use it with one hand. Lots of people living life with only one hand!

And put off the moving. You want to recover from this as well as possible. Hands are REALLY complex.

All the best with it.

Can you use the hand at all after the surgery or is it totally immobile? I had my right hand in plaster for six weeks due to a broken thumb, from the tips of my fingers and thumb to halfway up my forearm. You get used to it, basically, and adapt pretty quickly.

I had an industrial accident and nearly lost my right thumb in a circular saw several years ago. I am right handed. Tbh, it was a struggle. I have no great tips or insights. You just cope and adapt because you have to. Hope it goes well.

The news is, you can even ride your bike one handed.  I did this for several months, because of a shoulder operation.  Just a light touch on the bars with my left hand occasionally.  Not ideal, but at least it gets you out.

@IHN – I’m just out of a cast for a broken thumb.  5 weeks, plus no off road until at least December.  My cast was only to my knuckles on my fingers.  But couldn’t touch first finger to thumb which effectively makes the hand useless.

It’s pretty glum. My left hand was amazingly imprecise for most tasks. And it’s surprising how many tasks require both hands to be fairly dextrous – using a knife for example – unless you can hold the  vegetable very steady with the other hand you still can’t cut it.  I’m sure there are adaptations, and I was getting better by the end.

Relax into it and it goes pretty quickly. I caught up on some TV I’d been meaning to watch for ages (9 hours of Get Back), spent an hour a day on the Wattbike, read a bit. Took things a bit more slowly – walked around my local area (rather than riding).  Sat in the park and read. A bit different.

Blimey, my mum has that contracture thing, started in her 80s. I didn’t realise it affected us younguns (ahem)! Paranoid now

Mine started in my late 30s and has taken a long time to progress. I can still do most things and I am 70.

My mum had it, from her mid 70s, just lived with it. I have tell tale signs on the palm of my right hand, below ring finger, I’m (very) early 60s.
Hope the op goes well op, if it gives you back a good functional hand, the few weeks inconvenience will be soon forgotten!

I am really surprised by this 6 week ban for driving – what is reason for that, painkillers or cast?

Tried some manual therapy for my affected hand – had bit of a slip at swimming pool on vacation and smacked my my hand fairly hard. The bent finger was forced straight and beyond and it has been worse than before even if most of the swelling has gone away.

I’ve struggled for a short while, due to breaking my collar bone, though I was able to cheat, as my right hand worked but was initally immobilized. Having a very understanding partner helped me, though I’m still using my left arm almost as my domiant arm now (shoulder looks to be frozen), if anything too much, as I need to use the damaged side more.. Ablutions were a struggle to start with but managable after a while, electric toothbrush was a godsend, silicon scourer meant I could wash my working hand, while the scourer was held loosely by the other one. Lots of veg comes pre-chopped, though I wouldn’t buy this at any other time, or a food processor can chop stuff up easily.

Oh and my car battery died from non use, maybe disconnect it, or run the car regualrly to keep the battery topped up.

..trying to think of anything else..

Probably the minor inconvenience of not being able to control the vehicle safely with one hand. Though somehow the muppets with phones glued to their hand manage it.

Post op pain relief is paracetamol only, so it won’t be analgesia affecting driving.

To those whose parents have it, it is genetic, so if you find yourself with curly fingers, that’ll be it.

Consultants advice is that I MUST put the finger through full range of movement regularly from day one post surgery, it will be painful, but must be done as everything in the hand has tightened over years and needs stretching back to normal.

Due to a rugby injury I’ve pretty much lost the use of my left arm. It works, I’m holding my phone in my left hand as I type this, but that’s about as useful as it gets.

TBH you learn to adapt very quickly. Getting dressed was probably the most difficult thing for me, for a couple of years my arm wouldn’t move, so I really was one handed. Riding off road is troublesome, 45 mins max on fairly gentle terrain. Changing tyres is a no no. I know other people with limited mobility can do it….but not me!

My mate had the same op last year and I don’t recall him being off the bike very long to be honest. One of those times when a turbo is useful.

Did he have that fitted at the same time?