Regardless of what type of hand surgery you may be going under, there are some questions you'll want answered before the procedure.
Your hands are valuable tools and losing even partial functioning can be devastating and life-changing.
Make sure that you understand the answers to these questions clearly before your hand operation.
What improvements are possible? When undergoing any type of operation, it's important to know to what extent the surgeon can repair any problems.
Sometimes you may find that improvements will be extremely mild, which may cause you to reconsider the value of undergoing the operation.
It's also important to be realistic.
Your surgeon may promise that you'll notice dramatic enhancement of muscle movement of appearance; however, have your surgeon give you specific examples and be clear with his definitions.
What may be dramatic and a great improvement by surgical standards may not satisfy your personal hopes.
Are the results permanent? Not all procedures will provide you with permanent, unchanging results.
Some will simply help a disease stop progressing further, while others may merely slow down the process but not completely eliminate the problems.
You may also have to change your lifestyle somewhat to ensure you don't damage yourself following the operation.
The results may be permanent as long as you're extremely careful.
What is recovery like? As every procedure is different so also will the time to recover vary.
Individuals also heal from hand surgery at different rates.
Your surgeon should be able to provide you with a rough estimate on how much time you need to take off of work and other normal activities.
You'll also want an estimate on the time needed to avoid strenuous activities like exercise or heavy lifting.
Some surgeries may not only incapacitate you for a while, but the recovery might be quite uncomfortable.
Discuss pain medication options and use any strong prescriptions with caution, especially if they are needed for an extended recovery.
It is easy to become addicted to medication following a difficult surgery.
How many surgeries will be necessary? This operation can be complicated and require multiple procedures over a period of time for the best results.
Of course, this all depends on your specific situation and problem.
The need for multiple procedures may also be unclear until after the recovery period.
Ask your doctor about his experience with similar cases to better gauge the possibilities.
Will I need to change my lifestyle following the procedure? Computer technicians and athletes beware; undergoing an operation may require permanent lifestyle changes.
If your job or hobby involves extensive use of your hands to manipulate objects, such as typing or building miniatures, you may have to learn how to cut back or stop all together.
Your surgeon will be able to give you some stretches and strength exercises to help build up stamina again, but be prepared to make some serious adjustments after the surgery or you may find yourself in the operating room again.
Your doctor should be able to help answer any questions regarding the procedure that you may have.
Don't be afraid to do a bit of grilling.
The more well-prepared you are the easier your recovery will be.