I Broke My Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex

Three weeks ago I broke the triangular fibrocartilage complex in my right wrist. This is, unfortunately, my dominant hand.

The triangular fibrocartilage complex as a series of cartilage, evidenced by the name, and also ligaments. It’s on the little finger side of the wrist and it deals with the interaction between your ulna and the bones in your wrist. It plays a crucial role in allowing you to turn your wrist, because the cartilage provides a smooth surface for the bones to interact over. It also prevents your bones from clunking together.

So it’s kind of integral to the use of your right arm. Which means in the middle of the year of all my practical work I do not have use of my right arm. And I will not have use of my arm for quite some time.

I don’t see an orthopaedic surgeon until September. After that, I need an MRI for them to identify where the damage is and how bad it is, and then I’ll be booked in for surgery. Damage to the cartilage between the ulna and the wrist bones must be surgically repaired. It does not go away with rest. So after surgery I will be in a cast for 7 weeks, and then I have physiotherapy for 6 to 8 weeks.

So in reality, it’s looking like I won’t have use of my right arm for the rest of the year. This also means I can’t actually type – I’m using Google dictation to write this, and I’m adding in the punctuation manually. It’s an interesting experience because I’m used to my fingers doing the thinking, instead of my mouth. I’m not used to speaking my thoughts out loud, and I’m certainly not used to writing this out loud, some of my most private and personal thoughts, available for the world to read but not for those in my life. In a sense it’s easier this way.

I’m having to relearn a lot of things now, using my left hand. I’ve never been even vaguely ambidextrous, and so using my left-hand for things is somewhat complicated. I have spent the last week sulking and generally feeling very sorry for myself over this. It’s hard not to when the hits just keep coming and they don’t stop coming. I don’t feel like I’ve had a break. I feel like every year there is something new, some new way of impact in my life and my ability to do things. It sucks, and I have to let myself feel that.

Now, though, I am back on my feet, more or less. I’m sorting out an MRI in advance of the orthopaedic surgeon’s appointment, I have sorted out physiotherapy already, and I’m going to interview a personal trainer to help me make sure I don’t lose muscle mass. And to improve my non-existent muscle mass. Ah the joys of doing nothing for 2 years. And being on Tegretol, which I’m now off (yay), but I still haven’t lost any of the weight I got while I was on Tegretol (not so yay).

It’s unpleasant, the damage to the joint. Not only is it painful to turn my wrist, but there is a distinct clicking which is always excruciatingly painful when it happens. I also can’t use my right hand to push off objects because that puts pressure on that joint, and I can only very carefully lift things. I can’t turn my key in my car. I can’t crochet. I can’t type, I struggle to use a mouse, and that’s all just pants.

So over the next few weeks I’m going to be figuring out what on earth I can do, because I will go insane if I don’t have anything to do for the rest of the year.