I also had the same surgery in August.  I still cannot touch all of my fingers with my thumb.  Did you have this problem?  I do my therapy three times a day at home and still ice it for the swelling.  Hurt?  Absolutely!!  Did you also have some numbness in your fingers especially the thumb.  When the doctor said I had to go through therapy I never imagined it would be so painful.  I think the worse is the stiffness and not being able to use my hand like I want, know my left one is doing the same from using it so much.  Would I  have my left one done?  I think I would wait until I didn't have a choice before I have that done agian.

The first couple of days was pretty painful and there was allot of swelling. Surgery was on a Fri and by Sunday night I was getting comfort from advil.

 I took 1 week off from work and every thing is going pretty well right now. I'm right handed and this is my right thumb so I have the whole left handed awkwardness thingy going on.

What bothers me most now is that I still have swelling off and on everyday. Pain also comes and goes depending on how long it's been since I've had advil. Pain is sorta a "burning pain that I think must be in the incision area. It's not bad, but enough is enough already.

I'm a nurse, and a good nurse but a lousy patient! I have been eyeing the cast saw once or twice per week with evil thoughts of premature cast removal, but trying to be good.

I am scheduled back to the MD on 1/27/2009 for cast removal and the onset of rehab......looking forward to washing my hands really well. Glad to hear everyone is basically glad they did this because I am only 24 days post-op and still in the OMG what have I done stage.................Thanks, Jill

I had CMC arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction on Dec. 16.  I thought I would be going back to work a couple days later, but couldn't go back for almost 5 weeks........probably should've taken a few more weeks before returning.

Any how, I had the half cast with all the thick dressing for the first 2 weeks after surgery.  Then I went back to see my doc and he had the stitches removed from my forearm and thumb/wrist.  I had a k wire and that hurt more than anything!  It rubbed against the removable splint and I could feel it sticking against my index finger bone in my hand. 

At 4 weeks post op, I went back to see my doc and he pulled the k-wire out - OUCH!  I continued to wear the splint and was given PT exercises to do.  I also could take to splint completely off to shower and of course to do the PT.

At 6 weeks, I only saw the PT staff.  They cut my splint way down to just cover my hand - before it was halfway up my arm.  I was told to continue the PT exercises at home and come back in 2 weeks to also see the doc.

There was lots of confusion between the PT staff and my insurance over the past 2 weeks.  The PT staff submitted 3 requests for me to continue PT and my insurance kept saying that they were not completing the form right, did not include correct codes and I got stuck between my surgeon's office's PT staff and my insurance.  Both refused to pick up a phone and talk to each other to fix the problem!!! Before surgery, my doc said I would require 3 months of PT.

To make matters worse, I went yesterday to my 8 week checkup with my doc and his attitude was basically that if I didn't have a new referral for the PT, then I was on my own and didn't need to see him anymore - even though I have authorization to see him for 3 more months as my specialist.  Uhhhhhhhhhggggg! 

So, I have no idea what progress I've made, what PT exercises to do, when I can stop wearing this hard splint, etc.  However, if my primary doc can get the referral for me to get back to PT, I don't think I want to go back to my hand surgeon's PT staff.  Trying to get proper care to rehab from this surgery is much more frustrating than the ups and downs have been of actually having the surgery. 

Has anyone here had to rehab on their own before?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

I would do light Physio at home, don't overdo it thinking you will get better faster, take it really easy. 

Keep on to your own Dr. to get you some help.   Good luck and let us know how you get on.