Thank you
Wanted to say a heartfelt thanks to Acoustic Guitar Forum and the posters on this thread. This discussion, "Arthritis in left thumb - surgery" has helped me more than you can know. I value each person's words and contribution.
I am a semi-professional jazz singer / guitarist in the Pacific Northwest. Since retiring I have devoted a lot of time and practice to my guitar playing. But the pain in my fretting hand--after five years of intense practice--got so bad I had to curtail my playing drastically, especially practicing. I've seen two hand surgeons, and had three steroid injections. The last one of those, administered by a guy who knew what he was doing, helped a lot, but not enough.
I know a lot of musicians in my area, including a lot of guitarists and standup and electric bass players. Not one suffers with this problem (that I know of). So I felt really alone. I believe the first hand surgeon I talked to about how a carpometacarpal (CMC) arthroplasty would affect my guitar playing simply shrugged his shoulders. (It takes a musician I guess to appreciate a question like this.)
I have no illusions about the seriousness of this step, in a number of ways. I am older and heal slowly. Even if I get back to playing (which a realistic guess puts at about six months to a year), my focus and learning ability are not what they once were. And maybe for some this is not an issue, but for me the lurking threat of opioid dependence is not insignificant.
Nevertheless, I have scheduled my surgery for the end of November. Thanks again.
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