my dominant hand is no longer dominant. help!

May 27, 2008 2:23 AM

i was in a very bad car accident this weekend and smashed my dominant hand and my non dominant shoulder. i've been told my dominant hand may not regain full functionality. any tips on getting through the next few weeks/months? any good car accident recovery stories?

the car rolled 3 times and i am very lucky and thankful to be alive.

aside from my hand and shoulder, i am not physically injured. i shielded my head with my left hand as the car rolled. every time the car hit the ground, my left hand scraped the ground and now looks pretty, pretty, pretty gross.

of course i am visiting all sorts of ortho + hand surgeon people, but i'm quite concerned about my left dominant hand. i write a lot for work and pleasure and was 100 percent left sided.

compounding that is a bad tear in my right shoulder. the combo makes me armless except for my right hand, which has no range of motion while my shoulder recovers.

i am home with my parents but want to be as independent as possible. any tips/advice for the 1 armed lady? :P (this took forever to type.)

posted by melodykramer to health & fitness (17 comments total)

Ouch, my symphathies but yay for being alive!

The injuries I sustained in a similar crash were less severe than yours but I found that once the euphoria of being alive had disappeared and the longer term pain took hold, no amount of trying to learn to do things with my right hand would work. It was just easier to grit my teeth and do things slowly and painfully with my left hand.

Oh and you might want to ask a second question - help me find a witty/caustic/downright rude reply to those strangers who symphathize with your injuries but then say "Well, at least it's only your left hand." ;-)

All the very best of luck with your recovery.
posted by ceri richard at 2:46 AM on May 27, 2008

I used to have heinous tendinitis, but I wanted to keep working, so I switched mouse hands and found that my non-dom hand was about 3 months behind my dom. It will come in time.

Advice? Practice doing buttons.
posted by plinth at 3:29 AM on May 27, 2008

Get some good voice recognition software. It's better than it used to be. Still a bit frustrating, but it sounds like typing is frustrating at this stage as well.
posted by grouse at 3:37 AM on May 27, 2008

My mother was in a bicycle accident as a child, and broke her right arm. In a week or so, she had learned how to write reasonably well with her left hand. Her sister is left-handed and children learn that sort of stuff quickly, so YMMV, but it is possible.

The Dvorak Keyboard takes abouth a month to learn, but requires far less hand movement, which could be less painful. There is also a one-handed version.
posted by stereo at 4:30 AM on May 27, 2008

elastic shoelaces. have your mom lace up your shoes and double-knot them. then you can just slip them on and off.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:34 AM on May 27, 2008

My dad's uncle got into a motorcycle accident (in 1947!) and mangled his hand pretty badly. I don't know if it was his dominant hand at the time, but he was able to make do just fine with the other hand. And the mangled hand holds a can of beer perfectly... Point is, long term, you should be fine.

One of the things I've learned about healing from injuries like this is that scarring is your biggest enemy. Talk to the doctors and make it very VERY clear that you are left handed and you are motivated to maintain mobility in that hand. Ask them to leave your hand as free as possible during recovery. Ask them what motions you can do to maintain flexibility, and what not to do.
posted by gjc at 6:03 AM on May 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Related to what stereo said above, if you are willing to buy new hardware (or if insurance will cover it), you may want to look into getting a very small keyboard (example), since they require only a very limited range of motion. Perhaps your insurer knows of a Durable Medical Equipment vendor who'll rent one to you while you recover?

I found a reasonable list of keyboard variants here.
posted by aramaic at 6:31 AM on May 27, 2008

I broke the elbow of my dominant arm last summer when I was hit my a car. You have my sympathy and compassion.

I'd second everything that's been suggested here, including finding an orthopedist/orthopedist surgeon who respects your recovery goals and will work with you to develop a treatment and rehabilitation plan. Make sure your doctor takes into account every aspect of your strength and mobility, including nerve and ligament damage in addition to broken bones (the standard method of healing broken bones- a cast- can sometimes conflict with nerve regrowth). And do check out voice-recognition software and one-handed keyboards. It sounds like writing gives you a lot of pleasure and I'm sure it will help you cope.

My accident became a grievous emotional setback, and I want to offer some words on how to make your experience different. It sounds like you already have a good sense of perspective on this. But when you become frustrated or overwhelmed, please remember that the body takes time to heal. A long time. My orthopedic surgeon told me that the six-week cast is really just to set the bones, and that they don't reknit completely for a year. Nerves regrow at an impossibly slow rate, but they do regrow. It's going to be appalling and scary to see how weak and stiff your joints and muscles become from just a few weeks in a cast, but that doesn't mean you can't get back to being strong and flexible. Unfortunately, it takes a long, long time and a lot of diligent therapy. But this means that you shouldn't think that your condition now, or six weeks from now, or six months from now, has anything to do with where you'll finally be and what kind of mobility and strength you'll have down the road.

You may also find that you seem irrationally tired and be dismayed by how little energy you can muster. Not to get all New Age on you, but the body really does require effort and energy to heal and you shouldn't get angry at yourself for not being able to do very much, hand-wise or otherwise (and the dirty little secret of broken limbs is that no one tells you how heavy casts are!)

And yes, take the time to come up with a snappy comeback to those (and there will be many) who decide that it is their job to assure you that you got off easy. After repeated choruses of "it could have been worse," I decided that the only person who was allowed to tell me that it could be worse was the double amputee wino soliciting change down the block. You had an accident, and you are experiencing your own particular pain and frustration. You deserve to have that recognized rather than dismissed even if you're not a quadriplegic. I also recommend getting a t-shirt that says "Shit Happens" to avoid having to tell your accident story 19 times a day to strangers in the grocery store.

Best, best wishes in your healing and recovery.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 7:41 AM on May 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

thank you! very helpful! i am 23, so eventually i have to go back to my apt in a diff. city
posted by melodykramer at 7:42 AM on May 27, 2008

ps: i do think it could have been a ton worse, and i don't mind people saying that. i'm really just very fortunate to be alive.
posted by melodykramer at 7:54 AM on May 27, 2008

About 5 years ago I was in a similar type of accident. Car rolled a couple times, and my right (dominant) hand was crushed in the mangled dash. I was picking glass out of it for over a year after the surgeries. My face was also pretty crushed by the dash board, too - but thanks to plastic surgery I'm looking pretty normal.

I was most worried about my hand. I love playing basketball and baseball, I do a lot of typing and computer using, and love to write and draw. I used my worries and fears of not using being able to use my hand as motivation in regaining use. I only took 2 trips to my physical therapist, but I took the hand stretches and exercised that I learned and I continually did them throughout the day for months and months once the bandages were off. (Five years later I still do many of them, just in case.)

I found that my scarring (which there is plenty of) mainly prevented my fingers from raising above parallel to my hand. I also can't quite close my hand into a fist or lower my fingers as far as I can with my other hand. But the only time I've ever notice these things hindering my activity is in bowling :)

I'd advice just stretching and working your hand to the point of pain. Since the pain was in my hand (as opposed to somewhere in my head or body), I found that icing did wonders in alleviating any pain. But I felt like it was important to work out my hand to the point of pain. I wanted to test and stretch my healing connections and tendons.

In hopes of playing basketball and baseball again, I'd lie on my back listening to music while shooting the basketball into the air about 2-3 feet above me. It helped me gain fluid motion in my hand, down into my wrist. I'd also throw a tennis ball or racquetball against the wall a lot for the same reason. Muscle memory was something I was looking to recoup, and it took a bit of retraining. But I was actually quite pleased with how quickly I was able to regain full motion and use.

It's easier said than done (and sounds completely insensitive, but I'm speaking from experience), but don't ever adopt a depressed or defeatist attitude. Always speak about your accident with gratitude for being alive, being able to walk, see, speak, think (you could have had some pretty extensive brain damage!). Work hard and set goals for things you can with your hand. If you can't put enough pressure on your hand to do a pushup, make that a goal. If you can't pick up a 20 lb dumbbell, make that a goal. Don't let setbacks get you down at all. I remember playing indoor soccer and needing to use my hand to brace myself during a fall and hurting it sort of bad. I was just glad I was out there playing and that I was able to brace myself during a game like that without any permanent damage. It'll hurt for a while, but that's a good thing! Keep a die-hard, relentlessly optimistic attitude - it's so important.

Good luck!!!
posted by Detuned Radio at 8:05 AM on May 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I broke my right scapula and clavicle in a motorcycle accident in 1996. My arm was tied to my chest, like I was saying the pledge of allegiance, for about 6 weeks.

I developed a single-loop "signature" that I could do with my left hand for credit card receipts, and learned to type slowly with my left hand only, learned to reach over my lap, while steering with my knee, and shift gears with my left arm, and kept reminding myself that this, too, would pass. Within a few days, I was largely independent and able to go about my regular life and work, which was retail management at the time. Now I write for a living, but I think I'd be able to hunt-and-peck it with my left hand if I had to.

I quit the narcotic pain killers on day 2, because they made me foggy and depressed. Switched to liver-killing doses of ibuprofen.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 8:08 AM on May 27, 2008

Was in a horrible Ford Explorer rollover in 2001. Nearly lost my non dominant hand, which would have been horrible as I'm a knitter and need both. I was in PT for a year and though I still have extensive nerve damage, I'm able to use the hand to most of its previous capacity.

I have no advice on the hand, but rather on the brain. While I got the use of my hand back, I wish I had taken some time to deal with the accident. I didn't and it came back to bite me in the ass. Later I was diagnosed with PTSD (already predisposed) and major depressive disorder (also, predisposed).

Even though you may feel fine emotionally, it may be good for your recovery to talk about the accident.

Good luck to you!!!
posted by Sophie1 at 8:17 AM on May 27, 2008

I had a far more minor accident on my dominant hand, but it required two surgeries (followed by 2 months of non-use each time, then physiotherapy). It's usable, but the index finger is entirely non-functional, it gets cold or sore very easily, and I lack a lot of dexterity.

Go to as much physiotherapy as you can possibly get. The physiotherapist I saw after the first surgery was wonderful, and I had a lot of use of my hand (which was lost in the second surgery, a tradeoff I made for various reasons, after 2 years of considering it). Do all the practice exercises. Use heat or cold as recommended.
Just force yourself to use the other hand a lot. Does it suck typing with your off hand? Yes. Oh well. Does it take forever to print with your off hand? Practice a lot. (This will be easier once your shoulder heals.)
People are going to want to do you helpful but weird favours. Let them. (One of my professors was constantly tying my laces for me. That said, do not wear shoes with laces.)
Clasp your bra together in the front, then move it around. (Or: front clasp bras, tanks with built-in bras.)
While you're with your parents, don't let them do everything for you. You're at home where they can watch to see if you need help, but otherwise practice as much as possible (ask the physio or occupational therapist for suggestions of what you can try).
Don't beat yourself up if you cannot do something: either practice small steps to get there or just put it aside for a few weeks. Constant frustration is very depressing unless you see you're getting closer.
Though you need to be wary of falling into a depression and should seek help if necessary, also don't beat yourself up if you do get upset or depressed etc. Sure, it could have been worse and you're lucky to be alive, but it also could have been better. Probably you'll feel both ways at different times, and they're both valid. Try not to focus on either of them for too long.
Take this chance to have someone do your hair for you regularly.
posted by jeather at 10:45 AM on May 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Agreeing with Sophie1 re the PTSD. I had a car accident about ten years ago which wasn't nearly as bad as yours (I was hit side-on by a kid in a car that was too powerful for him). I recovered physically from my injuries (mostly soft-tissue, severe bruising) but had some PTSD.

At the time of the accident I was working at a law firm that had a big personal injury practice and the lawyer there who handled my accident claim mentioned PTSD, which I laughed off. But within days I was having nightmares about car accidents, I nearly freaked out watching a car chase on an episode of 'Cops' and I became very, very nervous of drivers pulling out of side turnings, as the driver who hit me had done.

All of this took me completely by surprise, as I'm pretty robust emotionally and able to cope with most things. Over time it lost its power, but it might have helped to get some counselling at the time, which I didn't do.

I'd also recommend the voice-recognition software, if you have to type a lot. I bought some recently on Amazon, the Dragon Naturally Speaking system. The latest edition - version 9 - is upgraded for Vista, but I bought version 8, the CD only, for about £25 ($50) because I already had my own headphone/mike and I printed off the manual from the web. (The CD was in German to start with, which freaked me the hell out, but I followed the prompt screens on the wizard and was soon offered an English option.)
posted by essexjan at 11:04 AM on May 27, 2008

I don't want to sound crass, but I would recommend talking to a lawyer in the next few days. Just open the phone book, call one and ask for a free 15 minute consultation on the phone. If you like them, set up a meeting. If you don't like the way they sound, call the next one in the book. It's free, they do this all the time, even if you don't use them, the 15 minutes will be of incredible value to you. Regardless, IMHO, the insurance company will probably be inching to settle and throw what sounds like a huge figure at you. You don't have to talk to a lawyer if you don't want to, but what ever you do, don't sign anything from the insurance company until ALL your medical issues are addressed and you know what the rest of your life with the wrong one armed lady is going to be like. There is no rush. You have two years to file a lawsuit and like five more years before actually having to settle (at least in Oregon AFAK.) You may want to put this behind you in a month or two, but you may not know what you're going to be looking at down the road until enough time has passed. Good luck with this.
posted by pwb503 at 4:32 PM on May 27, 2008

thanks for the tips. i don't need a lawyer -- just hand tips :P i'm really happy to be here.
posted by melodykramer at 8:47 PM on May 27, 2008