Upcoming Surgery

[mstomcat65]

First a little background....I been having wrist pain for over a year with various tests. First cortisone shot was mid January. I went in yesterday thinking I was getting a second cortisone shot and left with a surgery date for May 14th.

Ok.... my question is this. Lacey is totally bonded with me and is usually ok with the brace that I have been wearing for the last few months. After surgery I will have a cast from my hand up past my elbow for 6 weeks. Will lacey lose her bond with me out of fear of this cast I have to wear? I probably won't have her on me as much at first after the surgery but will still have her in the same room with me. I am a homemaker and do leave her in her cage throughout the day when I need to get some things done. I guess i'm worried the routine change will really confuse her. Any suggestions for a less stressful couple of weeks while she gets used to this new routine?

[michael]

First a little background....I been having wrist pain for over a year with various tests. First cortisone shot was mid January. I went in yesterday thinking I was getting a second cortisone shot and left with a surgery date for May 14th.

Ok.... my question is this. Lacey is totally bonded with me and is usually ok with the brace that I have been wearing for the last few months. After surgery I will have a cast from my hand up past my elbow for 6 weeks. Will lacey lose her bond with me out of fear of this cast I have to wear? ........<snip>

If anything, rather than lose her bond with you, I think the cast may help reinforce it. Afterall, she has accepted the brace you've been wearing for the last few months as being a part of you. As if the cast wouldn't also be the same. .. What about your good arm/wrist?

[linda040899]

I agree with Michael. The cast may be viewed as just a bigger brace. Perhaps wrap it with a towel at first and then introduce it to her slowly and she will probably just accept it with no further ado. Good luck with the surgery. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and I've managed to avoid doing anything but I know wrist/hand pain is no fun!

[mstomcat65]

Thanks for the replies Michael and Linda.

Michael: my right hand is good but she prefers my left hand to "cuddle" in. lol. She uses the palm of my hand as some sort of nest I think. She can sit there for an hour at a time as I watch tv or surf the net :) She will do this a couple times and day and right before I put her to bed. She has the routine down pretty good now. I'm thinking if her cuddle spot isn't there she may go for the other hand, she has before but doesn't stay there as long.

Linda: No it's not carpal tunnel, it's the outside of my wrist where carpal tunnel in the inside of the wrist. I think it's called TFCC which has to do with the outside side of the wrist. He is doing a couple different things while he's in there--basically cleaning up some arthritis issues and a possible frayed tendon. I think my hubby understands more of what he's going to do to me then I do, LOL.

[michael]

Thanks for the replies Michael and Linda.

Michael: my right hand is good but she prefers my left hand to "cuddle" in. lol. She uses the palm of my hand as some sort of nest I think. She can sit there for an hour at a time as I watch tv or surf the net :) She will do this a couple times and day and right before I put her to bed. She has the routine down pretty good now. I'm thinking if her cuddle spot isn't there she may go for the other hand, she has before but doesn't stay there as long. ...... [snip]

I completely understand. ......:)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ourgoofy/2882947005/

[mstomcat65]

[QUOTE=mstomcat65;203091]Thanks for the replies Michael and Linda.

Michael: my right hand is good but she prefers my left hand to "cuddle" in. lol. She uses the palm of my hand as some sort of nest I think. She can sit there for an hour at a time as I watch tv or surf the net :) She will do this a couple times and day and right before I put her to bed. She has the routine down pretty good now. I'm thinking if her cuddle spot isn't there she may go for the other hand, she has before but doesn't stay there as long. ...... [snip][QUOTE]

I completely understand. ......:)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ourgoofy/2882947005/

Yep that is what lacey does.....especially right before bed time :)

[Z28Taxman]

Ditto doesn't seem to care what hand I offer him, as long as he can snuggle down and it has fingers to rub his beak and scratch his head he's happy. that's where he is every night at 9pm sharp to watch whatever is on tv! :rotfl

Unless he's hungry, then he files back to the cage for a nutriberry or avi-cake and brings it back and my hand becomes a food dish.

He'd sleep there all night if I'd let him.

[mstomcat65]

just an update....I had my surgery last wed. and all went well :) Lacey don't seem phased at all with the bandaging and sling. she uses the sling to ride around on when i'm walking around. lol she also doesn't mind the right hand to nap in for now.....:)

[linda040899]

Glad the surgery is done and, hopefully, all will be well. Isn't it amazing how adaptable lovebirds can be!!! You are still you and she simply makes temporary adjustments..... :)

[longobongo]

I think when birds are attached to you enough, they'll deal with anything. When I first got Bailey, approaching her with any type of nail polish on yielded quite the reaction. She did NOT like that AT ALL. Now, my fingers could be painted any which way and she isn't phased by it at all. Sometimes if she's sitting on the top of my hand she'll pick at it, as if she thinks something she can play with is on my hands. :) Glad your surgery went well!

[mstomcat65]

Just another update...... its been almost 6 weeks since my wrist surgery and healing is a slow process. He told us that he found more "stuff" when he got in there. He ended up cleaning up arthritis, removing a small bone, grinding down a bone spur on another and also another thing I can't remember lol. Lacey has been so good about all the changes going on with me. She was definitely not happy when I came home with the hard splint that I am wearing now. She did that high pitched chirp for the first five mins then yelled at it for another 15 after that lol. Now I think she thinks its just a permanent attachment to me. The only issue that I think frusterates her that I can flip by palm side up yet (due to the surgery) and she isn't really happy napping in my right hand for long, she will resort to my hubby as a last resort. :)