Houston, we have a problem!

“Can you move your fingers?”  … Yes!

“Ok, lift your thumb.”  … Nothing

“You can’t lift your thumb?” … Nope

“Straighten your fingers for me.” … Nothing

Houston, we have a problem!  I remember the doctor mentioning the radial nerve, the ulnar nerve and what can go wrong.  From the looks of things, I have full feeling in my pinky and left ring finger and no tingling or numbness in those fingers, so the ulnar nerve survived the trauma.  However, I am unable to straighten my fingers or lift my wrist and the top of my hand and thumb are numb, which means that the radial nerve is not as lucky.  I have to admit that I’m freaking out and when I mention this to my surgeon he tells me that “he is not happy about it at all.”  Ugh!

Here’s a quick anatomy lesson:  There is a groove in the humerus that the radial nerve rests in and unfortunately, when there is a fracture and/or open repair involving screws and plates, the radial nerve can be traumatized and let’s just say – it can’t take a joke!