Katherine asked me to say more about my rheumatoid arthritis hand surgery. I’m happy to, because what I’ve learned reaches well beyond the surgery itself. The operation is only one part of getting better. For anyone with a complex medical condition, the harder part is building the right team.
Your Knowledge of Your Body Is What Counts
I originally sought treatment for rheumatoid nodules and progressive damage in my hands. Instead, two orthopedic surgeons diagnosed me with carpal tunnel syndrome and recommended surgery.
I had no meaningful reaction to any of the diagnostic tests either surgeon performed. Dr. Richardson even performed a diagnostic injection specifically intended to confirm carpal tunnel syndrome. It had no effect. At my follow-up visit, he recommended surgery anyway.
I knew this was wrong.
Carpal tunnel was not what I went to these doctors for, and it was not my primary problem. I had lived with rheumatoid arthritis for twenty years. I had rheumatoid nodules, progressive deformity, and symptoms that clearly fit my disease. Even the diagnostic injection for carpal tunnel had no effect. Everything pointed back to rheumatoid arthritis.
My rheumatologist laughed. “You have rheumatoid arthritis!”
I still wanted help, and found it in a third opinion from Dr. Leber at OrthoArizona.
I knew I had found the right surgeon because he evaluated the problems I actually had and discussed several surgical options, explaining what each procedure could accomplish along with its advantages and limitations. For the first time, I was choosing among treatments designed for my condition instead of being steered toward surgery for a condition I didn’t have.
Confirmation from other providers helps. Finding a physician who understands your disease well enough to offer thoughtful options is even better.
Every Specialist Has a Different Job
On July 8, 2026, I underwent right hand surgery that included synovectomy, tenosynovectomy, two silicone MCP joint replacements, joint debridement, and removal of a rheumatoid nodule from my elbow.
Rheumatoid arthritis had destroyed two of my metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, the large knuckles where the fingers meet the hand. Those joints were replaced with silicone implants. During the same operation, my surgeon performed synovectomy, tenosynovectomy, joint debridement in other affected joints, and removed a painful rheumatoid nodule from my elbow. The goal was to reduce pain, improve function, and help correct the ulnar drift that had twisted my fingers.
The surgery was perfect. No nerve damage. Full muscle function returned the moment the block wore off. Optimal conditions throughout, for muscles, nerves, capillary bed, and temperature.
The surgery is one specialty. Recovery is another.
Surgeons operate. Hand therapists guide rehabilitation. Rheumatologists manage the underlying disease. Each brings essential expertise, but each works within a different scope. Good outcomes depend on all of them.
Building the Team
Surgery was over in a few hours. Recovery was just beginning.
I assumed my surgeon’s office referred patients to its affiliated therapy practice because they had extensive experience with this procedure. It seemed like the obvious place to begin.
Instead, I was given a splint that enclosed finger joints that were supposed to remain free to move, while the strap over the joint that actually needed stabilization was too loose to do its job. I also received no instructions about wear schedule, exercises, or home care. I needed someone whose expertise was hand rehabilitation itself.
Full recovery from this type of surgery takes at least six months. It requires someone who understands why each part of a splint matters mechanically, when to introduce each new exercise, and how to protect the repair while gradually restoring function.
I found that in Tamera Ford, an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with nearly thirty years of experience, including many years working directly alongside hand surgeons in private practice. She is currently working with my surgeon’s office to change the splint order itself from a dorsal design to a volar design based on her assessment of my joint mechanics. This discussion is still ongoing.
Her background points to a pattern worth looking for wherever you receive care: someone with deep experience treating complex hands, someone willing to question an order when the mechanics don’t add up, and someone who explains the reasoning behind the treatment rather than simply carrying it out.
An Unexpected Benefit
I delayed surgery for months because I assumed it was mainly about relieving pain in my hand.
I can go barefoot again.
This is coming from someone who progressed from orthotics, to a knee walker, to multiple braces, and finally to entire days in bed because it hurt too much to stand on my feet.
I don’t know yet why this has happened. One possibility is that removing chronically inflamed synovial tissue and damaged joint surfaces reduced more than the pain coming from my hand. It may also have reduced some of the inflammatory burden on the rest of my body.
Recovery is still in its early stages, and there is a great deal left to learn.
Final Thoughts
I am confident of this: complex medical care is rarely about finding one exceptional doctor. It is about building a team whose members each bring a different expertise, and making sure those pieces work together. For me, this has been every bit as important as the surgery itself.
I have tears of gratitude in my eyes. Thank you. I pray that documenting this journey did not cause you more pain. You have opened my eyes to possibilities I never dreamed of. Thank you so very much
i am so glad it helped you. i have a hard time typing after hand surgery but we can talk anytime.