Claudia- I had hand surgery in February 2014- I was not on any of the new-fangled drugs, just cortisone (microdose) had tendons put back on the bones and they sanded down the wrist bones so they wouldn't saw off my tendons again. the doc wanted to put a metal bracket in my wrist, but I refused. I hope you have someone to help you get dressed and take a shower afterwards. I pre-prepared my meals for about two weeks in advance because it was impossible for me to wash dishes for a couple of weeks. The first week, I did nothing but sleep... They gave me oxycodeine which knocked me out for a solid week... I got this plastic glove, which reached to my upper arm and was not able to get the hand wet for a while, and my husband, God bless him helped me shower! I wrote out the bills with my left hand for a while... (they actually could read the checks!) And then came physical therapy. My right hand looks and feels a lot better now!! It takes about a year before it is as strong as it'll get. I had to really pamper it for that long... Also, I
had to put lanolin on the cut marks to minimize the scarring- All-in-all, I was quite pleased with it! It'll never be like it was before, but it's good enough for me!