I has been just 11 days since I had my carpal tunnel surgery, which required a two inch incision in my palm. Since I removed my bandages a week ago, I have been trying to use my left hand, at first very gingerly. There are movements that cause a good jolt for sure.
I have been practicing my tremolo on open strings every day and I can't tell you how much this has helped my general state of mind, because not only can I see improvement in my tremolo, well, a day without playing is just an incomplete day. I remember back to the dark days after my open heart surgery. Let me tell you it sucks, but one day I got my mandolin out, gingerly held it to the side, and started picking fiddle tunes.
Suddenly I had an activity that was positive. Ten minutes at a time was all I could do, but I started doing it more and more frequently, and started using it to bribe myself into walking to the corner and back. Then it was make it around the block and you can play some. Took my mind off not sleeping well and all the other negative things you can experience.
So I've been watching the new mando build hanging there drying, calculated it had been close to a month, thought I could use my hand to hold the neck while I final sanded and polished out the finish, so I started the process. Over the next three days I found myself absorbed in the process and less and less focused on my hand. I was careful for sure, but less so.
So there I was with a mandolin ready to be strung up. No way was I going to be able to crank tuning keys. Well, if I limited the movement to half a turn, I could. So last night I strung her up. What can you do with a freshly strung up Mando build? Try to play it, of course.
I can play using every finger except the pinky. Stretching puts a tad too much tension on my palm, but I can play a simple tune. I can't but believe this is the best physical therapy I could do, and the mental boost is remarkable. I'm not saying I can do much beyond a basic tune. Actually started with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. But I'm making music again, and the trauma is dissipating, and darn, my fingers don't go numb.
But it's been only 11 days! So I say to you, life has it's bumps and bruises, but play through them.
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