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End of my bass playing days are looming Update.


Bassman Sam

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I had an operation on my right wrist around 6 years ago due to RA and had a titanium bar put in. I had another op in February to take it out as a couple of the screws had come loose and were giving me a lot of pain. I now have now an extremely painful right wrist as the original op didn't fuse the bones properly.  After seeing my surgeon on Friday, I'm waiting for a CT scan to see if anything can be done. Options are A. Nothing can be done. B. Another bar inserted and c. A new thumb joint replacement. d. Knocking one out with my left hand. I'll keep you posted.

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10 minutes ago, Bassman Sam said:

I had an operation on my right wrist around 6 years ago due to RA and had a titanium bar put in. I had another op in February to take it out as a couple of the screws had come loose and were giving me a lot of pain. I now have now an extremely painful right wrist as the original op didn't fuse the bones properly.  After seeing my surgeon on Friday, I'm waiting for a CT scan to see if anything can be done. Options are A. Nothing can be done. B. Another bar inserted and c. A new thumb joint replacement. d. Knocking one out with my left hand. I'll keep you posted.

Sorry to hear this so yeah, keep us posted. But only about the first three eh?

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Good luck.  Hopefully you'll be well enough to work around it.  If it's any consolation I had to give up guitar after knackering my elbow and shoulder in an accident, and losing the feeling in 2 finges and partial feeling in my thumb.  I was a guitar player (spit) and while I could still knock out a tune I can no longer finger pick etc, and it was depressing me.  Mrs Bassfinger went out on a limb and bought me a cheap (but surprisingly playable) bass from gear4music, on the basis that the bass has a third less strings to pluck and I might be able to play it more extensively.  She was right, and I'm really digging it and I'm now in the middle on building a Jazz bass to go with the cheap one.

Anyway, point being that you're not alone and you may yet be able to work around it, or use your skills to try something else.  With luck and a following wind your love of playing may still get soothed.

Good luck 

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1 minute ago, Bassfinger said:

Good luck.  Hopefully you'll be well enough to work around it.  If it's any consolation I had to give up guitar after knackering my elbow and shoulder in an accident, and losing the feeling in 2 finges and partial feeling in my thumb.  I was a guitar player (spit) and while I could still knock out a tune I can no longer finger pick etc, and it was depressing me.  Mrs Bassfinger went out on a limb and bought me a cheap (but surprisingly playable) bass from gear4music, on the basis that the bass has a third less strings to pluck and I might be able to play it more extensively.  She was right, and I'm really digging it and I'm now in the middle on building a Jazz bass to go with the cheap one.

Anyway, point being that you're not alone and you may yet be able to work around it, or use your skills to try something else.  With luck and a following wind your love of playing may still get soothed.

Good luck 

Looks like I might be able to play my Strat gently but I think my bass playing days are numbered.

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Fingers crossed mate, I have suffered from an aggressive inflammatory arthritis for the last two decades and it’s no fun BUT I am continually amazed by how much treatments have moved on in that time. Hopefully they will be able to sort you out and you can be back playing.

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I've got arthritis in my wrist as well, so far thankfully, it's not too bad, but could potentially be looking at complications as time goes on. Hoping that it shouldn't affect my playing too much. We'll just have to wait & see.

@Bassman Sam, all the best with your op, & hope it doesn't have a totally detrimental effect on you playing bass in the future. GWS.

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17 hours ago, Bassman Sam said:

Looks like I might be able to play my Strat gently but I think my bass playing days are numbered.

You've got me thinking! 

I'm not going to go all Bill Clements / Rick Allen on you; although I am massively inspired by both of these guys, not to mention many artists and athletes who have overcome the loss of a limb or control of; I don't want you to stop playing bass though!

Is it the movement of your thumb, resting your hand on your thumb, pressure against the thumb which causes pain? Looking at the guitar; playing it gently will cause less discomfort? I would love to understand how. I'm not an occupational therapist by any means, but I reckon there's a way having something made that could attach to the bass that would support your hand and allow you to still pluck the strings? Its a crazy idea and if anyone is reading this with access to a 3D printer, can we get this man back behind his Bass where he belongs! 

Good luck with the op' and I hope there's a solution out there for you! 

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Thanks for all the kind words guys. I'll wait until I see my surgeon again next month and see what he says.  I've been here before when I sold all my gear around 10 years ago when I was in agony with the RA but got back into playing after the hospital got it under control. I'm hoping they can perform another miracle this time around.   

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1 minute ago, KevL said:

Good luck, hope things improve. From your experience of 10 years ago I take it that your going to hang on to your gear for a while and see how things pan out?

 

I sure am Kev. Lost a bomb when I sold my gear and cost me a fortune to replace it. Ended up with too many basses though, the Basschat curse.

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