The post-op instructions say, “The more you elevate and ice, the happier you will be!” Accordingly, I spent most of yesterday and today trying to keep my hand above my heart and using an ice pack, both to keep swelling down. I had some use of the hand but mostly it was achy all day. I have been taking big doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen for pain. Before I went to sleep last night I popped a Tramadol. I put in some ear buds, turned on a brown noise video from YouTube, and fell fast asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, the video was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious ad. I woke with a start, disoriented.
Once I figured out what I was going on, I switched to a non-ad app and fell asleep until about 7:30. I woke with no pain at all in my hand. At 8 my surgeon called to check up on me. From what I can tell, the recovery is going just as he said it would: no swelling, manageable pain, and no discoloration of the skin.
With the surgery sedative was out of my system, I drove (okayed by the doctor) to cut my hair cut, then to a bookshop for some entertainment.
There are two things I am prohibited from doing: getting the surgical bandage wet and lifting anything over 5 pounds. So far I’ve managed to keep the bandage dry. I decided against wrapping the arm in a plastic bag and taking a shower, opting for a sink bath this evening instead. (I can reach about 80 percent of my body without difficulty. The rest will have to wait a few days.
(I was a little worried about bathroom activities but I can use my right hand to brush my teeth and my left for other hygenic activities.)
Instead of riding in the basement, I took another day off. No riding. No stretching for my neck and back. My body needed the rest anyway. My legs are happy; I am going up stairs like a beast.
With each passing hour I get a little more mobility in my hands. I need to stay aware that the pain medications are blocking the usual warning signs of damage.
My expectation is that I’ll be in good shape to replace the big surgical bandage with a band-aid in two days. Then I can go about my business (including taking a shower) albeit with the same five-pound lifting restriction. I cannot immerse the hand in water for four weeks.
Onward.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
Good luck! My doc changed my lifting restriction to “nothing heavier than a cell phone” two weeks after saying 5 pounds. (With my injury – not the same as yours – I had no interest in lifting 5 pounds.)
Man, this gives me PTSD to when I had a cast on my entire forearm that came halfway up my bicep. I had it on for a couple months and showers were a pain in the assss.
Glad you’re following instructions.
I once had a removable castfor a broken pinkie. It was like having a club attached to my arm