Oh dmk, do I ever agree with "not sure I want to wait that long to fix" - hands are different than a hip in one respect - when those tiny bones are too far gone for conservative surgeries, full joint fusion may be the only answer.

My best friend of 40 years was "too busy" when her wrists began to be badly damaged by arthritis, and waited until her schedule was better - too late! Now she has 2 fully fused wrists, and it is very difficult to do her everyday activities, and impossible to pursue some of her hobbies. She is now looking into a wrist implant because we have many years ahead of us. Another friend who had thumb joint problems did the same, waiting until he was retired - and ended up with 2 fused joints because everything had collapsed. Now he is trying to figure out how to modify his camera & fishing gear so he can continue the hobbies he retired to pursue.

So, as soon as the doc says "It's time" with a hand surgery, you truly are on the clock and delay may mean loss of use. Another caveat - these hand joints can be subject to a lot of wear after surgery, so get good advice on how to protect them from your surgeon and therapist. My hand and wrist, 11 years after a carpectomy, require a rigid splint whenever I am doing strenuous work like gardening or sanding painting. I wear a lesser splint for most other activities.

Have you thought about when you might proceed?
Sue