Under my thumb

Eddie Van Halen is recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur, twisted tendon and a cyst from his left thumb. He says, "During the last leg of our tour, I started developing pain in my thumb and my pinky. It got progressively worse to the point that about three months ago, I wasn't able to play at all. My pinky and my thumb were totally locked up and felt like there was something broken. They said the only way to fix it was surgery, which of course scared the s**t out of me, but I was told it was the only way to fix it. Now I just have to let it heal. I am totally jazzed that they found the problem, fixed it and in about four months my hand will feel like I am 18 again. Thank God."