[DawnsMinstrel]

I know a professional jazz guitarist whose hands are tiny compared to mine, (though I don't know that they're the size of a ten-year-olds). Still it's amazing what he's able to do in spite of this limitation. It's all about finding work-arounds I think. I have a ring finger that has zero reverse flexibility. I can't do any partial barring with it at all. If I want to play something like a C9 with simultaneously fretted 3rd 2nd and 1st strings, I have to barre with my pinky. Whenever I jam with someone and they see me do that they immediately ask what the h*** I'm doing. Carpal tunnel on the other hand, boy that's nothing to mess around with. I feel bad for you about that. The cysts too must be a bummer. I'm pretty lucky myself. No problems other than a bit of arthritis in my left pinky which doesn't seem to matter. Anyway podunklander, I'm wishing you the best on your surgery and I hope the other therapies help too.