Any Whistlers dealing with Carpal Tunnel? Had the surgery?

[anniemcu]

I am seeking info and support for a friend who is 2 weeks post op on her first Carpal Tunnel release surgery and is having misgivings. She's due to have the second surgery next week, and is not sure now that she should do so. She is suffering the depression that goes with having her music unavailable to her for this period, and the fears of "what if it doesn't work?"... I know, and have told her that sometimes it is a slow process for the full recovery, but I have not had the surgery myself, and she wants some input from someone who knows exactly what she's going through. Anyone here fit that description?

Any info much appreciated!

Let me add that she actually did need the surgery... much pain, much numbness....

[John F.]

I've got full-blown carpal myself...one of the downfalls of riding motorcycles for a living.

I have not had the release surgery, but it looms in my future. However, your friend should know that despite the small size of the incision, the surgery itself is major. She can expect a recovery time measured in months, and a year or more before she's as pain-free as she's going to be. She will never be as she was before carpal, but hopefully the surgery will allow her a level of comfort substantially better than she had pre-op.

During physical therapy, I was shown a computer generated model of how the brain sees your body, based upon what we know about our neural pathways, total number of nerve endings, etc. The result was a cartoonish creature, with small arms, legs and torso, large feet, a bigger head, and really huge hands.

My point is that so much is tied up in our hands, that any disturbance in that area--even a beneficial one such as release surgery, is magnified 100 times. Your friend must keep this in mind, and allow herself to heal, without getting down on herself.

[Congratulations]

I've got full-blown carpal myself...one of the downfalls of riding motorcycles for a living.

?

[John F.]

yeah, well, I was pretty drunk....


actually I'm the guy just out of the frame, following the hotdogger--my motor is black and white with pretty red and blue lights....

[WhistlinBob]

I am a Diesel engine/truck mechanic by trade and have had carpal tunnel
problems for years.the numbness the pain in the mornings about ten years ago my doctor told me that if I did not have the surgery I could have nerve damage that would not be reversable.I talked to some of my
Friends that had the surgery about half said to do it the other half said absolutly not.
well I did not have the surgery and I do not have severe carpal tunnel
aggravation anymore I talked my cousin who is a physical therapist
at a local university hospital she gave me some instuctions on retraining
the way I do things.The main thing was reducing movement at the wrist
the brace she gave me helped me learn to move my arms more and my wrists less.
I also bought some aids for the computer to raise and support my wrists
good luck to your friend I hope things work out for her.+

[Jason Paul]

I would assume it's like other surgeries where one person's experience is completely positive, and another person wishes they'd never done it.

I have a friend who has been a programmer for over 35 years. He got CTS and after a few years of the pain and numbness, just had the surgery four months ago.

In short, he is glad he got it. It took about 15-20 minutes with a local anesthetic. He had some soreness/weakness for a little over a week I think. Now he seems to be back to a normal use of his hand and has just a tiny scar to show for it (like a little over 1/4").

So, I think he's glad he had the surgery.

I would look into other, less intrusive options first. But if nothing else seems to be working, then your friend will just to make the decision whether or not to go through with it.

Jason

[bradhurley]

Just a general word of advice that you should be sure to get a diagnosis from someone who knows what they're doing: carpal tunnel syndrome is actually one of the less common repetitive strain injuries and is sometimes misdiagnosed. There's a special test for it that most doctors should know but some people self-diagnose or go to a doctor who isn't familiar with the tests.

Numbness in the hands and pain in the wrists can be symptoms of any number of other more common repetitive strain injuries, so it's important to not immediately assume that you're dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome (I'm not implying that anyone here has been midiagnosed, I'm just offering this as advice for other people who are dealing with pain or numbness).

I have thoracic outlet syndrome, which is much more common than carpal tunnel syndrome -- about 10 years ago it got so bad I couldn't type anymore -- my right hand would go white and numb after five minutes on the keyboard. It turned out that my pec minor muscle was pulling my shoulder forward to pinch the ulnar nerve and the blood vessels going into my arm. It had nothing to do with the wrists, but the symptoms were similar to carpal tunnel.

[River Otter]

My sister, a fiddler and pianist and professional drafter, had some major hand and wrist problems a couple years ago, similar to the symptoms some of you are describing with pain and numbness, that left her nearly unable to use her hands at all. She mentioned CTS but I don't recall whether or not that was an actual diagnosis from her doctor. She opted not to have surgery and began a regiment of strength training and yoga (slowly at first) and now has no hand/wrist problems at all. The transformation has been rather remarkable.

One should definitely consult a bonafide doctor, as my sister did, before attempting such a course of treatment, but there may be hope for some that doesn't involve surgery.