Jared McMahon
06-23-2010, 7:48 PM
In case anyone is curious or in a similar situation, I figured I would share my experience being diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and having surgery to fix it in one wrist.
I use my hands in pretty much every aspect of my life. My profession is working with computers and my (fairly recent) hobby is woodworking, using handtools as much as I reasonably can. Around two years ago, I noticed my hands would tingle or go numb if I used them hard or held them at the wrong angle for a while. They would go numb in my sleep and wake me up, not all the time but often enough where I saw the doc. Braces got in the way and I figured I could manage it by watching how I worked and not getting carried away. It took another 6 to 8 months before I realized that wasn't going to cut it, and I saw a hand specialist. After a few tests, we agreed on surgery.
On the day of the surgery, I went in early in the morning and they got to work prep'ing me right away. I hate needles so the prep work was the most nerve-wracking part for me. They offered to either let me stay awake or put me out; I took the put-me-out option. I woke up a while later and they discharged me pretty quick. From walking in to walking out was around 4 or 5 hours. This is where I should probably mention that I'm in my early 30's, so nobody was overly worried about my ability to bounce back.
I had a prescription for some industrial-strength pain killers but I took extra-strength Tylenol every 4 hours and that kept the pain to a tolerable dull ache. Within 24 to 36 hours I could kinda-sorta use the keyboard and mouse. Within 6 days I resumed work on installing laminate flooring in my downstairs hallway. The hand doc was understandably cranky about that last bit...
It's almost exactly 3 weeks since the surgery now. My stitches are out, all my bandages are gone, and I'm basically back to full speed. I still find motions or movements that make the tendons in my wrist twinge, or where I've lost strength, and I do low-key physical therapy wrist exercises a number of times a day to keep it limber. Now here's the key part: since the surgery, I haven't had any tingling or numbness whatsoever, not once.
Part of me is eager to schedule the other hand, since it needs it as well, but I'm giving the first hand plenty of time to recover, as well as the insurance paperwork to process so I know my out-of-pocket expense. And the prospect of getting jabbed with needles while wearing a drafty gown isn't appealing at all. But all in all, it's been a positive experience and one I'm glad I didn't put off any longer.
I use my hands in pretty much every aspect of my life. My profession is working with computers and my (fairly recent) hobby is woodworking, using handtools as much as I reasonably can. Around two years ago, I noticed my hands would tingle or go numb if I used them hard or held them at the wrong angle for a while. They would go numb in my sleep and wake me up, not all the time but often enough where I saw the doc. Braces got in the way and I figured I could manage it by watching how I worked and not getting carried away. It took another 6 to 8 months before I realized that wasn't going to cut it, and I saw a hand specialist. After a few tests, we agreed on surgery.
On the day of the surgery, I went in early in the morning and they got to work prep'ing me right away. I hate needles so the prep work was the most nerve-wracking part for me. They offered to either let me stay awake or put me out; I took the put-me-out option. I woke up a while later and they discharged me pretty quick. From walking in to walking out was around 4 or 5 hours. This is where I should probably mention that I'm in my early 30's, so nobody was overly worried about my ability to bounce back.
I had a prescription for some industrial-strength pain killers but I took extra-strength Tylenol every 4 hours and that kept the pain to a tolerable dull ache. Within 24 to 36 hours I could kinda-sorta use the keyboard and mouse. Within 6 days I resumed work on installing laminate flooring in my downstairs hallway. The hand doc was understandably cranky about that last bit...
It's almost exactly 3 weeks since the surgery now. My stitches are out, all my bandages are gone, and I'm basically back to full speed. I still find motions or movements that make the tendons in my wrist twinge, or where I've lost strength, and I do low-key physical therapy wrist exercises a number of times a day to keep it limber. Now here's the key part: since the surgery, I haven't had any tingling or numbness whatsoever, not once.
Part of me is eager to schedule the other hand, since it needs it as well, but I'm giving the first hand plenty of time to recover, as well as the insurance paperwork to process so I know my out-of-pocket expense. And the prospect of getting jabbed with needles while wearing a drafty gown isn't appealing at all. But all in all, it's been a positive experience and one I'm glad I didn't put off any longer.