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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.

Leo Graywacz
06-23-2010, 8:26 PM
I had capal tunnel symptons and it turned out to be hypothiroidism. Now I take synthroid and all of my symptoms have disappeared.

Fred Voorhees
06-23-2010, 8:52 PM
I had two wonderful experiences with carpal tunnel syndrome. Well, if you could call it wonderful. By that I mean that I had both wrists done - not at the same time. My left hand was first. It was the easier of the two for the doctor and quicker in the operating room since I am left handed and the tendons were not as tough. My right wrist took approximately 20 minutes longer, but even that operation was only about 40 minutes long. In the case of both, I was discharged while the anesthesias was still in effect and had no pain. After a few hours (about late afternoon) the hands began to tingle as if they were numb. No pain. Never any pain. In both cases, when I woke up the next morning, there was no numbness, no pain, no nothing. Sure, I had limited use of whichever hand had just been operated on, but I never experienced on bit of pain and with the left wrist, I was back to work in six weeks and with the right wrist, I was back in seven. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a rediculously simply operation....at least in my case(s) it was.

Butch Edwards
06-24-2010, 5:45 PM
I'm blessed for the fact that I do not have CTS, but I know/have seen many at the hospital who've had the surgery done. many were fixed, many were not...some even made worse by the surgery. As with any surgery, the Dr. probably makes all the difference. I have co=workers who are eccstatic about the way theirs' turned out... and have known others' who curse the day they went under the knife. I reckon the pain/whatever gets to a point, that something must be done ..I'm hoping that one day everyones' will be a good result..because from what I've seen, CTS isn't fun.
God speed to you.

David Cefai
06-27-2010, 7:22 AM
My wife seemed to be getting CTS and I bullied her into using a mouse pad with a gel wrist support. This seems to have sorted her out early enough that she has not needed to do anything else.

It looks like it is possible to avoid CTS in some cases. I don't see how a woodworker could :-(