Well, it's official. I'll be having surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Phillycat]

My appointment with the hand specialist is next week, but my friend the orthopedist told me what I already knew--that the scar tissue buildup I've known about for years has become too great to continue in my line of work--as evidenced by the shooting nerve pain all the way down my forearm. It was okay when it was just pain and numbness in the wrist and thumb--but this is unbearable. It brings tears to my eyes, and I'm no wimp about pain.

I won't have the surgery until after the holidays, too many of my staff members are on vacation between now and then for me to be out.

Has anyone had this experience? How bad is the recovery from the surgery? I want to avoid taking narcotics at all if possible.

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. You should have never ever shoved me...see?

;) I do hope it will go well for you. My mother had surgery quite some time ago with good result and quick recovery. I'll be thinking of you. The pain from recovery was not as bad as the pain from the actual CTS. Good luck! :hug:

[Phillycat]

3. Good to hear--thanks!

And thanks for the well-wishes. :hug:

[Neoma]

2. some info on it...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=CFBC3BC6-FBFF-43DF-85951B77F5A3F8C0

[Phillycat]

4. Thank you. I work for and with dr's, so I know all about the clinical

end of it. I wanted to hear from people who've actually EXPERIENCED it, because it's impossible to explain something when you haven't had it yourself. But thanks for the link. :)

[gollygee]

5. I don't know much about the surgery

A couple of people I used to work with had it and recovered quickly and well.

Good luck!!

[Phillycat]

Thanks. :)

[flamingyouth]

6. Good luck to you

:hug:

[Phillycat]

7. Thank you!

:hug:

[Dogmudgeon]

8. It isn't too bad

Most people who get the operation don't have any pain that can't be handled with an NSAID like ketorolac (a stronger cousin of ibuprofen).

And don't fear narcotics ... addiction is very rare in cases where it is used for pain.

Good luck!

--p!

[Phillycat]

9. I am a recovering alcoholic.

I try really hard not to put mood-altering chemicals into my body because I don't like my reaction. I'm hoping a super-duper strong version of Aleve or Advil will do the trick.

Thanks for the info. :)

[Mr. McD]

10. I had to have the surgery done on both hands

about 14 years ago. I can certainly identify with the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. It takes a while to completely recover but it is worth it. Good luck.

[Phillycat]

11. Thank you.

Every knowledgable person I talk to says that surgery is the only way. We'll see what the hand specialist says, but I'm prepared to schedule the surgery in January. I am glad it worked out for you. :)

[Bouncy Ball]

12. My good friend

had the surgery and she has quite a low tolerance for pain and she was surprised by how quickly she recovered from the surgery. She had to wear those hand brace/support thingies for a while and she was on narcotic painkillers, but not very long. She made a full recovery and has had no problems since (this was five years ago).

Good luck!!!

[Phillycat]

13. Excellent--thanks for that account.

I hope to heal so well and so thoroughly. :)

[pdx_prog]

14. If you have one at a time done

it isn't so bad.....I know a woman that had both done at the same time and she was miserable. Her husband had to dress her, bath her, and perform post bathroom clean up duty.

From what people have told me, the pain isn't too bad.

I'll be thinking about ya!

[Phillycat]

15. Yes, so far I've only gotten to the surgery stage with my right hand/arm.

My left is still really functional. Of course, eventually I'll get it in that one, too.

[GingerSnaps]

18. That's what toilet bowl scrubbers with the sponge on them are for

The sponge is disposable right? :D

[Lavender Brown]

16. I'm sorry to hear that, janesez

:hug: I hope the surgery and recovery go well.

[Phillycat]

17. Thank you!

:hug:

[GOPisEvil]

19. Holy crap!

Good luck with the surgery. :hug:

Keep me posted!

[Phillycat]

22. Thanks, doll

:hug:

[JimmyJazz]

20. Don't listen to anyone's horror stories - everyone is different!

My dad had the surgery done and recovered very nicely. I wish you the best, sweetie.

:hug:

;)

[Phillycat]

23. Thank you dollface.

:hug:

[SarahB]

21. I don't have any knowledge about it.

I want to wish you the best though. I hope everything goes smoothly. :hug:

[Phillycat]

24. Thanks, Sarah Belle.

BTW, I didn't weigh in on your thread, but you are most certainly a babe, at least according to this straight woman. ;-)

BABES UNITE!! (I'm a babe, too.)

[GOPisEvil]

26. If you ever DO unite...

...er, never mind...:spank:

[SarahB]

30. LOL- Babes Unite!

:thumbsup:

and thanks :)

[StopTheMorans]

25. sorry to hear it, but best of luck

i have recurring tendinitis in my left wrist from playing guitar too much when i was younger, and that can be a real pain. i can't even imagine what CTS must be like. good luck with the surgery; hope you have a speedy recovery! :hug:

[Phillycat]

27. It's pretty bad!

I've had the thumb/wrist numbness and occasional pain for a long time now, and it's totally bearable. But this new thing, this nerve damage, really REALLY sucks. As I said before, I'm pretty good about handling pain, but I can't deal with this at all. It has to be a damn federal case for me to go to the dr at all. :)

I hope your tendinitis stays away! Perhaps a course of PT and learning some good home stretches and exercises might help...

[skygazer]

28. I don't know about the length of recovery

But I do have a friend who had the surgery on her right wrist and the results were excellent. She is a veterinary surgeon and needs flexibility in her hands and she is now able to do very fine work.

Good luck with it! :hi:

edited to actually make sense!

[Phillycat]

29. Thanks! Seems like all the surgery reviews have been positive so far.

:hi:

[Dogmudgeon]

31. Another piece of unsolicited advice

Look into switching over to the Dvorak keyboard.

It's faster and much easier on the hands. It usually takes two to three weeks to make the change.

I just switched over, myself, and after five days, I'm back up to about 8 WPM. (My QWERTY speed is around 55 WPM.)

--p!

[Phillycat]

32. Is that one of those that's split in the middle and you can raise it up?

[Dogmudgeon]

37. That's an ergonomic keyboard

The Dvorak keyboard is a specific key layout. Ergonomic keyboards have different "form factors", i.e., shapes.

has all the links you need to get started.

--p!

[underpants]

33. See what you get for learning how to type?

See learnin' is what all them high fallootin LIEberals did and they look downt their noses at us.

Good luck. :hi:

[Phillycat]

35. I know! I wouldn't need to type if I didn't think I was better than everyo

I should just stick to a cashier's job at Wal-Mart. It was good enough for my grandpappy and it should be good enough for me!

[Dora]

34. Arnica to help with healing & post op inflammation

Arnica gel, ointment, or homeopathic tables can do amazing things for people recovering from surgeries.

I've used the gel and tablets for a couple of years for gardening aches and pains, and my husband uses it for his wrists, shoulders, and neck (drummeritis).

A friend had breast "enhancement" surgery recently, and she tried arnica gel, and she said it relieved quite a bit of swelling.

Another friend had some cosmetic surgery on her face and neck, and her doctor prescribed a pharmacy-only brand of arnica. She began taking it a couple of days before the surgery, and continued for a couple of days after the surgery, and I'm sure her bruising and inflammation would have been much worse if she hadn't.

It's wonderful stuff. Good luck with the surgery, and I wish you a speedy recovery!

[Phillycat]

36. Wow, thanks for the tip!

It sounds like miracle stuff.

[crispini]

38. Have you tried acupuncture?

I had a really bad bout of arm / wrist pain about four years ago. They thought it was borderline carpal tunnel, but it might have been just tendonitis. I was on partial disability on workman's comp because I was a data entry specialist and I could not type. I saw my regular doctor, a neurologist, and an osteopath. Nobody could help. I tried all these meds, exercises, everything.

I, like you, had this horrible searing pain up and down my forearms. I would try to do things and just cry. I had not gotten as far as considering the surgery though.

Out of sheer desperation I went to an acupuncturist. After one visit, I felt better. After about 6 or 7 visits -- cured.

And it hasn't come back. Acupuncture ROCKS.

[Phillycat]

39. Huh! Interesting.

I trust my friend the ortho, although I know that traditional western dr's won't necessarily consider a different approach. I definitely have carpal tunnel. My understanding is that, at the advanced stage I have it, nothing short of surgery will do, and I will waste my time with PT, etc. But I've never heard of using acupuncture to cure it. I'll see what the hand specialist says. Thanks for the info! :)

[Phillycat]

40. Delete. Dupe