carpal tunnel syndrome

Has anybody here ever had this condition. I have recently changed jobs and have been going through this. My fingers on both hands are falling asleep and I have been getting awful cramps in my hands. I just went to the doctor and he told me I had Carpal Tunnel. He gave me prednisone for it and told me that I probably will need to see a specialist. It seems to really affect me at night when I am sleeping and it wakes me up. The cramps in my hands really hurt. Has anyone ever had the surgery that gets rid of this? and did it help?

My mom has had it for years. She has to wear a brace on her hand to help the pain. Perhaps you could see a doctor and see if they recommend a brace. Sometimes surgery is required to fix it. Good luck! Till you can get in to see a doctor though- pick up some tylenol arthritious- it's the strongest OTC pain reliver. And also be sure to soak your arm in a sink full of warm water and epsom salt several times a day to relieve the pain/inflimation. (Flexall and Icyhot mixed together also helps!)

As long as your doctor doesn't prescribe a prescription antiinflammatory, I think it would be better to take Aleve or ibuprofen for carpal tunnel. You can take them at the same time as acetaminophen, too... but acetaminophen won't help with any nerve inflammation that might be occurring.

My mother-in-law has had surgery on both hands (on one hand twice!) for carpal tunnel.... she said it a while to heal, but it was worth it. I hope you get the treatment you need quickly!

The doctor prescribed me a anti inflamatory medicine and prednisone. I was awake off and on all night last night with numb hands and cramps. It hurts to type this today. I thought it was something my body would get used to after awhile but evidently the Doctor told me it was here to stay until I get it corrected. I have 60 days till my insurance kicks in at work and he is hoping I can make it that long

First, be very careful with the prednisone - make sure when you are ready to stop taking it that you taper off, do not stop it abruptly. It is a very scary drug, works wonders when used for the right reasons, but can cause all kinds of nasty side effects. I speak from my experiences with taking this drug.

My mother used to type 90 WPM for years and years, developed carpel tunnel, and while the surgery did help her to a point, she now attends chronic pain management classes and goes to acupuncture to help ease the chronic pain.

She can no longer type or use a keyboard, and to use a computer she has to use voice activated software.

Please get a second opinion before having the surgery, just to be on the safe side. Carpel tunnel can be debilitating. I hope you just have mild case of it!

I think Reeses PBC just had surgery for that...If I am thinking of the right member

I think I am starting to get the symptoms for this - I have repetitive movements at my work for my hands and I am starting to wake up in the middle of the night with numb hands and they are just now starting to cramp. I don't know what to do, I don't really want to go to the doctor because if he says I have it, I have to file a report with work and they get pretty mean if you do - I will have to ask my friend at work what she did when she reported it.

Originally Posted by Kiwideus

I think I am starting to get the symptoms for this - I have repetitive movements at my work for my hands and I am starting to wake up in the middle of the night with numb hands and they are just now starting to cramp.

I don't know what to do, I don't really want to go to the doctor because if he says I have it, I have to file a report with work and they get pretty mean if you do - I will have to ask my friend at work what she did when she reported it.

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Those are the symtoms of carpal tunnel. I am going through the same ordeal with work. I have not filed anything, I just started this job 1 month ago and this all hit me full bore the second week. It's a pretty physical job and involves alot of different hand motions. Thats why I just went to the doctor yesterday with my own money. I thought my age was just catching up to me and this was arthritis setting in. Every day this just is compounding into more discomfort. I woke up last week in tears the cramping was so unbearable.

My doctor told me that this doesn't go away with time. It is something that is here to stay. He hopes I can make the 60 more days till I get vested in the company.

Originally Posted by abbycats

It seems to really affect me at night when I am sleeping and it wakes me up. The cramps in my hands really hurt.

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I can relate to the pain from waking up at night in horrific pain/numbness. I had the same situation several years ago. It would happen every night in the wee hours of the morning and I would do everything to try and get the feeling back in my hands. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed me with carpal tunnel, however, he told me mine was not severe enough for surgery. Not everyone who is diagnosed with CTS requires surgery immediately. He gave me a shot of cortisone and it helped tremendously. That was 3 - 4 yrs. ago and I never went back for it. I also sleep with splints at night and was told to use them if I am driving long distances because when you hold your hands up on the steering wheel for any length of time your hands/wrists can go numb. Best of luck, hope you get some relief soon.

I have had carpal tunnel for several years. No surgery yet. You must go and buy the braces for your hands/wrists. One of mine came from a hand doc but I bought the other at Walgreens. (about $15???) The brace should have the metal strip in it. Wearing these consistantly at night will make a big difference.
Also too every hour during work shake your hands, felx your wrists/fingers too.
Watch how you are typing on a keyboard-do not stretch your pinkies or any fingers but move your entire hands and wrists around the keyboard. I also dropped my keyboard so it lies flat on the surface as to prevent the wrists from bending.

I had surgery on my right hand two years ago. First the doctor prescribed splints that I wore when I slept. The theory being that rest (keeping the wrist straight) would help with the inflammation of the nerves.

That didn't help much and he then prescribed surgery.

The surgery itself was a breeze. I was only out of work for two weeks. But unfortunately I also have arthritis and because of other factors leading up to surgery I started having problems with that.

These days I know lots of people who have had carpal tunnel surgery and have had great success.

You just need to find ways to make it better while waiting for your insurance to kick in.

Originally Posted by abbycats

Has anybody here ever had this condition. I have recently changed jobs and have been going through this. My fingers on both hands are falling asleep and I have been getting awful cramps in my hands. I just went to the doctor and he told me I had Carpal Tunnel. He gave me prednisone for it and told me that I probably will need to see a specialist. It seems to really affect me at night when I am sleeping and it wakes me up. The cramps in my hands really hurt. Has anyone ever had the surgery that gets rid of this? and did it help?

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I just had surgery in January on both hands. I had the left done on January 5th, with the stitches being out on the 15th. Then I did the right hand on the 26th with the stitches being out on the 5th. Unfortunately it's too early to REALLY tell if there is much of an improvement as my hands are still a tiny bit sore. But I have noticed that my hands don't fall asleep at night as often. At first I was prescribed Prednizone but it only worked temporarily, then it was decided that I had to have the surgery. I have muscle atrophy of the muscle under my thumb in my left hand, and that meant that it had gone too far and actually caused damage.

If you do get the surgery, you will probably be asked to choose 3 different surgeries, each with a different incision size. Go for the endoscopic surgery. You would only have one small incision (about a 1/4") in your palm and one at the base of your wrist. Stitches come out in 2 days and you can technically go back to your normal life in a few weeks. There isn't a whole lot of pain either. The most of my pain was when I woke up from surgery. After that it was just some discomfort, but they gave me Percocet for that. Here is what my left hand looked like the day they took out the stitches:



I was told that the success rate for each kind of surgery is the same, it's just that the endoscopic is a bit trickier for the doctor to do, but easier on you. Otherwise if you opted for a more open procedure (where they pretty much open your hole hand) you will have many stitches, alot more pain, and recovery is a few months.

I have carpal tunnel in my right hand that was diagnosed about 2 1/2 years ago. I have a splint that I wear at night when it is really bothersome. Last year, I had a cortisone injection in my right wrist that was very effective for about 9 months, then I had another one last month. I know a lot of people who have had successful surgery for carpal tunnel, but if I can get by with an injection every 9-10 months for a while, that's the route I am going to take. Good luck!!

Originally Posted by Cele

I have carpal tunnel in my right hand that was diagnosed about 2 1/2 years ago. I have a splint that I wear at night when it is really bothersome. Last year, I had a cortisone injection in my right wrist that was very effective for about 9 months, then I had another one last month. I know a lot of people who have had successful surgery for carpal tunnel, but if I can get by with an injection every 9-10 months for a while, that's the route I am going to take. Good luck!!

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My doctor said exactly that, that the Cortisone shots are only temporary. I'd rather have a possible permanent fix than having to get injections every 9 months for the rest of my life. At some point I would imagine that your body would start being immune to them.

I don't regret the surgery decision because it was relatively quick and easy because of the particular procedure they did.