Carpal tunnel syndrome anyone?

[homefront]

I was diagnosed with this problem 5 years ago and had the right arm treated, endoscopically. The surgery was successful and the symptoms of numbness and general discomfort disappeared, until about 8 months ago.

Now it seems I have it in both arms, severely (again) in the right.

The new twist this time around is severe pain in the lateral epicondyles of both arms, ie., tennis elbow. There is nothing more fun and entertaining to a carpenter than trying to perform normal tasks -- like grasping and lifting anything -- and being in severe pain. This bilateral pain developed in parallel with the carpal tunnel symptoms.

My GP and surgeon both felt that the lateral epicondylitis was not related to the carpal tunnel syndrome; it was a separate tendonitis issue.

To make a long story short, the left arm just got the endoscopic treatment and already the elbow pain is practically gone. So much for being unrelated.

The right arm is next in a few weeks. As this is the second time around for that arm, the wrist and palm must be opened up to "clean out" the impinging material from around the nerve pathway. Since this is my skilled arm (and my pistol arm) I'm a bit anxious about the procedure and the outcome, but the elbow pain is too much to ignore. Kind'a like being whacked with a ball-peen hammer! And of course, this all has to happen right in the middle of wood burning season.

Has anyone else here had this experience?

[mod71alaska]

Homefront,

I didn't have your "double whammy" elbow/wrist issues but many years ago before endoscopic surgery I had my right wrist (I'm right handed) opened up to correct pretty serious carpal tunnel symptoms from pulling nets commercial salmon fishing. The surgery has been completely successful for 3 decades now. Unless you've incurred irreversible nerve damage, I wouldn't worry about losing any use of your dominant hand and fingers. They should be as good as new. Get it done sooner than later, though, so you don't cause the permanent nerve damage and adversely affect the use of your hand and fingers.

Prayers and Good luck!

[homefront]

Homefront,

I didn't have your "double whammy" elbow/wrist issues but many years ago before endoscopic surgery I had my right wrist (I'm right handed) opened up to correct pretty serious carpal tunnel symptoms from pulling nets commercial salmon fishing. The surgery has been completely successful for 3 decades now. Unless you've incurred irreversible nerve damage, I wouldn't worry about losing any use of your dominant hand or fingers. It should be as good as new. Get it done, though, so you don't cause permanent nerve damage and adversely affect the use of your hand and fingers.

Prayers and Good luck!

Thanks! Your positive experience is a genuine comfort.

I'm lucky to find the work that I do. Being unable to do it is frustrating!

[olyinaz]

Hang in there and good luck! I hope it works great and you're better soon.

Oly

[Blaine]

I have found DMSO to bring relief to such ailments.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Great to hear you'll feeling much better, best wishes on a full recovery!
I used to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome especial while painting by hand using a brush cutting in trim above me before rolling, extreme pain but since I don't paint anymore no carpal tunnel problems.
What I suffer from now (besides my back) is a related problem known as Guyon's canal syndrome in my left arm. This results in feeling of pins and needles in the ring and little fingers before progressing to a loss of sensation and impaired motor skills of the muscles of my left hand. No insurance and no extra centavos to spare means no treatment.

[SteveR]

I was diagnosed with this problem 5 years ago and had the right arm treated, endoscopically. The surgery was successful and the symptoms of numbness and general discomfort disappeared, until about 8 months ago.

Now it seems I have it in both arms, severely (again) in the right.

The new twist this time around is severe pain in the lateral epicondyles of both arms, ie., tennis elbow. There is nothing more fun and entertaining to a carpenter than trying to perform normal tasks -- like grasping and lifting anything -- and being in severe pain. This bilateral pain developed in parallel with the carpal tunnel symptoms.

My GP and surgeon both felt that the lateral epicondylitis was not related to the carpal tunnel syndrome; it was a separate tendonitis issue.

To make a long story short, the left arm just got the endoscopic treatment and already the elbow pain is practically gone. So much for being unrelated.

The right arm is next in a few weeks. As this is the second time around for that arm, the wrist and palm must be opened up to "clean out" the impinging material from around the nerve pathway. Since this is my skilled arm (and my pistol arm) I'm a bit anxious about the procedure and the outcome, but the elbow pain is too much to ignore. Kind'a like being whacked with a ball-peen hammer! And of course, this all has to happen right in the middle of wood burning season.

Has anyone else here had this experience?

I have had ulnar nerve transpositions on both elbows, and recommend the procedure to anyone who has the same problem. The quicker you get it fix, like Victor said, the better chance of not having permanent nerve damage. My right arm, which is my dominant arm, was the worst of the two. I went from my right ring and little fingers which were curling up and no feeling, to back to strong, feeling and able to carry things again.

Good luck and hope you heal soon,
Steve

[homefront]

So I see I'm not alone.
Thanks for the replies and sharing your experiences.

Aloha, Ji! Sorry it's been so long, and sorry to hear of your physical difficulties. There are so many things I would fix in this world, if I could!

Blaine, I will inquire about DMSO with a friend who is an anesthesiologist. That compound seems to have some controversy associated with it, but far be it from me to ignore something that works!

The surgeon actually recommended a change in work. This would be no small thing for me as carpentry and working with my hands are what I do best.

I'm considering building myself a small shop to produce... something, I know not what. Boat building and wood working have always been preoccupying subjects for me; I like to play with metalworking as well, so perhaps something levergun related? Custom knives? Slim Marlin stocks?

Or... get myself a CDL and take a job driving. Might become mundane after a while, but at least I wouldn't be straining my body like I do now.

[Sixgun]

My wife has had to deal with it, to the point where both hands needed to be operated on. Never has been the same as nerve damage is nerve damage. Sometimes her thumb will "lock up" and she has to physically pull on it with her other hand to get it working again. Other times, she will be holding something, like a cup of hot coffee, and she will just drop it.

My constant exercise with my trigger finger keeps my hand nice and limber. ------Sixgun

[mod71alaska]

I have found DMSO to bring relief to such ailments.

I had an orthopedic surgeon recommend that I use DMSO on the boat commercial fishing to keep the swelling down in my fingers and wrists, and it worked very, very well. Two words of caution about using DMSO: 1) since it is transdermal your hands have to be very clean before application; 2) There are two grades of DMSO: 90% which is what you buy from a street corner stand, and 99% (99.9%?) pure which is used by veterinarians and acquired through veterinary sources. Always...that's ALWAYS...use the 99% vet quality. My orthopedic surgeon said he'd use DMSO instead of cortisone in many instances if it were legal. I would add the important caveat that all this was 30 years ago and new DMSO data I would expect is available now with respect to its safety and long term effects.

[Mac in Mo]

Yes, I have it. I am also a carpenter. I also don't work as much as I used to(full time frame/trim carpenter with good pay and benefits to barely working for my self with almost no pay and no benes). It also bothers me very much when painting. Power tools really get it stirred up, especially long sessions with the recip saw. Hands go numb when driving. Drop things a lot. I have broken so many glasses. I have to make a conscious effort to get a good grip when picking one up. Surgery always scared me, never looked into it. If I ever get a real job again(seems hopeless), I will see about the surgery. I have also considered the CDL route.
It hasn't really affected my shooting, not that I get to do much of that these days.

Kevin

[homefront]

Yet another vote for DMSO. Hmmm....

Mac, your career sounds like mine. I got into commercial construction management for a good while, but was laid off 4 years ago. Commercial has now all but dried up. Now I scrounge what I can doing home repairs and improvements. We pay for our own health insurance and have a huge deductible.

The endoscopic surgery is effective at relieving the symptoms and is relatively pain free. Carpenters and other tradesmen don't perceive pain the way some people do, so the word "relatively" is relative. My arms and hands are pretty scarred up from... well, everything.

The surgery was this past Friday. I foolishly had 1/2 cup of coffee before my 6am surgery prep. They want an empty stomach; under regular anesthesia, I could have aspirated my stomach contents and risked chemical pneumonia. Instead of cancelling the surgery, they opted to proceed with reduced anesthesia, meaning I was awake. Felt the whole thing. I've felt worse things.

Mac, as others have said, the nerve damage could become permanent. If at all possible, find a way to have it done.

[Mescalero]

Man,
You guys have it rough, as homo sapiens we pretty much do everything with hands/arms.
I aspirated the barium swallow during my pre esoughageal expansion.
What a bizzare feeling, for a number of days afterward.

[Blaine]

I don't want to mislead....DMSO will reduce inflammation/pain...not fix broken stuff. I will share with you that over ten years ago, I had a very inflamed elbow that the doc said was a bone chip, and I was scheduled for surgery. At the time I was doing outside utility work, and even touching the elbow against something would make me yelp I was near a tack shop, and remembered about DMSO. I got the pure, 100% stuff that was for horses, and applied it. You get the funny taste in your mouth, and it slightly irritated/itched my skin, but, the pain was gone in a minute, and further use cleared up the problem, and I canceled surgery. YMMV

[damienph]

My wife has had the surgery performed on both wrists, not arthroscopic but cut wide open. The results were absolutely amazing. she has been wrist pain free for about 10 years now.