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regreting carpal tunnel surgery

Posted , 5 users are following.

sheila41382
sheila41382

I am 8 weeks post op ct surgery on dominant hand and have had nothing but issues ever since the frist day of surgery....I have an awful burning in the incision area and still have hard lumps around it....I have had shock like feelings that have been unbearable and the burning I feel 24/7 is only worsened at times with what feels like being stabbed in the incision area from palm to wrist..It is also very sensitive to the touch or if anything brushes against it.....I am starting to think that this has been nothing but a mistake, I am having more probs now than I had before the surgery. I am going to Physio and the therapist is great. She has given me a compression glove to wear although it does not help and also doing acupunture...see how it goes...I am seeing a pain specialist and they have done one nerve block which they say is most effective for the burning pain, didn't hellp the first time, also on meds which I don't like taking because of the possible side effects, I prefer taking tylenol for slight relief, back again next week to see them. My surgeon has not been helpful at all...he basically took the cast oof, stitches out and said go home and don't baby it, be careful with lifting and that was it....well I went back to see him a couple weeks later because I called his office and said I felt I should not be having this much discomfort. The day I wentm he seemed like he just wanted me to deal with everything and get back to work. I got very upset with him and said he told me that this surgery would help me withthe CT and that was the only reason I had it done, because I took his word for it, he never discussed any other possible problems that may come from having the surgery. He did refer me to the pain clinic and the doctor there who is awesome referred me to therapy as well as said there was no way I could return to work with all this pain and had I not gone and had this caught early, it would have been much worse as time goes on and no chance to rty to correct it.......imagine that!....My surgeon was not even going to see me for 4 months after the surgery, did not tell me what to do or refer me for therapy. My job requires the use of my hands all day long....needless to say I am quite upset over this and I have made an appt to see my GP who referred me to this quack in the first place! I have to see the surgeon again in 2 weeks time and see what he has to say this time, because believe me, I am not letting him brush me off this time.

Anyone else have any issues after CT surgery like I am?

Sheila

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • elaine02726
    elaine02726 sheila41382

    Posted

    Hi Sheila

    sorry to hear you are having such a bad time.

    i can't help with many of your problems but 2 ring bells for me.

    it was explained to me that when the nerves in the skin are cut they lose their memory and therefore need re-educating. You can do that by introducing them to different textures. Just run a piece of cotton wool over the scar, I know it will'good through you ' but along with a rough towel and a soft toothbrush I taught mine their job again in only a few days. Once you can touch the scar without the sensitivity it is time for serious massage to get rid of those lumps. Any cream or oil will do, plenty of pressure from your other thumb in little circles.

    i know these are only little things in the big picture but they will help and hopefully lift your spirits.

    best wishes Elaine

    • sheila41382
      sheila41382 elaine02726

      Posted

      Thank you Elaine, I will do that....For me it just isn't the burnng and sensitivity, it's the pain as well....this is just terrible
  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland sheila41382

    Posted

    Yes there are other people with similar problems, though fortunately not too many of them as most patients do get very satisfactory results from carpal tunnel surgery.. There is a guide to how to analyse the symptoms in order to figure out what the problem is on my website but I can't post a link here because it will delay you being able to see this reply by several days while the forum moderators review the posting. You can find it using links from the CTS page or resource page or by searching for me and CTS. Dr Jeremy D P Bland
  • witchesmole
    witchesmole sheila41382

    Posted

    Hi Sheila

    sorry to hear your having such problems I would say 8 weeks is still early day for full recovery. I have had both done one oct 13 and my dominate hand march 14

    Im not sure that having the nerves cut through is quite correct as I understand it they cut the ligament above the nerve to relieve the pressure. the nerve shouldnt be interefered with apart from the surgeon touching it during surgery to make sure all is ok. My second hand has taken a long time to heal and I still have swelling on the palm site on little finger side which i dont know when this will go. As for the burning and sensitivity mine was almost exactly the same not that i was referred to pain clinic at all though. Things will improve and I think that jeremy's advice is good too. Try and take things easy but slowly increase your activity in the hand and eventually things will improve and definately do the reintroduction to senses on the hand and of course massage as much as you can stand/

    Good luck

    • sheila41382
      sheila41382 witchesmole

      Posted

      Thank you and i know it is still early times yet, but the feeling I get from my surgeon is I should have been back to work 3 weeks ago and he makes me feel like I acting out or something. I broke my left wrsit 4 years ago and many problems after even though the bone healed great. I had CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) as well as CT symptoms in the wrist area due to the fracture, so the pain specialist is not surprised at all that I am having these CRPS probs from this surgery. It's just depressing when you take the word of your surgeon without being told there may be underlying consequences if having this surgery. I had postponed it 3 times already and may have opted to try other methods if I had been told anything. I am hoping it may get better any time, but even the pain specialist said there are no gurantees that this burning will go away. I certainly do what I can to help speed up the recovery. I am careful with lifting but have used it pretty much from the start to get it mobile. If it weren't for the darn burning I can put up with the tightness that I have in it.

      Sheila

    • witchesmole
      witchesmole sheila41382

      Posted

      oh dear breaking your wrist probably has not helped strength wise in both my hands has taken time and my dominate hand is still not there maybe it never will but i just try and get on with what i can :-) 

      I do hope you start getting relief from your symptoms soon

      x

       

    • witchesmole
      witchesmole

      Posted

      I did go and read all of Dr Jeremy's site and if you read about the surgery it is mostly all that i have experienced and many others and makes perfect sense in to what to expect from surgery and the percentages of failure which are not failures really but just different ways of how we heal

       

  • peter88026
    peter88026 sheila41382

    Posted

    I am 4 weeks post op, in agony...originally had a dupytrens surgery turn into this mess ...carpal tunnel which I had no signs of! Dominant rt. hand,

    Therapy is worthless, although the therapist is trying hard. I believe the surgeon botched both surgeries and knows it! Swollen in all fingers, sharp pains 24/7, swollen now around wrists after carpal tunnel surgery over one month. EXTREMELY PAINFUL. ICE BATHS/HOT WATER help for 30 minutes relief!

    Surgeon's remedy is pain pills. I believe he's destroyed nerves and chopped where he shouldn't have.

    I would be very grateful if anyone knows of a law firm in the South East, Texas area that I can begin my case.

    Thank you

    PS# I have been forced to retire from my teaching career about 5 years earlier than I had hoped to.

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