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About my carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand...

Posted , 5 users are following.

subha53732
subha53732

Hi folks, need some advice here. I had been having carpal tunnel syndrome on both hands - the right side worse than the left side. Right hand was having no sensation or grip, apart from the numbing and tingly feeling on fingers. Not much pain. Had surgery on May 23rd. It has been a month now, and recovery on right hand has been going on well. Till 2 weeks after surgery, left hand was also showing strong symptoms, so I requested surgeon for surgery on left too. It has been scheduled for mid July. Problem is, since last 2 weeks my left hand has been an extremely good boy. No symptoms, pain, numbness, nothing.... Should I still go ahead with surgery, or cancel/postpone it? My friend who is a doctor says that once the hand exhibited symptoms, it is better to get the surgery to avoid it coming back again. Plus, I am on medical time off from work anyway, so it is better to get it done , symptoms or no symptoms.

Don't know what to decide... Right hand is recovering very well from surgery. Any suggestions for left hand, please? (P.S. - I have had my quota of steroid injections on the left for this year. Have always hated them. Don't want them anymore.).

Thanks,

Subha

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • nancy71417
    nancy71417 subha53732

    Posted

    Yikes that's hard. But it's bound to come back it's alway seems to get better and then get worse I'm pretty certain I would go through with it.

  • davidjk22
    davidjk22 subha53732

    Posted

    Same thing happened to me , I had my left hand done , and soon after the symptoms disappeared from my right hand . I had the surgery on the right because I'm sure the symptoms would have returned sooner or later . Have the op and get it sorted out . Mine have been fine since with no problems .

    • subha53732
      subha53732 davidjk22

      Posted

      My dominant hand is the right one. That is why all this wondering. Dominant hand was the most troublesome. Left hand was categorized between mild-moderate, but eligible for surgery. I am seeing that my right hand, though recovering nicely, is still stiff, and not fully functional as before, do just a little nervous subjecting myself to another one.
  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland subha53732

    Posted

    It's not that unusual for the 'other' hand to improve when you treat the first one. As there is a small but significant complication rate linked to cutting the transverse carpal ligament (which is what they do in carpal tunnel release) most surgeons are rather averse to operating on patients who have no symptoms. No-one really knows what the probability is that your left hand symptoms will eventually come back I'm afraid but  if it was me I would wait until it is a problem before operating. Dr J Bland

    • subha53732
      subha53732 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Yes, I'm kind of leaning towards what you have said here. But I requested to be reevaluated on my left hand, which got denied. They say that once you were diagnosed as having carpal tunnel syndrome, then you either decide to have the surgery or not have it. There is no question of postponing the dates to a future date. If I decide not to go with it, then I am out of their waiting list. The only way to get future recommendation for surgery is when symptoms start again and i get my evaluation done again, and then get recommended for surgery again. This process took me a full 4.5 months for the right hand. I guess I am afraid of the consequences of the wait here, more than getting better quickly.

  • jim70956
    jim70956 subha53732

    Posted

    I would suggest waiting until you get full use of your right hand before going ahead with the left hand. Its quite possible that your left hand is benefiting from you not being in work, and not using it as much as you would normally. See how your left hand does when life gets back to normal.

     

    • subha53732
      subha53732 jim70956

      Posted

      Thanks Jim. I am into childcare. I take care of children 3 yrs and below. I own the business and run it with helpers, but still it is taxing physically dealing daily with toddlers. I have now taken a break, and leased it to another person. With all the wait, wonder if I will ever dare to get back into this at all!! Though my right hand is recovering very well, it is still stiff, and is less efficient than before as regards to heavy work. Soon my left will be the same. So, thinking and thinking.... Thanks for the support.
    • jim70956
      jim70956 subha53732

      Posted

      Hello again. The more you read the posts on the subject of Carpal Tunnel you will realise that no two cases are the same. I wouldnt be pressuerd into having you left hand done if your not sure your ready. I was diagnosed with having it in both hands and my right hand being the worse. My right hand had caused me many hours of lost sleep due to severe pain, so it was an easy decision to have mine done, which I did in September last year. And from day one I never have had those horrible pains. It has however taken me nearly twelve months to feel the full benefit. It has been a slow recovery of my median nerve and I suffered from numbness of all fingers apart from the pinky finger, which apparently is on a different nerve. I still have numbness in my left hand which does not appear to be getting any worse so I have decided to leave it alone for the time being.  My advice again to you is. Wait and see how your right hand is, and express your feelings to your doctor. I wish you good luck whatever you decide.
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