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Calling all city bus drivers.......

Posted , 4 users are following.

kim42248
kim42248

Hello. I am wondering if any city  bus drivers have had carpal tunnel surgery, and if you did, how long was it before you went back to work? How was the healing? I'm presently off work now just waiting for the consult with the plastic surgeon end of January. Ive been off since Dec 1 with incredible hand and arm pain. I cannot work. This pain is severe in my thumbs, even with just normal movement the muscle seems to "tear" accompanied by excruciating pain, and goes into fingers, inside of palms, ontop of hands, and radiates up my entire arms. I feel very nauseated from the pain from this often. But I do not want to be off work very long. Ive also done about 6 months of massage and chiropractic therapy and it has not helped, so surgery, now that I have nerve damage starting, is necessary. 

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • andrea34800
    andrea34800 kim42248

    Posted

    Hi Kim, i not a bus driver, but i had my operation on right hand 23rd April last year and still in bad pain like u in hand and arm, still not working cos of the pain.i carnt even put my weight on my right hand  and my arm. Did they say what the operation involes with the nerve damage. I know how u feel, i got carpel tunnel in both hands, only had one operated on. And my left hand has same pain, but not in the arm.
    • kim42248
      kim42248 andrea34800

      Posted

      Hi. Nobody has said anything to me yet. I guess I just have to wait for the surgeon at month's end. I have to say that I'm getting quite nervous reading stories about this because I just could not imagine life with this pain indefinitely. I still have 20 years to work.
    • andrea34800
      andrea34800 kim42248

      Posted

      Hi, i go back on 23rd jam, i gor another 21 years to work to just dont seem fair. U read about nerve operation where they replace ur nerves that r damaged from other nerves on ur body just hope i wrong xx good look keep me in touch xx
    • kim42248
      kim42248 andrea34800

      Posted

      Oh my goodness. I'm not going to read about nerve damage just yet. sad I don't want to scare myself. Thanks for the luck, yes, I will definitely keep you informed as I go along here. I wish you faster healing also. Is your hand functional?
    • andrea34800
      andrea34800 kim42248

      Posted

      Mmmm i can do like dusting at home but thats it, too painful. But it in both hands to only had right hand operated on for carpel tunnel n not worked but always had bad pain in both hands. My arm getting worse all the time. I fed up now been 13 months in pain 😓
  • Bumblebea
    Bumblebea kim42248

    Posted

    Think you will be off work for a long time, probably months rather that weeks. However, everyone seems to heal differently, and it does depend on how bad it is in the first place. I would just make the comment that your bus companys insurance could be invalid if you were not fully able to use your hand and are

    I am intrigued as to what the plastic surgery has to do with this. Are you waiting for another operation for a different condition.

    • kim42248
      kim42248 Bumblebea

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply too. At the moment, I am off totally disabled so I am not driving. And your point about insurance is a good one! Here, hand surgery is done by plastic surgeons also, if not mainly,  and that is who my family doc referred me to. It's a 2 month wait just for the consultation with him.  I know, I thought seeing a plastic surgeon for carpal tunnel was very odd myself.
  • mark26805
    mark26805 kim42248

    Posted

    Hi Kim, I was a HGV driver and although I never informed the insurance company I found driving no problem one day after the operation! I was still in the light bandage but it was on my right hand and I was driving in the UK (right hand drive), so used my left hand for gear change.

    It was quite easy to use the fingertips of my right hand to hold the steering wheel.... but more difficult to actually turn the key or pull the door closed!!! I used my left hand for this job.

    The law in the UK said you had to be capable of performing an emergency stop. THIS was never a problem for me, but I'm sure the insurance company would have seen it differently if I'd had an accident!  I drove nearly every day after surgery without a problem and could grip the steering wheel easily after 48 hours when the bandage was completely off.

    It was not all easy... but only closing the door and turning the key actually caused problems, but light hold with right hand was always possible with no pain at all.

    I was lucky and only operated on due to pins and needles when I cycled. So maybe the CTS was caught very early, I had the right hand done (tested severe) but the left hand was tested moderate so not been operated on yet.

    Operation is pretty horrible, but only uncomfortable, only get a local anaesthetic in the UK.... but probably 90% better after 6 weeks; seeing as I'm 50 years old you can't really ever expect to be 100% ever again!!!

    Hope this helps, by the way, 50,000 operations are done in USA every year with a fantastic success rate, but all operations are a slight risk/gamble!!!

    The surgeon explained to me that the speed of recovery is often dictated by how long you left getting the surgery done, so getting it done at the slight pins and needles stage made for a quicker recovery. Saying that I'm not in a rush to get the other hand done as it was uncomfortable (mainly me being a wuss with needles...) Glad us blokes don't have to have babies!!!!!!!!

    • kim42248
      kim42248 mark26805

      Posted

      Hi Mark, thanks for your reply and humour smile It's very nice to hear positive results. I'm concerned with gripping the wheel and turning(constant where I drive). Our schedule is incrediblely busy,  crazy at times, no breaks from this for hours at a time, not even getting out of the seat save for a minute or two. Actually, I'm in Canada. I work with a man who had this surgery also and he was back to work , with sticthes in both hands in one week.(?) I can't explain that, make me look like a crybaby. I hate surgery. Every time I have surgery Im just not the same lol. The worst was two years ago, when they took my thyroid out because it was cancerous. It's been awful, with the huge weightgain. Nothing works the way a body should. Anyways, off topic, so with that said, I have left this until the absolute last minute to see if surgery could be avoided. However, that was propbably not the best idea. 
  • mark26805
    mark26805 kim42248

    Posted

    Actually my grip of the steering wheel was never a problem, it was tight grip I could not manage easily (like making a fist). I could turn the wheel, just not the key to start the engine! 

    From chatting on the forums, I have to say EVERYONE is different and reacts differently to the surgery with longer and shorter times until they feel 95% better again. But it does appear that the longer you lay off getting it done, the longer it takes to heal. Best of luck.

  • kim42248
    kim42248

    Posted

    Hi all, I am back! Sorry,  got lost for a bit. Okay, update: I have had bilateral carpal tunnel surgery, first one ten days ago feb 23, second one on march 3. The first one was done at the hospital. At the post op appointment we discussed the need for the second hand, and since he had a cancellation, he did the surgery right there in his office! It was awesome! Zero time to get nervous. Way less intimidating then in the hospital, and they froze me better there too. The hospital didnt freeze me good enough and I felt him hit the nerve when he did it there. WOW...what a sting it is getting freezing in the palm of your hand tho, he stuck me about 3 times! I still have stitches in both hands. No complications, no numbness or loss of mobility. I'm lining up some hand rehab so I can heal faster. Does this make sense? I have been given 6 weeks to recover is this enough? I have only had to take tylenol twos a couple of times for both surgeries.
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