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carpal tunnel recovery time

Posted , 8 users are following.

sammy72
sammy72

Hi, I have has the nerve conduction study and need the op in both hands, first the right which is on 28th Sep. Has anyone had this surgery that is in manual work? I have just started a new job as a housekeeper and am concerned at the prospect of 6-12 weeks off. The job involves stripping and remaking up to 30 beds, wrestling with Henry (hoover) 😉 and general cleaning. For those that have had the op, how long until you felt ok to use your hand to that extent? Work have been great and said to take as long as I need and job will still be there..phew..but feel bad 😕 Like others have said, nice to read positive comments regarding surgery, after reading other posts on several sites I was contemplating whether I should go ahead.

0 likes, 23 replies

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  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland sammy72

    Posted

    Most people would need 2-6 weeks off that sort of job after surgery rather than 6-12, though, as with all surgery, there are some unlucky ones. Is it certain that you need surgery? How bad were your NCS results and has any other treatment been tried? If a new job is an issue it's often worth trying other things first but maybe that has already been done. Dr J Bland

    • sammy72
      sammy72 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Hi and thank you for your reply. I don't know the results of the testing other than I was told it is moderate in my right and mild in my left. I have been suffering the symptoms of CT for many years but have worried as have arthritis in many places and fibromyalgia that it could be either of those causing the problems...my chiropractor friend advises against any form of surgery but really can't stand the pain/numbness/tingling etc any more 😕 not wanting to sound like a drama queen..lol..I guess I won't know until I have it done how long I will be off, as like you say everyone is different. Ooh, how long until you can get it wet usually?

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland sammy72

      Posted

      Most of our patients are able to get the hand wet by 2 weeks, driving by about 10 days. If it's only mild/moderate you could try treating with local steroid injection which is much more convenient than surgery and would not keep you off work at all. Dr J Bland

  • pwow1963
    pwow1963 sammy72

    Posted

    I had my R wrist done one on 6-15-16 and L on 8-1-16. Though I am ct symptom free I have found the healing process takes quite a while. I went back to work doing "right handed work only" (Dr's orders) until 9-13-16 (when I see the Dr again) and I am going to ask the Dr to write new restrictions because I know I'm not able to do my job (I'm a cook at a school). I would recommend 6 weeks minimum of no work, with an additional 6 weeks of restrictions for those who do manual work.

    • sammy72
      sammy72 pwow1963

      Posted

      Hi and thank you for your reply. How are you finding it being back at work? How long was it before you were able to drive? Bit concerned as I live out of town and have to drive 25 miles to take my son to school so will be relying on help, just hoping not for too long. Probably silly questions but how long before you could wash up etc? I did say to my eldest daughter she will have to come and help me for a while, she said get a dishwasher 😂

    • pwow1963
      pwow1963 sammy72

      Posted

      Hi Sammie72. Regarding your back to work question, someone has been helping me with 75% of it (Dr's restrictions are no left handed work until I see her tomorrow, and I'm really hoping she'll change it to weight restrictions and not just turn me loose on doing things I know I can't do yet). 

      I started driving some a few days after surgery (automatic transmission), because I  could use the other hand to drive.

      I had a cast on for a week, during which time I used an arm sleeve I had bought on Amazon (it came in a two pack, I think made by Curad). After the cast came off I could wash but not do dishes, as that might have loosened the stitches. Two weeks after surgery they took the stitches out. 

      My sister has been staying with me since my first surgery 6-15 and she's been a huge help. Would highly recommend someone staying with you for a few weeks anyway. 

      Hope this helps. Best of luck to you!

       

    • sammy72
      sammy72 pwow1963

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply.

      I'll have my children with me..don't know how much help they'll be..lol they have been warned they will need to help for a while..wish me luck ;-)

      I'm hoping I can drive sooner than advised as I live in a village with no shops and will have to rely on people to drive kids to school. When you say cast is it plaster cast or just bandaged? And how long did you have to stay at the hospital after it was done? I'm imagining to walk straight out..hoping.. :-)

  • ashley9030
    ashley9030 sammy72

    Posted

    I would not opt for surgery without trying other things first.  I was able to get almost 5 more years before surgery by using night splints, changing the way I do things and resting my hand whenever possible.  My daughter had the surgery and went back to work in 3 weeks but I was still in horrible pain 6 months after and appear to have permanent nerve injury from the surgeon nicking a nerve. You never know what will happen.  My advise is put off surgery as long as possible.  Of course if the conservative methods don't work you have no choice but a flare up can sometimes be handled without taking on surgery risks.  I thought it would be no big deal but I sure was wrong.

    • sammy72
      sammy72 ashley9030

      Posted

      Thank you. I have had the pain and symptoms of carpal tunnel for at least 10yrs now :-/ it is getting too much, it's not a choice I have taken lightly but it is really affecting daily (and nightly) life. I can't sew a simple repair as hand goes numb almost instantly, peeling veg, writing, driving etc and the pain comes a lot when resting too. I am so worried about the surgery after reading up on it, guess you just have to hope you're one of the lucky ones..Hope your situation improves..

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland sammy72

      Posted

      You never did tell us whether steroid injection in the wrst has been tried? If not it offers a good way of avoiding surgery, usually for some time and occasionally permanently. JB
    • sammy72
      sammy72 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Hi,

      I haven't been offered the injection. At the nerve conduction study I was told I would be referred for the surgery and at follow up consultation was told the same :-/ don't know why..should I ask for a second opinion?

    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 sammy72

      Posted

      OH.  Usually the nerve study is done when symptoms are first noticed so I assumed you were at the beginning of CTS.  10 years is a long time to suffer.  You probably have nothing to lose from surgery and chances are you will be fine.  The odds are in your favor.  If I had to do it all over again I would be find a surgeon who does this surgery Laproscopically (sp). But since having this nightmare I will never do another non critical surgery of any kind. 
    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland sammy72

      Posted

      It's certainly worth asking them 'could this be tried with injection first?' - them being both your GP and surgeon. George Phalen - the surgeon who originally did most of the work on CTS wrote as long ago as 1967 that 'every patient with CTS deserves one chance with injection' and he may well be right, though we do tend to go straight to surgery in the cases with the most severe NCS abnormalities. I think ashley9030 is wrong about having nothing to lose - it is perfectly possible to end up worse off after carpal tunnel surgery than you were before you started, though most operations are of course very successful. Dr J Bland

    • pwow1963
      pwow1963 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      No, I didn't try that. With all the surgery patients experiences I read about I never saw where that was something to consider. But I'm happy with my outcome; wrists are healing nicely and no more CT symptoms. 👍

    • pwow1963
      pwow1963

      Posted

      Sorry, I'm new to this site and when I saw it in my email inbox I mistakenly thought the question was addressed to me. 😊

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