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carpal tunnel surgery post op

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976pamela
976pamela

I had my surgery  carpal tunnel syndrome 7 weeks ago on my dominant right hand.  My job requires alot of manual handling with adults with learning difficulties and pushing of heavy wheelchairs therefore I am still off work.  I am in constant pain and scar area is solid and tender feels lumpy.  I started physio exercises 2 weeks ago and hadnt really done much before that except wiggle fingers as I had not been given any advice at all post op.  2 weeks ago I couldnt even make a fist or reach my thumb to each finger, now I can make a fist and touch all finders and am using it normally but with alot of pain, more so at night and shooting pains, my grip is extremley poor which worries me after this length of time.  I am scheduled to have my left one done in around 6-8 weeks but I am now considering cancelling as I worry constantly that this will not resume to 100% mobility. Has anyone had this problem after this length of time? and did it improve up to 12 weeks post op?  any reply would be appreciated.

8 likes, 191 replies

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  • ashley9030
    ashley9030 976pamela

    Posted

    I had carpal tunnel surgery and thumb surgery  December 7, over 4 months ago. It was the worse decision of my life. From day 1 my wrist felt like it was on fire, shooting pains, sensivity, on a scale of 1 to 10, a 10.  I thought it was the cast so I had the cast removed at an urgent care.  It was on the weekend and I could not wait for the DR to open.  They put another one on and still horrific pain. The DR had only given me pain medicine for 7 days then told me to take advil. At one month I still could not move my hand without horrible pain.  I could not do household chores, nothing.  I just wanted to lay in bed and keep it still.  I went back to her and told her something was wrong.  I brought a journal of my symptoms.  She looked at me and told me there was nothing she could do.  I drove the 60 miles to my home crying.  By the time I got home my hand was throbbing on fire from the movement in the car.  I went back to another urgent care  and asked them to put me in a soft cast, still thinking it's the cast. But it wasn't.  The same pain was there no matter what I did.  Heat hurt, cold hurt, moving it hurt.   At around 6 weeks I started therapy.  I was in so much pain I could not do the exercises. The therapist laughed when I acted protective of my hand and when I  told her I could not massage the incision area. They thought I was being rediculous. I felt terrible.  I again asked my DR for pain medication and was told no and she looked at my chart and asked why i was driving around to urgent cares.   It became clear she labeled me a drug seeker even though I had been her patient two years for CPS and thumb arthritus and never asked her for a single narcotic.  She didn't believe me when I told her about my pain.   I did some research and found that I was at the beginning of gettin chronic pain syndrome and if I didn't get these exercises done immediately  I would surely have it and probably for the rest of my life.  When you get Chronic Pain Syndrome you only have about 3 months to start treatment to have any hope of it getting better quickly. With the meds, the pain immediately went away.  I was then able to do my physical therapy.  I kept on the medication for 8 weeks.  I ran out about 2 weeks ago and while I still have some pain, the horrible nerve pain I had is gone. I believe if I had not taken matters in my own hands I would have CPS the rest of my life because doctors are more worried about their position on the state DEA narcotic  report than helping their patients. If you have these symptoms after CPS surgery you must get relief immediately. You have to start using your hand normally asap and stop the nerve pain signals going to your brain as soon as you can. 
    • ashley9030
      ashley9030

      Posted

      BTW, I had to get meds from an unconventional source since my doctor would not help me get through therapy. I thank God I did.
    • victoriad10
      victoriad10 ashley9030

      Posted

      Hi Ashley, I just read about your bad experience with carpal tunnel surgery. I have mine scheduled for my left wrist for next Friday. I just turned 16 and my doc says CTS is very uncommon for my age. He finally decided that surgery was the way to go after months of MRIs EMGs x rays and more. I'm wondering if you have any advice for me after my surgery because I hope for a full recovery smile
    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 victoriad10

      Posted

      Get a different doctor.  It is not uncommon for a 16 year old to have CTS because of texting and video games etc.  If he doesn't know this he is not up to speed on what's going on in the world. 
    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland ashley9030

      Posted

      I think I have to correct that as it is a good example of what poor advice you can get from patient forums on the web. The doctor in this case is absolutely right. CTS is indeed compartively very rare in 16 year olds - not unknown but it is much commoner in later life. Patients who get CTS in their teens often have a strong family history of CTS in close relatives and presumably have a strong genetic disposition to the disorder. In a few other young cases there will either be a a metabolic or structural cause There is no known association with texting or video game playing - though the topic has not been extensively studied. Repetitve use of the finger for that sort of activity is probably more likely to cause tendonitis than CTS. Dr J Bland
    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Hey, it wasn't my advice.  Just google it.  Here you go, one of hundreds of articles on the topic:

      So, what causes carpal tunnel syndrome? According to ABC News, the carpal tunnel is a narrow channel in your wrist that contains the nerves, tendons and blood vessels for your hand. The syndrome occurs when the tendons become inflamed from typing, texting or other repetitive motions, and compress the nerves, which can lead to burning, itching, pain and weakness. It can also cause permanent nerve damage and arthritis, and raises the risk of thumb-joint replacements as the current generation of texting teens gets older. So, how can you protect yourself from carpal tunnel syndrome?

      First, send fewer texts. In other words, you might want to stop texting your BFF across the classroom just to say, “Cute shoes.” Save your fingers for more important messages, like “I’m waiting on the corner, Mom. Where are you?”

      Also, don’t type all your texts with your thumbs. Change up the fingers you use to type, to spread the stress around.

      One final way to protect yourself from carpal tunnel syndrome: Keep your wrists straight when you type, so it doesn’t put unnecessary strain on the tendons in your wrists.

       

    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Don't like that one, here's another.

      CARPAL TUNNEL IN TEENAGERS:

      Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that traditionally affects adults in the workforce. It is typically caused by overuse of muscles that bend the thumb and fingers or prolonged awkward positioning of the wrist. Teenagers are also beginning to experience carpal tunnel syndrome, with racquet sports and hobbies such as gaming and texting.  Sports activities such as gymnastics that place a lot of pressure on the palm can also cause this condition as well.

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland ashley9030

      Posted

      As is often the case with material found in the popular press both reports are completely wrong I'm afraid. There are so many incorrect statements in those two short paragraphs that it's almost hard to believe. It's a serious problem for patients trying to find information on the web as the patient has no easy way of knowing who to trust. A good start is to look for HonCode certification as medical sites that carry that have been reviewed by knowledgeable reviewers and meet quite high standards for documenting their sources and how up-to date they are. It's also usually the case that websites associated with well known institutions like the NHS, Mayo Clinic, NIHR etc, and those of specialist medical societies and charities involved with the appropriate area tend to be more accurate in what they say, though in the latter case there are often mild biases. The news media are, sorry to say, much less reliable - though if they are brave enough to actually declare their sources it is sometimes possible to figure out when they have done the homework and are conveying accurate information rather than hearsay. now and again they do get it right. There is actually quite a good summary of CTS available from the New York Times. You can find a link to it from my website links page - that's the best presentation of the issues I have ever seen from a newspaper. JB
  • jeannie89747
    jeannie89747 976pamela

    Posted

    I have recently been refered to a surgen for carpal tunnel surgery what questions should I be asking before agreeing to the surgery as vary little has been explained and from what I am reading I am worried.  I also understand that there is two types of surgery available which did you have?
    • victoriad10
      victoriad10 jeannie89747

      Posted

      If you still need other answers, I had open carpal tunnel release because my doctor prefers that way. I'm 16 and the youngest he's every done the surgery on. I know recovery is different for everyone but mine is going very well. I had the surgery 2 weeks ago and have stopped pain meds. I have been restricted from heavy use of the hand until further notice and i am in very minimal pain. I'd say the open surgery was very successful, I start hand therapy on Monday and I just got the stitches out smile.
  • cyn15101
    cyn15101 976pamela

    Posted

    I am wondering if you waited too long for surgery. I had the surgery 2 days ago and already have relief of symptoms of numbness, have no pain, and have complete use of fingers and hand. Every day I have more strength and mobility and am only 2 days out of surgery.

     

    • victoriad10
      victoriad10 cyn15101

      Posted

      I had the surgery two weeks ago and I am hardly in any pain as well! It keeps getting better every day, after a week and a half there was significant pain relief and i have almost full sensation in my hand unlike I have in the past! Good luck with your recovery!!
  • ashley9030
    ashley9030 976pamela

    Posted

    No, I wasn't even having carpal tunnel symptoms at the time of my surgery. I had a mild case of it.  The main reason for my surgery was to replace my thumb joint. I thought I might as well get the carpal tunnel fixed too since it would likely get worse as I got older since I use my hands daily on my job (computer programmer) and it would cost less to do both at the same time. So I threw in the carpal tunnel surgery at the last minute.  My surgeon told me nothing about the possible complications.  I should have asked but I always heard it was a simple operation.  Most end up like you, with no complications but a few, like me, end up in chronic pain the rest of their lives.  Had I known that was a possibility I would have just had the necessary thumb joint surgery. Also part of my reason for adding the CTS surgery was OBAMACARE.  My insurance was being changed because of him and if I waited until after 12/31/2015 it would cost much more out of pocket even though the premiums increased to 950.00 a month for one person. Prior to the surgery I had not had CTS symptoms for 6 months so I know it wasn't a severe case in which I waited too long..   sad
    • davidCa
      davidCa ashley9030

      Posted

      Ashly9030,

      i had my surgery done 5 months ago, i had like you the thumb joint rebuilt, and carpal done on my dominant hand, my main issue was thumb, i also had mild case of the carpal, what did they do to your thumb, mine was remove the joint, and used a ligament about half way up my arm as the joint replacement they cut the ligament and pulled it up intp my thumb area, attached it to my bone and mage a coil, and that is my new joint. i am having sharp pain up my arm random, but i was blaming my finger joint pain on arthritus, because of age, 59 yrs old, i am not sure if i made a mistake by getting carpal done after reading on the forms. my work is very hand oriented, i am an electrician, inside of live 480 volt panels and a slip could be deadly. I need to be back to full hand strength etc before returning to work, i am not sure i can go back and feel safe. i may have waited to long for both. i have other health issues, bulging disc cervical, that adds to my issues, the big issue now is fighting monthly with disabilaty, they dont understand that the thumb can take a yr to gt back to usefulness. 

    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 davidCa

      Posted

      DavidCA, yes my thumb joint replacement was the same procedure as yours.  Used my arm ligament to make a new joint and I too had athritus at the thumb joints. I am also 59!  After 4 months of constant severe pain after surgery my surgeon recommended a pain clinic but unwilling to accept that fate I traveled out of state to see my old family doctor I trusted.  He suggested it was nerve damage pain and prescribed gabapentin. It took about 2 weeks but it worked! My surgery was in December 2015 and finally in June 2016 my pain lessened to the point I could work again.My family doctor said nerve pain could be permanent or could disappear over time.  Twice since June I have tried to stop the Gabapentin to see if the pain is gone and the pain comes back so I know the Gabapetin is blocking the pain and I know the pain is still there after 8 months. Gabapentin is not a controlled substance so my recommendation is to beg your doctor to put you on it. Make your DR try something. My DR said you need at least 300 mg per day. (3 capsules a day) I took it at night since it made me sleepy.  I need the same procedure on my right hand but would never consider getting it done now.  Spending 6 months in continuous pain was the worst nightmare of my life. and totally unexpected. I think the double surgery was a mistake.  Too much trauma at one time for one hand.  Hang in there.  I know it's hard because the progress is so slow. You have made it through the worst of it, I promise.

    • davidCa
      davidCa ashley9030

      Posted

      Ashley9030

      thanks, i was already on gabsapention, for the past 3 plus yrs, for a bulging cervical disc, so that is probably helping my pain without me knowing it. i am on 1200mg a day and been adding 300mg more a day, at this time,i need to call my dr to update my percription, its  to help, my neck and hand, i had migranes before that were caused by my neck, and found that out after i quit taking gabapention for a short time, a couple yrs ago. so i am a believer in it. i also use 350mg soma for my neck. so i guess i am on it for life, i am a wuss when it comes to pain, i had 6 surgerys 2007-2011, and radiation chemo for oral cancer, so i knew going in it may not ne an easy surgery, plus my dr said the recovery is about a yr on the thumb. since i was already on gabapention i think it is helping my hand. but i do think my wrist seams worse than before the surgery. 

    • ashley9030
      ashley9030 davidCa

      Posted

      Oh wow!  I am so sorry for your pain and suffering. Yes my wrist had the worst pain too. Before I found Gabapentin I used Percocet for a while which completely eliminated the pain.  I took it for about 8 weeks.  I know it's controlled and addictive but it helped me to get an immediate break from the constant pain and it made my brain stop focusing on it for a while. Months of pain is very depressing and I believe your brain can get used to feeling a sensation and not forget it until you change something.  Since my surgeon would not prescribe any pain relief after the first two weeks I had to find other ways to get it. I think if I had listened to my surgeon I would be much worse off than I am now. 

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