Carpal tunnel surgery this morning

Hi Elisa,

I just had my stitches removed yesterday (day10) from my dominate hand. I had a local and yes it hurt when it wore off. Every operation will hurt immediately after the local or general wears off. Do not be afraid to use painkillers if you feel you need them.

Beforehand, I read a lot of comments on forums where everyone stressed the importance of doing the exercises as soon as possible. I did my exercises for 5 min every hour from the day I had my op.

Yes your fingers will feel thick and stiff every time you start (even after 11 days), but if you persist, they loosen up the more you exercise. Just start gently by wriggling your fingers and trying to touch your thumb with each finger. Don't try to force them, but each day try to do a little more. Use it or loose it!

Unless your job is to answer calls/queries, I doubt you will be back to work in a few days, more likely 1-2 weeks if you have a desk job. From what I read, alot longer if you have to grip and carry. 

I'm driving, cutting my own food and some easy cooking now, which I am happy with at this stage.

For now, keep it simple and easy, but keep moving them and take painkillers these first few days if you need them.

Good luck

Emmy

 

Hi Elisa!

I had the surgery done 10 months ago, but remember it as if it were yesterday. My surgeon told me to start using the hand doing normal actvities as long as they didn't hurt too much from the day after the surgery. What is normal actvities for one individual could be very unormal for another person though, but he meant cooking, doing the dishes, dress myself, making the bed etc. I got an exercise program to follow. Some exercises to do in the morning and evening and some to do every hour in a woken state. I wasn't allowed to carry heavy stuff for the first 4 weeks. My physio therapist thereafter instead said for the first 6-7 weeks. So they had different opinions about that.

During the surgery, even though I had local anaestesia in the wrist/palm of my hand, I fainted for a short period of 5-10 seconds because the pain when he cut in the palm was unbearable. As I understand it from meeting the physiotherapist a couple of months after the surgery (my surgeon quit, retired and went abroad), she told me not to bend my wrists too much. I could still using the bracelets at night if I wanted to, at least for some time. However, I've noticed using the bracelets at night make my wrist become weaker! Anyone else thought of that?

Elisa, can you feel your fingertips? Can you bend your fingers? If so, the surgery probably went well. I had some pain the same evening the surgery was, but took no pain killers. But I had problems with the hand becoming swollen at night and for some months thereafter when I took a walk and held them down as you normally do...    That seems better now, after 10 months at last, even if I some nights get a bit too swollen - you notice it when the bracelet fit rather loose at the evening but explodes during the night... Then I can't bend my fingers at all! But that's seldom nowadays. Hopefully I won't experience that again when the weather becomes warmer in spring/summer. That would be a nightmare. So keep doing the Anti-swollen exercises - that is my best advice. I did, and I don't know what would have been the result if I hadn't. You probably know the Standard exercise for that: Hold your arms up in the air, the fingers apart, slowly lowers your hands while simultaneously make fists - repeat 10 times every hour. If it doesn't help, not being enough, make 15, 20 repetitions each time, or make them every half an hour. Set the clock in the middle of the night and make 20 extra repititons then for the first 2-3 weeks. At least I had to do.

What to expect? Well, I'm still having problems with my hand, but I also have periods when I feel 95-100% recovered. That's a bit weird and everybody involved think so. It 's very activity correlated. The surgery team asked me the day they were about to remove the bandage how I felt, but what could I say more than; "I don't know!" I mean the hand was all wrapped up in a very large stiff bandage, it isn't normal that's for sure. When the bandage was removed it felt like a relief, but the hand didn't feel like a part that belonged to me. It took some days for it to feel as a body part of mine. Instantly after the bandage was removed though, I could touch every finger with my thumb and had thumb muscle power, even though you could visually and by grip exercise measurements notice some tenor muscle atrophy. It didn't feel like it was though. My advice efter the bandage is gone: keep using the hand as normal as you can.

I had lost my feeling, a total sensation loss that is, inside of my palm, an area of 5 cm in diameter, like a big coin. Now, 10 months later it had started to return pretty good. I could feel the scar a bit, but now that's only if I put the palm down on a table.

By the look of it, it seems your bandage isn't the stiff one, filled with gypsum/plaster that I got (I'm from Sweden so excuse my language, I don't know if the word is plaster or gypsum). Stiff it was anyway...

Very much Good luck to You Elisa!

I almost forgot...

Variation is the keyword!!

Don't overuse the hand by doing one kind of activity - not typing too much, don't knit too much, don't play the piano for hours, not move furniture around for too long etc. Keep using them right. If You have to type, like writing on this board, think of buying a Microsoft Natural Ergo keyboard or something like that. I will now.

Hi, I had surgeries in both hands. My Dr. said the pain inside is normal at least for 6 months, but is not true. Today 7 months later of my last surgery still pain. I can't open even a can or peel an orange. Really hurts. I lost straightener in both hands. It sucks. At least I can sleep better and no more numbness in my arms. When I used the computer for kids assignments, always need to take a break cause it hurts too. Driving the car and holding the drive also hurt.

Hope you feel better. Take care your hands. Follow the dr instructions.

Regards, Mary

Hi everyone,

I had micro surgery on my right hand 14 months ago. My carpal tunnel symptoms started gradually in both hands, but my right worsened over the previous year to the extent I could not do any repetitive motion without severe pain and numbness hand to shoulder. I could not sleep, propped to arm up or dangled it down to get some relief and was in tears (not a common situatiuon for me) and exhausted.

My surgeon performed the op under local in less than 15 minutes. I had a dran in that was removed later same day and spent 2 weeks with my arm strapped up, but doing the finger exercises as instructed.

After the local wore off, I had slight pain around the surgery site, but had the first night's unbroken sleep in months and none of the too familiar pain at all. It was miraculous!

I could not drive confidently until 3 weeks as the base of my hand could not take any pressure, but that improved quickly with more exercise and massage to reduce the swelling. Even so, it took several months more before I could put enough pressure on it to raise myself from a chair or lift anything heavy. Even now, I hold the base of a kettle or such like with my left hand to make sure my right can safely bear the weight. However, I recently discovered I have neck complications that may have caused the carpal tunnel in the first place. So some symptoms may not be resolved until I do something about that.

My sum up is that it takes much longer to recover fully than we are led to expect, but if you have the option of micro surgery then do go that route. I have freinds who have had the open surgery and were much more restricted in the intial period.

Hope this helps deal with the realitites and good luck!

Hi Elisa

blogs like this always bring out the horror stories so I want to redress the balance.i am now 10 months post op and think I am as good as new!

i would be surprised if you will be able to go back to work in a few days, depends what you do.

 However I flew out to Dubai to meet a cruise ship and travel around the Middle East at 10days post op., the day after having my stitches out.

you will have good days and bad days and you need to know this is normal and will pass.  You will get some unexpected sharp pains in your hand and arm over the next few months. They will come from nowhere and take you by surprise, they are normal and will go.

You need to take your pain killers when necessary for the first few days. Also keep doing the exercises but listen to your body and don't push too hard. Once your stitches are out start massaging the scar with any oil or cream as often as you can. This will stimulate the blood flow to the cut area and encourage the healing. The nerve endings in your skin that have been cut need re-educating as they lose their role memory when cut. You need to touch the scar with different materials, I used cotton wool, rough towel, toothbrush and even an emery board. Just touching your scar will ''go through you'' and these touching exercises will get rid of that feeling.

hope you have a trouble free recovery 

Regards Elaine 

Well it's been a couple of days since my surgery and there is no way I am able to go back to work tomorrow...I'm a teacher. I've been icing my fingers and thumbs like they told me as well as the exercise with my fingers and thumb. I've been alternating the pain medicine and ibuprofen, but I still wake up around 3:30 am in a lot of pain, but I know this will subside. 

Hello!

Many of you are talking about pain and pain killers after the surgery. That's  probably normal and nothing strange, after such a procedure. However, I didn't have almost any pain after the surgery and therefore didn't take a single pill. BUT... before the surgery the pain was enorm and I thought the hand was about to explode!

Am I really the only one in this forum with that experience?

Hi Elisa

have you still got the big bandage on. According to the blog some are told to leave it until the stitches come out and others much shorter. I took mine off after 48 hours as instructed and that allowed much more movement. This will encourage blood flow and prevent stiffness. Like Ken I had no pain after the op. although my local anaesthetic lasted about 40 hours, thought my hand was going to be permanently numb! Rang hospital for reassurance!

remember to listen to your body and keep your arm raised as much as poss.

good luck Elaine