Carpel tunnel syndrom help

Hi Angie, I had the operation on my right hand almost exactly a year ago. I'm a really scaredey cat with pain (50 year old man) but the pins and needles was getting worse each month, like you.

the operation isn't too bad, they inject into your palm to put the hand and wrist to sleep and this is a bit uncomfortable. But after the 10-20 minuites wait for the hand to go to sleep, there really should be no pain during the minor operation, and you look away whilst it is happening. Personally, if I have to have the other hand done, I will ask to be put under completely next time, as I'm a woosey bloke....

Got to say, after years of hand pain, how can 30 minutes of discomfort compare! the bandage is only worn for a few days and the stitches dissolve after two weeks.

Immediately your hand is not fully repaired, there are a few strange tweaks and areas of numbness and it can take two years to be fully repaired, but I have not had a single episode of CTS in that hand since.

Hi  Angie.  You pretty much describe me before finally having the surgery a year ago on each hand 3 weeks apart.  I am so happy with he results and am delighting in doing many things I had to stop doing because of the symptoms like holding a real book (had to go to ereader), holding a telephone (had to go to an earpiece even for home phone), typing without discomfort (though not excessively), sleeping without two big and hot braces, and having workable hands first thing in the morning.  There is some discomfort to recovery for sure, but nothing earth shattering and as long as your expectations are realistic you will have no problem. Unfortunately I waitied too many years so my somewhat numb fingertips remain somewhat numb but I know they will not get any number !!!  I'm a member of a large support group on Facebook (over 1,500 members) which along with this website provided me with excellent information on what to expect from the surgery as well as great support....again, like this website.  It's called I Survived Carpal Tunnel Surgery in case you would like to check it out.  

The real question here is what is meant by 'severe' - if all you mean by that is that the symptoms feel severe then that is not a very reliable guide to how to treat it but if it has ben tested with nerve conduction studies and described as severe then that is a different matter. After this long it is probably unlikely to resolve by itself or with just the splints so some further treatment is definitely warranted but whether it is better to try surgery or steroid injection as the next step is actually quite a complex decision - of course if you have already had it injected, had a good response and relapsed then that make a decision for surgery much easier. Read about the pros and cons of both options on carpal tunnel net (look down the right hand column of this page to find the resourcs links) and then feel free to ask further. Dr J Bland 

Nerve conduction studies were worse than the operation. They appeared to put sensors at my elbow then put electric shocks through my fingers, several on each. You must stay still and not pull away, which for me was a natural reaction to getting each shock. I sweated so much they gave me a towel to mop my head and when I stood up there was a wet patch imprint of my bum !!! HOW EMBARRASSING....

These tests gave a verdict of severe in one hand and only moderate in the other, so I was booked in for the right hand only. That was a year ago.

Never had pins and needles in my right hand since, it was bad when I rode my bike; within 2 minutes both hands used to be numb. Since the operation I have bought much bigger grips on my bike and now it takes 20 minutes for the pins and needles in my left hand (not operated on).

I had 2 steroid injections prior to surgery. They were miraculously effective for a few months. The Dr said this was therapeutic diagnostic and prognostic. My EMG was not that bad but my symptoms, after 40 years of off and on numbness and tingling, became ungodly pain for a few hours at night - with splint and ibuprofen, regular pain up past my elbow the rest of the time.  The surgery was not bad, the recovery was inconvenient with some aches and pains for a few weeks, I've not have these symptoms since surgery. I would never recommend anyone rush to surgery, nothing is 100%,  but your options are about zero. Some People even develop atrophy, weakness and severe nerve pain, my BIL waited so long he will probably never regain full sensation in his hands. Good luck and don't take too long to decide. 

I actually think they lost my nerve studies results, but were aware my right hand was worse, because at a second meeting prior to the operation, an older member of the medical staff actually flicked my wrists to see what I did. This felt like another electric shock to me and afterwards they scheduled the operation, for my right hand.