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Diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel and being told I need surgery but not convinced??

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k11990
k11990

Hi I have been diagnosed last year by my GP with Carpel Tunnel and he also thought that I may have De Quervain's tenosynovitis. I have had 2 shots of Cortosone steroid injections. The first one was great last October as it took all the pain away but by christmas it started creeping back and then I was in a lot of pain again so I had another shot of it in the wrist again in January but this time it didn't work. It has taken some of the wrist pain away but am still in a lot of pain with my thumb and palm.

A little info about me  - 36 year old female. Mother to young children and self employed working full time hours.

To back track I had symptons for around 2 years which first started with a pins and needles sensation in the tip of my thumb. Gradually I got pain all in thumb joint, wrist, slightly up the arm and the worst pain was pinching my fingers together to grasp an object.

Before the symptons I had an agravated shoulder which I needed physio for, I think this was caused by using crutches after a bunion op.

I then had to have another op on my foot a year later so had to use crutches for another 6 weeks or so. 

I am waiting to see a rheumatology consultant (appt in June) as several drs and physio have told me I have hypermobility syndrome (my daughter also has it). I have recently seen a specialist at hospital (carpel tunnel specialist) who said I neeed surgery for carpel tunnel. This is the part where I am concerned it may not be carpel tunnel. Its not typical of everything I read online about Carpel Tunnel as it comes and goes. Its like I have waves of it,  I will have a good few days where the pain is bearable and it doesn't stop me doing anything then I seem to have an overwhelming tiredness hit me then several days of terrible pain. On the first day of the terrible pain my whole body hurts (all joints such as back, neck, feet, hands), they all seem to subside to a level that I feel ok to deal with but the right hand (the carpel tunnel hand) is absolute agony.

I am now on day 5 of the bad pain and the hand is wearing off (still hurts a lot but not as bad as day 1,2 and 3). After a week or so of this pain it seems to ease again then the tiredness hits again and the pain comes back.

I have attached an image of my hand today as for the past 2 days I have noticed what looks like tendons or veins sticking up from my palm between index finger and thumb. It looks very different to my left hand and what ever it is sticking out is very tight.

Does this look and sound familiar to anyone with carpel tunnel? There is also a few reasons I want to be sure I would be doing the right thing with surgery: I have had further surgery to my foot after bunion op pain and looking back now I beleive this was all to do with hypermobility and I am beginning to regret it as it has restricted me a lot over the past year since I had it. Also I am self employed and a mum to 2 young children so I am  needed in top condition for my children and my business!!

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  • k11990
    k11990

    Posted

    Hi I wanted to put an update on this as I feel its important if anyone else was ever looking on the internet for similar symptons.

    I now have a few more answers after tests, xrays and specialist appointments. I defo have CP and the muscle has began to waste in my hand exposing tendons which have become inflamed hence why they are visible. I defo need an op and when I feel ready for it I can be referred for it.

    Secondly I also got some answers to all the pain and tiredness I have suffered for years. I am grossly low/deficient in vitamin D and apparently have been for years but somehow the previous results of this from years ago didn't make it to my GP's. This is likely to be the cause of a lot of my pain and tiredness so am now on a super high dose of vitamin D tablets and back to see the specialist in 3 months. I am also going to give it time to see if getting vit D back into me will help with my hand or if it is just CP. I defo need the op due to muscle waste and slight loss of feeling but I need to hold off as long as poss  as I am self employed and will get no sick pay plus am a taxi service for my children!!

  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland k11990

    Posted

    Did you ever manage to get some nerve conduction studies done? The Vitamin D deficiency is interesting. It hasn't, to my knowledge at least, been clearly linked to CTS but it is being increasingly suggested as a cause of all sort of vague symptoms I think. Jeremy Bland
    • k11990
      k11990 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Hi Jeremy

      No I haven't been offered the test but before I will be asking for it before proceeding. Although the fact that I have some loss of sensation, muscle waste and tendon problems looks likely I will need it soon.

      For now I hope the high dose of Vit D will reduce some overal pain and aches as the past month my pain levels have increased a great deal. Once that hopefully flares down I will probably have to face the surgery and loss of income.

  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland k11990

    Posted

    It will definitely be interesting to see how bad it looks on an objective test. I'm fairly well known for my view that no-one should have carpal tunnel surgery without getting pre-operative nerve conduction studies done. The British Society for Surgery of the Hand disagrees with me at present but the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has come round to the same view as me in their guidelines - though I had nothing to do with the development of those. Dr J Bland
    • k11990
      k11990 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Thank you for your opinions I really appreciate them.  Is it not conclusive that I have muscle waste, inflamed nerves and slight loss of sensation? Could it still be something else?
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