Still Numb middle fingers

It was mild with just aching fingers and the dead/pins & needles at night. I would quite happily go back to that level and not have had the opp.

From what I've read from wrist bracelets/splints enthusiasts you should give it a try up to max 6 months and then consider surgery. My surgeon or GP didn't believe that much in bracetss/splints at all, and said max 2 weeks if at all. When I went to the physio therapist she said I should try it at least 2-3 months. For the first time since I got cts in september 2013 I'm now trying the bracelets EVERY night and for a longer time period, now it has been 2 months and I must say it helps with the rest symptoms. But I admit it's all very activity related how I feel in the hand.

I had the surgery done in March 2014 and didn't regret it. In fact I wish I had done it earlier if it has been possible. I had it done 6.5 months after cts appeared for the very first time. Waiting too long before doing surgery could be devastating. Some symptoms disappeared within the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, some symptoms were still there and some new symptoms appeared as well. Now, 14 months after surgery I'm still making positive progress. I just got my feeling back in the palm of my hand. I know what to avoid and it's two things: rubbing with a cloth or spunge and typing for too long. My fingertips are still VERY sensitive, like they're having invisible scars. It feels like Ive been released from being stuck with my hand somewhere.

Just bought a wrist support for aid when i go back to work, worrying i will not be able to have the strength in my hand to do my job as i am a mobile dog groomer and mainly bath larger dogs, lots of phyisical work for hands. I am self employed so no earnings for the last 3 weeks so i really need to get out there and see how i go but find everyday things tiring and painful. There seems to be no rush with the consultant and the nerve test he wants to do again to compare the pre opp one. I was not given any excercises on discharge from hospital.

Many things to be said here. First, I completely understand why there is no acute rush to do the nerve test, since the test itself (even though it's not destroying for the median nerve, but..) can be a bit painful especially in an early recovering state. I haven't done a median nerve test at all. They hesitated to give me one, so it never happened. But if I have to do the other hand or another operation on my dominated one, then they have do to the best prior to the operation.

Second, my surgeon told med NOT to be afraid to use my hand straight after the stiff bandage came off after 2 weeks. He refered to an examination saying the more movement the faster the healing process and said farmers with a heavy work schedule have had better final outcomes than for instance clerks. He told me to go on long distance skies or something. It sounded weird since I couldn't say the hand felt as a part of me. I didn't go on skies, but I started to bake a lot! That's good too said my physio therapist then.

I certainly know about job situation. I stopped work a year ago because of this and have survived through selling all my stuff from the attic (things I really wanted to get rid of anyway). Hopefully I will start my own business this summer, cause there are that many things left to sell now...

Why didn't you get instructions on some physical exercises to do at home? These are as important as the surgery itself, some people say. You can always hold your hands up inte air, spredaing your fingers and slowly making fists on their way down to the shoulders. Repeat 20 times several times a day and even during the night if you get swollen or cold then. It takes time but believe me you will get better.

Try to stop working for some minutes and get yourself a pause if the pain increases and becomes intense during the day at work. You have to take it step by step.

It is reassuring to have feedback and help, the pain at night is pretty rough with the heat and when i push my two numb fingers back the electric shock pain is not nice.

Patience is key here i think.

I would suggest massage on your hand, from the fingertips up to the elbow. I would suggest holding the hands up in the air and after 1 minute in that position start doing the pumping hand exercise slowly. That is, first spreading your fingers up in the air, then lower your hands and while doing that make fists. Repeat 20 times at least each session and do them when you feel to, at least five times a day. Do it with both hands simultaneously for the balance. It won't be as painful in the scar area when you have got that excessive fluid away.

A CTS surgery is basically a slightly new structural outcome of the hand, when the bones and tendons are moved as a result of the healed ligament. At the same time, the surgeon might have voluntarily destroyed some excessive minor blood vessels if there were any malformation present (mine did). The lymphatic system is also affected. That's what they've told me. It takes time. You will be better. Discoloration might suggest though there are either another underlying disease going on, like for instance Raynaud's or if the surgeon might have damaged a vital blood vessel or it's "just" a result of the healing process. Do your hand/fingers feel cold or ARE they actually cold when you touch them with another body part?

I have the same. Both my dominated hand that went under surgery in March 2014 and the other hand which I've only tried wrist bandage/bracelet on during the night, can both become cold now and then. I really think my hands are overreactive against coldness. If it has something do with the median nerve/s or not, I don't know.

But my GP said initially; "if your hand feels cold and the nerve is the reason, then you won't describe the hand as cold if you touch it with another body part or if someone else touches it, 'cause the hand is actually not cold, it just feels like it.", but "if the hand feels cold also when another person touches it, then it's mainly a blood circulation problem."

My surgeon assistant told me; "they've never before heard of the feeling of coldness of the hand so explicitly as I've told them - it's normally NOT the major problem when having cts (and that clinic had been going on for 35 years or so...).. She suggested therfore it wasn't the median nerve "talking", but probably raynaud's disease.

However. I've noticed it fells better when I keep my hand warm, when I keep moving and using it. In fact, I had a severe malformation of blood vessels  inside of my carpal tuinnel, discovered at first during the surgery by a surprised surgeon! An indicator that the median nerve had suffered from severe lack of oxygene. Keep using my hands in a sensible way month after month has helped me to continue a positive progress still. Holding the arms in front of me typing for too long can get my arms and hands totally white!! That doesn't help. Take pauses. A lot of them. I bought a soft light blue handmaster plus ball as well, which helped.

The healing takes longer if the case was severe. A golden rule the doctor used was: "It will take as long to heal as the time you've suffered from cts."