1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Carpal Tunnel

when to see a doctor

Posted , 2 users are following.

LittleMouse78
LittleMouse78

I haven't been diagnosed with carpal tunnel recently, but around 13 years ago, i developed it while pregnant. For around four months I dealt with the annoying numbness and extreme pain - especially during the night. It went away after my child was born. It came back a few years ago, but they were mostly annoying symptoms: numb hands waking me up as I tried to sleep - thankfully no pain - and I noticed I was constantly dropping things. Something else is happening and I'm not sure its from the carpal tunnel. Every couple months pain in my wrist - the joint, around the carpals would slowly get worse and more painful until it peaked for a few days, then slowly go away. All together this would take a month or so. Sometimes it happened in my shoulder. Recently i'd gone almost a year without it happening. About 2 weeks ago it started again in my wrist. But this time its much, much worse. The pain is not only in my wrist, but travels up into my fingers. There is a kind of achy pain similar to carpal tunnel pain. Its started to go away, but its a very slow process.

Is it time for me to see a doctor? Should i wait for the pain to be at its worst before i see a doctor?

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland LittleMouse78

    Posted

    I think most of us would rather see patients earlier with a problem rather than later so if you have not seen your GP for years go now. It's a bit different if you are a regular attender and they already know about all these symptoms but it sounds as though that is not the case. Dr J Bland

    • LittleMouse78
      LittleMouse78 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Thanks for your words. I'm very frustrated at the moment. Although the wrist pain seems to have plateaued its not getting better. My left shoulder is getting much worse. It hurts to move my arm, especially when i try to lift it. There is also a very sore spot that hurts to touch. Its on the top of my shoulder.....on the tendons i think. Exactly same as my wrist. Tried to get into a clinic, and the hospital, but I didn't have the money to pay for the parking and all of the free spots were taken. Frustrated.

      Anyway I have a question: What would be the best place to go? I was thinking if I was at a walk in clinic, I might need x-rays or something. This could mean I have to go somewhere else for that. But the hospital has all of that equipment, so.....any advice? TY!

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland LittleMouse78

      Posted

      Depends where you are. If you are in the UK then the best place to start with any problem that has been there for more than a few hours is your GP. Despite the fact that my job is to carry out fancy tests it is worth pointing out that x-rays, scans and other tests are much over-rated by patients - most diagnoses are made by talking to the patient and examining them. Dr J Bland

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.