Carpal tunnel

[aussienic]

I developed this (or at least whats the Drs think it is) during my pregnancies but it always went away. After my 3rd preg it stayed for a while and I was put on a course of Anti inflammitries and it went away...

Of course it came back during my last preg and has stayed with me ever since. I went to the Drs last week and they are sending me for a Nerve Conduction test..

so a couple questions..

has anyone had this test? did it hurt? I know whats involved but I read needles and went eeek!

I read something else tonight about the link between Carpal tunnel and epidurals? has anyone else heard of that? I have a sore spot on my back where my epidural was. (forgot to mention it at Drs) So I wonder if the 2 are related

also has anyone had the surgery? How long did it last? did the symptoms reappear?

TIA

[aussienic]

no one knows anything about this?

[dee73]

I'm certainly no expert on this, just had it through 1st preg and touches of it this time... However I do know a few women who have developed it, often from pregnancies or when going through menopause. There seems to be a lot of doctors who rush straight to the surgery option when there is another school of thought suggesting there might be a less-invasive hormonal approach. The surgery can be quite painful and doesn't seem seem to have a very high success rate, so perhaps you'd consider seeking some alternative methods first? Maybe talk to a naturopath or even an accupuncturist first?

In my 1st pregnancy it didn't go away immediately, but I started taking a product called 30+ from the chemist which claims to rebalance your hormones (it's produced by Lisa Curry-Kenny) and that worked for me.

Anyway, whatever you decide, just make sure you do lots of research. I know 2 musicians who cannot play anymore after undergoing the surgery...

[ajm mum]

Hello i suffered this during my third pregnancy and it got worse after delivery. They gave me splints to wear but with a new born this wasn't practical so i ended up having cortasone injections into my wrist and this was painful but after a couple of days i was no longer in any pain not sure if this helps but its one way of treating this condition.

[aussienic]

Thanks for the replies. I am quite keen to avoid surgery as it would be impossible with 4 kids and still feeding my youngest .

I spoke with a chemist about splints but they also agreed that splints and infants don't mix. I am going to try support bandages at night just hve to go and get some.

the pain has eased off a bit today which is good.. Yesterday i was taking panadol for the ache.

My appointment for the nerve conduction test is the 31st March..

[Bevet83]

so a couple questions..

has anyone had this test? did it hurt? I know whats involved but I read needles and went eeek!

TIA

I've had something called an EMG for carpal tunnel.. I imagine you've had yours by now, but you have my sympathy. The needles they use a fine bore, so they don't hurt much, but my god, they're really long!

[aussienic]

, but my god, they're really long!

Oh EEEK.. lol.. I have been rescheduled for the 4th April now.. but I have to change it till the end of April.. sigh..

thankfully just having numbness and pins and needles so will out up with it for now

Thanks for replying..

[curl]

I'm curious to know how you went.

I'm currently 34 weeks pg and my pain is almost unbearable tonight. The pins and needles started up a few weeks ago but has now reached a point where at night from near the elbow right down to the tips of my fingers I have a pain like I've dipped my arms in freezing water. My fingers ache with pins & needles and the swelling in my fingers doesn't subside until near midday each day. I've tried not sleeping on my hands/arms, shaking my hands in the air, wriggling my fingers etc but I don't seem to get any relief. My next dr appointment is on Friday and I can't wait because I want solutions and he's an accupuncturist too so hopefully will have some handy tips on pressure points?

What measures did any of you take that worked?

[nagromeyk]

Curl - you say your pain comes from your elbow down your arm to fingers. I would question as to whether your case is Carpel Tunnel ??

It sounds more like Tendonitis to me... but in saying that I'm no expert.... maybe that is something to look into?

[dee73]

If it is definately ct, then the best thing you can do is wear splints overnight. Get them from a chemist or a physio. I found that by wearing them all night my hands were good through the day. Although occasionally I had to wear them thru the day too... If you splint and it doesn't give any relief then it's possibly not ct.

Do all your fingers tigle/ache? From memory, ct should not affect the pinky...

[curl]

Thanks for your replies.

I'm not diagnosed yet. Dr's appointment is on Friday. I'll be questioning him then, thoroughly, as to what the condition is exactly. The pinky's seem to be fine but the other fingers are all tingling.

Last night when I eventually went back to bed I found that each side I slept on was affected so I would have to shake arms/wriggle fingers etc until it subsided and try the other side for a time. Being pregnant I have to sleep on a side but either way I go it hurts after a while and I am not sleeping on my arms or hands. I just hope this is a temporary issue related to fluid retention and nothing more serious. My ankles incidently are not swollen so the fluid is only in the hands/fingers and it is only at night while I'm in bed that the cycle starts over again.

[dee73]

Curl - does sound like ct to me... If I were you I'd go and buy some splints, they really do help!

[curl]

Thanks Dee. I'll be going out today and will make enquiries at a good chemist.

[Astrid]

Seeing an osteo helped me. I was going for pelvic instability, but she work on the fluid retention as well and my wrists were much better.

[curl]

I had my dr appointment yesterday and he did diagnose carpal tunnel. I located a chemist with stocks of splints and bought one to see how I go and maybe I'll buy another in a few days. Last night I had a bad bought again, mostly in my right arm and so today I've worn the splint all day and I'm still tingly. Gotta go, typing hurts fingers.

[aussienic]

Let me know how the splints go.. I think I need to do something more with my wrists/hands.. I am getting aches and numbness on a daily basis now rather then every few days..

[curl]

I bought one splint and used it on my right hand all day yesterday and found it did give some relief. Last night I wore it on my left and the only real issue I had was that I still had numbness and pins & needles in my thumb and fingers. My right arm for the most part behaved itself. I'm seriously considering getting another splint so both are supported instead of one at a time.

They are not cheap at $50 each and for something that is likely only to be worn for a short time, you'll have to weigh up the pros & cons for yourself. But, seeming as you (Aussienic) have had the symptoms for a long time it might be a good option for you. I was told to make sure that I bought a splint with a metal bar in it. The chemist had two different ones and the Futuro is the one that felt more comfortable and is lighter than the other brand. GL with your decision, I hope you find some relief.

My Dr said to use the splints to start with and if that doesn't help much he said he'd either do a round of accupuncture or cortisone injections... ouch! But, my DH doesn't come back until 29th Aug so both of these will have to wait until then due to child minding issues.

Gotta go, fingers are really starting to hurt now.

Curl

[aussienic]

I thnk I might give that a go.. Even if I just get one and see how my hands go.. Do you have to wer them out?

and how much movement do you have? I am breastfeeding and obviously need to have flexibility in my wrist