Carpal tunnel surgery? Tell me about it.

[debthaven]

Hello. I broke my wrist last summer. Long story short, turns out the plate is putting pressure on the carpal tunnel, so I need to get the plate out/carpal tunnel surgery in my left wrist.

I went to a neurologist for an electromyogram, and found out I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, so I'll eventually need to get the right wrist done too. 

I'm scheduled for surgery for late Oct, but:
- my schools are not cooperating about me teaching online during my recovery period (they've become very strict about holding face-to-face classes because of all the time spent teaching online during Covid)
- I'm in a play 3 weeks after my surgery, and I have to physically fight with someone. The fighting is mainly with my "good" hand/arm, not the one that'll be operated on.

I'm considering postponing my surgery until early December when both the play and the semester are over. The surgeon said it needs to be done before the end of 2021. So even if I postpone, I'm still within his timeline. 

Thoughts? I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences, if you or someone close to you has had it done.  

I'm VERY torn ... part of me wants to "get it done", and part of me wants to wait until the play and semester are over.

I don't love my school's reluctance to let me teach online that week, but I understand it. I can also insist and do it anyway. If they insist on me taking sick leave instead (which I'll be entitled to), they'll have to replace me, and that's fine too. At that point it becomes a "them" problem, and not a "me" problem.    

[debthaven]

Thanks everyone. Having typed all this out, I've decided that I'd really rather get it over with LOL. 

[Deleted]

I know you’ve already made your decision, but I have questions, if you don’t mind.

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and compressed ulnar nerves in both arms. And possibly a pinched nerve in my neck (or somewhere, really all I heard was pinched nerve). My orthopedist gave me a shot shortly after I was diagnosed with all that crap (and testing at another Doctor confirmed the carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve issues). I’ve not had pain since the shot, which was almost 2 years ago. My hands do still go numb sometimes (often) when I’m sleep. But I can deal with that. Having already experienced the pain, I’ll take the numbness if I just have to have a symptom.

My question, if you don’t mind answering, is what symptoms are you having that you are having surgery? Is it pain? The pain I had that had Mister making me go to the ER in the middle of the night, was indescribably excruciating. Much worse than what I’d already experienced with waking up all night because my hands were hurting. My arm hurt in a way I e never experienced and can’t describe, it felt like someone was stabbing me in my palm, and I couldn’t straighten my fingers. And I have a high tolerance for pain! But that night I cried like a baby and would’ve happily let someone just cut my whole arm off if that would stop the pain. The ER Dr is who said I possibly had a pinched nerve. I’d already had the tests revealing the carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve issues and happened to already have a follow up visit with my orthopedist IRT the tests a couple days later. Which is when he gave me the shot. I’ve not had any of those pains since, just the numbness.

I’m sharing all that to explain why I’m curious about why you’re having surgery, whether it’s because of pain. Please know that I’m not judging, just interested in your story because I have carpal tunnel syndrome (plus other things) myself.

[minnesotapaintlady]

My brother had both wrists done and Ex 1.0 had one done this summer. Brother recovered pretty fast. Ex 1.0 had some pretty major issues, but he also had some tendon work done at the same time and that's where the problems were. He claims just the carpal tunnel part didn't really bother him pretty soon afterwards.

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, but it's not to the point that I am considering surgery. I have no pain. Basically my hands just go numb on me at night which is starting to wake me up more, but if I wear braces to bed they're fine. I need to dig them back out apparently.

[Deleted]

Sept 9, 2021 18:35:29 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

My brother had both wrists done and Ex 1.0 had one done this summer. Brother recovered pretty fast. Ex 1.0 had some pretty major issues, but he also had some tendon work done at the same time and that's where the problems were. He claims just the carpal tunnel part didn't really bother him pretty soon afterwards.

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, but it's not to the point that I am considering surgery. I have no pain. Basically my hands just go numb on me at night which is starting to wake me up more, but if I wear braces to bed they're fine. I need to dig them back out apparently.

The funny thing (not really) for me is that carpal tunnel causes issues with 2 specific fingers, the ulnar nerve issues causes problems with the other 2 fingers. 

I guess I really don’t do things halfway, leave it to me to have issues with my whole darn hand.

[debthaven]

Thank you for answering!!!

@pinkcshmere , I have no pain. But the palm of my hand was insanely itchy. When I went for my 1 year post-surgery appt, I told the surgeon (who I know pretty well), my palm is itching like crazy. I don't understand, because I think I'm allergic to the plate, but the plate is on my wrist, and it's my hand that's itching. He said, do you have pins and needles? I said yes, definitely. 

He said I'm sure it's carpal tunnel. But you need confirmation from a neurologist before I'll operate. He also put/made me put my wrist into certain configurations and counted how many seconds until the pins and needles set in. There's an official name for that test, but I can't remember the name. It took about 3 seconds.

The neurologist confirmed. She actually said my left wrist was less severe than my right wrist, but agreed with the surgeon that the plate he inserted last summer was making it degenerate quickly. 

Bottom line is, the surgeon said if I didn't operate, I could end up with long-term damage. The neurologist agreed. The neurologist added that I'll eventually need to do my "good" wrist too, because it's actually worse, but it doesn't have the plate pressing on it, so it's less urgent, even though it's worse. Hope that makes sense. She said I'll probably need to do the "good" wrist within two years, three years tops.

BUT, she said that if it hadn't been for the plate putting pressure, I wouldn't need the surgery yet, but I would need it within two-three years.

So no pain, just itching/pins and needles, and the knowledge that the pressure from the plate is making things worse. 

I'm doing it because I trust the surgeon, I've known him for many years, and because carpal tunnel can damage the muscles in your hand if left untreated. How long does that take? Dunno! 

Remember too that I'm in France and we have socialized medicine. I'm doing this in a private clinic so it's costing me 300 euros OOP. (My complementary health insurance will probably pay 30%-50% of that.)  

[debthaven]

OK this is embarrassing ... the surgeon costs an extra 200. But I also signed up for an extra 100 for the "extra comfort bubble", because that way DH can be with me before and after.

For a long while after Covid, nobody else was allowed in. I broke my wrist on a Thursday, the clinic told the surgeon he could operate on me the following Tuesday. He argued with them for 2 hours until they agreed to add me to his Friday list. (They had reduced the number of patients because of Covid.) That Thursday night at home with a badly broken bone was hell.

Now it seems they're making exceptions for people being allowed in, IF you pay extra.

Frankly although I agree that it sucks, I'm OK with paying extra. I don't get surgery every day, so if I have to pay extra so that DH can be with me before and after, I can live with that.

PS I looked it up, that test is called Phalen's Maneuver.

[debthaven]

Also, I DID finally register, so I'm doing it 22 Oct as planned. It took me 1.5h to register online/fill out the paperwork/make the anaesthesiologist appt. 

So now there's no going back LOL. 

[Deleted]

Sept 9, 2021 19:01:57 GMT -5 debthaven said:

OK this is embarrassing ... the surgeon costs an extra 200. But I also signed up for an extra 100 for the "extra comfort bubble", because that way DH can be with me before and after.

For a long while after Covid, nobody else was allowed in. I broke my wrist on a Thursday, the clinic told the surgeon he could operate on me the following Tuesday. He argued with them for 2 hours until they agreed to add me to his Friday list. (They had reduced the number of patients because of Covid.) That Thursday night at home with a badly broken bone was hell.

Now it seems they're making exceptions for people being allowed in, IF you pay extra.

Frankly although I agree that it sucks, I'm OK with paying extra. I don't get surgery every day, so if I have to pay extra so that DH can be with me before and after, I can live with that.

PS I looked it up, that test is called Phalen's Maneuver.

Thank you so much for explaining why you need surgery!

And I don’t think you should be embarrassed. Who wouldn’t want their spouse or SO to be with them before and after surgery? I certainly don’t blame you for wanting that, and paying extra to make it possible.

All the best to you, and again, thanks for answering my questions. I’m off to Google Phalen’s Maneuver just because I’m curious.

[debthaven]

PS @pinkcshmere I'll be 62 before the end of the year ... and carpal tunnel is a degenerative disease, so age counts. 

I'm actually planning to get my right wrist done in 2022, even if it could probably wait another year or two, because I'll still be working/still have access to good health insurance. 

[Deleted]

Sept 9, 2021 19:44:47 GMT -5 debthaven said:

PS @pinkcshmere I'll be 62 before the end of the year ... and carpal tunnel is a degenerative disease, so age matters.

Yes, one of my Doctors is concerned about me being able to manage that and my other issues long enough for me to retire from my job. A lot of my coworkers have the same or similar issues. A lot of it is the nature of our jobs, but our aging doesn’t help any either.

[finnime]

I didn't know carpal tunnel was degenerative. Have to remember that. I just get an occasional twinge, and sometimes more than that while sleeping, but so far it's been easy enough to dismiss. I do have arthritis in my hands that can be crazy painful unless I take NSAIDs.