carpal tunnel :(

[planetjune]

I've had wrist pain in my right wrist, on and off, for years now. I originally got it from the computer mouse but I found an excellent wrist support that fixed that up for me (http://www.pukme.com if you're interested).

 

But now it's come back, and I suspect it's due to my crocheting... It's been so bad this week that I haven't been able to crochet at all. I just got back from my doctors and she said I definitely have carpal tunnel, and short of surgery, there is no cure

 

I've been told I can still crochet (phew!) but I have to take Advil first to try to stop it swelling. And I have to wear a wrist splint at night. I hope this helps... the idea of surgery is kind of scary...

[Tiga]

Have the surgery!

 

My mom has had it on BOTH arms (computer use) and it really cures it. She has no more pain, at all, from the carpal tunnel, and hasn't for years.

 

No more braces, no more Advil constantly.

 

It's totally worth it.

[CloudyDays]

planetjune,

 

Something you could try is Vitamin B6. Some people swear by it. Of course, it might not work for everyone, but it would be worth a try, wouldn't it? Especially if you could avoid surgery:)

[PBLKNP]

I've had wrist pain in my right wrist, on and off, for years now. I originally got it from the computer mouse but I found an excellent wrist support that fixed that up for me (http://www.pukme.com if you're interested).

 

But now it's come back, and I suspect it's due to my crocheting... It's been so bad this week that I haven't been able to crochet at all. I just got back from my doctors and she said I definitely have carpal tunnel, and short of surgery, there is no cure

 

I've been told I can still crochet (phew!) but I have to take Advil first to try to stop it swelling. And I have to wear a wrist splint at night. I hope this helps... the idea of surgery is kind of scary...

 

I have tendonitis that flares up from time to time, and I find it helps to take breaks while crocheting. I literally do 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off over the course of the evening.

[ILuv2Crochet]

Ive had it in my right wrist due to years of working on a computer without proper support and had to have surgery. I was out of work for about a month but thankfully I recouperated fairly quickly. I am happy to report that I have no more pain. Im just glad I am able to crochet again!!!

MJ :-)

[crochetgoddess]

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists (I am 26 yrs old) but the left one is the worst. I am supposed to wear my wrist brace at all times, but I hate it and so I only wear it when it gets really bad. I take breaks during crocheting as well and will wear my brace if it is hurting and I still have the need to crochet.

[planetjune]

Thanks everyone - I will try your suggestions, and also look into the surgery. It would be great if it fixed me up permanently with no more pain, but it's still scary!

[Lavelle26]

I have heard that with the surgery, you can only have two in your lifetime. After that, there is nothing else you can do. If you continue doing what you have been doing all along, then the carpal tunnel will come back. There are exercises you can do with your wrists that help strengthen them and keep the blood flowing.

[Tiga]

Oh, yes, that is true that you do have to change some stuff - Mom is very careful with her back posture, and uses a split keyboard now and does the stretching exercises when she needs to.

 

I do those exercises, as well, and wear light support wrist "gloves" from the pharmacy when I crochet so that I don't do my carpal tunnel nerve in. I've got a bad back as it is, lol, don't need to ruin my wrists, too!

 

Proper support and posture are KEY to avoiding injury.

 

I know it's cliche, but I find that when I knit or crochet in my rocking chair from when my daughter was a baby, my back hurts much less.

 

I think I better crochet myself a mobcap and get some granny boots and little round glasses so I really look the part !

 

But hey, at least I don't hurt, right?

[Tiga]

Oh, and they do the surgery arthroscopically now -Mom's first surgery was the old fashioned slice and flay version; her second one was with the tiny camera and instruments.

 

She healed much faster with the second surgery. She has diabetes and a bleeding disorder, too, so surgery is really scary for her. The second one was a breeze. She was back to work in less than a month. Stupid fast, if you ask me.

[ErinLindsey]

The surgery is not always a cure. I had the surgery on my right hand back in the early 90s. (I was probably about 21 or 22yrs old) It helped for several years, but then the symptoms started to come back. Apparently I have scar tissue from the surgery in my hand now, and it's caused me a few problems (having MS also doesnt help either)

 

My suggestion would be to use some sort of physical therapy (exercises) to deal with it, and when it hurts, rest it...use the splint(s).

 

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists...I'm not planning on having any more surgeries to fix it. I'll just deal with it.

 

by the way...my surgery was the old fashioned slice the hand/wrist open and slice the tendon in half.

 

I do think that if I hadnt had the surgery, I'd have more problems with it now, but I still dont think it was worth the nerve damage in my pinky and ring fingers.

[misssmaggie]

I had both hands done in 2002...3 weeks apart. The right one was a tear that was repaired and the left one was crushed that was repaired.

 

Everything went well...until arthritis decided to take up residence in my body! In February of 2006...I had a proximal carpectomy (they removed bones) on my left wrist due to avascular necrosis (lack of blood to the bone) due to the arthritis. All the bones and the first 3 metacarpals are calcified.

 

Now...I am going to have CTR (carpal tunnel release)...again...and UNR (ulnar...elbow... nerve release) on the left arm on Tuesday.

 

My pain is unbearable at times...like now...it is so bad...I am

nauseous...but I will not give up...I still crochet as much as I can.

They will not do a wrist joint replacement because I am TOO young!!! But they are willing to do a wrist joint fusion???....imagine that!!!

Every case varies from on hand to the next...the cause could be different in the left than the right hand...go to the doc...have an EMG done...and they will give you options for treatment.

BUT...taking pills to mask the pain is not good...and don't let the doc 'blow you off' by saying..."Oh...that happens when we get older..." Because a doc did that with me...that is why my left hand is so bad.

[shuttlebuggy]

Hi -

I am a nurse, a cancer survivor and a CROCHETER :) !!!! ( Can't leave that out - LOLOLOL)

And my carpal tunnel first occured in both wrists when I was prego with DD 19yrs ago. I took motrin and wore splints after her delivery and all was fine until after my chemo treatments (which brought on swelling in my tendons and tissues) and the carpal tunnel came back with a vengence!

I cannot even describe the pain and despite a myriad of medications and vitamins too - I was waking up at night and filing the sink with alternating hot and then really cold water to dunk them in just to get a few minutes relief but even that did not touch it - the pain was called "intractable" meaning no waves or breaks in it - it was CONSTANT and went from throbbing to pounding pain from the crook of the index finger and thumb down the base of the palm and into the arms- TERRIBLE!!!! :eek

I had been thru other surgeries on other parts of my body (due to my cancer) and was not wanting to go anywhere near an OR of any kind. BUT the pain was more than I could bear and I have a HIGH tolerance for pain.

So my ortho doc scheduled the appointment and has done BOTH types of procedures many many times and she said that she had seen more of a risk of when bilateral wrists are done that with the newer procedure (done with a scope) several times one will "take" and the other not. Not that this doesn't happen with the older type procedure where they make about a 1 inch incision and cut the tendon, but that she finds that one to be more successful in most cases to irradicate the carpal syndrome completely.

I followed her lead and had the older type procedure done on the first wrist as it is a 6 week minimum recovery and I needed to have one functional unsplinted hand - and the funniest thing about the surgery was that the very night I had it done the post-op nurse called to see how I was doing and what my "pain level" was on a one to ten level -

I answered "It's a 9 or 10!!!!!!" and she said very upset "WHAT!!!!????? Have you been taking your pain meds --etcccccc????" :think

And to that I answered ----"Don't worry - no need to be upset --- It is NOT the wrist you operated on that is a 10 ------ it is the one you HAVEN'T done yet that is the problem!!!!!!!! I got INSTANT relief from all those weeks of intense pain and as soon as I got out of surgery even under all the bandage I knew that it was a success! - I CAN'T WAIT TO GET THE OTHER ONE DONE as it was such a great relief!

So they bumped up the surgery date to 2 weeks later and I would have RUN to that OR to get it done and now here I am 5 yrs later crocheting and NO PAIN! :clap

I also have neuropathy from my chemo treatments that is still resolving - it is in my finger tips and is totally unrelated to the carpal - it came from a certain drug in chemotherapy that I opted for. My carpal was pre-existing for 19 yrs before my treatments and just happened to come back after - but it is HISTORY I am happy to tell you and so as you can tell I am an advocate to get it taken care of!

I have not heard there is a limit to the surgeries in a lifetime but that revisions can be done on an as needed basis with a specialist that does those.

Take good care and I wish you well and more time happily crocheting!~

PS - I now have a condition in my right wrist that I specifically got from a touch pad on my laptop - I used my 3rd and 4th fingers when I first learned to use the touch pad (like a mouse) and overused my computer as it was new and now up in my elbow I get a really bad pain and near the outer upper arm near the elbow --- I am really careful and now use a mouse only on the left side so to rest the right - I take motrin on the first sign of it coming on and am hoping it will abate ---- holding my breath on that but it is NOTHING like the carpal was...

[renegade]

Hi June, I've had CTS for a few years now, and I still manage to crochet! It is painful and inconvenient, but I've found taking advil before going to bed and wearing the splint help a ton! Also, I bought some of the clover soft touch hooks, and they're fab, and it's made a difference!

 

Also, sometimes, I just have to limit my crochet time. My hands (I have CTS in both hands!) have been really bothering me a lot the last few weeks, so I'm having to pace myself.

 

I know I and many others here feel your pain!

[MSL]

I was sure that many on here would suffer from this painful condition as I have. I work for a Chriopractor and I have had tremendous relief through my adjustments. Might be a good conservative option to try before going under the knife! Ask your chiropractor if he/she does "cold laser therapy." I would also ask if they do the "Diversified Technique." These treatments have been fantastic in our office (including for me)!

 

MARY <><

[MOhooker]

I had CTR done on my left wrist in Nov. and the right in Dec. (3 weeks apart). I am SOOOOO happy that I did both of the surgeries! With the left I took of about a week and a half, with the right I had the CTR on Thurs and went back to work on Tues the next week, 5 days later. My strongest recommendation is that you find the very best Ortho that you can. Mine has NO people skills but is the best in the area in an opperating room. If you wait too long you will have permanent nerve damage that nothing will help!

[lynned1952]

I have it in both wrists too. I use the splints at night and have cut back on my crocheting. Most people I've talked to told me they were out of work for 3 months after their surgery....yikes!

[Charlene]

I to have had the old fashioned surgery on both hands, one in 2003 and one in 2004. Instant relief is true! I don't regret it at all, have the surgery!!! I have full use of both hands! Yes, don't wait too long or the nerves may not come back, a friend of mine, her husband waited too long and he didn't get full use of his hands, it's outpatient surgery, only in OR 20 min. Charlene

[LeahB]

I also have carpal tunnel in my right wrist. I think it may not be as advanced at this stage. I have had success with using the night splint, combined with the exercises that my physical therapist showed me. I also find, though, that if I overdo it I have to take time off from crocheting and using the computer.

 

Be sure to ask questions though before jumping into surgery. Have you tried all the non-surgery options? I have encountered some doctors who don't want to take the time to work with you to avoid surgery.

 

Anyhow, I feel your pain, and good luck!