Hello, everyone, this is my first post here. It's nice to meet all of you.

I am scheduled for carpal tunnel and cubital elbow surgeries (both on my right arm) on May 15. I have spent several weeks reading this board and all the information I could find, making sure that having these surgeries was the right choice. I believe it is the right choice for me.

Some things I wonder about - is there anything I can do before the surgery that could help me have a positive outcome afterward? Does anyone know?

For example: I can use my hand and arm to an extent, should I continue to use it right up to surgery, or would resting it be better? I wonder if it would help to have the tissues not be inflamed (they do swell when I've used them), or if it doesn't matter.

What about minimizing the appearance of scars? There are creams and such that seem to work for some people after the surgery, but would it help to use such things to get my skin in some sort of shape before it is cut?

I have a pre-surgery appointment on the 10th, where they will discuss some specifics with me. But I like knowing things ahead of time when I can.

For some background, I'm 32 years old and have carpal tunnel and cubital elbow issues that started about two years ago after an injury, and have afected me sometimes badly, sometimes not so badly, since then. I am unfortunately accident-prone - a few broken ankles, dog-related injuries (we work with a dog rescue), snow-shoveling injuries, etc. This is the first time I've required surgery for one of them, and I will appreciate anything anyone can tell me. The pain/numbness/tingling in my hand and arm has been constant since January, hence the surgery. I can't even coordinate my fingers to tie my shoes any more.

I appreciate having a forum like this to get some questions answered, it seems like many people here have gone through this and are willing to share. Thank you in advance!

If they swell - I'd ask your surgeon. He might want you to rest them a bit before in that case.

As far as the rest- just keep doing whatever they (your arms) will allow you to do.

Good luck! I've had the Ulnar nerve surgeries - and they weren't too bad to recover from. Lots of the pain goes away immediately after - at least for decompression - If you are having transposition (it put under the muscle) I don't know.

Specifically about the surgery - the day you have it done and perhaps the next day or 2, keep your hand up above your heart as much as possible. Don't walk with your hands hanging down and swaying. This will make your blood "pool" in your hands. I learned this by having to go online the DAY of my surgery because that night my hands started swelling. I read it online and then laid down with my hand up in the air resting on the side of the sofa. I wish they would have told me about this ahead of time. There is really nothing you can do to prepare for this surgery other than eating well and get plenty of sleep. Being female, I'd suggest buying a couple of sports bras so you can wiggle into them instead of wondering how you're going to hook the bra with only one hand. If weather is warm enough wear a tank top or something easy to get in and out of the day of the surgery. This is another thing I had to do. Thank God my daughters are old enough to drive and one drove me over to Target the day after my surgery so I could buy 2 more bras. Also, if you do laundry, get yourself a laundry bag that can be carried with one hand. (unless you have a darling hubby or SO who will do it for you for 2 weeks.) Are you having open surgery? I did and I can tell you that you don't want to put any strain on the hand for 2 weeks. Also, I saved plastic newspaper bags and bought some good duct tape. This is for showers. You CANNOT get the stitches wet and they will tell you not to take a shower (as if). Put your hand in the bag and wrap duct tape a couple of times around it. If it gets wet, I'd be surprised. Now you're set.

Thank you both!

My carpal tunnel surgery will be open (not endoscopic), and my cubital tunnel surgery will be a "subcutaneous transposition" - they're moving the nerve, but only under the skin, not to under muscle.

I'm also taking two full weeks off work. I'll get the stitches out 10 days after surgery, and I'm going back after 14 days. I won't be expected to do too much even then, I really appreciate working where I do.

I've stocked up on easy-to-prepare frozen meals - dump-in-a-skillet-and-heat type. The "Contessa" brand of frozen shrimp stir fry and pasta are REALLY good, if anybody wants to know.
Stocked up on extra large t-shirts, too, that should be easy to wiggle in and out of. (It snowed last night, so I decided to forego the tank tops!)
And I've had to do front-closure bras one-handed for a while anyway, I couldn't tweak my wrist around to fasten the regular kind.
My husband has been trained to carry the laundry basket for the last few weeks already. ;)
So it sounds like I'm set!

If anyone would like to add anything else, I'm still all ears...

Aurora,
Sounds like you're all set. Also, I forgot to mention that once you get the stitiches out, soak your hand in warm water with baby oil. It will soften the skin where it was stitched. And another thing -- this will sound gross. You will have a certain amount of skin at the stitching site that will be rough once the stitches are out. It is old and dead and will not heal. It might be one or two layers of skin. Snip it off with clean scissors. It will make your hand look better. For the first 2 months be very careful not to have the area where the stitches were bumped. I was with my husband on the golf course (not playing, but watching him play). We were in a golf cart and I saw this hole in the ground and couldn't react in time. The cart went into it. My hand went banging down onto the side railing of the cart. I saw stars for about 3 seconds. No damage done, but nothing I'd like to repeat.

How did your surgery go? I am scheduled for Cubital tunnel surgery 5/30.

hi, hygieneguru!

The surgery itself went fine. I turned out to be allergic to a couple things, though, and that's hindering my recovery. First I was allergic to the dose of Vicoden I was taking, and had to lower my dose. It was an OK dose, just not great.
Then I had an emergency appointment when the pain got really bad on day 7 after surgery - I was allergic to something else but still not sure what. But I had to take Benedryl, which dries me out, makes me drink more water, more bathroom trips, etc.

But everything else went fine. I had feeling (REAL feeling!!!) in my ring and pinky fingers about two days afterward! And as long as I took my pain meds, the pain was tolerable. If I could have taken more it would have not been worth mentioning.

I got my stitches out today, and the doc says everything looks good. I still have periods of finger numbness, as the nerves are still really sensitive. But now it goes away when I switch positions, and that feels great.

Did you have any particular questions?

Aurorapup,
Sounds like good news. Isn't it nice to have feeling again? How are you doing with dressing and everyday chores? Now when the stitches come out make sure you soak the area in warm water with baby oil in it. This will soften the skin. I know this sounds gross--but you will have some rough skin right at the stitch area that is dead and will not heal. It should only be one or two layers of skin. IT looks nasty. Trim it off with scissors. It will make the area look so much better and might even help those 2 layers to come together and mend faster.
--Jo