sorehands

Hello I am A 29 male & have bilateral carpal tunnel. Did I let it go too long. I am left & right handed. It all started in the later part of 1995 when I started getting mild pain and numbness of both of my hands and didn't think much of it. I kept using my hands alot and it was slowly getting worst as time went on. Then in mid 1998 the pain and numbness got worst and the pain started going into my forearms & up to my shoulders&neck & was very aching. Then the pain got so bad that I went to my doctor for help with the pain in my hands and forearms. He gave me some wrist splints and told me to wear them at night when working or during the day when sleeping. The splints helped for a couple months. Then it got to a point that I had to go back to doctor and he put me on lortab 7.5. Late 1999/ finally after being on lortab & using the splints, my hands were getting weaker and I was loosing the feeling in most of my left hand & part of my right hand. So I went back to my doctor and he ordered a nerve conduction test. I had the test done & I had severe carpal tunnel in both hands so the family doctor sent me to a hand doctor. This doctor tried shots in both hands along with the splints for couple weeks but it didn't help. Finally I had to have open bilateral carpal tunnel surgery done. The surgery was done on 2/11/2000.The carpal ligament was fully divided in both hands. I had severe imtrapment of the nerve that it was flatten to a point there is nerve damage. When I had surgery done I started feeling better a few days after because the pain in my shoulders & neck went away real well. My hands felt better too but there is nerve damage so I have mild pain,weakness and impaired feeling of left hand & mild pain,weakness and ok feeling of right hand. Later on I had a impairment rating done & the left is 41% & feeling impaired, can't tell hot&cold or sharp&dull & the right is 55% & feeling ok can tell hot&cold or sharp&dull. I did ok with my hands the way were for 16 months until july of this year (2001).I started getting moderate pain,numbness&tingling in my hands & wrists again. I also have cramps of the thumb muscle which is painful at times. I'm having problems speading the fingers and making a fist there is tightness in the palm of hand. So the carpal tunnel may be closing up on the tendons and nerve again. The doctor said it may be coming from the nerve damage & may have scarred tissue & said I may have to have the surgery done again. I have no shoulder or neck pain this time. I had some testing done and the shoulders,neck & elbows passed with full range of motion & painfree. But my hands & wrists didn't pass the testing. Therefore the carpal tunnel has came back.


I have a tens unit which I got in 1998 so I wouldn't have to take pain medication all the time. Which this worked better than the pills. I put the electrodes on my wrists. I just need to use one lead wire & 2 electrodes. I don't like this thing all that much but I do use it when the pain is at worst.


I have changed the way I do things at work and at home all along to reduce stress on the hands, But it doesn't seem to help much. I have even cut my hours at work and doing less at home with the things I was making with my hands.

It really does cause a lot of problems with sleeping. So I wear my wrist splints when I sleep they seem to help sometimes.




[This message has been edited by sorehands (edited 08-27-2001).]