Marie27

Hi, everyone,

Thanks for the informative posts. I've learned a lot from them.

I'm a 29 year old female. I type for a living--in fact, I've spent the better part of my life typing. Typing d/n cause my CTS, though. I am a potter. In late October, I was working on the wheel and was applying too much pressure to get the clay centered. I then went on a very active vacation that required moving a lot of gear fairly frequently. I think I was on an adrenaline high for the duration of the trip and therefore did not experience any pain. When I returned home on Nov 1, my body "crashed" and my wrists were on fire.

I immediately started splinting my wrists. I applied ice and took ibuprophen. Minimal improvement. I went to an urgent care dr who made an initial diagnosis of tendonitis and prescribed extra strength Motrin. Still no improvement. I then went to an ortho/hand surgeon who performed Tinel's test and Phalen's sign, both of which indicated CTS.

Both my hands and wrists (and sometimes my forearms) burn and tingle. I am unable to type, drive, make a bed, wash dishes, or do anything around the house. I live alone. My family lives 1,800 miles away.

The dr said that we'd have to be more aggressive, so he gave me a cortisone shot in my right wrist (it's worse than my left; I'm right handed). That was 12/2/05. The shot d/n hurt. He said it could take a few days for me to feel any relief. Such has proven true; I'm still waiting.

I start physical therapy tomorrow. I found some tendon gliding exercises online and have been doing them on my own. I haven't had an EMG.

My concern, and I realize it's premature, is that, in the event the physical therapy doesn't work, they will tell me that I'm not "bad" enough to warrant surgery. My hands/arms aren't numb and I don't wake up at night.

Also, does anyone have an opinion as to whether my being in my 20s would impact the potential success of the surgery?

Finally, I'm small boned and have a narrow wrist. Should I aim for open or endo?

Thanks much,

Marie