Diagnosed... - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Message Board

photonut1998 · 01-02-2006, 03:44 PM

Okay, I got the results back from the EMG today. All my symptoms pointed to cubital tunnel, but the EMG says it's carpal tunnel. My doctor gave me 2 different treatment options: surgery and/or steroid injections. Surgery is only as a last resort, so he gave me a steroid injection in my left wrist to see if it gets better. The injection sucked and hurt and now I have more symptoms of carpal tunnel. My wrist hurts - it hurts to type this, and I have a hard time gripping things. It hurts doing stuff that we take for granted, like opening a door, or taking a shower, tying my shoes. It never hurt before, I just had numbness at night. I asked about how long I'd be out of work if I had to have surgery, and he said it would be a few weeks before I could type again, but I could go back to my other job after a week, I'd just have to wear splints. I really don't want surgery, so I hope the steroid treatment works and the pain and discomfort I'm experiencing right now goes away. I go back to him at the end of the month. Did anybody else who had a steroid injection have a similar reaction? Did it help anybody else?

ewe no me · 01-15-2006, 02:03 PM

I had steriod injections in my elbow (OUCH) for tennis elbow. It worked but wore off after 4 weeks. Doc says I dont have tennis elbow anymore. He did MRI and I have degenerated disc and bone spur in the same place. He said it is pinching a nerve. Now I need epidural cortizone injections in my cervical spine, had one, (OUCH< OUCH OUCH) Thought the one in my elbow hurt. This one was a doosie. It is a series or 3. Go next week for the 2nd. The pain is getting so bad, I am looking forward to the shot. The 1st one gave no relief, the doc said not unusual. Hopefully the 2nd. and 3rd will kick in. But the anserw to your question, does help? Just temporaluly, cortizone injections are not permanent.

photonut1998 · 01-15-2006, 11:28 PM

I've heard about those injections like you're getting, and I was told they sucked, too! I hate needles - I nearly fainted during the EMG I was so worked up over it. I've read that the steroid injections are only temporary, which makes me wonder why the bother if it doesn't last? I want permanent relief right now, not something that'll wear off in a month or two. I'm afraid to go to sleep on my stomach because I know I'll wake up 2-3+ times in the night with numb hands. This has been going on for at least a year now and I'm ready to enjoy a full night's sleep again...

Oh, and the extra pain I was experiencing from the injection did go away, but all my other symptoms are still present. I wear a splint at night, but it doesn't help, either.

Johands333 · 01-19-2006, 08:12 AM

Photo,
Maybe you should just get the surgery and be done with it. According to my doctor, the only way cts would come back is if you have a lot of scarring and it interfers with the median nerve. How much time can you take off of work? The big thing for me was driving. I still can't go long distances. But that's just me. My doctor said most people are able to drive themselves to the 2 week apt. to have the stitches out. I couldn't. But then I've had cts for 5 yrs. The longer you have cts, the longer it's supposed to be to recouperate completely. My advice: get it done. For me I had one day where I said, Enough! I can't take this anymore. That's when I had it done.

Taimse · 01-19-2006, 11:57 AM

I'd had cts for at least 14 years before I had surgery on my right hand 12 years ago. That hand is really good. I think I took one or two Darvocet after the surgery and then Tylenol for a couple of days. Drove after a week. I have used my right hand a lot, to compensate for my left over the years.
My left is a different story. I had ct open release on it in Feb of 05. Lots of pain....I drove after 10 days...but hand really hurt.
I have since learned the surgeon nicked the nerve....I had surgery on it again in Dec of 05. I saw that hand surgeon yesterday, who said it looked like the nerve had a gouge in it. Even so,I was able to drive a couple of days after surgery in Dec. Very little post op pain this time around, though the hand surgeon said, he doesn't expect it to ever be 100 percent.