Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Agony!

[MistyBxx]

I'm in absolute agony with carpal tunnel in both wrists.
It started around 24 weeks, mild twinges at first, but soon intensified to the point where I've had to take time off work from about 28 weeks.
I'm now 36 weeks and the last fortnight has been hell.
I've got double support straps on my wrists, the standard nhs brown ones to support my wrist and forearm, and an extra one I bought off eBay to stabilise my thumb, as the main pain seems to radiate from my thumb base down into my wrist when I move my thumb. I have these on both hands.
The pain is so intense it feels like an actual fracture, shooting like lightning down my thumb into my wrist and brings tears to my eyes. Tasks like doing my own bra up and even going to the toilet are a military operation as I can barely grip toilet paper! And nighttime is the worst, I could cry in bed with the pain.
I met a friend yesterday and held her baby... who I immediately had to ask to take back off me as I very nearly dropped her and couldn't even lift her to hand her back myself. She's only tiny and it upset and scared me as my own baby is due in 4 weeks and I'm terrified wondering how on earth I'm going to manage if I can't even hold a baby.
For those who have never suffered with this, please don't think 'oh you wouldn't have dropped the baby, you'd have held on even if it hurt'... I had no choice, the pain is so intense, my wrists literally "give" completely, and if she hadn't taken the baby off me, I would have dropped her.
The midwife has told me it will improve after birth... eventually. But it's those days/weeks where it's still like this and I have a baby to look after that is scaring me.
Does anyone have any advice? I'm desperate to try and alleviate this pain. The support straps are doing very little and I'm feeling incredibly miserable and worried at a time when I should be looking forward to my baby's arrival.

[Eminybob]

I feel your pain. I was miserable with it when I was pregnant.
It did get better once I’d given birth though. Not perfect but better.
What eventually cured it completely was a course of ibuprofen. I had to take about 4 enormous ones every day for about 2 weeks then it went and never came back.

I can’t remember all the details as it was 4 years ago now, but I’m pretty sure you can’t rake them while pregnant. I can’t remember if I had stopped breastfeeding or not by the time I was on the course, so can’t remember if they are safe while breastfeeding, but worth speaking to your GP about post birth.

[MistyBxx]

Thanks @Eminybob I live on ibuprofen normally, paracetamol has never been effective for me, but you're right, it's not suitable in pregnancy and I haven't taken it at all. I'm hoping to breastfeed too so I'm assuming it will remain off limits but it's good to know there's hope! The way I'm feeling now is like it will never get better and it's just really getting me down. And it's my hands which are pretty impossible to just rest or not use so much!x

[cardeyscat]

I had this with my first pregnancy and I also had to stop work early. It's excruciating. If it's any help, the pain reduced drastically immediately after the birth and completely after a few weeks. For the record, I didn't get it with my second pregnancy. Good luck!

[cardeyscat]

(By the way... it depends on where you live/who tells you, as to whether you can take ibuprofen when breastfeeding... I was advised to after both births...)

[Vodkafairy75]

I feel your pain as I am also having to wear splints 😔 I'm glad that it's not only me that feels like crying due to the pain, it's bloody painful!! It's more my fingers than my thumbs and holding cutlery while eating makes my fingers go dead.

I have heard that it gets better after birth so finger crossed (not that we can do this 😬) it disappears in the next few weeks for you xx

[MistyBxx]

@cardeyscat thank you, that's certainly given me some hope. I can't imagine trying to care for a newborn with my hands feeling like this! @Vodkafairy75 I hope yours eases too... it really is so painful and it's reassuring to know others have it as well x