Carpel Tunnel Syndrome - would like some advice!

[Nixz]

I injured my wrist about 3 years ago and never really got it fixed properly.
Anyway, about 18 months ago i started getting a throbbing pain in my right wrist and arm, it gradually became so intense that i couldnt sleep and painkillers didnt help and i was in a right old state. Hospital diagnosed Tendonitis and put a cast on for 10 days - it gradually settled down.
Then, 3 weeks ago it came back. The pain was really bad, in my wrist, up my arm and at my shoulder. I feel like such a fraud but i would really rather have a broken bone (which i have had plenty of!!!) as this is one of the most painful things i have ever come across. Its so tiring and annoying aswell as it just wont stop.
I had a cast put on for a week which helped a little and now i have s wrist strap that flexes my wrist and im due to go see my Dr today as the hospital seem to think that it is Carpel Tunnel (i have altered sensation and pins and needles also)
However, my Nan has just been diagnosed and she doesnt have much pain, rather pins and needles etc. I feel im being a drama queen - does anyone else have this and feel like i do?

Anyone have any experience of this???

Another possibility is that the problem is actually in your spine.

I had symptoms much you are describing, but in my leg (from hip down). Horrible pain, pins, needles and at the end numbness ( a really bad sign I now know). The problem was a disc pressing on my spinal cord (bulging out of the spinal column).

Can you get your Dr to send you to an orthopedic? Who should know which of the possibles it is.

In my case, after physio wasn't helping I had an MRI which showed up the severity of my problem. Unfortunately, I they had emergency surgery -- but this is rare.

Should add that problems in different areas of the spine, translate to different areas of body. So mine problem was in lower spine, arms would be upper spine.

I was given muscle relaxants and a more powerful pain reliever.

I had carpal tunnel syndrome when pg with dd2. I had pins and needles, I couldn't grip things and I had achey type pain which seemed to come and go. The main thing with me was the pins and needles.

I had carpal tunnel with DS and it was sooo bad! I couldn't lay on one side for too long as whole of my side would go numb and I had to sit up in bed and massage my hand until the feeling came back and then go back to sleep on the other side. I had a lot of pins and needles and couldn't lift things very well either - it does go away a few weeks after preg though - but not right away. Try sleeping with affected hand hanging out of bed - encourgages the blood flow or something...that's what I got told by m/wife....

have had RSI from work x2 and carpal tunnel in pregnancy.

various types of care. i cannot recommend the discipline of osteopathy enough.

go at least for a diagnosis. they really have the training to figure out what parts of your body are conspiring to give your particular pain.

treatments i have had have been swift in action. good advice given for prevention. in two of the three different courses of treatment, they said i should stop coming after 4 and 5 sessions as I was doing ok. so not trying to rip you off at all.

hth, and you get some comfort soon.

nixz OMG reading your post was like reading something that i could have wrote. I had deQuervain's Tendinitis which i had operated on and left me with the most awful scar, and even after having the op i still have pains there now.

I then fell pregnant with ds2 around the same time i started having carpal tunnel pains, which they couldnt diagnos properly as i was pregant so had to wait til after ds2 was born to have the neuro tests. It took 2 sets of neuro tests (each set 6 months apart) to diagnos the carpal tunnel properly. During this time I had to give up my job, where i had been working since i was 16.

Anyway have since had both carpal tunnels operated on and have only had full sucess in one hand, still have very painful tight scar tissue on the left hand. But hey i'm still here and not taking as main painkillers as i used to.

yes, I agree with wurly - look up DeQuervains - I had that too and the pain was so bad, it would bring tears to my eyes.

I opted to do nothing about it but there were lots of things that could be done - steroid injections, operations etc. Go and see if you can get a referral to a specialist.

Thanks all - i thought i was being a big baby, but it is soo painful. Im so very tired and agitated now aswell. Who would have thought that a sore wrist could do this!!!
I usually just get on with things, even when i last broke my wrist i just strapped it up and got on with it - i just dont seem to be able to do that this time!
I will try hanging my arm out of the bed tonight and see if that helps

I got CTS in both hands about 6 weeks after DS was born - it was really painful - I rated it as 8/10 for pain (with childbirth being a 10!) kept me up all night and I howled - each night my DH would offer to take me to A+E the pain was so bad but I didn't see any point as I knew the problem and I couldn't face getting a young DS up. I've now had one wrist operated on and am waiting for the other to be done - I tried every painkiller going but it did nothing, what did help is the splints the consulatant gave me to wear at night I think they are called futra splints/cock-up splints - anyway they put your wrist at a 30 degree angle and it did help. You feel pretty stuipd waering them and cudling DH was impossible (also need to remember to take them off if you go for a pee otherwise its a bit hard going)but they did help. Have every sympathy - its horrid, makes your tired, grumpy and sore!!!!!