Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

[AnnaK]

I understand it can come on during pregnancy. I have occasional shooting pains through my hands and up to my elbow even, causing quite a bit of discomfort, particularly at night, for some reason. Could this be it? If so, is there anything I can do about the discomfort. If not, what could it be...?
Grateful for any advice/comments. Thanks.

I know loads about this sadly, no time to post now as on way out but will post again later (hope I remember.

When I had it with 1st pregnancy it was just a stiffening and painful ache in the fingers. Nothing made it better but it went within a day or two of birth.
Didn't get it at all with 2nd pregnancy.

Not sure that helps you. It could well be that different people experience it differently.

hey annak iv got carpel tunnel syndrome and it is usually more painful at night and when i get up in the morning!! it does sound like yours is the same so you need to meantion it to your midwife or g.p as they can give you splints to wear while you go to bed and if it gets worse theyll give you safe steroid injections in your wrists to ease the swelling/water retention which are supposed to be marvelous! one thing iv found helps is to hold your hands higher than your head for a few seconds wiggling your fingers. its supposed to drain fluid from you hands and wrists and ease the pain. hope that helps you.

hi Anna

i had it badly in my 1st pregnancy and it bothered me a lot more 1st thing in the morning.

I went to my GP who gave me a safe steroid injection into my wrists and made it much better. it ended once I'd had my DD.

I had it when pregnant with ds. Lots of tingling especially in my forefinger if I'm remembering correctly. It did go away after I had him.

Anna I had this in all 3 pregnancies and sporadiclally at other times (tho not lately thank goodness unelss I drive a very long way). The classic symptoms of CTS are a tingling liek pins and needles and a feeling of dead arms, specifically in yr thumb, forefinger, middle finger and the side of yr ring finger (ie not the main part of ring finger or little finger). This is to do with the tendons in the carpal tunnel and which fingers they go to.
Like you, I used to get it at night and when I woke up very badly. Typically it comes at the end of pg when everything may be starting to swell up (!) but actually I had it worst with dd at about 3mth pg and no swollen ankles or anything at all. I used to have to get up in the middle of night and do the ironing as the pain was so bad I couldn?t sleep.
Treatment; as others say, wearign splints at night may help and of course is totally non-invasive. I?ve never had the steroid injection but as TC says it?s quite safe. One doc said it would work wonders, the other didn?t rate it! I also had reflexology which helped me. The end of the road is an op which again, I believe, can be very effective but thankfully mine has always eased by the end of the pg. Well worth seeing yr doc about tho to have the splints fitted (they?re very atractive!)
HTH

EWWWWWW I had this with first pregnancy due to fluid retention, it was the only thing I hoped I would never have again during my second pregnancy, thankfully I didn't have it again but let me tell you its the worst pain, tingly, pins and needles I have ever felt. It started about 7m into pregnancy with a slight tingly feeling which woke me up during the night, eventually my wrists and hands felt as if I had lay on them all night, within a week I had it during the day, eventually a midwife app set me straight and told me exactly what it was, and she said she would send some splints to me which were heaven, as the next day I couldn't even dress myself it felt as if my fingers were frozen and I couldn't do up buttons and zips, I had to wear the splints constantly during the day and at night, and what a relief after baby was born it disapeared straight away!

I had this from about 5th month of pregnancy. Was bad, used to wake up in the night with my fingers frozen like claws. I used to find that running my hand under the hot tap eased that a bit at night. I didn't find splints helped, as the immobility seemed to make the stiffness worse. I eventually kind of got used to the pain and discomfort. On the plus side it did go within a few days of giving birth.

Good luck!

Me too, dreadful stuff. As below for me, and I also got specialist natal physio which Tommy's have. A massage about halfway up my arm once a week helped ++, can't remember the physiological explanation of why it did, it just did.

This was one of the reasons I statred mat leave early, as I couldn't cope with the keyboards for more than an hour a day.

I don't have CTS but I do have tarsal tunnel syndrome! It's exactly the same thing but in my ankle - anyone any experience of this? It's worse lying down at night and absolutely agony - I have 73 weeks to wait to see the consultant and the best they can do for me is my orthotic foot lifts... Not even a splint or steroid injections cos I'm 28 weeks pregnant.

Thanks everyone for the comments and advice. I'll mention it to the midwife next ime I see her.
Rachey, that sounds terrible. I hope something gets sorted for you.