Shooting pains & tingling in arm

[PoppysMom]

I am 19 weeks pregnant today with my first.
Yesterday during the day, I noticed that it felt as if I've hit my funny bone in my right arm. This tingling sensation didn't stop and got very strong during the night, at which point it was shooting pains from the inside of the elbow down into my fingertips (ring and little finger).
The pain was quite strong, so I took a paracetamol and went back to sleep once the pain was eased slightly.

Today the pain has been getting stronger again and I am back to shooting pains, which now had me in tears.
In addition to the ring and little finger tingling I now also feel it in the base of my thumb. I could draw the lines of the nerves down my arm, that's how distinct and precise the pain is.

I have tried holding my arm in different positions, but no joy. I took another paracetamol and the pain is better, but still very much there.

I have my anomaly scan tomorrow and was going to ask about it then. Do you think I should contact my GP in the meantime to get seen?

Oh dear sounds like carpal tunnel to me. It's so, so painful isn't it! I went to the GP and she sent me up to the hospital Physio who gave me wrist splints. If I wore them every night they worked.
It went away as soon as I gave birth. Good luck!

It sounds like nerve compression. Carpel tunnel syndrome is quite common in pregnancy but this doesn't sound like it to me as that affects your wrist and fingers rather than your elbow. But you could have something similar but further up your arm. There's something called "student's elbow" which can cause nerve pain from your elbow down. All the oedema and extra blood volumne in pregnancy can just put a tiny bit of pressure on your nerves with big consequences.

If you're worried see your GP.

Thank you for the quick responses.
I will try to see my GP, as this is excruciatingly painful.

The pain stretches from my elbow all the way to my fingertips. I am not aware of having compressed my funny bone by resting my elbow on a hard surface, but will see what the doctor says.

Thanks again for the advice :)

I used to have student's elbow and realised it was too much time MN'ing. Reading the laptop with my elbows bent on the table. But I'd have thought you could have got it in pregnancy without any physical reason but due to swelling/extra blood.

Hope your GP can suggest something to help.

My carpal tunnel affected the wrists and elbow, and on the first time I had it I was in agony almost up to my shoulder. Perhaps due to the way I was holding due to pain lower down iyswim?

Could be then. I rememebr having it when pg and my fingers were so numb at times that I couldn't pick coins out my purse.

Mine isn't that bad yet