Quote:
Originally Posted by fbodgrl
I have it in my left arm/hand, resulting from 3 surgeries to do median nerve release at the elbow and wrist.
My initial injury ( median nerve entrapment at the elbow) Initially started with the fingers curling in and arm curling up. It took over a month to get the fingers and arm moving with PT. I couldn't even force them open.
After my 3 surgeries and my RSD diagnosis I have little strength in my hand/arm. My fingers are slightly curled in. The fingers/area of hand the median nerve controls are numb. I occasionally have times where the hand will cramp up and curl in. It increases my pain level to unbearable amounts.
I try and use my "bad" hand as much as possible. As it is use it or lose it. In the process of using that hand I have dropped, had things stuck in my hand, broken numerous dishes, etc. I can say that I can notice a big difference; in what I can accomplish that I couldn't a couple years ago. I think mostly because I have modified how I do things somewhat so I can accomplish tasks.
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Yeah that's pretty similar to my situation. My hand always make a fist and curls in. I can open my hand most of the time, but I can't fully function my thumb. It's in my right hand, which I'm right handed so I really force myself to try and be active and use my hand. The pain sucks and is terrible, but I do have a pretty high pain tolerance. It does get horrifically bad, and gets worse throughout the day.
The loss of function is the really bad thing. Sometimes my hand works ok, some times I can't even move my arm or hand. I consistently drop and break things, and even things like driving or typing can really set off my pain.
II have been trying to look into new surgeries or treatments, but doctors are hesitant due to my age, and the fact that they risk vs reward ratio isn't great. It's a shame this condition is still a relative mystery to doctors.