Carpal Tunnel Surgery
 

I've finally decided to go ahead with carpal tunnel surgery!:eek:
I've yet to get things started, only decided yesterday after consulting my GP and my hand therapist. I have to go back to my neurologist soon, he wants to know my decision anyway, so he will refer me to whoever for the surgery.
My hand therapist has agreed, after 3 months, there hasn't been much relief, other than not using my right hand at all! (which is rather impossible for me!:o lol)
I'll probably have to wait a while to get it done anyway, and I'll probably change my mind a hundred times before I even have a surgery date!:o lol But it looks like it is needed, for the right hand at least...
Now, don't talk me out of it...I need encouragement here!;) lol
~Jaime~

Hey there Surger looks like Sue will be having it to but ,there's always
a but,they the Dr's have to get it all together,but looks like July geee
Good luck to you,ya hear. Hugs to all Sue

Hi Jamie, i had the carpal tunnel done on one wrist a few years back, i was and still am very glad i had it done, never had a problem since the op.... , i had mine done down at the Geelong hospital at the day sugery, only in there a couple of hours and went home, it was a real breeze for me.. worse having a tooth pulled, i wouldn't hesitate to have it done on the other wrist if the time comes.
good luck
Brian :)

Good luck...
 

with the surgery!:) It sounds lke you have tried other measures and you likely truly need the surgery!:)

(I will be having cubital tunnel surgery shortly.)

Please let us know how this goes for you!:grouphug:

I've had the carpal tunnel surgery. On both hands. It was a miracle! Best decision I ever made. However, be aware that if you have permenant nerve damage to your hands the surgery is of limited value as far as relief of symptoms goes.

I need to have it done too.
My hang up is the recuperation time.
Can't decide on anything that'll keep me out of work
for more than 2 weeks. Any feedback on how long til I get back to work. For orthoscopic and/or open-wrist ?
I don't heal as fast at 64, than I did when I was younger.
My doc does open wrist, only - but will refer me to a colleague for the orthoscopic if I want to go that route. He has me worried about the dangers of orthoscopic vs open wrist (he sez that the open-wrist is the least chances of error and a better recovery)- but I realize that he's got his own agenda, cuz he doesn't do anything but open-wrist.

I had the open wrist done and chose sedation and a local rather than be put under. My right hand (which was done first) I had almost full use of by 3 weeks. It was good enough that they did my left hand at 3 weeks. The left hand took longer as the surgery didn't go as smoothly as the right hand did. It was because there was a problem with the cuff they use to block the blood flow to the arm for the local. The cuff deflated during the surgery and the local failed so he was rushing to get out. Not good. It's better than it was before surgery for sure but it's never been as good as the right hand has been. And my right hand was my worst hand before surgery. Total recovery time is, of course, individual, but for some people can take up to 6 months for a full recovery. My right hand was back to normal long before the 6 month mark. My left hand, not so much.

I'm still planning to go ahead with it, but it looks like I will have to wait months before I get it done, I have to wait a month before seeing my neuro as it is. Oh well, what's another month or 2 or 3 or 4...after putting it off for years!:o lol
~Jaime~

The recovery time is what worries me too.:eek: I'm not sure how I will cope not being able to use my right hand much for the few weeks or months it takes to heal properly.
Oh well, I guess I'll have an excuse to get out of doing some things!:D
~Jaime~

Jarrett,
At what age was your CTS surgery done?
Did you have a Dx'd case of PN at the time?

I'm trying to take as many factors into consideration as possible
at the age of 64 & PN, for 12 yrs.
I'm a locksmith & both fine motor skills (picking & rebuilding with small parts), as well as heavy duty (drilling 2 1/2 " holes thru 1/4" solid steel comm'l doors) are needed. I could 'vacation' for 2, maybe 3 weeks- but that's about it.
I'd have to be back at, at least, 60-75% after that.

Let's see, I'm 47 now...it'll be two years this Oct since the first surgery...so I was 45. Math is not my strong suit, can ya tell? :D

My PN was DX at the same time I had the nerve conduction study done for the CT. The Neuro did a study on my feet as long as I was already there. That was the second time I'd had a nerve conduction study for CT done. The first one was long before any PN symptoms. The PN symptoms came on a couple of years or so before the CT surgery.

PS: Bob, you might be able to do some work at 3 weeks but I couldn't tell you how much. There are so many factors to consider in this surgery. Everyone heals differently and has different pain thresholds and of course with PN I think we probably tolerate a higher level of pain than most people normally do. And much depends on the doctor doing the surgery as well. It's a crapshoot. Honest.

I can only tell you what I experienced. It may or may not be simliar to what you will experience. I can tell you that before the surgery I was in agony. It even drowned out most of the PN pain when the CT pain was at it's worst. After the surgery it's been great! In my right hand it's like I never had CT ever, at all. My left hand still gives me a bit of trouble but it's different than the CT pain was. What the cause of it is I have no idea. I do know that the left hand did not go as smoothly as the right hand did. And the CT was much worse in my right hand than my left. To be expected as I'm right handed.

I'm having a NCT done this Thurs (6/26) a.m.
for my neurologist's comparative testing. They can
foreward the results to the surgeon cause they're all
at Johns Hopkins together.
We'll see what they have to say after that.

I do not have pain so severe it keeps me awake, altho
I do wake up to CTS pain, maybe 3-4 nites out of 7.
I 'shake it out' and get back to sleep in 1/2 hour or so.
My problem is that my CTS affects my fine motor skills
and I'm constantly dropping things and have numbness
with moderate pain frequently- but not all the time.
That's why there's no rush to do it - pain wise.
But I'm afraid if it gets so bad that there will be irreparable
harm and the surgery won't be able to fix it all- if I wait too long.
(at least that's what the surgeon is talking about,
but I've been putting him off for the last 24 mos. by having him give me cortisone shots once every 10-12 mos)

Hi Bob, maybe the carpal tunnel pain is masked some what from the pain meds you take for PN, my C/Tunnel problem happened before the PN even started, at that time my doc prescribed me tramadol which did help some, but still had pain especially aggravated by using drills or electric sanding, any electric tool that vibrated use to always worsen the pain.
At night i always put a splint on my wrist to keep my hand as straight as possible, it did help to get a good sleep otherwise the pain would wake me up all the time.

Brian :)

my carpal tunnel
 

Which I have had since I was about 30 yrs old (32 yrs ago)

Is 99% gone with the benfotiamine!

Never expected this result! Nighttime arm going to sleep also gone. Fluid retention, 99% gone.

One has to wonder about fluid retention, and metabolic failures when it comes to nerve compressions!

Mrs D,
I just started the benfotiamine about 2 wks ago.
Mebbe I'll give it some time to start to work.
How long did you take it, before you started having results
6mos? 1 yr?

Brian
I've always slept with a brace, since the surgeon
Dx'd the problem.

For me it was at least a month, maybe 6wks.

First the arms going to sleep at night (some nights) got less and less, and now my hands are better. (I've had carpal tunnel as a primary symptom of my thyroid problems--and it was very very bad during my pregnancy when I was 34. It improved some after delivery..the EMG showed tho it was severe.)

If I do something extreme, like handle heavy rocks, I can feel the zing in my hands. Sewing with a needle is hard for me too.
So I gave up crocheting for example. Heavy digging or twisting with a trowel in the dirt, can also set me off.

I did 300mg of benfotiamine for about two weeks, then reduced to 150 mg daily. Remember I was using regular thiamine before that with some success. I also now use 100mg of r-lipoic acid for insulin resistance control daily.

My carpal seemed mostly due to fluid retention. So I watch my sodium intake, and use a diuretic once or twice a week. Since the benfotiamine, this swelling is very much less. So for people who have this peripheral edema, the benfotiamine seems very useful.

They think my CTS is repetitive related.
They think it's repetitive stress related with playing/practicing guitar
daily for 40 yrs, and my occupational work too.
(I know of guitarists who've played for 60 yrs daily, and don't have CTS)
But I'll give it a try.
Did you take the 300mgs all at once
or 150mgs 2x day?
My bottle is 150's.

I take it at night.
 

Yes all at once. This version of benfotiamine is fat soluble.
So some stays in the body and is not washed out as quickly as soluble thiamine.

I think there must be a loading dose issue. I started it for the burning I was having in my feet. Sometimes depending on what I ate that day (it seems cumilative) I get flaming, other days, little if any. Last summer the burning was very severe.

So I gauged my dosing based on my feet.(not the hands/arms).

But I do notice my arms don't fall asleep/numb anymore at night. And I don't need my wrist braces anymore. My wedding ring is not so tight either. (I wear a wide gold band which is a good signal for edema for me).

I have learned how to protect my hands, hold them so they are straight during the day etc. And so far luckily I have avoided surgery.

My son plays the bass, and he is having some problems too.
They are much worse for him if he eats gluten. So he went gluten free for a year or so. He has fallen back on old ways lately-- says the GF life is so hard on him financially-- but I don't hear much complaint yet about the hands. He is almost 27 yrs old.

confusion...
 

Not sure if I'm having the carpal tunnel surgery now...:confused:
I seem to be stuck in the middle of a battle between therapists and doctors who can't agree! One minute I'm being told I can go ahead, and another telling me I don't need it yet, my hands aren't bad enough...or, it's not worth the risk! I just think the therapists (one of them, anyway!) want to keep their jobs (and my money!) by getting me to continue with "therapy"! Oh well, I'm going to talk it over with my Neurologist next week when I see him...
...sigh...
:o

My neuro & surgeon are in cahoots, I think. (Same hospital, offices on same floor)
He referred me to this surgeon.
Mrs D,
The benfotiamine is working, I think.
I still wear the brace at nite, but don't wake
to the numbness and tingling anymore.
I also can spend longer at the keyboard without having to take a rest.
The banjo playing..... well, we'll see about that - after a bit more.
No real difference, yet.

Well, it was quite a while ago now since I started this thread...and I still haven't had the Carpal Tunnel surgery yet!
But...now I am finally going ahead with it. My Neuro wanted me to have the tests every 6 months, and I just had tests on Wednesday, and they are slightly worse than the last time. This time my Neuro says I should go ahead with it...now I just have to wait for a date to be set...which might be a few months away yet! This doesn't mean I'm any less scared about the surgery than I was last year! :eek: lol
~Jaime~

I am sorry you have to face this and I hope it goes smooth. You are in my thoughts

Surgery at last!
 

I have finally got a date for my Carpal Tunnel surgery...after waiting almost 12 months! Yeah, I know it's been a long time...but that's how it goes in Aussie land! lol
Roll on Sept 1st! :eek:
~Jaime~

I am looking at having both a tendon transfer AND carpal tunnel release. I will need a cast for a month and a splint for a month....each hand....16 weeks of casts/splints.....I need it done soon, since my radial nerve is going on me.....ugh...I won't be typing very fast when this happens. I assume shortly.

I have horrible arthritis, and at this point, my thumb is moving, and bones are scraping on each other....I can't sleep at nite due to this. Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do.:(

jaime? Good luck and smooth sailing!
 

I do know that the 'odds' for successful carpal surgeries have improved over the last 20 years? But... I'm one for trying out all other alternatives BEFORE doing the 'deed'. So to say. I was diagnosed w/carpal on one arm/wrist after a one-day affair of trying to get a screen into a track w/a spline inserter! After 2 hours of trying? Numbish...after 4 hours...deadly numb. Definitely diagnosed w/carpal 3 months later and just offered some massage techniques for pain alleviation. Well they worked. But when I'd gotten bad PN in the hands and arms? It all went South! Just something to keep in mind, the 'odds' the doc's record of successful surgeries and so on.
Jaime? I truly hope that your surgery IS a SUCCESS! :hug::hug::hug:'s
Cy? I can't believe YOU will live contently w/a cast on your arm that long....
THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE TIMES? THAT YOU CAN'T TRY! Learn to be a WIMP.
Hope to all etc! - j

Correction, this date is for a pre-op consultation on Sept. 1st. Hopefully the surgery is not long after! :o
I have resisted having surgery for years, and even put of getting tested for even longer! lol But now, I feel I need to get it done.
~Jaime~

Good luck Jaime with your surgery, I am from Queensland so I know what you mean about waiting times and I think Queensland Hospitals are worse than Victoria's.

Glad it is finally going to get done. I will probably be having surgery around the same time as you. We can recovery together! (Different surgeries, though..)

:)Congratulations Jaime on taking the plunge on surgery! I wish for you smooth sailing this September....! I had tarsal tunnel surgery done on my ankle and it turned out great! Took the pain away...

I will have my emg's this week to see if they will include a carpal tunnel release as part of my tendon transfer hand reconstruction.....my thought is, why not just throw it in! Tendon transfer is more complex, since they take a bone from the base of the thumb, shave a few others, take a tendon from the fore arm and make it into a cartilage pad, and they put a pin in the thumb....then do a carpal tunnel release too. Then a cast for 4 weeks, splint for 4 weeks and then do it again on the other hand.......ooof dah.

I am desparate for the surgery at this point, with almost having lost my hand function....my radial nerve is compressed pretty badly, due to the thumb migration. This can't come soon enough....I just wonder how we will manage with me in a cast for that long! I have to have pins too....ugh. I hope by next summer, I will be 'fixed'. Ya think??:Scratch-Head:

Keep us posted how yours goes. I am hoping to schedule mine around the same time...if not sooner....I should have done this sooner.....waited so long, I can barely stand it. I hope some of the pain is better and not all due to PN....it's a risk, no doubt.

Well, I finally saw the hand surgeon on Wednesday. It was a very long trip To the city for a very short consultation (barely 10 mins!) with the hand surgeon...and then I still have to wait maybe 3 months for the actual surgery! They don't do the endescopic CT release at this hospital, (unfortunately!) so I will be having the open surgery, and I wasn't too pleased about that, because it means a longer recovery time...and me actually getting time to recover without family demands, (and possibly moving house!) will be very difficult! lol
I nearly changed my mind about the surgery, but finally agreed to go ahead...so now I'm still waiting...:(
~Jaime~

I see a lot of commercials on TV promoting the Brown Hand Center for their endoscopic method of carpal tunnel surgery. The recovery time is supposed to be quicker. There is a lot of info on the internet about it if you google "Brown method for carpel tunnel." They are in several Texas cities as well as Phoenix and Las Vegas.

I (fortunately) don't have this problem--yet, but I certainly sympathize with all of you who do. Living with PN is challenge enough! Joan

Surgery date is set for the 26th Oct. not long to go now! :eek:
~Jaime~

Surgery was delayed, now it's on the 5th November...2 days away! I'll be glad when its done, I'm sick of being messed around!
:o
~Jaime~

I've now had the CT surgery! I think it all went well...time will tell, of course! 2 days later, it still hurts a lot! :o lol
~Jaime~

I'm pleased it's finally over for you as I know you had many trials before getting to this point.

I do hope your pain settles soon, and that you regain use of your hand/wrist quickly. :hug:

Got the bandages off on Monday... still a lot of healing to do, but at least it's only a small scar!:D
~Jaime~