Friday, July 11, 2008

It Drives Me Nuts!

I need surgery.

I know I am not a doctor or a surgeon or even really good at scrabble but I know I need Carpal Tunnel surgery and I need it STAT!

Every night I wake up constantly with my hand numb and hurting. It drives me nuts. While I am at work my hand constantly falls asleep which makes sending out a “quick email” not so quick. It drives me nuts!

A few years ago I was told that I had nerve damage in both of my arms and hands. I had surgery on my left arm. They relocated a nerve running on the outside of my arm to the inside and did the carpal tunnel surgery so many of you have had or know about. Since then, my left hand has had no problems at all.

My right arm was never done because I changed jobs and saw new doctors and yadda yadda yadda. You all know that drill. It drives me nuts.

But now it has gotten to the point where it is almost unbearable. I am tired all the time due to lack of sleep, I am miserable at work because my hand keels going “night night” on me.

It drives me nuts!

My left hand was out of commission for some time after that last one I wonder how the heck I am going to function! Since I am right handed and my work requires lots of computer stuff, at church I play guitar so that will be out, and then blogging and tweeting will take one keystroke at a time! Yuck!

Just thinking about it drives me nuts.

Oh well, we shall see what the Doc says on Monday and go from there. I have an appointment to go over the blood work.

Any suggestions?

4 comments:

Scott S said...

No suggestions, but for what it's worth, my older sister (who's had T1DM since 1969) just had the same issue and went in for surgery on her right hand about 2 weeks ago. She had surgery on her left hand a few months earlier. I am hoping I will be able to avoid it for a while longer, but the signs are certainly there ...

Minnesota Nice said...

I've had it for about 30 years -it comes and goes, sometimes gets worse when I'm knitting a lot. Drumming doesn't help either.
I bet I have ordered at least a couple hundred dollars worth o stuff off the web - special gloves, medical magnets, magical exercises, supplements, - yadda yadda yadda too.....
But mine has never progressed to a really painful stage - just the waking up with numbness. Have you tried wearing a brace at night? Most of us sleep with our hands curled and that can copress the nerves. Also cold packs before bed might help (or a bag of frozen corn).
I guess, George, I'd just face the music and get it done with. It's just day surgery, right? When I had my vitrectomy there were a couple of people at the surgical center who were having it done.

Good luck. Always something, isn't it? ...s h i t.

Scott K. Johnson said...

That sucks man. I too fight with it here and there, but it's never gotten to the point where I've need to consider taking action. Like MN says - maybe a brace at night would help (I've done that too).

Bad Decision Maker said...

yeah, like MN and scott, i'm going to recommend a brace at night. maybe that is way too elementary for your issue and you've already tried it, but if you haven't, its definitely worth a try. it may not solve it but it could help a lot.

i was having a lot of numbness and tingling (especially when trying to fall asleep - not only could i not sleep on top of my hand, i couldn't bend my wrist even in the slightest w/out it falling asleep) and a little pain last year. i got really worried, oh no high blood sugars + way too much time at the computer this will never get better!

i was skeptical but my doctor convinced me to wear a brace (the $19 kind from walgreens) every night, and it was much better within a few weeks. she said wearing it at night helps the swelling a lot because your body can reabsorb fluid at night if it's kept straight, and then the space won't be so cramped near the nerve. hope it helps...