Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Support Group

Hello all,

I feel kinda stupid asking this but i believe there are no stupid question in this world!! (ok some times there are)

I am 30 and my work is half in an office and half in the community, I do LOTS of typing which I am sure your not suprised to know can hurt like hell.

I believe that i first developed CTS when i was about 23 that was the most acute it has ever been i worked in a bank back then and symperthetic they were not. I lived alone and if you wanted to see something funny it was me trying to get dressed of a morning attending to my bra i used to rest my hand on the edge of the bed behind me and drop my weight to force my hand up my back.

Since then it has been off and on for 3 years then i went back to University to retrain and after years of just taking tablets and wearing supports i was talked in to going to the Doctor as i was in so much pain all the time trying to get essays finished( i have little faith in my doctor at this point) i though perhaps tendonitis was the cause rather than CTS he however told me that there was nothing wrong with me and that i just ' type too much and should get a job when i dont have to type' ( now have less faith in him)

the long and the short is I dont think it is getting worse now the amount of pain is dull ache for the most part with the sharp 'hot knitting needle' pain being infrequent.It is however much more persistant, I ache 80 % of the time and at night or the mornings my right elbow in particular ...i just don't know where to put it. my right hand elbow to the joints of my middle finger aches. My better half made me go to a new doctor and i have been diagnosed now however the advice was to do what i had been doing and to wear splints in bed which is just the most uncomfortable thing ever obviously advised by someone who has never had to wear the damned contraption. ( and a physio at work told me that wearing supports weakens your muscles faster and should be limited so i am confused now too) .

Ok to the question, Dr stated when it gets worse go back and he will refer me to a surgen, but don't leave it too late or you will get muscle weakness.

so what is bad? i can cope with the pain it is not nice and some days i wish i could cut the damn things off but generally, i cope. I have not dropped much in a while but i don't knkow if that is because i have changed how i carry things and don't use my thumb for most things now. I am terrified of the surgery ( not normally bothered but the thought of cutting in to my wrist just ..eww)

so how bad is bad, when did it get so bad that you decided to try something else. I need to know if i am just conning myself that i am fine because i am scared!

Any thoughts at this point would be greatly received.
Posted on 07/07/09, 08:07 am