Wellness

[worldglobetrotter]

I'm not sure if this is carpal tunnel or not. I spoke with a doc about this about 1.5 years ago, when I last had the pain. When I woke up, it felt as though someone had hit my the back of my hand with a hammer. My hand, wrist and forearm hurts, but there's no numbness anywhere. The doc said this may be the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome, but the pain subsided after a week or so and I never pursued it further. I haven't had any problems until now and it's quite painful to type at work.

I'd prefer trying something besides surgery. Is acupuncture worth trying?

[ChynnaBlue]

You need to go to a doctor ASAP. There are lots of non-surgical solutions, including making sure you are using good techniques and have your work station arranged ergonomically. But first you need to get a proper diagnosis.

Do that, first.

If you work in an office, tell your manager you need to work with the appropriate person (HR, in many cases) to ensure that your work station is set up appropriately. You may need to have things adjusted, get a new keyboard, shift to a trackball or writing pad instead of a mouse, etc.

[4Kicks]

I was a secretary and did an extreme amount of typing as well as taking shorthand (hundreds of years ago, LOL). I went through some therapy for carpal tunnel, and the pain was extreme enough to wake me up during the night. I happened to read in Prevention Magazine to try Vitamin B6 for it, and thought why not. It took several weeks, but the pain actually subsided.

Many years ago, I stopped taking it and my wrist started aching again. Might be worth a try, and certainly easier than the surgery!!!

[pegomyheart]

My carpal tunnel started when I was pregnant with my first child. then it disappeared. Years later it came back with a vengeance - I believe because of weight gain. Anyway my fingers would go numb if I lifted my hands above waist. I would have to grab the steering wheel at the bottom so my hands would not go numb. The pain was also bad when I was trying to sleep. I would have to keep my hands down at my sides to get relief. Well after a few months of that, I had the surgery, first one hand - then a few months later the other. And it was no big deal. Really. The relief was wonderful. That was 10 years ago. A plastic surgeon did mine and there are no scars. Unfortunately, I believe it is starting to come back. And that is common.

[worldglobetrotter]

I have heard that it may come back. My ex-husband had surgery a few years ago and it is starting to come back. I'm fortunate that I haven't experienced any numbness or tingling. The pain comes and goes. I do have a splint to wear partly during the day and partly at night. I am going to check with HR and do all the ergonomic stuff. And the B6 vitamins are worth a shot as well.

Thanks for the tips!

[GCR18]

My mother had carpal tunnel surgery last year. Her hand felt like it was always asleep and had a tingling feeling. The Dr told her it may be too far gone to repair, but they recommended she do it anyway. Surgery was relatively easy. I checked her in at 7am and she was ready to be picked up at 9am. She had little pain and recovered quick. The surgery didn't help though.