Anyone have carpal tunnel surgery?

E

EricaH

Cathlete
I need to have carpal tunnel surgery and was wondering if anyone could share their recovery experiences with me. I'm concerned about how long I'll have to wait to do strength training and also what recovery is like for everyday items like shopping, laundry, lifting a toddler, etc.

Thanks!

Erica
 
Hi Erica!

I had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand last April and my right in June. I was really nervous about not being able to work out. The first day(night)is the worst. The surgery itself is not painful at all. Recovery takes awhile. I did notice that the first few days after the surgery I was very tired. Just my body's way of recovering. After about three days, I started power walking and doing step. I did a lot of leg exercises with the stability ball (also walking lunges)and still was able to work my abs. I actually lost alittle bit of weight which I think was because I couldn't lift any weights. My stitches were in for three weeks. Your doctor will be able to tell you when you can start lifting again. You don't want any complications.

As far as everyday goes........couldn't wash my hair for two days because of the stitches..yuck! That was about it. You just need to use your other hand. Picking up a three year old ...use your good side;-) You can still use your fingers even with the brace. Just be careful. Rest....Rest....Rest whenever you can. Take care of yourself and you will recover that much faster.

I had my doctor give my husband a note saying that I could not vacumn,do laundry, cook (you really can't wash dishes) but that shopping was fine!
:)

As of now.....I am back stronger that ever thank's to Cathe's tapes.
It is a good thing to be pain free!!!:7

Good Luck to you!

KarenL

P.S. When are you having your surgery?
 
Thanks so much, Karen.

I tried emailing and PMing you after you replied to my question about board certified physicians, but my messages were returned - I was hoping to find out how your recovery went.

I'm not sure when my surgery will be - I just had the EMG yesterday and was told that the carpal tunnel was very bad (I knew that!), but there's no nerve damage. The doctor that performed the EMG recommended that I have the surgery fairly soon to prevent nerve damage - he was very surprised that I didn't have any considering how bad the carpal tunnel was. I'll see the doctor that will perform the surgery next week for a follow-up and will know more then. I'm considering waiting until summer when my older kids are home from school so that they can maybe help out a little. I'll see how bad the symptoms were - they were unbearable a few weeks ago, but have eased up a lot since then.

Thanks again for sharing your experience with me!! I'm glad that you had such good results from your surgery! My husband's coworker had the surgery done last year and he told my husband that my hand will just be well enough during recovery to ring a bell for service!:7

Erica
 
I think I was back lifting light weights in three weeks. It has been awhile. I did daycare and a lot of parents would forget and hand me their children. I shifted them onto my arms more so I did not have the pressure on my wrists. Also when I returned to the doctor they said I shouldn't even lift a jug of milk. Well needless to say I had already been doing that as well. I really didn't experience pain from it. The worst part of the surgury was the anesthesia. I was terribly nauseated. I know I was back to cardio within a week. I am not a patient person when it comes to waiting. I think maybe because I had been lifting fairly heavy for a long time that my recovery was quick. This has been a few years ago.
Diane Sue
 
Hi Erica!

My recovery on my left hand was a bit slower. I had a allergic reaction to the healing medicine. After we figured that out...things went just fine. The right hand was a breeze....it was just a little tricky writing checks (thank god for ATM cards!)

I was awake for the entire procedure. It only takes about one hour. Kaiser put some numbing shots in my wrists, tied off my arm and went to work. The doctor let me watch. It is kind of weird watching them operate on your hand. My arm turned a deadish gray color (sorry) because it doesn't get any blood flow. They do not offer any pain medication either. Just Tylenol which was all that I needed. I did, however, stay on it every four hours for the first couple of days.

I had one hand done while the kids were in school and one when they were at home. I got alone fine both times. (I could even style my hair;)). Driving was a little tricky at first because I am right handed.

Let's see...what else....:).......Oh, push ups are kind of hard to get back into right away. (Maybe I am just a wimp) Going on the knees was definitely easier and using weights as push up handle bars is the way to go. Your wrist is in a better position. The skin is tight around the incision for awhile. Moisturizing is the key!

I hope you are not in too much pain. I dealt with the pain for about ten years;( . Then I decided enough was enough. I was scared of the surgery and thought my fitness would go in the tank but it didn't. Now things are better than ever and I can sleep at night - pain free.:p

If you have any other questions just let me know!

Good Luck!

Karen
 
Hi Erica! I don't have any details other then my Mom & my sister both had the surgery quite a few years ago and both did very well and I don't remember it taking them a REAL long time to recover. I just wanted to let you know that both of their surgeries were very successful. How are you? Is it snowing up there? It was completely gone this afternoon and now, it's baaack! YUCK & Brrrr! Good Luck and keep us posted.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH (AKA "Den Mother Debbie")http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Karen...

You were awake and watching the surgery? Oh no - I would pass right out. I think I could handle being awake, but there's no way that I could watch! I got lightheaded and clammy during the EMG yesterday and was sooo embarrassed!

I'm glad that you didn't need anything stronger than Tylenol. I'm really conservative about taking meds and I wouldn't want to take anything too strong. I have a high tolerance for pain usually, so I think Tylenol will be enough.

Ten years is a very long time for you to deal with this. I've only had symptoms for a couple of years, but things started getting very bad recently and I couldn't take anymore. I was ready to cut my arms off at the elbows some nights because I couldn't sleep and was in so much pain. I'm feeling much better now and don't feel the urgency to get the surgery anymore, but I will do it soon to prevent nerve damage.

Did you have any nerve damage? Did you find that your symptoms would get bad and then ease up again?

Thanks for the tip on moisturizing, too!

Erica
 
Thanks Diane Sue! I'm not a patient person either when it comes to waiting, but I want to do this right since I want to get the best results possible from the surgery.

I'm glad that you were able to get back to your exercise routine quickly. Several years ago, I broke my wrist and tailbone and had to take time off and really worried about my fitness level. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get back to the weights that I was using prior to my injury. As much as I don't want to take the time off from my workouts, I'm pretty confident that I'll get back to "normal" in a short time.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Erica
 
Thanks Debbie! It's always nice to hear about people who had good results after their surgery. It's a very common procedure - seems like everyone knows someone who has had it!

Yes, we got some heavy snow this afternoon! I run at night after Ron gets home to watch the kids and had to substitute the spinning bike instead. This has been a crazy winter - lots of snow, it melts, more snow, that melts....

Take care!

Erica
 
Hi Erica!

My carpal tunnel started when I was pregnant with my son 13 years ago. For a long time I had my own house cleaning business....lot's of wear and tear on my body. When I changed jobs, (I work with special needs children), my pain did subside for about a year but then it came back with a vengenace. I had cortizone shots in both of my wrists which helped for about 6 weeks. That's when I decided that I needed to have this surgery. Luckily, I do not have any nerve damage.

I remember those long, painful nights. I do not miss them at all. Now the only thing that keeps me awake is wondering if I will ever be able to make it through Imax 3 :p !

KarenL
 
I had surgery on my right hand in May of 2003 and my left August 2004. It wasn't fun by any means, but it certainly wasn't as bad as the pain was prior to surgery!! I probably should have waited longer than I did before lifting weights again, but I was getting anxious to get working out again. I did lots of cardio and eventually started with very light weights. I've been up to my 'normal' weights for several months now and occasionally I have pain in my hands, but nothing like what it was!! Good luck, you'll do wonderfully!!:D
 
I'm an OT that works in a hand clinic. I see a fair number of patients pre and post carpal tunnel surgery. Most do very well. Probably the ones the heal the slowest are the ones that are nervous and don't do enough early on. They tend to stay swollen and have problems as a results. Different doctors have different protocols, some let the patients do whatever they want once the bandages on off. One physician has us follow a few regimented exercise regime for 6 weeks including immobilizing the wrist for 3 weeks with a wrist splint. Kim
 
I am reading the different posts and they have been very helpful for me. I have tendonitis in my right wrist and thumb and am going through therapy right now. I am also doing the different exercises and have quit typing so much. Time has really helped me. I no longer have the pain in my wrist and have just a little bit in my thumb. I still sleep in a brace at night. I also will wear smart gloves wrist & thumb support once I start to work again. They stabalize your wrist while typing.

Thanks

Terri
 
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