Bi lateral carpal tunnel syndrome
I've been diagnosed with bi lateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Unfortunately I don't have the number scoring system just moderately severe in both hands. I do have the results from nerve testing which I've tried to comprehend better on my own. I've had symptoms off and on for 3+ years. I'm left handed. Left hand is more wrist pain related while right hand is more numbness and tingly in the thumb, index and middle finger. Over night symptoms are always the worst of it. Right hand endiscopic release was 31/1/2018. Left hasn't been scheduled yet. Doing OT with my right hand recovery and they seemed concerned with the slight numbness and tingly that is constant in the thumb, index, and middle finger, which is the same as pre op. Hope surgery was the right choice but having lingering symptoms is a bit concerning for sure. 12 years as a pipe fitter as well.
Thank you for your time and input. You helped to give me peace of mind for the time being. You're truly an outstanding person with your willingness to help people globally to better understand what we're going through. Your knowledge of CTS also appears to be incredible. Thanks for all you do for the CTS World! I'll keep you posted on here of my progress through this process.....
It's a pleasure - remember that doctors learn from patients and the wider our experience of a condition gets, the better we become at dealing with it - so these conversations on the website are as much for my benefit as anyone elses. JB
I'm currently 5 weeks post op on my right hand endoscopic release and had my left release today. After 2 to 2.5 weeks my numbness and tingly sensations faded drastically. As of now they are very faint to non existent. Had a grip and pinch strength test yesterday which showed my right hand to be about double the strength of my left (dominant) hand. I'm very optimistic that this was absolutely the best decision for my circumstances. Time will tell how they react once I'm back to hanging pipe but for the time being I'm not concerned!
Thankyou for coming back with a progress report and I'm glad to hear that's working out OK. I do generally recommend surgery for grade 5 cases so it's good to have a few example cases on here showing that it does work - to contrast with the inevitable preponderance of people who turn up on here looking for help because they have a problem. JB
Ok those results by email show grade 5/6 CTS in both hands, slightly worse on the right side. Grade 5 cases are often slow to recover so I would not be too concerned about that at this stage. If it's not clearly better at about 6-12 weeks I would think about checking the NCS again to be sure it is going in the right direction but there is no need for that if it is improving subjectively. Surgery is statistically the best bet for grade 5 CTS, though ideally one would prefer to catch it earlier. JB