Going for surgery but I am not convinced it’s CTS
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to tell everyone my symptoms to see if others had the same and went for surgery...
In January 2019 I started getting pain in my wrist, on the underside. No pins and needles etc no nimbleness. It was worse when using it for typing etc. I put it down to Tendonitis and had it in a splint for 8 weeks. No improvement. I was given naproxen which again didn’t do anything.
Anyway, for the last 4 months it’s at the point where it’s constant pain!/ ache in my wrist. Made a lot worse by using it. I can’t write anymore, I can’t iron, can’t cut vegetables etc and it’s very weak when opening jars etc which my partner now has to do. If I try to use it for typing etc when I don’t have the splint on then the pain is too bad. It spread to my left wrist a few months ago and that is on/off but worse.
I was referred to a consultant who said CTS as I had tingling when she pressed places. I had the injection 3 weeks ago but if anything it’s now worse so I’ve been referred for surgery. It was at the point a couple months ago where my Hand just wouldn’t move at the end of the day because it was so painful and then just throbbed all night- I would cry. Again not much tingling or numbness. About 3 months ago it started to go up my arm too and be painful from my shoulder down.
The last couple of weeks there has been a lot of tingling... but in all fingers! I’ve has shooting pains that have made me want to vomit - along the OUTSIDE or my forearm going to the outside of my wrist. If I press on the carpal tunnel then my thumb to middlefinger tingle and go hot and cold, if I press on the top of my forearm where the radial nerve is then I get tingling thumb to middle but pressing inside my elbow causes little and ring finger to go. Today my whole Hans has had a constant tingle. Doesntvorher me much it’s the pain that is my biggest symptom!! And as it’s in my left hand now too (much more mild) it’s horrid.
I’m worried that because my main symptoms isnt numbness and tingling that it’s not CTS!
Oh and no swelling except that my vein on thumb side of wrist pops out on that side of my wrist.
I wear a splint nearly all the time and a night splint which is great! The day splint doesn’t help much any more!
Thank you Jeremy, it was an orthopaedic consultant. I’m going to request an ultrasound when I meet the surgeon as I suspect tenosynovitis and the May be so swollen it’s pushing on a nerve. Thank you!
It doesn't sound as though the primary problem is CTS but you could perhaps be developing some degree of CTS secondary to whatever else is going on in your wrist. Do you know what dose and steroid they used for injection? Get some nerve conduction studies done to see what state the median nerve is in physiologically. What speciality was the consultant who decided it was CTS? JB