Carpal tunnel?

In the course of the last few days, I've experienced increasing pain and numbness in my right wrist. I'm concerned that the pain might be a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome and I hope to see a doctor this week.

Please be praying for healing and peace. I try to avoid the doctor's office whenever possible, for a number of reasons (sick people in the waiting room, the long wait in the waiting room, and the ridiculous complexity of insurance and claims), so I've ignored the pain until now.

Since the pain is getting worse, I'll be trying to keep my hours on the computer after work to a minimum. For the time I do spend on the computer, I'll try to log on to the CGA TeamSpeak server to make myself available to staff and community members.

ill pray for you


i dont like the doctor either lol.

we love u man, prayin for u

Carpal tunnel is like a gamer's worst nightmare...

A good thing to do before you type alot or something is to stretch your fingers and wrists and stuff. Prevents a lot of repetitive motion, or so I have heard. Take the doctor's advice over mine tho lol

The pain now seems most severe in my right pointer finger. It doesn't help that my ergonomic keyboard broke down on me last night, either.

Please continue praying. I haven't seen a doctor yet (because I loathe going to the doctor's office; in most cases, I would rather endure the illness or pain than visit a doctor), but the pain isn't easing up. I'll likely schedule an appointment some time this week.

I have an appointment at a local doctor's office for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. Please pray that all goes well, that my wait would not be any longer than necessary, and that I don't catch some contagious illness from another patient.

how did it go?

Blkstones said:

how did it go?

Click to expand...

Right, sorry, I came home and crashed last night. Work was busy today, so I didn't get to do much more than just catch up with the forums.

The long and the short of it: The visit only took 35 minutes total (including paperwork). The doctor told me to get a wrist brace (which I've been yesterday and today) and a bottle of Aleve (I got the generic). I go back March 13, in the afternoon, for a series of tests and X-rays to help pinpoint the severity and underlying cause of the pain.

I was in a bit of a funk yesterday and the pain was the worst it's been, but today was better. I'm trying to switch from using a mouse with my right hand to using a trackball with my left. This means that I won't be playing first-person shooters much (if at all) until I get the test results back and know how to proceed.

The doctor did mention that if the carpal tunnel syndrome is severe, surgery may be necessary. Please pray that surgery won't be necessary and that I'll be able to quickly adapt to using my left hand for pointing devices. Please also pray that the pain subsides or at least decreases. Chronic pain makes it very difficult to maintain a good attitude and positive outlook.

Pray that the Lord blesses my wife for putting up with me during even the worst of the pain.

Sorry to hear about the carpal tunnel. I too have it mildly. Dr. told me to do some stretching exercises with my wrists. It does seem to help. I was also told that when using the keyboard and mouse to try to keep your wrist straight as possible so the tendons don't get as irritated. Wrist braces also help. I'll pray for you.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me.

I visited the doctor's office again today, this time for tests and x-rays. The tests were more painful than expected, though not terrible. The x-rays were, as x-rays always are, humbling.

The test results should be available by tomorrow afternoon; I plan to call the doctor's office then.

The pain is bad enough that I plan to ask for a prescription for a stronger anti-inflammatory med tomorrow. The naproxen isn't helping at all.

I would write more, but I've covered the basics and it hurts to type.

Please continue to pray that the pain will diminish and that the pain won't affect my performance at work.

March 14, 2007 update

I called and received the results of the tests and x-rays today.

The test results came back normal, which means (I believe) that it's not carpal tunnel syndrome. That's good news in one sense, but it also means that they don't know what's causing the pain throughout my body (and, more specifically, my right hand and wrist).

I also called and asked for a prescription for a stronger anti-inflammatory, because the naproxen isn't having any effect. The doctor then had someone call in a prescription for Naprosyn, which is the brand name for naproxen. In essence, the doctor prescribed the very drug that I had said wasn't having any effect, just in a higher dosage. I could get the same results from taking 2 1/2 caplets instead of just 2. That was upsetting.

I plan to call the doctor tomorrow, ask again for a stronger anti-inflammatory medicine, and request my medical records and x-rays. I'll try to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor my co-worker recommended. I hope to see the chiropractor later this week or early next week so I can get adjusted and be out of at least the worst of the pain before my wife and I leave for Chicago on the 25th.

Please keep praying for the pain to subside. Please also pray that the Lord would guide me as to how to handle selecting doctors, scheduling appointments, and such.

I did have an issue with my wrist and hand once (repettative stress syndrome) which was caused by one of my nerves (okay MANY of my nerves) slipping into a cavity in the bones. My chiropractor corrected it by popping me in the shoulder, rather than the wrist.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

March 18, 2007 update

I visited the chiropractor Friday (March 16) morning. The chiropractor took my case history, then had me perform certain stretches and asked which ones caused pain. I then enjoyed some muscle therapy (automated mild electrocution, but feels nice). After that, the chiropractor adjusted my wrists, back, and neck. I felt better for a few hours afterward, but the pain returned shortly thereafter. Fortunately, the pain is not as severe as before. I have a follow-up appointment scheduled for next Monday evening.

Chiropractic often seems to be a "temporary solution" because if you've lived with the problem for a while, your muscles and ligaments may have "gotten used to the problem" causing them to return your bones to the faulty position over time. With repeated treatment, they should return to their healthy state.

My mom has a minor electron thing. she has it for her athritis, usually helps. if it did makeu feel better u can look at getting one for your home (20$ i think but i could be wrong)

got it at the Big E, which is a convention in maine i think every year. dont know the name of it but searching on google should bring up something.