Your Questions About Carpal Tunnel Surgery Recovery
Donna asks…
What is Carpal Tunnel Surgery like?
I am getting ready to have surgery on both hands and would like to know what it is like. How much use of my hands will I have? What WILL I be able to do? How long is the recovery? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
admin answers:
Normally you will be operated on one hand at a time. In many cases the surgery is done under local anesthetic but it may be also be done under general (I requested a general). Your hand will be completely bandaged and you might even wear a sling to stop you using that hand at all. After 3 days I was allowed to take off the big bandage and to wash the scar with antiseptic and put a waterproof bandage. I wasn’t allowed to wet my hand for 10 days until the dissolvable stitches had disappeared.
In terms of hand usage, I found I could use my fingers for light work, for example the day after the operation I could plait my hair, but that anything requiring the palm took up to 2 months to support carrying things, or leaning on it. There was very little pain throughout the entire healing process which was great!!
I will do my other hand in a month and will be glad to have gotten the two operations out of the way. It was something I should have done a long time ago, but like you, I didn’t know what to expect!! But I am glad to report that there is really nothing to worry about!!
Carol asks…
Carpal Tunnel Surgery and weightlifting?
i’m having Carpal tunnel surgery in a few months on both wrists and along with going back to my very physical job i am wanting even more to get back in the gym where i do train quite heavy. Have any of you had the surgery and if so were you able to get back in the gym and train heavy or even heavier than before? how long did your full recovery take?
admin answers:
Discuss this with your surgeon.
Betty asks…
if your on unemployment and have a work related surgery do you file disability in calif.?
im having carpal tunnel surgery and it is a six week recovery what do i do i do drywall and need the use of my hands
admin answers:
If it is work related in California it would be a Workmans Compensation case.
William asks…
See an attorney or get a 2nd opinion from MD after hand surgery?
My b/f had hand/wrist surgery. It was called a 4-point ______. I cannot remember the exact name of the surgery but I can tell you that he broke two bones in his wrist many years ago. They didn’t heal right which left about 85% use of his hand. He had the corrective surgery but after 8 weeks (off work and going to PT twice a week) he’s not regaining much use of the hand. He saw the doctor who basically said he ‘forgot’ to do the carpal tunnel surgery while he was doing the other surgery. The carpal tunnel was clearly noted in his chart. Additionally the surgeon sad he used a “new technique” for the 4-point _____. Now my b/f has a second surgery scheduled for the carpal tunnel.
Should he seek a second opinion now? Will a doctor be willing to look at another doctors work and judge it? Should he just go through with the surgery and if he doesn’t recovery well THEN see an attorney?
I have no clue where to go from here. And our finances are going down the toilet FAST!
admin answers:
Do not let your BF go through with the carpel surgery. If you go through with it and he doesn’t heal from it properly, THEN you go and try and get financial gain by using an attorney, it certainly won’t help your case to know that you were planning to go for financial gain provided things didn’t work out beforehand.
I find this hard to explain, but playing both sides to win won’t help. What I mean by this is if you go through with it, but he doesn’t heal and you try to sue even though you had doubts going into it, he is going to say that you shouldn’t have let him perform the surgery if you had doubts. It’s almost like your trying to work the money out.
There is a technical term for this type of scenario, speak to an attorney first and he/she will further advise you. Make sure you speak to one first though.
Sharon asks…
Should I be concerned about a low heart rate?
I am a 57 year old female. Had carpal tunnel surgery with twilight last week. In the recovery room, the nurses were concerned that my heart rate was consistently below 50 and my blood pressure was below 100. I had an EKG pre-op and it was fine. I walk a lot, but am not an athlete, am not overweight, do not have diabetes, and my blood pressure is usually around 100/70. My thyroid was tested recently on a physical and was fine. I am not taking any medications, except occasionally for seasonal allergies. The nurses all acted like this was very unusual, but I felt normal. Operation went fine with no problems. Is there any cause for concern? Should I discuss this with my internist?
admin answers:
Yes, you should discuss this with your doctor. However, the only real threat of lw bloodpressure is people fainting and passing out. If you don’t feel chronically tired or haven’t had episodes of fainting, then there’s nothing really to be worried about. But please do tell your doctor this, as he would know much more about your specific health history and can better determine whether this is any concern.
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