John Kudlacek on fri 21 may 04

Hi Karen,
I recently received and e-mail from Val Cushing who just had the CT
sugery so described. I am planing on having my other hand done this
summer. It is a painless procedure involving a local anesthetic and the
only handicap I experienced was the temporary loss of function in that
hand and arm until the anesthetic wore off. The only warning I was given
after the procedure was not to push against the heal of the hand for a
prescribed length of time. I would be hard pressed to find the two little
scars with a magnifying glass a year later. If anyone is confused about
the symptoms, you probably have CTS if you feel numbness and tingling in
your fingers as if they have "fallen asleep". These sensations graduate to
a dull ache up the arm sometimes beyond the elbow. It occurs frequently
at night and will disturb your sleep. I often get the same symptoms while
sitting at a movie or just sitting a long time without using my hands.
(Wearing a wrist brace to bed can really help get a good nights sleep.) If
you have these symptoms you will probably be refered by your primary care
physcian or sports medicine doctor (orthopedic specialist)to a
neurologist. They will test you by putting some electrodes on your hand
and arm and determine if you in fact have CTS. The procedure is painless.
Hi hope this helps any people out there who have misgivings about the
subject and are intimidated by the treatment.
Whistle while you wedge,
John