Thanks: 0
Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 1 to 9 of 9
Thread: My hand is giving me the s$&ts
-
9th May 2016, 09:39 PM #1
My hand is giving me the s$&ts
Last October I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. All went very very well. In late February of this year, I had surgery on my left hand to release dupuytrens, carpal tunnel and an ulna nerve exploration to see if there was a block on the ulna nerve causing loss of feeling in my little finger.
Two and a half months later, the healing process is going well. Movement and strength are returning ... Although I doubt I will be swinging a golf club for quite some time.
But ... The nerve pain is driving me nuts. I have been prescribed Lyrica which modulates the pain, but doesn't completely eradicate it. Some nights it's like someone stabs me in the wrist with an electric rod. Sometimes the pain is quite focused .. And other times it zips up different parts of my hand.
Neither the surgeon nor the hand therapist seem particularly concerned ... In fact, by all appearances it's a good thing as its a sign the nerves might be rebuilding ... But what a crappy process to go through.
The only way I can get a decent nights sleep is to pop a couple of endone an hour before bed time.
I am also told it's a process that could take quite some time ... 6 or 12 or 18 months.
God I hope not !!!!Glenn Visca
-
9th May 2016 09:39 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
- Join Date
- Always
- Location
- Advertising world
- Age
- 2010
- Posts
- Many
-
9th May 2016, 10:06 PM #2.
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 27,793
Sorry to hear that.
Have you tried alternating hot and cold packs?
I know it won't help when trying to sleep but it may give you some relief at other times.
My wife tried this when she had CTS and it seemed to help.
When I crushed the fingers on my left hand in a goods lift door the oxycodone they gave me for pain relief made me hallucinate so I controlled the pain solely with ice packs - even at night I filled a flannelette bag with ice and wrapped it around my hand. It was more painful than the drugs but at least I wasn't seeing things.
-
9th May 2016, 10:12 PM #3
You are absolutely right Bob. I do use a hot wheat pack to help ... And a hot hand wash before bed. I know what you mean about the effects of oxycodone ... Although I have only had a couple of hallucinations .. or weird little dreams. They are not bad so I prefer that over 2 or 3 hours sleep every night.
Glenn Visca
-
9th May 2016, 10:27 PM #4.
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 27,793
I had restless legs for many years - not painful - like ants were crawling around inside my lower legs - but enough to keep me awake.
The only relief I could get was to get up and spray my legs with hot water in the shower till the symptoms would die down. When It was really bad I was doing this twice a night.
Eventually it went away by itself.
-
10th May 2016, 12:04 AM #5In pursuit of excellence
- Join Date
- Apr 2001
- Location
- Melbourne S.E Burbs
- Posts
- 476
Glenn if you'll be needing long-term pain management, you might want to talk to your doctor about a strategy for avoiding over-reliance on the Endone. Long term use could give you some dependency problems.
-
10th May 2016, 12:28 AM #6China
- Join Date
- Dec 2005
- Location
- South Australia
- Posts
- 4,475
As said above go and see a pain specialist, I suffer from severe back pain I was prescribed Endone it has no effect on me might as well take jelly beans,
I went to see a pain specialist and over time have learnt control the pain to a livable level
-
10th May 2016, 12:19 PM #7SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Feb 2015
- Location
- Oz
- Posts
- 615
Have you tried something as simple as Ibuprofen or Panadol? I have severe RA in my arms/hands so cannot use them at all now. Despite all the miracle drugs I'm taking for RA they simply don't work and I still have a lot of pain. Funnily enough Ibuprofen, although I'm not supposed to use it due to interactions with the RA drugs, seems to work the best, Panadol also tends to help a little. Neither Ibuprofen nor Panadol take away the pain but they do decrease it a little allowing very short intervals of half an hour or so where I can use my hands a little, albeit still with a lot of pain, certainly more so than the RA medications allow anyway.
-
10th May 2016, 11:55 PM #8
Thanks for all of the ideas everyone !
Glenn Visca
-
11th May 2016, 12:30 PM #9SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Dec 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
- Age
- 79
- Posts
- 601
Hang in there,some years ago I had an issue that made all the nerves in my arm die,so I can understand what the pain is like
I recovered but it took a while,the nerves that grow back do so at 1mm a day,quite a long time for me
So good luck
Similar Threads
-
Giving up?
By Groggy in forum NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH WOODWORKReplies: 108Last Post: 12th February 2008, 11:12 PM -
The Joy of Giving
By Flowboy in forum WOODWORK PICSReplies: 3Last Post: 16th February 2007, 08:59 PM -
Giving more than 100%???
By Breslauer in forum WOODIES JOKESReplies: 0Last Post: 14th September 2005, 11:58 AM -
Giving 100%
By Forest Gump in forum WOODIES JOKESReplies: 0Last Post: 18th May 2005, 01:50 PM -
Giving The Bird
By Termite in forum NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH WOODWORKReplies: 3Last Post: 11th April 2005, 12:15 PM