I'm an Idiot and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Kills Me

A short, personal, introduction.

My name is Micah. I'm a 22-year-old man from Oklahoma. I've been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS in the future, for my own sake) in both of my wrists after experiencing extreme pain and numbness in both of my hands. As I type this, sharp pains are shooting up my arms through my wrists. My braces are not even a foot away from me, but I'm stubborn and would rather swallow 4 Ibuprofen to get rid of the pain.

I work at a bakery, and my hobbies include: sewing, crafting, playing video games (Console and PC), and typing/scrolling on the internet. Each and every one of these things aggravate this syndrome. I have to wear my braces all day at work, and often times after work as well, though I hate to because I have flour and grease and cinnamon and sweat all engrained in the fabric of these things. I can't afford to buy another pair, I'm a millennial and can barely afford my car payments and insurance.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), "Carpal tunnel syndrome is essentially a pinched nerve in the wrist. There is a space in the wrist called the carpal tunnel where the median nerve and nine tendons pass from the forearm into the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when swelling in this tunnel puts pressure on the nerve."

There are many causes for this syndrome, including:

1. Arthritis
2. Fractures
3. Swelling of the lining of the flexor tendons

There are many more, but my hands hurt too bad to switch between research and this tab.

The symptoms of this syndrome include:

1. Numbness/tingling
2. Pain in the arm/wrist
3. Weakness in the hand, especially in grip
4. Hand clumsiness

Working at a bakery, I experience these symptoms on a daily basis. My first real symptoms were the numbness and tingling in my hands when I was playing games on my phone, texting my friends, or reading a story online.

Then came the extreme pain at work. For work, we make apple fritters, and we have to put a LOT of flour on and around the area the fritter is on. We have two people to catch the chunks of dough on the conveyor belt and put it on the tray, then someone to flour the area and put the tray on a rack (for this position, you have to be fast). I was usually put on the flour job (because my coworkers don't like me for no real reason), and it never failed to always feel like my arm was splitting in two.

The second case was when I was put to work icing the donuts. We have to lift a huge bucket of chocolate or maple icing from a vat of the icing, to the heating pad-type device we dip the donuts on, then dip the donuts themselves in the icing. Very heavy, very painful.

Treatments (that I should probably do, but I'm dumb and have little money).

Ways to treat CTS vary from how severe it is for the individual. Normally, a doctor will, upon diagnosis, discuss methods to help alleviate the pain and discomfort without immediately discussing the possibility of surgery, such as prescribing steroids, talking to the patient about splints/braces, prescribing pain medication, talking to the patient about positions to keep their wrist in, and steroid injections (to help with inflammation). If none of this helps, the patient will see a specialist to see if surgery might be the right choice for them.

The surgery is really only used when the median nerve inside the wrist is severely damaged, and involves cutting the Transverse Carpal Ligament, which is mainly responsible for the symptoms. Though the outcome of this surgery is usually good, factors such as age, underlying conditions, and duration of symptoms can determine the success or failure of the surgery.

I, personally, was prescribed steroids (and of course have braces), but they didn't work for me (and made my stomach bleed). As of the day I am writing this (5/5/2018), I haven't seen a specialist, but that's only due to personal factors.

Prevention and Conclusion

The best ways to prevent getting CTS are simple. Treating underlying conditions like diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure help much more than you may think, and keeping a better hand posture and avoiding activities that overextend your wrists will definitely help.

CTS is a very 21st century disease, with most everything being on a computer, and everyone wanting to craft items to sell online (myself being no exception). It's actually pretty common with more than 3 million cases in the US per year, and I work with another person who has the disease as well (not to the same extent as mine, and he can get by with just a pain relief cream, but he has it regardless).

If you believe you may have CTS, I'd suggest going to the doctor whenever possible for you, and especially before your symptoms get worse. The longer you wait, the worse it usually gets.

Especially if you're an idiot like me. It took me 2 months to get the initial doctor's appointment, another 2 months to get the follow-up, and a month to go to the specialist, which is an appointment that I missed. Now my symptoms are getting worse, so take my advice and get an appointment.