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Pain in wrists
I know that my problem is not as server as most that are posting questions but, does anyone have any suggestions on how to dull the pain caused by my Carpel tunnel syndrome? I am currently taking voltoren 75 mg twice daily and 1000mg of Tylenol every 5 hours and I am still having pain issues, especially at night. I can't wear braces it gust makes the pain worse. I have ace bandaged ice packs to my wrists before I go to sleep and that doesn't seam to help either. I take ambien and the pain/discomfort still wakes me up. Please any help would be great, I am only able to sleep 2-3 hours a night, and I am falling behind in classes because of it. My doctors will not give me any pain meds to help it. not sure why, does anyone know? sorry to be a pain and keep posting questions this is my third with no response. thanks for any help.
Hi,
How are you feeling?
I would like you to start with 1-2 different class of analgesics which should be prescribed by your PCP. These analgesics then should be spaced out evenly over 24 hour period in such a way that no two analgesics should go at the same time.
You should wear a wrist splint during sleep *.
If you are having work -related problem then activity modification is required.
Surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament is performed when nonoperative measures have failed or in patients with constant numbness, motor weakness, or increased distal median nerve motor latency noted on electromyography.
Occupational or physical therapy should be consulted for activity modification teaching or for nerve gliding exercises that might decrease symptoms of nerve compression.
No effective medication specifically to treat CTS has been described.
Keep me posted if you have any queries.
Bye.
*-Celiker R, Arslan S, Inanici F. Corticosteroid injection vs. NSAID and splinting in carpal tunnel syndrome. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2002;81:182 to 186.
How are you feeling?
I would like you to start with 1-2 different class of analgesics which should be prescribed by your PCP. These analgesics then should be spaced out evenly over 24 hour period in such a way that no two analgesics should go at the same time.
You should wear a wrist splint during sleep *.
If you are having work -related problem then activity modification is required.
Surgical release of the transverse carpal ligament is performed when nonoperative measures have failed or in patients with constant numbness, motor weakness, or increased distal median nerve motor latency noted on electromyography.
Occupational or physical therapy should be consulted for activity modification teaching or for nerve gliding exercises that might decrease symptoms of nerve compression.
No effective medication specifically to treat CTS has been described.
Keep me posted if you have any queries.
Bye.
*-Celiker R, Arslan S, Inanici F. Corticosteroid injection vs. NSAID and splinting in carpal tunnel syndrome. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2002;81:182 to 186.
Your question about pain drugs is because doctors are afraid people will get addicted. Some doctors are very leary of giving them, others are more reasonable.
You need a new doctor, perhaps a sports injury doc or a hand specialist. I've been taking the same dose of pain meds for FOUR years, I'm not addicted, and I could not live without it, my legs hurt so much. I take other drugs too, for nerve pain, called Lyrica. A neurologist can give that to you, but it's very strong, good for bedtime only, which is exactly what you need. The pain will go away for 12 hours, so that puts you in pretty good shape for school in the day.
You can also go to a health food store. They should have some natural stuff for pain. They bottle up pills of herbs, they label them for pain, and you take it and it makes you feel better. But for whatever reason, they all have oddball side effects... some give you a hangover, some tighten up your breathing, but basically these things are mild. Good for short-term, until you can see a new doctor.
In the meantime, the way I deal with pain, and I have it when I stand and when I sit, laying down is the only way I can get halfway comfortable. Naturally I have to get up and go places, I come online, and so on. So, what I do is relaxation techniques, to include strenuous exercise, deep breathing, and focusing hard on anything except what hurts. I went through a painful dental appointment one time by forcing my mind to go to the beach, and that's where I stayed the whole time. You can do that when you're ready to fall asleep. You should also be completely tired and sleepy before you go to bed. And your bed should be really comfortable, with lots of pillows for your arm and hand. You can also buy a foam pad thing for the bed at a Kmart or Walmart, it's only about $10, and lay it under your sheets, really soft.
Something has happened to your hand and wrist that is irritating and pushing on the nerve to your hand. Usually this has to do with keyboard typing at a computer. Sometimes writing with a pen or pencil for long periods of time will do it. Athletics where you have to put a lot of pressure on your wrist can cause it. If you are doing any of these things regularly, stop doing it. Bandage up your hand and declare you can't do that for a while. Computer labs will offer a little cushion where you can rest your hands while you work. You can take notes with a recorder. You can opt out of gym class for a while. Carry your books in a backpack. Just quit using that hand.
But if you actually injured your hand, NOTHING you do will stop this except for a physician to find out what is physically amiss in your wrist and then fix it or protect your wrist until it heals. They should take X-rays of some kind, soft-tissue kind, a neurologist or orthopedist should be able to do this. If you've got an injury that isn't being treated, and you are hurting because of it, and your doctors so far haven't determined this, well, by golly they should WANT to help you better than they have.
Keep your arm and hand rested on a pillow at home when you're watching TV. Keep doing the ice, but don't use ace bandages, that will only squeeze your nerve even more. You can just lay the ice bag on top of your hand, which should be on a pillow. I kept ice on me by laying the ice bag in a shirt and then tying it around my leg. When you're up and about, bandage up your hand, wrist, and part of your arm, loosely with GAUZE bandage (not ace) so you won't use it.
If you are able to get the swelling down, and if you can force yourself not to use your hand at all for a week, then you can switch over to warm packs for your wrist, to heal it. But most of all, see a new and different doctor about your problem. This is absolutely not right that you are suffering like you are.
You need a new doctor, perhaps a sports injury doc or a hand specialist. I've been taking the same dose of pain meds for FOUR years, I'm not addicted, and I could not live without it, my legs hurt so much. I take other drugs too, for nerve pain, called Lyrica. A neurologist can give that to you, but it's very strong, good for bedtime only, which is exactly what you need. The pain will go away for 12 hours, so that puts you in pretty good shape for school in the day.
You can also go to a health food store. They should have some natural stuff for pain. They bottle up pills of herbs, they label them for pain, and you take it and it makes you feel better. But for whatever reason, they all have oddball side effects... some give you a hangover, some tighten up your breathing, but basically these things are mild. Good for short-term, until you can see a new doctor.
In the meantime, the way I deal with pain, and I have it when I stand and when I sit, laying down is the only way I can get halfway comfortable. Naturally I have to get up and go places, I come online, and so on. So, what I do is relaxation techniques, to include strenuous exercise, deep breathing, and focusing hard on anything except what hurts. I went through a painful dental appointment one time by forcing my mind to go to the beach, and that's where I stayed the whole time. You can do that when you're ready to fall asleep. You should also be completely tired and sleepy before you go to bed. And your bed should be really comfortable, with lots of pillows for your arm and hand. You can also buy a foam pad thing for the bed at a Kmart or Walmart, it's only about $10, and lay it under your sheets, really soft.
Something has happened to your hand and wrist that is irritating and pushing on the nerve to your hand. Usually this has to do with keyboard typing at a computer. Sometimes writing with a pen or pencil for long periods of time will do it. Athletics where you have to put a lot of pressure on your wrist can cause it. If you are doing any of these things regularly, stop doing it. Bandage up your hand and declare you can't do that for a while. Computer labs will offer a little cushion where you can rest your hands while you work. You can take notes with a recorder. You can opt out of gym class for a while. Carry your books in a backpack. Just quit using that hand.
But if you actually injured your hand, NOTHING you do will stop this except for a physician to find out what is physically amiss in your wrist and then fix it or protect your wrist until it heals. They should take X-rays of some kind, soft-tissue kind, a neurologist or orthopedist should be able to do this. If you've got an injury that isn't being treated, and you are hurting because of it, and your doctors so far haven't determined this, well, by golly they should WANT to help you better than they have.
Keep your arm and hand rested on a pillow at home when you're watching TV. Keep doing the ice, but don't use ace bandages, that will only squeeze your nerve even more. You can just lay the ice bag on top of your hand, which should be on a pillow. I kept ice on me by laying the ice bag in a shirt and then tying it around my leg. When you're up and about, bandage up your hand, wrist, and part of your arm, loosely with GAUZE bandage (not ace) so you won't use it.
If you are able to get the swelling down, and if you can force yourself not to use your hand at all for a week, then you can switch over to warm packs for your wrist, to heal it. But most of all, see a new and different doctor about your problem. This is absolutely not right that you are suffering like you are.
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