Carpul Tunnel

den the menace · 31-07-2008, 15:52

i had it done yesterday and it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be, i asked the surgeon how long before i could drive but he wouldnt commit himself, so could someone give me an idea as to how long it can take?

qui · 31-07-2008, 16:11

not too sure about the recovery time for CT op, but i am waiting to go and have a trapped nerve in my elbow released and they said it will be 6 or so weeks before i will have full use of it ,

hope you mend quickly,

qui

den the menace · 31-07-2008, 16:56

thank you qui, i hope it goes well for you, good luck

jambutty · 31-07-2008, 18:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by den the menace

i had it done yesterday and it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be, i asked the surgeon how long before i could drive but he wouldnt commit himself, so could someone give me an idea as to how long it can take?

I had both wrists done at the same time yonks and yonks ago. Oh! At least 25 years ago.

When I asked the surgeon, just before they put me to sleep, how long after the op I would be able to pay the piano he replied, “About six to eight weeks.”

Now I thought that was fantastic because I couldn’t play the piano before the operation.

My last conscious sight was seeing that “You’ll be asleep in a few seconds” smile on the surgeon’s face before he lifted his mask into place.

I was able to drive a couple of weeks or so after the stitches came out, without it being too painful. Although setting the handbrake on and taking it off required a gritting of the teeth. Changing gear wasn’t too bad because I could use the back of my hand and fingers to surround the gear lever knob.

However it took over three months before I regained most use of my hands and even then I could feel a discomfort. It took a further 3 months before all trace of the op was gone. Of course in those days the surgeon cut from the centre of the palm to about a couple of inches above the wrist. It may be different today, what with keyhole surgery.

den the menace · 31-07-2008, 18:45

thanks jam butty,
ive only had one done, my left hand doesnt work at all, i have a muscle wasting disease. so its a matter of preserving what ive got left. my car is an auto but its the steering im worried about. ill have to wait and see i supose, but i wont be driving until im sure im safe.
regards dennis.

jambutty · 01-08-2008, 03:46

I suppose it all boils down to what level of pain you are prepared to put up with as you heal and how desperate you are to get mobile by your own hand again, so to speak.

Bear in mind also that 25+ years ago the traffic volume was less than it is today, and more forgiving.

Good luck.

qui · 01-08-2008, 05:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by den the menace

i had it done yesterday and it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be, i asked the surgeon how long before i could drive but he wouldnt commit himself, so could someone give me an idea as to how long it can take?

what you have to remember is that although the pain goes and you may feel it is fine, if you put any strain on the scar before it is properly healed it will weep ,(internally) causing scar tissue to develop, which could of course cause you probs later on in life,

hth

qui

my advice: rest it for as long as you can, take taxi's or get some mates to ferry you about ......it will be worth it in the end

qui · 01-08-2008, 05:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by den the menace

thanks jam butty,
ive only had one done, my left hand doesnt work at all, i have a muscle wasting disease. so its a matter of preserving what ive got left. my car is an auto but its the steering im worried about. ill have to wait and see i supose, but i wont be driving until im sure im safe.
regards dennis.

can you not get a carer till you recover from your op, I am assuming that your illness has rendered you disabled, please forgive my presumption if this is not so.

qui

bonny_tuesday · 01-08-2008, 05:30

Ive been very lucky just quite recently because I had CT syndrome in both my wrists but it only lasted for about 6 weeks. I actually damaged mine doing work on my garden. It was impossible for me to do anything much, although I did manage to drive. I couldnt fasten my bra without getting electric shock feelings from my fingers to my mid forearms and I went out for a meal with my daughter and she had to cut my food up for me and spear it on my fork. Very embarrassing!!! Then it took about two weeks to finally gradually fade away. Im still a bit scared to do any work that is hard on my palms and wrists.
Hope you soon get it sorted and that its not too debilitating.
Bonny x

lettie · 01-08-2008, 07:16

It is actually your insurance company who has the final say on when you drive again. Most operations require about 6 weeks of recovery before you can drive, even if you feel fit before this. This is because, if you have an accident and your insurance company investigates, they will not pay out if you have had an operation less than 6 weeks previously. Get well soon..

mez · 01-08-2008, 08:01

i had the operation about 15yrs ago & i was about 6 weeks before i could drive go back to work........... but started getting some pain again after attacking my garden & long use of p/c keyboard so im back to using my splint again only occasionally tho' good luck anyway to all who are having ops. im still glad i had mine done.

WillowTheWhisp · 01-08-2008, 08:43

My late husband had both wrists done. He was able to drive again after 6 weeks. A lot depends on the individual and how quickly you recover. You have to find a happy medium really between not doing too much and not doing enough. There was another guy had his done the same time as Peter and he kept his arm in a sling all the time and they said at the hospital that he should not have done that because he needed to have moved it as it all seized up, but don't do too much so that it doesn't get chance to heal. When I had op on my wrist I could tell by what it felt like if I was doing something I shouldn't and I stopped.

Best wishes for a speedy recover.

den the menace · 01-08-2008, 09:31

thanks everybody,
ive managed this far without a carer, and ive been "lucky" that the muscle wasting has been very slow to progress. imho you have 2 choices when you get hit with these conditions, one is to let the condition rule your life, the other is to just get on with it and get as much done for as long as u r able. i know that isnt an option for some people sadly, these various illness can be absolutely devastating, thats why i consider myself lucky. good luck to you all.