did anyone get carpal tunnel syndrome?

[*CLAIREBEAR*]

..........and if so please can you help!!

im in so much pain with it,especially on a night,did you wear splints/supports and if so which ones are best and did you get them on the NHS or if not where did you buy them and how much were they!?

many many thanks in advance if you can help!

 

[Chrissy1]

I got it really really bad. I used to get it before I was pregnant in my right hand anyway but pregnancy made it a million times worse. I was so bad that I was in agony during the nights and by the time I got up in the morning they hurt so bad that I couldn't even hold a knife to butter a piece of bread!!!!

I asked my MW and she just said it would clear up after pregnancy

I ended up just propping my arms up on my pregnancy pillow and hanging the other one over the edge of the bed which would help for about half an hour but that was it... the rest of the time I would just put up with it or try and find a better position. I know if you really pester your MW or GP they can refer you to a spercialist who can give you splints but I never bothered with that.

It does clear up after pretty quick after although I still get it a bit in my right hand but I've not had it anywhere near as painful as when I was pregnant.

It was the worst thing about my whole pregnancy for me and gave me many sleepless nights so you have my deepest sympathy

 

[*CLAIREBEAR*]

thanks chrissy!
im going to go and see my gp again this week and see i he can offer any more help,so far he has given me a sicknote for a fortnight (this ends next monday) and prescribed paracetamol
as i type for a living i am not looking forward to going back to work!

 

[Chrissy1]

I know what you mean.... I work with computers all day too. Luckily I was off work with SPD anyway but there was no way I would have been able to work with it. Even if the pain eased off in the morning the sleepless nights meant I was totally exhausted by the mornings.

I used to get up in the morning to make my hubby his lunch but I couldn't even do that becasue I was in so much pain. It had usually eased off a bit by about tea time only to come back with a vengence each night.

As I say the only comfort or temporary relief I got is if I lay on my left side with my left arm up at the side of my pillow so that it was below the level of my head and I used to drape my right arm over my sausage pillow that I was using to support my bump and dangle it over the edge of the bed. This did offer some relief earlier on in the nights so I could try and get a couple of hours before the pain got too bad.

I hope your GP helps you out a bit more than mine did.....good luck

 

[*CLAIREBEAR*]

thanks chrissy,
im back at doctors today at 11.20 so hoping he can offer some help,i had my worst night so far last night,cant cope with this for another 10 weeks....................

 

[Sugarhigh]

i have this and my MW told me to phone the physio department at the maternity hospital and they were fab and gave me splints without any hassle at all

 

[Chrissy1]

How did you get on at the docs hun???? hope they helped you out.

 

[*CLAIREBEAR*]

hi chrissy,
no i never got any further on at the docs unfortunatley,he just sai he will extend my sicknote next week when i see him again.
thats all well and good but it doesn't help me sleep!

sugarhigh,i am going to call my MW now and see what they say.
wish me luck.............

 

[Sugarhigh]

How did you get on hun?

you can buy splints in boots i think (so the OH tells me)

 

[Hazel]

I've always had the numbness at night (carpal tunnel runs in the family) but towards the end of pregnancy got a lot worse and couldn't open the bedroom door when I needed a wee at night . For a few weeks after I had trouble with poppers when dressing Connie and wasn't 100% confident with carrying/bathing Connie as my hands were still numb but it was so much better after 4 weeks and now back to normal. I just used to shake them to get the blood supply going again when I got up.

 

[ozmum2be]

I had carpal tunnel before falling pregnant. It's fine at the moment, but my hand specialist has said to expect it to come back with all guns blazing in the third trimester.

Get a splint. Mine has really helped especially at night. At night your hand goes into the foetal position which further compresses the median nerve. It may not work for you but it has for me. Also packs of ice (frozen peas in my case) helps when its unbearable.

I found my boots (manchester) really unhelpful, they don't have them. You need a splint, not a sports support, that won't work. Lloyds have them, they're not cheap, around £20. Make sure you try before you buy, I found I had to keep taking mine back as they had left hand ones in right hand boxes! The bupa.com website has some, and they come in dark colours, which is good, coz they do get a bit grubby and having metal inserts, are difficult to wash.

You can get specially made ones on the NHS, but your baby might be in high school by the time your splint is ready.

 

[Sugarhigh]

i got mine on the NHS within minutes lol

and to wash them you can take out the metal

 

[*CLAIREBEAR*]

hello!
i went to see the physio on monday am,the midwife department referred me after i called them as i was climbing the walls with the pain i am getting in the evenings when trying to sleep and cannot cope with it for another 9 weeks or so.
the physio was really nice,she said it is definatley carpal tunnel i have and gave me two spilnts,i used them last night for the first time they were pretty hard to get used to but they did stop the immense pain (my right hand is much worse then the left pain wise)
when i woke up this morning they felt more numb then usual but at least i got abit of sleep.

i had a nightmare day yesterday,my car got broken into and the bast**** pinched my 4d scan photos,im gutted.