Hands

My left hand with two of my fingers locked.

Late last summer my hands started to really hurt. It began, like most things, gradually. First, just a little stiffness in the morning, then a few of my fingers started locking up and unlocking them became really painful. Then they started aching almost all of the time and if I accidentally bumped them I would cry out in pain. I also began losing strength in my hands, unable to open things that had never been a problem previously.

Over the past couple of years I have had a number of physical changes and challenges. Most of them due to age and being female. I have learned that estrogen and the loss thereof is behind a lot of things that one would not expect. I figured that my hands were just another painful reminder that I was getting older and that estrogen had previously helped my hands not hurt.

The first remedies I tried were in diet - making changes that would help my body deal with the changing hormonal situation. This worked quite well with things like hot flashes, but my hands refused to get any better. Next I spoke to my medical provider at the AV Health Center, Ms. Arbanovella. She suggested I get x-rays to see if it was arthritis. I had this done and learned that I have zero arthritis in my hands and that my joints look wonderful. Good news, but not an answer. The next recommendation was to see a hand specialist in Santa Rosa, Dr. Mazur. I did this a few weeks before Christmas last year. I filled out a lot of paperwork about my hands and then they took more, different x-rays of my hands; Dr. Mazur also did some other strength test of my fingers - which, if graded, would have resulted in an F.

The results of all of this? Much to my surprise - carpal tunnel syndrome. Now, I already knew I was having issues with that - for over ten years I’ve slept with soft braces on my hands and forearms to keep my hands from getting numb. I have also had numbness while riding my bike and at other times. What surprised me was that the pain was from the carpal tunnel.

The next steps involved scheduling nerve tests and as it was nearly Christmas, I was told it would likely be sometime in the New Year. I was offered and received cortisone shots in my hands - one of the most painful shot experiences I have ever had. However, as the doctor said, I certainly enjoyed the holidays a lot more than I would have otherwise. The pain was abated for a couple of months, only starting to come back over the past few weeks.

I finally was able to see the nerve doctor a couple of weeks ago. The tests, which consist of electrodes being placed on one’s hands and fingers and getting mild shocks to assess the reactions, were painless but strange to experience. The result is that I have a “medium” case of carpal tunnel. The nerve doctor said that at this level the doctors would talk about doing surgery. I asked about outcomes for people with similar diagnoses who did alternate therapies instead of surgery and he said that they usually end up having the surgery within six months. I also asked how often one has to have the surgery redone in the future and he said that it is rare and that most times the surgery is considered a cure.

I went back to Dr. Mazur last week to discuss the future of my hands. We also talked about why alternatives still don’t save one from having the surgery. He said that what happens is that while the alternate therapies are ongoing, they are working and the hands feel fine, but once they stop the pain and numbness come back. He also explained how the surgery works - apparently the ligament is cut and opened and braced (temporarily) so that the as the ligament heals and grows back, it does so larger and roomier so that the nerves are no longer constricted. I also asked him about re-dos and he said that the overall average is one in ten, but in his experience it is far fewer than that.

I am now waiting to get the approval of my insurance company, then for the surgery to be scheduled. The healing process is six weeks, with the first four being the time when I have the most restrictions. I will have one hand done, then the other. It means no outdoor riding my bikes for about ten weeks, so I’m once again thankful to my friends who set me up with a “trainer” and online programs to keep my fitness on the bike up. According to the doc, I will no longer have to wear braces to sleep and that the numbness goes away almost immediately. While I am not looking forward to the surgery or the healing process, I am looking forward to freedom from pain and numbness in my hands.