Carpal Tunnel

I got in trouble from my OB Thursday. I have Carpal Tunnel and I didn’t tell him. I went to a doctor (neurology) and had it looked into. I’ve had it a long time according to her. My OB said it isn’t a neurology problem. It is an orthopedic problem. You need an appointment now. Women generally don’t develop this problem until they are in the 8th or 9th month, not the 6th month. If it is that bad now, I might have to have surgery before the baby is born - lovely.

In hindsight I can think of symptoms 7 years ago when Jacob was born. I had a hard time holding him when he pushed against me with his legs. I chalked it up to his strength. Have you seen his thighs??? he’s got amazing quad muscles… twice the size of any kid his age, which explains his great soccer kick. Then of course the next rationalization was that we had a hard mattress and my hands would fall asleep at night. And that was for the past 5 years. Thinking to myself, man I wish we had gotten a pillow top to that mattress. Now I’m pregnant again and wow… my hands are falling asleep consistently at night. Not just occasionally and more than one time a night. It must be that I’m sleeping on my side. See how the rationalization keeps kicking in. Wake up and shake your hands, turn over and go back to sleep. Hmm….now my hands are falling asleep at my desk. That can’t be good. I’d shake them out, and keep working. Now the problem is daily at my desk, and multiple times a day… time to do a little checking on the internet. Mayo Clinic, Pregnancy Today, About.com, etc…. all say it is Carpal Tunnel. They all say it is the median nerve that is being pinched, or constricted by the tendon that crosses the inside of the wrist. Swelling in the arms, wrists, hands – plus simply bending your wrist can cause the nerve to have this problem. The treatment is to take anti-inflammatory drugs (not an option while I’m pregnant) – braces to hold the wrist in a neutral position and keeping gravity on my side by not dangling my hands to my side, but to keep them above my heart. And the last option – is surgery. There are nerve studies they can do to see how much impairment is going on and how much damage may already be done.

I have an appointment with the orthopedic doctor recommended by my OB, on Wednesday April 11, 2007. I think he’ll send me for a nerve study and then determine what to do.