Help with a new symptom

hi and welcome!

have you ever been tested for carpal tunnel? this sounds so much like my c.t. symptoms. my dr. was suspicious that i had it for a long time, but i wasn't "officially" diagnosed until i saw a neurologist who did this funky needle test on my nerves. if you have any history of extended regular motion like computer usage/lifting/working on a cash register or adding machine, etc, you could definitely have developed c.t.

my symptoms come and go-they get worse when i spend a lot of time on the computer or oddly enough if i try to read a large, heavy hardcover book lying down (strain on the wrists maybe?). what usually works for me is taking an anti inflammatory of some kind and using special wrist supports while typing and while sleeping. you can get a couple of different types of these supports at the drug store-i like the full handed ones when i type, and the smaller ones that just go around the wrists while i sleep. i guess these are supposed to help keep you from making any jerky motions with your wrists and hands, which keeps inflammation down. i know that sometimes i go through periods where if i don't wear my supports, i will wake up crying out from the burning shooting pain.

i don't know if fibro can mimic these carpal tunnel symptoms, or if people with fibro are more prone to developing carpal tunnel, or if it these symptoms can be caused by something else altogether. i did want to mention my experience, though, in case it helped. maybe you should mention having the needle test done to your dr?

i am very sorry that you're having these awful pains and hope you feel better soon!

{gentle hugs}
~danielle

you are very welcome! the arm pain is absolutely awful with c.t. which is what made me think you might be going through that also. if you have a very bad case, there are surgery options but those can have side effects, which is why i've stuck with the ibuprophen and wrist supports. i hope the wrist supports and pain killers give you some relief, too!

i hope you feel better soon and welcome again:)

~danielle

Thank you Marlee, I did have some thoracic outlet problems following a car accident 15 years ago. Haven't had any problem in years, but maybe i did something to cause it to "re-activate"? I still have notes from the pt on what exercises to do. I'll start those and see if it will help. Thank you.

Sometimes I spend a lot of time time trying to understand and figure everything out. I can intellectualize that this process cannot be understood or controlled, but I still try to "fix it".