Carpal Tunnel and Lyme

I know this has been mentioned in several other threads but I have been getting horrible tingling/numbness in both hands at night, relieved by shaking them out. I assume it's carpal tunnel but what really concerns me is that the muscles around my thumb seem to have atrophied. I have been actively treated for Lyme since Dec 2011 but may have had it for a long time before.

Has anyone else had issues with carpal tunnel, hand muscle wasting?

Makes me very nervous

When I first started my journey with Lyme, one of the first Dr. I saw said I had Carpal Tunnel in both hands and Tennis Elbow in both elbows.

I was sent to PT with no help. It was shortly after that I found all new Drs. I was tested for CT and I do not have it.

My thumb joints hurt alot. My fingers feel numb. My arms also have a numb feelings at time and some times they hurt so bad I can't handle it.

My feet are also like this. Most of my joints are painful and they swell.

Of course you may have CT but most likely it's Lyme.

 

Is it possible that you could have a stealth Bartonella infection? Bart infections can cause numbness in the hands.


Lyme is known to cause joint and arthritic pains not relieved by taking NSAIDs (like Ibuprofen, or Aleve), weakness of a limb and even carpal tunnel.

All of these things have the potential to resolve with treatment.

Ok, good. But don't jump right into surgery either...I'd just hear what he had to say. I know some people with Lyme disease get surgery (but usually on joints), and it doesn't help long-term because of the Lyme. So I guess I'm saying see what is going on to make sure something other than Lyme isn't going on, but if the surgeon comes back with "this is weird, I don't know what would cause it" or "nothing is wrong", then I'd think it was probably all Lyme

PMM, I think my caution would be along the same lines as has been said too. If the hand surgeon has a working knowledge of Lyme Disease, then s/he could give you a more solid diagnosis, but chances are s/he doesn't know a thing about Lyme, which means that s/he won't know that Lyme can have an affect on the muscles, tendons and joints in the hands.

With that being said, I think it's wise to make sure you know what all may be going!!

This was one of the first symptoms that became persistent for me a few years after initial infection. The hands were partially numb, achy, hard to use for long periods of time. My thumb would occasionally just stop working, then it would start twitching and spasming like it was possesed.

In any case, I did get to a hand surgeon years later and they found a very large bone cyst in my wrist. They had no idea what it was from, but wanted to operate right away. After a little more questioning, it became clear that he didn't know if the surgery would help anything; he wanted to do the procedure because it was a "neat" operation (his words). In hindsight, its clear that this and other mysterious cysts in my bones are probably just cesspools of infection; if we were to crack into any without first delivering high-dose abx I would be in serious trouble.

If you do meet with a hand surgeon and they want to do any procedures, make sure you ask them how many times they have performed the exact procedure and how likely you are to get relief from it. You might be surprised at the answers.

I had carpal tunnel surgery in my right hand about 5 years ago. The recovery was really long and painful. I will say, that it did help and my hand has much less problems now. I also now know it was probably from the Lyme, but I didn't know that then. I thought it was from the computer. It actually started back when I was a dog groomer when I believe I first contracted Lyme. Back then I thought I had bad form when holding my scissors. Tons of dog groomers get carpal tunnel and I now wonder how many of them actually have Lyme.

My surgeon was a plastic surgeon who specilized in Carpal tunnel. My scar is minimal which is good. The left hand has the same symtpoms, but I had issues with my insurance company so never got it taken care of.

I've noticed that even after the surgery, my hands are still very weak. They get very stiff and I am always wanting to open them up and stretch them. My right hand no longer goes numb and tingly at night, but the left sure makes up for it.

The recovery from the surgery is really difficult. I wasn't able to drive for 3 weeks. I couldn't lift anything for like 3 months. I was told if I did too much too early I could create scar tissue that would be worse then the original condition.

I just wanted to share my experience. I hope it helps you in your decision. In the end, you have to decide what is the best course for you. If you do it, make sure you have a very experienced surgeon that specializes in this.

A few years ago I was having significant pain in both elbows and weakness to the point that I could not lift the milk out of the refrigerator. I was also having problems with my wrists. I was diagnosed with Cubital tunnel and told to sleep with my arms straight and wear arm braces to bed. FORTUNATELY, or unfortunately depending upon how you choose to view this, a year later I was bitten by a tick (probably for the second time) and was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and was treated with 30 days of Doxycycline which ended up taking care of my elbows and wrist problem. Thus it appears that the original problem may not have been Cubital tunnel but was in fact Lyme from a previous bite. For anyone who is diagnosed with Cubital Tunnel it may be worth asking their doctor if he/she would be willing to consider testing for Lyme. I never thought to ask and wish I had!!!!

I have burning, tingling, pain in my left s/b, arm, hand, index finger. The index finger is numb at the tip.

It came on a year ago April - I was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in my neck (GP), but my chiro said I had thoracic outlet syndrome.

I had almost immediate muscle atrophy on my left side (noticed it within a month)

Started to get better for a few months, then things turned and I went down hill from there - lots of crazy symptoms - that started in September.
Tried physio three times - three different therapists - nothing worked.

So, now I'm thinking maybe it was Lyme all along. Over the past few months, my hand has gotten somewhat stronger.

But, yes, it could be from Lyme disease...but get it checked out, and don't jump into surgery.