Dr. says it's not Carpal Tullel

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

But I already told him that.



I’m looking for other experiences and information on an issue with nerves in my hands getting inflamed and being a monstrous PITA.

Some years ago My hands started to misbehave. I have these nerves two of ‘em to be exact in my palms that become easily inflamed when I hold certain tools and work ‘em.

Hammering lots of large nails is an issue. But the one that seems to get me every time is using any of my power hand drills. The handles are form fitted (Milwaukee) to fit the hand nicely putting pressure right exactly where my unhappy nerves are.

It’s gotten worse and worse as time has gone on. When the nerves are inflamed the hands go so sleep with annoying frequency. At night this is an especially bad thing as it wakes me every night with hands and forearms in massive pain all the way up towards my elbows. Aside from getting up and running around to get the blood pumping (which oddly enough offers about a half hour of relief - - Nothing seems to help. Not heat, not cold, not steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, not aspirin & ibuprofen – nothing. Last time it happened to me I was sheet rocking a small bedroom. Using my 3/8” drill as the screw gun. Those nerves go so inflamed that I lost feeling and some function in my thumb and two fingers for several months. Now all it takes to inflame the nerves is a few hours of intermittent screw driving.

Aside from never picking up a hand drill again, I am seeking I options.
Today I started messing around with some dense foam (cut up mouse pads) adhering it to my drills to see if that can transfer the energy to other parts of my hands and not to the spots where the nerved are. If that works I’ll make up some gloves with the padding stitched in the right places.

I was going to simply take a burr and grind the handles of my drills so that the offending portions were simply gone. I didn’t for two reasons: (1) it’s weaken the drill, and (2) if I was wrong I’d have wasted a drill.

Another thing I might do is ask my Dr if there is a surgery that might offer relief.

Any one ever encounter this sort of thing and do you have any insight into ways to get around with it.

[David G Baker]

Cliff,
I don't know what your feelings are to wards acupuncture but your symptoms sound like an ideal candidate. I have never tried it myself but have read some about it. When all else fails give it a try. Surgery would be a last resort for me.
My Dad had serious pain in his legs. A chiropractor put him on some vitamins, told him to get off of anything that had caffeine in it and modify some of his eating habits. Within a couple of months the pain was gone and never came back. When I first heard about the treatment, right away I thought, "yea right", some quack trying to sell him something. It didn't turn out that way at all.
If you can find a "good" chiropractor they may be able to give you some advice. I never believed in them until my back went out. I found a good one and my back is usable again.
Good luck. Don't know if I helped but at least you have something else to think about.

[Scott Loven]

Check stores in your area for anti-vibration
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...bration+gloves
Something like this may work
http://www.chaseergo.com/CHASEERG/PRODUCT/43236.htm
Scott

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I don't know what your feelings are to wards acupuncture but your symptoms sound like an ideal candidate.

Terrified of needles. I'd rather be chased around with an axe. At least I can fight, flee, or cut a deal.

My wife's grandfather swore by it. He was a way cool dude.

Surgery would be a last resort for me.

Me too but this is intolerable. If I can't solve it one way I'll consider another till I run out of options.

My Dad had serious pain in his legs. A chiropractor put him on some vitamins, told him to get off of anything that had caffeine in it and modify some of his eating habits. Within a couple of months the pain was gone and never came back.

Hmmmm. Caffeine huh. Hmmm.

"good" chiropractor they may be able to give you some advice. I never believed in them until my back went out. I found a good one and my back is usable again.

Me too. Years ago I got a rib knocked out of place rotating a spinal vertebrae. The next day I was in supreme agony couldn't even crawl. The hospital told be to quit whining that nothing was wrong with me. The Chiro' x-rayed me and said lookit dat?? Deres yer problem. Then on the table and crack whack I was on my feet within half an hour.

but at least you have something else to think about.

Yup ideas. I hadn't though of either, silly me.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Just bought a pair online Scott. I heard the Gel filled ones don't work well.
The padding on them appears to have been placed in the right places.

[Carol Reed]

Terrified of needles, huh! Me too. But....

I was in a car wreck 6 years ago. Soft tissue damage. Extensive. Couldn't even walk for 3 months for the pain in my feet and legs. Conventional medicine was Kwitchur-bitchin, nothing wrong with you. Medications totally useless.

It took a combination of things to get mostly functional again. One part of that was acupuncture. Trust me, when the pain is bad enough, the needles seem quite benign. But I learned something about acupuncture. There are three (at least) schools of thought, along with three different sizes of needles. Chinese Acupuncture is the easiest to find. Their needles ain't the smallest, but they also are not the biggest. The Koreans have that honor. I wound up trying Japanese. Their needles are hair fine and got into the skin no more than 2 mm, if that. Only if the practitioner hits a nerve dead center do you yelp, at which point they try another nearby spot. In two years of that, I only experienced that 3 times.

But things really started to improve when I found kinesiology, a form of chiropractory that uses muscle testing. And I avoided caffeines and soft drinks. After just a few months I found immense relief, to where I could balance my body weight on the balls of my feet again. Now I can even raise up on my toes without pain. I have some residual irritation that is aggravated by too much stress, caffeine and carbonated beverages.

Nerve damage takes years to repair. Ask anyone who has had to have stitches for a deep cut. The 'cure' is to avoid irritants, aid your body with a diet of additives that encourage healthy nerves, and find ways to intentionally relieve stress. These could include massage therapy, chiropractic kinesiology, herbs and vitamins, restricted diet, and acupuncture.

Long term pain will lead you to any and all of those avenues.

Been there, done that. And I am glad I can walk again, even if I can't build large furniture any more. I can still do some things in the shop!

Not a doctor and don't play one on TV, but Chinese medicine interests me far more than Western medicine. From my perspective, the former treats causes with the intent to heal. The latter treats symptoms with the intent to fund retirement plans (not including your own!). And guess which one the insurance companies don't pay for?

My 2 cents.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have several family members that have had similar problems. Two had surgery, one of those was from data entry in the old "keypunch" days, the other from operating heavy equipment. If it's not Carpel Tunnel then there's arthritis that has bothered my Uncle, a carpenter. He's managed to get by taking an over-the-counter product called Naproxen. It's sold as Aleve but also available for a lot less under generic "house brands". It's a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory. I use it for my back sometimes. As any drug there could be
precautions/side effects as would be mentioned on the label.

[Ken Werner]

Cliff,
You began by saying that it isn't carpal tunnel syndrome. Are you sure? It can sometimes be a dicey diagnosis to make - doesn't always follow the textbook. Definitive diagnosis is done with a test called "nerve conduction studies" which involve [uh-oh] needles, but can show just where the problem is.

If it isn't CTS [carpal tunnel syndrome] then maybe you have a neuroma in your hand - which is an abnormal overgrowth of a nerve that then becomes extremely sensitive. Chronic vibration can trigger all sorts of nerve problems.

Did your doctor check you for other causes of neuropathy? Things like diabetes, thyroid disease, B12 or folate deficiencies? If not, perhaps you should ask [uh-oh, more needles.]

There are lots of medicines that work for neuropathic pain [pain caused by inflamed nerves]. These include gabapentin, tricyclics, and others.

Might want to talk with your doc again, and what was said above about acupuncture, and chiropractic are very good and valid points....except perhaps for the slur on Western medicine made in post #6 above. Certainly not all allopathic physicians are like that.

Good luck,
Ken

[John Hain]

How did the MD rule out Carpal Tunnel? If I may ask...........

[Roger Bell]

If you haven't already, you might consider seeing a specialist (i.e. a neurologist).

[Jim Dunn]

Could it be tenonitis (sp). Had it in my elbow from repetative motion. Changed the way I held my fishing rods and it cleared up in about 3months.

[Jamie Buxton]

I was going to simply take a burr and grind the handles of my drills so that the offending portions were simply gone. I didn’t for two reasons: (1) it’s weaken the drill, and (2) if I was wrong I’d have wasted a drill.

Another thing I might do is ask my Dr if there is a surgery that might offer relief.

You'd let a doc carve up your hand before you'd carve up a drill? Uhhh...you are a tool junky!

You don't say whether both hands are troublesome, or just one. My right hand has somewhat similar symptoms, particularly when operating a computer mouse. I switched the mouse to my left hand, which helped a lot. In addition, I changed to a trackball, which also helped some. If I were you, I'd try drilling with the opposite hand, and I'd surely try modifying the drill handle. That's way less scary than surgery.

[Ken Garlock]

First, I would seek out a good neurologist and let him give you a a diagnosis. If it is indeed a nerve problem, it is his business to know that and what to do.

Second, if neurologist thinks it is arthritis, your next step is to an arthritis specialist.

My wife has been dealing with degenerative osteoarthritis for about 10 years. It it can produce some strange symptoms.

Also, stay way from voodoo medicine like acupuncture and chiropractors.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Cliff,
You began by saying that it isn't carpal tunnel syndrome.

Yah. CTS has a set of symtoms that I don't have and the My hands have been strong as oxen since I was a kid (from hard work) tending away from any repetitive muscle stress injury.

Are you sure?

Pretty sure, so's my Dr.

Definitive diagnosis is done with a test called "nerve conduction studies" which involve [uh-oh] needles, but can show just where the problem is.

Didn't do that.

maybe you have a neuroma in your hand - which is an abnormal overgrowth of a nerve that then becomes extremely sensitive. Chronic vibration can trigger all sorts of nerve problems.

Not that is interesting. This whole thing started some years ago when I was digging a trench.

The clay in the soil here is like cement & it's about 8" or more thick. I have a forged steel bar as tall as me and an inch and a half thick I used that to hammer my way through the clay. Then My shovel handle broke and the easiest solution was to get a shovel from the Agway. Damn thing has a square end. That wrecked havoc with my hands. Since then I have had issues.

I wonder if I grew some scar tissue on the nerves there. It's a notion worth mentioning to my Dr.

Did your doctor check you for other causes of neuropathy? Things like diabetes, thyroid disease, B12 or folate deficiencies? If not, perhaps you should ask [uh-oh, more needles.]

I have none of those issues.

There are lots of medicines that work for neuropathic pain [pain caused by inflamed nerves]. These include gabapentin, tricyclics, and others.

I'll look into 'em.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

How did the MD rule out Carpal Tunnel? If I may ask...........

He whacked my hand and wrist and evaluated my symtoms.

Funny thing it doesn't hurt when I use it. It's when I stop using the hands that they act up.