Hi. This is an interesting site.

I thought I would share my experience with CTS.

I’m a 35-year-old male, who exercises regularly, and works in a office. I do not type excessively, but I have been doing a lot of excavating in my back yard the past couple of summers. I had thought about renting a BobCat, but the work was kind of peaceful and certainly seemed like good exercise.

Anyway, about a month ago, the middle finger, index finger, and thumb on both hands began to “fall asleep” while I was sleeping. There was no pain, but lots of numbness and tingling sensations. I visited a nurse (no appointment) and she suggested that the symptoms weren’t all that bad and not to worry. She advised me to stop digging until things got better.

So I stopped digging for a week, and my left hand improved entirely and my right hand was 99 percent better. Then I began my yard work once again. Right afterwards, the symptoms increased dramatically in both hands. I stopped working in the backyard again and the left hand soon felt better. However, the right hand continued to worsen and for two nights I was unable to sleep due to the pain in my thumb and fingers.

My wife tried some stick-on-patches to produce heat, but they fell off. The next night, she wrapped my hand in gauze to keep the patches in place. This relieved the pain (not numbness) and I was able to sleep. I finally saw the doctor today and was diagnosed with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in the right hand. I got a hand-brace, some anti-inflammatory medication, and some prescription-strength Tylenol.

Hopefully, these treatments will take care of the problem. However, my real issue is the temptation to engage in strenuous yard work. I’m kind of a fanatic about keeping my property nice and since there are no symptoms during the day, it’s easy to forget that I’ll pay for my indiscretions once night comes. Anyway, it certainly is a big inconvenience. Hopefully things will return to normal soon, so I can engage in the routine activities I like.

Sincerely,

Scott