I have been suffering with carpal tunnel in both wrists for almost 20 years. In 2013, I decided to finally get surgery done. I met with Dr.Boyd Haynes and he was great! He took the time to explain what carpal tunnel is and how the surgery fixes it. He also explained what to expect afterward. I scheduled the surgery on my left wrist but cancelled the surgery due to fears of anesthesia.
In the fall of 2016, I decided I was going to have the surgery this time, so, I once again scheduled an appointment with Dr. Haynes. He went over the surgery again, and listened to me explain my concern for anesthesia. He was very reassuring and understanding of my fears. I had my left wrist operated on in mid September and it was fine. I didn’t have any problems with the anesthesia and only needed 1 pain pill the night of the surgery. I spent most of the next day with my arm elevated on an ice pack and I didn’t have any problems. My surgery was on a Thursday and I was back at work on the next Monday. I work in an office; typing and being on the phone is my job and I was just fine. In fact, while my wrist was a bit sore, it was nice to be able to type without having to let my arm dangle at my side for a few minutes. Overall, I would say it took me about 3 weeks to recover, but that is a complete recovery. Being able to hold and push a vacuum, carry a laundry basket, and carry groceries or my 3 year old.
Since I had met my deductible for the year with my health insurance, I decided to have my right wrist operated on before the end of the year. In fact, I scheduled the surgery for my right wrist, at the post op visit for my left wrist. My surgery for the right wrist was December 2016 and it was even better than the first! I didn’t need any pain medication after my surgery and the recovery is going much quicker this time. I didn’t get any stitches or staples, and my incision is about 1 centimeter long and it right under the palm of my hand where my wrist starts. The left one, is just a bit pink still but it is completely healed. The right one looks like a cut that is healing, but the surgery was only 13 days ago.
The biggest problems I had after the surgery were not being able to get my incisions wet for the first 2 days. I have a 3 year old, so bath time took a bit longer with one hand and getting in and out of the car and driving around was a bit cumbersome for the first few days. Things like buckling your seat belt, or turning the key had to be done with the “good” wrist for a few days after the surgery. I am now 2 weeks out from my last surgery and the only thing I have a problem with is gripping, like a door knob and turning it and just a small amount of tenderness in the palm of my hand.
Overall its been a great experience and I just wish I had done it sooner. I actually threw away all my wrist braces that I had accumulated over the years. It felt great to be able to throw those away and know that I could get a good night sleep without them! Before the pain would wake me up several times at night and I would have to let my arm hang down the side of the bed, I would also get pain that shot up to my shoulder. All that is gone now. Dr. Haynes told me that he doesn’t expect to have to repeat this surgery on my again in my lifetime. Thats great! But the surgery was so minor and easy that if I had to have it repeated again in 20 years, I would be fine with that.
Julie L