I can share my experience with carpal tunnel syndrome. I never had an issue with it at all. Then it presented in both hands and rapidly escalated. As it happened, it coincided with the escalation of my PsA which led to my diagnosis. I tried shots but they only offered temporary relief. A nerve study is needed to assess the extent of the impairment and that can inform one whether to have surgery… I ended having two nerve studies one by a physiatrist, and later one by a neurologist. That just happened to be who my primary care doctor referred me to at separate times. The physiatrist was part of the Ortho practice that did the injections. This particular physiatrist swore that my carpal tunnel was in no way related to PsA. But the National Institute of Health has a paper advising doctors to consider carpal tunnel syndrome as possibly heralding an inflammatory illness.
The second study showed that the nerves were highly compromised. Essentially the nerves were no longer communicating with the muscles. If I recall correctly, the neurologist explained that the one test listens to the action potentials of the muscle. It sounds like white noise or waves crashing. In my case you just heard random sputtering. She said that indicated that the muscle was effectively disconnected and would atrophy without intervention. I had the whole arm tested, shoulders, elbows, wrists. It definitely was the wrists for me.
I ended up having carpel tunnel release on both wrists, first one, then the other a few months apart. The surgeries went well and completely alleviated the issues in both hands.
I later developed an ulnar nerve issue in my non-dominant arm. Mostly pins and needles in my pinky & ring fingers. I had a nerve study for that and the find was mild issues at my wrist and elbow. I did physical therapy to learn a series of “nerve flossing” exercises. It helped reduce the numbness.
I hope you are able to gain insight with the testing. I had a very positive experience with the carpal tunnel release surgery should it come to that.
Thanks so much for such a thorough and thoughtful description of your experience @dandlyons. At this point I am so disabled (and sleep deprived) even surgery is looking appealing. GP is away for weeks - think I’ll find another at the clinic to refer me. Medical system in collapse here now due to Omicron, so getting it addressed will take some time, if I can avoid spending all my money first on living expenses!
My wrist issues started about 2 days apart - left first (always a slightly worse side for PSA). In the first flare, there was no real pain, but the numbness was severe. Within 8 weeks I couldn’t feel hot or cold in the fingertips on my left hand (with my right hand only a little less severe), and the idea of doing up buttons was laughable.
I got an injection in the left wrist; both hands improved enormously.
It returned again about 6 weeks later. This time there was also some pain in the wrists, only at night. I was going for the bowel surgery so couldn’t disrupt that with steroids so I waited and ignored it.
Then after surgery - remission. I think that lasted 2 or 3 months. Then it started up more insidiously again, with more pins and needles, tingling and parathesia, less numbness. Stretching up my forearm and occasionally into my shoulder, both arms. Still worse at night. The couple of blasts of prednisone I used for other things I’m pretty sure helped, though the other things were so attention demanding I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the carpal tunnel - and also, it wasn’t this bad. It is slowly and insidiously getting worse and worse week by week.
Agree Amos, got to be inflammatory, so I’m very dubious about surgery. I think I need better disease control but am running out of options on that front, am a bit reluctant to drop infliximab so quickly when I only have JAKs left to try after that (and so many co-existing autoimmune diseases). And honestly, I feel like a normal human dose of immunosuppressants is just not enough for my body any more. And of course I’m putting out forest fires for supposedly unrelated conditions at the same time (hypercalcemia, anyone?) right in the middle of a COVID wave on a massive scale with a significant % of our doctors and health workers sick or on furlough.
I keep reminding myself that some of this, at least, will pass and fairly quickly! The carpal tunnel might have to wait until then.
It depends Jen how the PsA inflammation has affected your carpal tunnel as regards whether the operation might be successful. Remember PsA inflammation can cause damage too, so even if it’s from PsA inflammation the op might still be successful given any damage done. Just some thoughts for you.
Incidentally why are doctors and health workers on furlough, I thought the furlough only extended to non-key workers, not key workers? I’m just really curious - that’s all.
Yes good point on the damage. I was wondering about that, because my median nerve is mildly compressed on ultrasound. Now I wish I knew how it looked on Ultrasound when it was in remission!
Re the furlough, honestly they have changed the rules so many times I have lost track of them. But on a practical level, this week my nurse neighbour who had a close contact was in isolation for 3 days and not allowed to return to work without a clear pcr (private hospital), I was very grateful last week that my haematologist who was a close contact and went into 7 days iso uses webex so we could still have our appointment by Telehealth. And all elective procedures (eg any biopsy that needs sedative - a couple of which may be in my near future) have been cancelled in our state until at least March. Meanwhile, it has taken the pathology lab 10 days to courier a specific sample tube 70km from their base to my local collection centre, because of staff shortages and COVID demand. So even if the rules do not require people to be at home unless they are sick, the health system is still being heavily impacted.
Don’t forget too this is our first real wave - we don’t have the community “steadiness” that comes from knowing we got through it last time and will do so again this time. It’s like half of the country is wandering around going “she’ll be right” while the other half has to drive to six different stores to buy toilet paper, Panadol, or basic groceries like nappies and meat. And this time it is not panic buying, it is real distribution issues - parts of our logistics chains are in real trouble… As is the fact that no-one can get their hands on a rapid test, and the pcr tests are taking around a week to come back for most. Honestly it’s an absolute schmozzle, I’m just glad it will be temporary and it’s very likely we will get through it with most systems intact.
Sorry, that was longer than intended! I think it is finally starting to get to me! Time to go meditate and remind myself I have plenty of toilet paper
And just in case it doesn’t sound suitably enough like Armageddon here, we’ve just been placed on tsunami watch . It’s only a little one though, no evacuations.
Hey Jen,
They seem to be saying that it’s more a marine warning. Sounds like they’re hoping it’ll peter out before it gets to land. Something to do with a erupting volcano under the sea near Tonga. Hope their predictions are correct and if/when it hits, it’s only a little one.
Ohh, so you’re the one with all of the toilet paper, I’m coming to raid your house
I’m near Adelaide and some stores are bare, it’s gone silly again. I mean, how much toilet paper can one household need? I saw someone with 2 trolleys FULL. If she needs all of it, she needs to see a Dr.
Just Madness.
I did find some, its like grease proof paper one side… …and 90grit sandpaper the other side. It’s dangerous stuff, but you’re guaranteed to use less of it
Glory be! Thankfully you guys decided not to have (well you’re nearly there) unvaccinated tennis players too. I get where you’re at emotionally, it truly is really stressful when you’re pretty unwell yourself to literally see your health system almost have to shut you out due to Covid. It’s scary, frustrating and really worrying and then it sort of gets hopelessly depressing. And then idiotic distribution issues too and the iciing on the cake - a tsunami watch. I’m suprised you’re not just under your duvet figuratively.
At least you know the likes of us got through similar horrible times - and that’s despite those governing us apparently having lots of work parties too whilst the rest of us were on zoom calls instead. It does pass - hang on to that. More and more hugs.
Hi Merl, yes thank goodness it was just a Marine watch, as I’m just near a tidal inlet on the coast. A serious tsunami and even a high shelf wouldn’t protect the toilet paper (or the rest of the Gold Coast), what a wonderfully funny image that gave me @dandlyons
I have a friend living in Adelaide and was chatting to him the other day - sounds like there are only minor patchy distribution issues there too as you say, I think even Brisbane it’s more patchy than serious, but for some reason we are getting walloped in the suburbs around my house. Lowest vax rates in the state, so I suspect we have a local pocket of high virus, and that is affecting purchasing habits more.
And no, I don’t have all the toilet paper. I had to drive round a few places and Aldi was the only place left - they do everything in bulk so it was a pack of 24 or nothing!
Oh the unvaccinated tennis player, what a national disgrace! Regardless of whether we let him in or not, all the carrying on and posturing for the media our government is doing is cringeworthy and embarrassing
Yes, I think I did need a dummy spit. It is pretty overwhelming. But you are right I do take comfort that you guys managed to get through it (and with Boris and his parties at the helm), and luckily since we are doing it all so highly vaxxed and with Omicron, we don’t have to experience such high levels of death.
We really are relatively lucky. And I’m my first coffee, I can confirm there is no sign of salt water in my front yard!
Couldn’t agree more.
The man is a tennis player, ‘he’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy’ (‘Life of Brian’ quote). If he won’t play by the rules that every Australian resident has to abide by, he’s out. Pretty simple really. He lied on his Travel Declaration. On the declaration it actually states it’s a crime to provide false details. That alone is enough for deportation/detention of ‘Joe Public’. Same rules should apply. And that’s without going anywhere near his vaccine status.
As for the government, OMG, what a mess, every decision seems to be based ‘How many votes will this get us today?’. The states say one thing, the feds say the opposite and then they all point the finger at each other when it all goes wrong. The media is having a feeding frenzy on it all, if it wasn’t all so serious it’d be a comedy, a comedy of errors. And we put these clowns in charge??
Thankfully the judge agreed. Just sipping my own first coffee of the morning and read that! And I’m glad too. It so helps send the right message as we all continue to battle waves and waves of various Covid variants. Something which us lot and more so people facing such complications @Jen75 is presently don’t need in our quest for a better quality of life, that’s for sure. Life for many of us is tough enough already without this.
Yes, it is a bit hard to tell because so many of their comms are out, I’m guessing that in itself means it was pretty devastating. The capital was flooded and NZ is hoping to send a plane tomorrow if it is safe (ash), and hopefully Australia will step up properly with help as we have in the past.
I just saw on the news even parts of Japan and Peru were affected. The waves here coincided with low tide, near where I live that literally would have made the difference to minor inundation so we were lucky.
