If that's the diagnosis, your doctor can recommend a brace, or even surgery. The surgery is minor and works completely.

My sister had surgery for it and is fine now. Hope yours gets taken care of too, one way or another.

I've had it in my left hand and had surgery. It never came back, but once in awhile I will wear my brace if the wrist bothers me from overuse. I have a mild case in my right hand, but won't get the surgery since it's not too bad, though if that chances I certainly will. The brace helps though when and if it acts up.

I'm surprised I don't have it worse in the right hand since I'm a Calligrapher and also make jewelry as well as use the right for the computer mouse.

Good luck to you.

For years I thought I had carpal tunnel. My tingling hands would wake me up several times each night. To get rid of the tingling sensation I'd drop my hand over the side of the bed until normal feeling returned. Sometimes my hand would start tingling when I used the curling iron. It was annoying.

I mentioned it to my orthopedic surgeon when I went for my follow up appointment after knee surgery. He checked my hands and did a few manipulations and said he could operate but first he sent me to a neurologist for a nerve conduction electrical impulse test. I forget the exact name for the test but the neurologist send electrical impulses from the top of arm by the shoulder and then measured the electrical impulse in my hand. He confirmed that I had carpal tunnel but also told me that it was very mild and that I shouldn't have the operation.

So I just put up with it. Two years after that I went to a neurosurgeon because of hip pain. He did a thorough exam and asked many questions. I told him about the carpal tunnel and did a few little tests on my hands and said he didn't think it was carpal tunnel. Because of the back pain I had to get X Rays and a MRI. The neurosurgeon told me that he thought the tingling was due to inflammation and pinched nerves in my neck.

I had a series of cortisone injections in my hip and neck - a total of 3 injections in each over 3 weeks. He used a local anesthetic before the injection. What a difference that made. I've been pain free in the hip for 6 years and only a few brief bouts of carpal tunnel. The tingling no longer wakes me up at night.

Are you going to see your family practitioner or a specialist? The surgery for carpal tunnel isn't 100% effective for everyone. My SIL still has difficulty opening jars and she has diminished strength in her grasp that exercises hasn't improved.

Good luck tomorrow.

The Realtor that I work with had the surgery about a year ago. If they do the scope....you end up with a little tiny incision in your palm and about 3 stitches! She was able to do just about everything normally in just a few days. *her surgery was done by a hand surgeon specialist*

I am just going to see my family doctor tomorrow. I don't think I'm in enough pain now to consider surgery. The joint at the base of my thumb where it meets the wrist is quite swollen. Not sore to the touch but it aches if I use my hands for any length of time. Driving, writing, typing, cutting veggies etc. So I may have some arthritis as well. I get odd sharp pains like electrical shocks every once in awhile. Sometimes while I'm not doing anything with my hands. It's weird. I just want to know what it is and what I should do to prevent it from getting worse.

There is a connection between CT and Hypothyroidism. I'd definitely look into that before surgery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Carpal Tunnel & Hypothyroidism

They can also give cortisone shots. I had them. They worked for awhile. I ended up with surgery on both wrists. I did them 6 weeks apart. Curiously I have hypothyrodism..but either way surgery is the "cure". I wore braces for years. Mine began with pregnancy. I never had pain, just numbness. Every case is different.

I had carpal tunnel surgery (by a hand surgeon) in 2000. My problem was caused by the computer mouse. I never had pain, only numbness, and as a result I let it go too long. By the time I saw the doctor and had the nerve function test, the nerve was damage beyond the point where therapy would help.

If I extend all my fingers out, the thumb of my affected hand (the right) still doesn't move as far as the left one does. I switch the mouse back and forth between my hands, and use a trackball sometimes.

My husband has it in his right hand.

He went to the area's top hand specialist, who did some tests, and gave him a cortisone shot -- which didn't help at all. Because of those results, he is NOT a candidate for surgery--the doctor was very honest and told him that surgery wouldn't help him a bit.

Hoping your case is one that can be helped by either the shots or surgery. Good luck tomorrow.

Mush - You're probably right about the pain and swelling at the base of your thumb - that's a very common location for arthritis of the basal joint.

I am sure I have it also. Probably over 30 yrs. When it starts hurting I put on a wrist support/brace and in a few min. the pain is gone! I would not have surgery unless it was necessary, and definitely DO NOT have both hands done at the same time.

I had it in both hands and had the surgery a year apart. My right had it came back and two years later had surgery again. That was years ago and have had no problems since. The way they do the surgery now is just minor and can go back to work in couple days.

Doc says it's Carpal Tunnel with the start of some arthritis in my thumb joint. Gave me a script for braces, sent me for an XRay and blood work and I have to go have a nerve test. So we'll see how it goes from there.