Kelsey: What surgery did you have on your hands?
Sheila: I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, three months apart.
Kelsey: What were your symptoms?
Sheila: When I would go to bed at night my right hand would throb like a toothache from my fingertips to my elbow. With each heart beat a pain would shoot through. It was very painful, and I had a hard time sleeping. The only way to get it to stop was to get out of bed and walk around. During the day sometimes my hand would go numb.
Kelsey: When did your symptoms start?
Sheila: They started shortly after moving to Camrose. We painted every wall, cupboard and closet, and I guess it was too much for my right hand. I remember kind of a pop in my right hand when I was painting the inside of a cupboard, and it started after that.
Kelsey: Why did you wait so long for surgery?
Sheila: My kids all lived at home at that time, and I couldn’t really look after them with only one hand.
Kelsey: Why did you finally have surgery?
Sheila: The doctor said I needed surgery, or I could lose the use of my hand. It was pretty bad.
Kelsey: Did you try anything before surgery to help?
Sheila: I went to the chiropractor, but that didn’t help. I also wore a brace on my hand to bed, but it would get tangled in the sheets, and then my shoulder started to hurt.
Kelsey: Were there certain things that triggered the carpal tunnel?
Sheila: Any fine motor movements seemed to bother it. If I sewed on a button, or whisked an egg, I would be up in the night from pain.
Kelsey: How was the surgery?
Sheila: It wasn’t bad at all! I was actually awake for the surgery. My hand was frozen so I couldn’t feel any pain. All I could feel was some pressure. I knew the nurses in surgery, so we had a little gab session, which was a great distraction.
Kelsey: How long was your recovery?
Sheila: My stitches were healed up in less than a week. I couldn’t lift anything heavy for a few weeks, but I was able to cook and do my household chores. If I had known the recovery was that fast, I would have done it years sooner!
Kelsey: How are you hands now since having surgery?
Sheila: They are so much better! I never wake up with throbbing hands anymore!
Kelsey: Would you recommend this surgery?
Sheila: Absolutely!!! Surgery was quick, recovery was quick, and it works!
Here is some information I found on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if you are interested in reading about it:
Kelsey's butterfly lifestyle 