I awoke my second night during my Christmas vacation in North Carolina to a horrible burning sensation in my left hand. Not quite the same as the "pins and needles" you feel when a limb falls asleep, more like a singing pain mixed with a dose of strange numbness. I rolled over to a different position, thinking that my circulation had simply been obstructed (I owe my bad circulation to my mother), but to no avail. The pain persisted. I finally found a comfortable position to lie in, and managed to fall back asleep.
But the next night, the pain returned. It continued throughout my holiday, progressively getting worse and preventing me from sleeping a full night without waking up. Sometimes it was mild -- an annoying, lingering feeling that just barely prevented my slumber. Sometimes it was agonizing, causing me to double over with tears welling up in my eyes. What was happening to me? Arthritis? I'm only 25 for fuck's sake! I asked my family members, but they all regarded me with suspicion as I may have a habit of hyberbole from time to time. But this was no exaggeration: I was in pain.
It didn't take me long to suspect that the culprit was likely carpal tunnels syndrome. I'm a computer addict -- and have been since I was very young. I think I published my first website when I was thirteen ("No Doubt Emporium," a fan site dedicated to the band). A quick read of the Wikipedia entry regarding the problem confirmed my suspicion:
Many people that have carpal tunnel syndrome have gradually increasing symptoms over time. The first symptoms of CTS may appear when sleeping and typically include numbness and paresthesia (a burning and tingling sensation) in the thumb, index, and middle fingers, although some patients may experience symptoms in the palm as well.[3] These symptoms appear at night because we tend to bend our wrists when we sleep, which further compresses the carpal tunnel.
The pain I had been experiencing was this "paresthesia." I decided not to see a doctor, as I believed I had found the problem's source and a potential remedy for the time being. I went to the pharmacy the next day and I bought the lovely wrist brace you see in the photo above. It's god-awful ugly, but relatively comfortable. And best of all: my symptoms are gone. No more waking up at night to searing pain in my hand. Just pleasant sleep. Thank God for that. Now if I can just find a Bedazzler for cheap on Ebay and pimp this brace out...
If I've learned anything from this ordeal, it's that our bodies can be terribly uncooperative. I'm 25 and will likely wear this brace to sleep for many years to come -- perhaps until I die if I never have a surgical intervention. I imagine rolling over and wrapping my arm around my lover in a daze while the sun is rising, only to hear his screams of terror when this brace lands with a thud on his side. Very sexy. Ugh.
This picture with the arm brace is really sexy.
Haha. Ohhhh yea baby!
OH NOES!! But don't panic, carpal tunnel does come and go. I had it pretty badly when I was working in a call centre, but that was years ago and I haven't had it since then. Gotta say you're rocking that arm brace. :) But it might be good to see a physio, just in case.
Oh that's great news, D! We'll see if it goes away. But I think with my tendency to abuse my left hand for long periods of time has taken its toll!
i have had cp for years. i had surgery on both hands. left didnt work, right hand was okay. i live in wi. and the humidity & barometric (?) pressure are horrible. i am going to try and work on moving, winter sucks right now. taking 2 pain meds to help out, but they dont always work. 1 is prescription, 1 is over the counter. Back off on any hand work, like computors. life sucks when you cant use your hands!!!!!
Bonzo