Nerve decompression surgery

[Paulie Walnuts]

So last year I started to feel some tingling in my fingers and arm, didn't think much of it. Around March/April I start to get some numbing in my pinky, I shrugged it off thinking it was maybe lack of blood flow or something. It started to get worse, so I brought it up to my NP and she sent me to a neurologist that said I was having issues with nerves in my elbow.

They gave me some techniques to try while sleeping like wearing a elbow pad to keep my arm straight. Around January my pinky the side of my hand went permanently numb, and I started to feel the numbness into other fingers and more tingling.

Today I had a follow up and they did the tests and said I have a big difference in strength with both arms, and it is my non dominant hand. I was referred to a surgeon for a nerve decompression surgery. He did say the goal is to get the power back to even, and that I could still have numbness afterwards.

Has anyone had this type of surgery and is there a chance it can get worse if they hit the wrong nerve. It is an elbow surgery. Never had any surgeries in my life, he did also say it is a 4–6-week recovery. Was told no bending workouts for my arm which really sucks.

[Fuzz]

Ah, I too have the ulnar nerve tingles, but in my dominant arm. I find sleeping with my arm straight has made a big difference. I haven't looked into any surgical options as it comes and goes for me, and it's more annoying than anything.

[Sr. Mints]

In 2022 (edit: maybe 2021?) I had my elbow and wrist done at the same time. Ulner and carpal tunnel release, I think they called it?

I was awake for the operation, and from the time I was referred by the neurologist to the actual surgical date it was like three weeks. Part of that was due to covid (more complex surgeries were canceled or delayed, opening up OR space), and another part was that I opted to stay awake for surgery. Had I been put under it would have been up to a two-year wait.

The freezing they used took care of about 95% of the discomfort. They did have to re-numb me up a few times, like when you're at the dentist and the freezing starts to wear off. By the time I was walking out to our vehicle, pain was certainly on the rise, and because it was a 45-minute ride home (I had the operation at the South Campus), the trip home was brutal.

It was frankly fascinating getting to talk to the doctor and the nurses for 3 to 4 hours, get all thousands questions about everything and anything to do with the healthcare system, my arm, nerves, etc. off my chest. I forget most of the fascinating things I learned LOL. The doctor was showing me how of I'd wiggle my fingers you could see the nerves moving up and down. It was kind of gross but also super cool. I thought the nerves would be like little tiny wires, but they were about 1 cm in width, and she was manhandling them with giant scissor-tweezers like you wouldn't believe.

Anyways, recovery was pretty awful. I had a hell of a time sleeping, getting comfortable, and I had a hard time doing anything, really. It took about 4 to 5 weeks to heal to the point I was comfortable, and many more months for lingering numbness that appeared after the surgery to go away. Not when I slept kind of numbness, but full-time always numb, which is another level of jarring.

Another thing that developed after surgery was something called Dupuytren’s Contracture in my hand. Everything I've been told or read about it claims it's not supposed to hurt, but it was excruciatingly painful until the surgeon injected it with cortisone on one of my follow-ups. She only had to do that one time and the pain went away, but my hand has developed bumps all over it on the face. She is said when you monkey around with hands, sometimes Dupuytren’s can flare up. Something about it primarily affecting white males of a Viking ancestry?

Today I'd say I'm at 95% recovered. All the numbness and tingling is gone, and it hasn't reoccurred, so in that sense 100%. But I have lost strength in my arm, and whether that's because I just haven't been doing the proper physio, or what - I don't know.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ah, I too have the ulnar nerve tingles, but in my dominant arm. I find sleeping with my arm straight has made a big difference. I haven't looked into any surgical options as it comes and goes for me, and it's more annoying than anything.

It is almost impossible to sleep with a straight arm, and the sleeve makes it worse. Plus my numbness is here to stay

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

In 2022 (edit: maybe 2021?) I had my elbow and wrist done at the same time. Ulner and carpal tunnel release, I think they called it?

I was awake for the operation, and from the time I was referred by the neurologist to the actual surgical date it was like three weeks. Part of that was due to covid (more complex surgeries were canceled or delayed, opening up OR space), and another part was that I opted to stay awake for surgery. Had I been put under it would have been up to a two-year wait.

The freezing they used took care of about 95% of the discomfort. They did have to re-numb me up a few times, like when you're at the dentist and the freezing starts to wear off. By the time I was walking out to our vehicle, pain was certainly on the rise, and because it was a 45-minute ride home (I had the operation at the South Campus), the trip home was brutal.

It was frankly fascinating getting to talk to the doctor and the nurses for 3 to 4 hours, get all thousands questions about everything and anything to do with the healthcare system, my arm, nerves, etc. off my chest. I forget most of the fascinating things I learned LOL. The doctor was showing me how of I'd wiggle my fingers you could see the nerves moving up and down. It was kind of gross but also super cool. I thought the nerves would be like little tiny wires, but they were about 1 cm in width, and she was manhandling them with giant scissor-tweezers like you wouldn't believe.

Anyways, recovery was pretty awful. I had a hell of a time sleeping, getting comfortable, and I had a hard time doing anything, really. It took about 4 to 5 weeks to heal to the point I was comfortable, and many more months for lingering numbness that appeared after the surgery to go away. Not when I slept kind of numbness, but full-time always numb, which is another level of jarring.

Another thing that developed after surgery was something called Dupuytren’s Contracture in my hand. Everything I've been told or read about it claims it's not supposed to hurt, but it was excruciatingly painful until the surgeon injected it with cortisone on one of my follow-ups. She only had to do that one time and the pain went away, but my hand has developed bumps all over it on the face. She is said when you monkey around with hands, sometimes Dupuytren’s can flare up. Something about it primarily affecting white males of a Viking ancestry?

Today I'd say I'm at 95% recovered. All the numbness and tingling is gone, and it hasn't reoccurred, so in that sense 100%. But I have lost strength in my arm, and whether that's because I just haven't been doing the proper physio, or what - I don't know.

Wow I don't think I could stay awake. That sucks about the stuff happening to your hands. Thankfully I don't have carpal it is just a nerve issue. Having numb fingers is all types of weird.

[troutman]

Another great name for a metal band.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

So last year I started to feel some tingling in my fingers and arm, didn't think much of it. Around March/April I start to get some numbing in my pinky, I shrugged it off thinking it was maybe lack of blood flow or something. It started to get worse, so I brought it up to my NP and she sent me to a neurologist that said I was having issues with nerves in my elbow.

They gave me some techniques to try while sleeping like wearing a elbow pad to keep my arm straight. Around January my pinky the side of my hand went permanently numb, and I started to feel the numbness into other fingers and more tingling.

Today I had a follow up and they did the tests and said I have a big difference in strength with both arms, and it is my non dominant hand. I was referred to a surgeon for a nerve decompression surgery. He did say the goal is to get the power back to even, and that I could still have numbness afterwards.

Has anyone had this type of surgery and is there a chance it can get worse if they hit the wrong nerve. It is an elbow surgery. Never had any surgeries in my life, he did also say it is a 4–6-week recovery. Was told no bending workouts for my arm which really sucks.

What is an NP?

Are you sure the hand issues are from your wrist.

I say this because I saw a lot of doctors when I was in immense pain, the whole the nerve comes out of between my C5/6 is closed off a significant amount. It feels like I am always wearing a rubber glove on one hand and always have some tingling (which is great for masturbation)

I saw a surgeon and I was really happy when he said that seeing him & surgery should be the last port of call.

I guess my point is there is nothing wrong with getting 2nd or hell 3rd opinions before you get cut open.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

What is an NP?

Are you sure the hand issues are from your wrist.

I say this because I saw a lot of doctors when I was in immense pain, the whole the nerve comes out of between my C5/6 is closed off a significant amount. It feels like I am always wearing a rubber glove on one hand and always have some tingling (which is great for masturbation)

I saw a surgeon and I was really happy when he said that seeing him & surgery should be the last port of call.

I guess my point is there is nothing wrong with getting 2nd or hell 3rd opinions before you get cut open.

Nurse practitioner

The neurologist ran nerve tests that found this issue.

I do have a C5/C6 narrowing that I had X-Rays ran on, but they said that isn't causing the issue. Maybe the surgeon will provide more information?

I don't have tingling anymore; it has just gone numb. The reason why I think it is right as well because I work a desk job so my elbow is always bent, and my hand would numb. So I would get up and go for 20 min walks and come back and the numbness was gone.

[Monahammer]

My wife is dealing with something similar right now. I have no additional comments, she is currently investigating options too. All the best in your recovery.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Nurse practitioner

The neurologist ran nerve tests that found this issue.

I do have a C5/C6 narrowing that I had X-Rays ran on, but they said that isn't causing the issue. Maybe the surgeon will provide more information?

I don't have tingling anymore; it has just gone numb. The reason why I think it is right as well because I work a desk job so my elbow is always bent, and my hand would numb. So I would get up and go for 20 min walks and come back and the numbness was gone.

My S/O had an ulner nerve issue that sounds quite similar with numbness and tingling. If you haven't looked into a high end physio I would recommend it ahead of any surgery - there are a few in the city that come highly recommended beyond a run of the mill sports medicine clinic.

For her, it looked like it was going down the track of surgery and after a couple of months with a highly skilled physio the issue was resolved and hasn't come back in 2+ years. I don't doubt the diagnosis you have had, but you certainly don't want to go through that and the fallout of such a procedure if there is even a small chance physio and treatments can have similar results.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Just an update as some here indicated their S/O and Wife had issues as well.

I saw the surgeon and they said it's pretty advanced and I have lost a lot of muscle mass in my hand. I have noticed I am dropping things and trouble with driving and typing as well. So, they want to perform the surgery asap along with a 2nd piece of moving a nerve into the hand.

[Erick Estrada]

I used to have the tingling in my left arm down to my hand for decades. Would often wake up with my left arm asleep like a dead piece of meat which was kind of unnerving. Had my blood pressure checked and other tests and all was good and it actually became less of a problem when I got my CPAP machine and always slept on my back as opposed to my sides. A couple of years ago when I got full blown tennis elbow I got an ultrasound which uncovered a tendon tear but also something else. The lady doing the ultrasound asked me if I ever had issues with numbness or tingling in my left arm to which I said yes. Well it appears probably in my youth I fractured my left elbow and a chip of bone is out of place and did some nerve damage. I did a lot of work to rehab my left arm to get back to tennis and still do forearm exercises and it's actually not really been an issue since recovering from TE at all.

Good luck with your surgery and recovery.

[D as in David]

My son is a sport climber and has had this surgery. It has worked for him.

[Biff]

I had this surgery in May of last year. Seems like we were similarly advanced as I had very diminished nerve response in the non-dominant arm along with muscle atrophy. The surgeon recommended against nerve transposition as the recovery can be trickier and, if the nerve decompression surgery isn't enough, you can go back and have the transposition done. Surgery was day-surgery without general anesthesia but with sedation so I slept through it. Very little pain or discomfort and a really quick heal. Nerve function and normal use of the hand returned within a few months and, a year along, it was clearly the right choice. Feel free to reach out or ask for any more info.

[Twitchy15]

tricky because it can be from the neck nerves, elbow or wrist. Glad to hear they are going to get you to fix things!