Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – An Old Injury Returns

Years ago, maybe 10 I forget, I had surgery to repair a Carpal Tunnel problem with my left wrist.  For those of you who have never heard of this, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition in which there is pressure on the median nerve -- the nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to parts of the hand. The symptoms include tingling or numbness in the thumb and next two or three fingers of one or both hands.  My symptoms seem to have returned.

I still have my old wrist splint which I’ll wear while sleeping

Slowly, a few weeks ago, I began to feel the same numbness and tingling in my left thumb and next 2 fingers.  I knew exactly what it was but couldn’t figure out why it was back.  Then, just yesterday, I remembered that I took a real tumble while hiking back on November 17th and used my left hand to break my fall.  I recall my wrist feeling sprained but didn’t think much of it as I felt pretty lucky to have escaped with only a sore wrist.  I think that may have done it.

My hand was pushed right back at the wrist where I jammed it hard on the ground.  That is exactly where the transverse carpal ligament is located and where the plastic surgeon made the incision in my wrist during surgery.  That, I do remember as it was performed under a local anesthetic and I got to watch the whole thing – or at least as much as I wanted to. 

It was these tree roots along the trail that did me in

Looking in my dresser sock drawer, I found my old wrist splint – see it pays to never throw anything away.  I’ll start off wearing this at night for a few weeks to see if it gets any better.  I’m pretty sure it will but in the meantime it’s no big deal.  The tingling is not causing me any pain or even discomfort, it’s just annoying.  The original cause of my injury way back when was attributed to too many years of pounding on a keyboard while I was a computer programmer etc.

The strange case of software guru John McAfee I wrote about back on November 13th continues to get curiouser and curiouser. 

McAfee was detained by Guatemalan police on Wednesday for illegally sneaking across the border with his 20-year-old girlfriend to escape authorities in Belize. He has said he fears authorities in Belize will kill him if he returns.

Then, just yesterday, he was rushed to a hospital in Guatemala shortly after his asylum request was rejected, but a suspected heart attack turned out to be just stress.  The 67-year-old McAfee was later taken from the hospital in a police car after earlier arriving in an ambulance lying on a stretcher.  He’s in a whole lot of trouble I’d say and there ain’t no anti-virus program that’s going to cure him.

My day yesterday consisted of taking 2 trash bins full of garbage to the dump and then, in the afternoon, going for a long walk around the Quarry Lake with Paulette and the muttzo’s.  It was a brisk walk for sure with the temperature hovering in the mid-40’s but at least it wasn’t raining. 

Have a great Friday, and thanks again for visiting!