Ulnar Nerve Entrapment or Carpal Tunnel Syndrom

I've you've landed on this page, chances are pretty
good that you know exactly what I'm talking about.
In December of 2000, I started to get hand cramps
that just wouldn't go away. They were primaruly in
my right hand, acroaa the joints of my fingers, and
in my wrist. They would get so bad after the hours
that I spent on the computer, my poor hand would
become practically paralyzed.

I suspected arthritis at first, because the pain and
stiffness just seemed to fit. Of course, I didn't have
it anywhere else though. Finally in June 2001, my
husband forced me to go to the doctor for the
problem.

I had started to get a tingling sensation in my right
ring finger at night, I told him, but my biggest
problem was pain! Well, he sent me to a specialist
who tested me, and finally diagnosed my with Ulnar
Nerve Neuropathy and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In
other words, I have 2 giant pinched nerves!

Well, that's nice I said, now what? I got a laugh.
He asked how many hours a day I spent at the
computer, and when I answered, "usually more than
8." I got another laugh.

Aparantly, everything from the way I at at my desk,
so how I slept, to how I sat on my couch was
running my nerves into the ground, and If I didn't
"straighten up" I was going to cause permanent
damage to them. Great.

Well here it is more than two years later, and I've
still got this problem. It's a tough battle that has to
be fought each and everyday. Thank goodness
though it is better than what it was... Raging pain,
no strength whatsoever, impossible to do anything
normal at all. My entire arm from my neck down to
my fingers felt like it was full of broken glass. After
A LOT of work, I am at least 60% better, but still on
some days...

These are the things that I've done to help my
condition:

Sit up straight! I noticed that after a few hours
at the computer, I had a tendancy to slip down in
my chair, which was putting pressure on my neck
where the ulnar nerve starts.

Take a break! I am a work-a-holic, and I'd go for
several hours without even getting up for a glass
of water. Lucky for me, in my old age (well, not
really. lol.) my bladder's not what it used to be,
so I'm forced to get up. It's important to take a
break and walk around at least once EVERY HOUR!

Reach for the sky! A great thing to do after you
get up to walk around, is shake out your hands
and arms, and stretch a little. Do it in the
bathroom if you don't want everyone to see you.

Move around! The worst thing you can do to
your condition, is keep your arm still. I'm
constantly changing the position of my arm even
while just sitting on my couch. I try to keep my
wrist as flat as possible.

Get a Massage! This sounds a little silly, but it's
really not! Anything that you can do to increase
and improve your circulation is good for your
nerves too. Plus, massage makes mama happy.
:O)

Sleep right! It's important not to bend your arm
during sleep. It's hard, I know! I used to sleep
with my arm curled towards my body like a child,
but alas, those days are over. Now I have a
seperate pillow for my arm to rest on. When I lay
flat on my back, I put the pillow under my
shoulder to keep it from sagging in the night. It
helps me a lot.

Hope some of this helped you! ~Britt

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