I have put off writing this page for many reasons. The main reason was that I thought that I would have plenty of time in the future to write it. I am speaking of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which I have had for over two years now. Because of the type of work that I do (Baking and Cake decorating), using my hands is of most importance to me. It is also the reason that I have Carpal Tunnel! I have decided that since my hands have gotten worse, I should not put off writing about it any longer. There is a good possibility that in the very near future, I will probably have to have surgery to one or both of my hands. The outcome of which might determine how much I write or type in the future! For those of you who don't know about Carpal Tunnel, I will do my best to enlighten you on this problem. I hopefully will be able to find some good links to include along with my story.

As I  stated, I am a cake decorator, and baker by trade. I have been decorating for about fifteen years now, baking for about thirteen years. The toll  this has taken on my hands becomes apparent to me each time I have to decorate  cakes or do a large bake. There was a time when I enjoyed doing various handicrafts, but I am no longer able to do them. Carpal Tunnel causes my hands to hurt, it also causes numbness and tingling in my hands. The tips of my fingers no longer feel sensations such as cold or heat. This can be a real problem for a Baker! Since I started working on my computer, and making my own graphics, I have had a lot more problems with my hands, so I have also stopped doing that. I was recently told by a doctor that I had a zero percent chance of continuing in this type of profession, without surgery. He went on to tell me that even with surgery, I might only have a fifty percent chance of doing this type of work. I hope to be able to keep you updated on the progress of my treatment, and the outcome of my surgery, if and when I do have it. If I sound a little on the fence about the surgery, well I am! I have known several decorators that have had this surgery, some of them had great results, others not so great. 

UPDATE:

 In June of 2001 I had to see a surgeon about my hands. By this time they had begun to hurt me quite a lot at work. I was no longer able to decorate cakes mp matter how soft the icing was. He tested my hands in his office, and then scheduled me for E.M.G testing. This test is also called a Nerve Conduction test. It was in my case very painful. The technician placed needles in my hands and and up the length of my arms and neck, then  current is sent through them. This tells them how much electrical stimulus  my hands are receiving.....and also how much nerve damage there is. My results showed that I had CTS in both hands as expected. 

I had surgery on my right hand on September 23, 2001. My Dr. used a open hand surgery...in the palm of my hand. After the usual pre-op work was done, I was given an I.V. and then taken to the operating room. The Dr. chose to use something called a MAC for antistatic, this would leave me fully awake during the surgery, but in no pain.

He then made an incision from the center of my palm to just above the wrist, three or four inches long. From there he cut the covering (tunnel) to release the nerves. He tested me to make sure I could wiggle my fingers, stitched my hand back up, and wrapped my hand tightly. I have had some pain, but I was given pain medication to handle that. The stitches were left in for three weeks and then removed. I had my right hand done on October 26, 2001. Although I have a small scar in each of my palms, they seems to be fading rather quickly. I haven't had any numbness in my right hand, but I have awoke with my left hand numb. I am not sure what this means yet. I plan on discussing this with my surgeon on my next visit. 

I can tell you that both of my hands are very week, I am not sure how much strength to expect at this point, or whether I will need physical therapy. Right now I don't have enough strength to squeeze a tube of tooth paste or unscrew the cap off a soda! I am very concerned whether or not I will regain enough strength in my hands to my type of work. I am on a three month leave of absence from work and I certainly hope that by the time I return to work my hands will have improved enough to handle it. I hope to be able to update this page with my progress, until then you may follow the links below to find out more about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Southern California Orthopedic Institute

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Repetitive Strain Injury Q.&A.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment

Exercising At Work

Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome