#cts posting

[foxboy-96]

so i’m coming up to 4 months post carpal tunnel release surgery!! i have someone on discord a run down of my surgery experience and have inspired myself to make an update post

i’ve regained so much sensation it’s amazing! the very tip of my index finger is still totally numb, but my other fingers are much better. my dexterity and strength is also improving a lot right now, especially in my left hand. left hand is perfect flawless pain free *touch wood

miss right hand however is not doing as well. nothing like what i had before but it’s enough to cause me discomfort and make me wince and it’s really hard to feel okay about it! but it is okay. it’s called pillar pain and it’s pretty normal after CTS surgery, but it’s still scary. i also have a smallish lump of scar tissue in my right hand which i think is contributing to the pain, which is centred around my pinky & ring fingers and that side of my hand.

i’m trying to knead the scar tissue gently and to do more with my left which is kinda hard cos i’m right handed but i am ambidextrous for some things so it’s not too hard to adapt.

overall i feel i’m recovering really well and i’m very happy with my results, i just need to keep looking after my hands and wrists and strengthening them

[foxboy-96]

thinking about how carpal tunnel syndrome caused the muscles in my hands/wrists to shrink and weaken (due to inaction due to extreme pain)!

.. like my hands have always been quite slender and bony but they are ao skeletal now and my wrists (again have always been very narrow) are so so small i can easily wrap my whole hand around each of them. plus the muscle fatigue i’ve been experiencing. i think it’s making my recovery more painful cos im rebuilding those muscles as well as all the nerves healing

[foxboy-96]

sooo i’m 6 weeks out from my carpal tunnel release surgery today and my recovery is going so well!! i have slight tenderness and numbness around the incision sites, and some tenderness in my wrists and hands generally. nothing overly concerning or unexpected considering i’ve had surgery and am now using my hands a LOT more than i did before. i’m certain i’ve experienced quite a bit of muscle loss because of this soreness, the weakness of my grip, and how easily they tire, BUT i can still feel my hands getting stronger all the time. best of all i no longer have chronic pain and my nerve damage is healing!!! i still get occasional tingles and spasms, which is normal as the nerves recover. i’m so grateful to my surgeon and the NHS and everyone involved in my care (professional and otherwise)

[foxboy-96]

i’m now 2.5 weeks out from my carpal tunnel release surgery and my life is so fucking fine. i no longer have chronic pain! i can sew and i can write and i can play minecraft!

i’m still getting the occasional nerve strangeness (mainly tinglies and the locking/clicking one, if u have cts u probably recognise that vague description) as the nerves heal, and i’m realising just how weak the muscles in my wrists and hands are now. but i’m healing. i’m healing so fucking good!!

stitches came out on tuesday (4 days ago) and i no longer need to cover the incision sites and i can get them wet now (still showering with gloves on tho cos i am not risking an infection).

this surgery is the only cure for the condition and im so fucking grateful to have received it so soon after being diagnosed.

now i am finally capable of imagining (and enacting!!!!) recovery, rebuilding my strength. i understand my mortality and the fallibility of this precious body that i have, how much i must properly care for and maintain it.

god is good life is great

[foxboy-96]

my carpal tunnel release surgery was a success!!!

[foxboy-96]

having my carpal tunnel release surgery tomorrow! i’m excited to be cured i’m excited to be able to engage in all my hobbies again, to build up my strength, to be able to earn (more) money.. so much has been put on hold by this condition n it’s so nearly over and done with. plus my amazing gf is coming to look after me, and then i’m going on holiday with my best friends on monday.. my life is getting awesome again :)

[foxboy-96]

it’s so weird how i can’t remember not having pain in my hands. i can’t remember what it was like before. i did so much of the things i loved

something that comforts me is knowing that back then i was so grateful to be doing those things, i would sometimes imagine not being able and it would make me more grateful

i’m looking at my past selves and saying thank you for your gratitude. thank you for cherishing what makes us happy and regulated and independent. i’m going to take care of it so we can do those things again

[foxboy-96]

i’m really really missing crochet at the minute.. the lovely repetitive stimming of it all, the satisfaction of making something for myself.. i’m so fast and good at it too, my stitches & tension are always consistent. i’ve been dealing with the pain that comes wihh th doing things i want to do more recently, something like this would definitely be pushing it too far, but god i miss it