carpal tunnel syndrome and medications to take after RNY

I had to have bilateral carpal tunnel releases in my mid-20s. I started having issues again about 10 years later, and my chiropractor does something at the elbow and shoulder that relieves the symptoms. He says if I'd been seeing him when I was in my 20s he could have kept me from needing surgery. I'm not sure I believe that, but I know he's been able to eliminate my symptoms now.

Note - despite what the docs will tell you, the surgery isn't a forever fix if you keep doing whatever started the carpal tunnel symptoms in the first place. If you can't change how you work, you may need the surgery again every decade or so. That doesn't mean I don't recommend the surgery, just be aware that if that ends up being your treatment, you still need to work on your ergonomics and possibly wear spints when doing whatever repetetive motions started all of this.

Anyway... check with your surgeon about topical diclofenac (brand name Voltaren Gel). While it is still an NSAID, the amounts of the drug that end up in the bloodstream is miniscule. I have a great deal of hand/wrist/finger pain due to my auto-immune, and the gel really helps. I had the VSG specifically so I could take NSAIDs and steroids as needed, but we still try to avoid it whenever possible. I don't know if surgeons believe the gel is safer enough for RNY, but it's worth asking.

Beyond that - ice, ice, ice. Splints really help with the pain at night, too. They will likely send you for some physical therapy or teach you some stretches that help. (You can probably find them on the internet was well...)

Good luck!

I had carpal tunnel in my wrist and elbow for years prior to WLS.

A good brace with a splint will help a LOT. Get a lightweight one to wear during the day, and a heavier-duty one to wear at night while you sleep. I used this one at night and when it was particularly bad, and it helped a LOT.

Biofreeze is good stuff. A thorough icing works wonders as well. Fill little paper bathroom cups about halfway full with water and freeze them overnight. Then you can peel off some of the paper and rub the ice on your wrist while holding onto the rest of the paper. Rub until your skin goes very pink and the ice is mostly melted.

If you can get hooked up with physical therapy, there's some non-medicated pain relief they can provide. I got a lot of benefit from electrical stimulation. They'd hook up electrodes in both ends of a pan of water, switch on the current, and I would leave my hand in the water with the current running through. The therapist also had a liquid-air massage machine that worked wonders.

Good luck!

Yes... ice massages are heaven. I've had a number of joint ailments, and this was one of the best things ever that my physical therapists taught me. Tip: use styrofoam cups to make it easier on the hand/fingers holding the thing for the massage. Or there are pricey gadgets you can buy to avoid all of the cups and trash. :)

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for this post and I do wish you luck in finding some relief. I am started to get the same issues and the responses here were a great help. I need to get some of those ice wrist items

Good luck and keep us posted!

Consider acupuncture. I had severe bilateral carpal tunnel - as in I had a surgery day with a hand surgeon - when I tried acupuncture. I was so bad I was burning my fingers because I had no sensation at the fingertips. (Mine was triggered by pregnancy.) Six weeks of acupuncture and the numbness, pain and tingling were gone. I go in for a "tune up" about every six months. It's worked for me for the last 14 years. And I type extensively at work.

Best of luck.