FastEddieB
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Messages
- 11,419
- Location
- Lenoir City, TN/Mineral Bluff, GA
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Fast Eddie B
As background, back in the 1980’s I started to have recurring and somewhat chronic hand numbness, initially caused by long distance cycling. It was mainly a problem at night, where my hands would “fall asleep” and wake me up with a throbbing numbness that was alleviated by straightening out my arm. I self-diagnosed it as cubital tunnel syndrome - impingement of the nerve in the elbow. I’ve lived with it for decades, writing it off as a result of the stress on my elbows from a half-century of bicycle and motorcycle riding, combined with barbell curls and tool usage putting additional stress on them.
But about 6 months ago I started to have slight numbness all the time in my right index and middle fingers. But even a tiny bit of numbness is an issue - I noticed I was having a hard time buttoning my left sleeve and had to ask Karen for help. It’s hard to pick up a coin or washer from a flat surface. I’m dropping things a bit more often. That sort of thing. But I could live with it if I knew it wasn’t going to get any worse.
But it came to a head, so to speak, when I mentioned it to a flight student who is a retired orthopedist. He looked at my right hand and immediate noticed atrophy of my right thumb muscle, combined with limited range of motion. That concerned him and he referred me to a hand and arm specialist. That specialist recommended a nerve conduction study. That study showed severe carpal tunnel and moderate to severe cubital tunnel impingement of nerve impulses. Left arm had issues as well, but is asymptomatic to date.
Those results indicated surgical intervention, and it made sense to do wrist and elbow at the same time. We’re hoping that reverses the atrophy, but it may just stop it from progressing further. I think it’s a few weeks in a sling, then up to 3 months of physical therapy for a full recovery. That will make it hard to fly in the Sky Arrow over that time span, since getting in and out involves lowering and lifting my weight with my arms. Drat.
I’m not complaining - orthopedic problems, while annoying, are a walk in the park compared with other issues many people my age start to experience. Almost 70 years of a pretty active lifestyle has to have taken a toll.
Anyway, I’ll report updates post-surgery in case any others have dealt with similar issues.
Wish me luck!
But about 6 months ago I started to have slight numbness all the time in my right index and middle fingers. But even a tiny bit of numbness is an issue - I noticed I was having a hard time buttoning my left sleeve and had to ask Karen for help. It’s hard to pick up a coin or washer from a flat surface. I’m dropping things a bit more often. That sort of thing. But I could live with it if I knew it wasn’t going to get any worse.
But it came to a head, so to speak, when I mentioned it to a flight student who is a retired orthopedist. He looked at my right hand and immediate noticed atrophy of my right thumb muscle, combined with limited range of motion. That concerned him and he referred me to a hand and arm specialist. That specialist recommended a nerve conduction study. That study showed severe carpal tunnel and moderate to severe cubital tunnel impingement of nerve impulses. Left arm had issues as well, but is asymptomatic to date.
Those results indicated surgical intervention, and it made sense to do wrist and elbow at the same time. We’re hoping that reverses the atrophy, but it may just stop it from progressing further. I think it’s a few weeks in a sling, then up to 3 months of physical therapy for a full recovery. That will make it hard to fly in the Sky Arrow over that time span, since getting in and out involves lowering and lifting my weight with my arms. Drat.
I’m not complaining - orthopedic problems, while annoying, are a walk in the park compared with other issues many people my age start to experience. Almost 70 years of a pretty active lifestyle has to have taken a toll.
Anyway, I’ll report updates post-surgery in case any others have dealt with similar issues.
Wish me luck!
