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I need to get off this ‘puter and stay off!

I honestly don't believe that simply typing on a keyboard can "cause" carpal tunnel syndrome.

Also, if you had a carpal tunnel release, it is highly unlikely that genuine CTS symptoms would come back, especially in a year. The CTS release is done by cutting the tendon that runs across the top of the carpal tunnel. If what you had was carpal tunnel syndrome, then the numbness should have gone away when the swelling from the release went down.

It is quite possible that the numbness in your hands emanating from your neck, or it could be some kind of tendonitis which is causing swelling in your wrists which is compressing the nerve in the carpal tunnel. But that is tendonitis and not CTS.

Probably the best thing you can do is to cut out salt, maybe take a mild natural diruetic or eat more Celery seed (and plant), Parsley, Dandelion, Juniper berries, Asparagus, Artichoke, Melon, and Watercress.

And take some mild anti inflammatory drug such as OTC Motrin.

If you rest your hand on the desk when you type, you could be irritating the nerve at the entrance to the carpal tunnel. Make sure you have your hands in the air when you type.

If you are at all overweight, then losing weight will almost invariably relieve most of the carpal tunnel symptoms.

The fact is that if the carpal tunnel release didn't work, then you probably didn't have carpal tunnel in the first place.

I developed Carpal tunnel, but not as badly as she seems to have, simply from using a mouse a lot. For me, getting a differently shaped mouse fixed the problem and it eventually went away.. but I have heard of some secretaries developing it from excessive typing.

Prednisone. That will cure anything. I’ve had serious neck problems for about a year from an accident. I broke my upper jawbone and my neck. I’ve got titanium in my face now. The fractures when through my sinuses so I’ve had chronic sinus problems now. 2 weeks ago I decided to go to a specialist and they gave me prednisone and physical therapy. I’m not sure how much good the physical therapy is, BUT THAT PREDNISONE IS A DAM CURE ALL! It cured my neck, it cured my sinuses. It even cured my bad hip(almost) and my bad knee(almost) and all my stiff joints. The only problem with it is it causes insomnia and makes me have to pee all the time. Oh, yeah, also it makes you gain weight like crazy. I think I gained 15 pounds in the week I was on it. If I had to take it for a few months...OH MY, ID BE HUGE. I’ve been off of it now for almost a week and so far none of my problems have come back. My neck isn’t perfect, but I’m still doing my excercises and it’s still getting a little bit better every day.

I’m a big believer in prednisone

The first day I was on it, I felt so good I couldn’t sit still. I was up half the night doing pushups and situps and I went down to the basement and dug out some of the old weight and started lifting weights. And my mind was in some kind of time machine. I was having vivid flashbacks of youthfull memories. I was remembering my first car, cruising the strip, the old radio in my car, the smell of a freshly waxed hotrod running overly rich with glasspacks, the smell of my first serious girlfriend...it was WILD.

It is a really freaky drug.

I honestly don't believe that simply typing on a keyboard can "cause" carpal tunnel syndrome.

Don't you do insurance defense work? ;-)

BTW, I agree with you; but I couldn't resist.

You see, I can not stay away. The ER dr. has me on Methylprednslin Dispk 4mg which is generic for Medrol Dosepak 4mg. He also has me on a pain pill which for me is about as strong as my GI system can stand==Lorcet. Just about everything else also causes severe headaches. When I fell last June and hit my wrist and arm on the commode, I also tore the same rotator cuff that I had torn about 2 or 3 years before. I kept thinking it might be that since I never had the surgery my B’ham surgeon wanted me to have. I took the daughter and her 2 teens on a 2 week train trip through the NW Mountains and Parks instead. It did not hurt a bit after I got back and I can do anything with that arm such as raising my arm, putting my hand behind my back, etc. The ER dr said I had too much movement for that to be still bothering me. Guess we will just have to wait until I see the surgeon in B’ham. He is a great dr. who does repair work for college and pro athletes. If he can not find the problem then no one can. Most of my late husband's golf buddies have gone down there for TKR, etc. I do not know what the problem is but there have been too many nights lately when it has kept me up all night long and it is extremely hard to find anything on tv after midnight. I also wonder if I may have broken a tiny bone when I fell near my thumb but again, who knows what I did. Too many very odd things have happened to me over the years.