My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Pregnancy is one of the best thing that can ever happen to a woman. That's exactly what I feel. I feel euphoric and relieved that I am not sterile ( my husband and I was trying for years to conceive). With pregnancy comes a series of symptoms and effects. I was lucky I never felt morning sickness and my clinician told me based on my battery of tests that I am at the level of low risk pregnancy. The thing is...I am suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. I encountered the word during my college days, but never imagined it to befall me.
Carpal tunnel happens when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand - houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm.
Women could suffer carpal tunnel than man because women has smaller carpal tunnel. A lot of factors contribute to carpal tunnel. Some of these are hypothyroidism, work stress, rheumatoid arthritis or like my case, due to water retention because of pregnancy.
I started feeling pain and numbness down from my fingers up to my arms when I was in my 4th month of pregnancy. I couldn't sleep straight at night. I tend to woke up and shake my hands because of intense pain, and numbness. The pain would start from my fingers especially ny middle and ring fingers and would radiate to my elbow part. At times I cry. At first I dismissed what I'm feeling from my mind and say it'll go away. 2 weeks later, I eventually got an appointment with our primary physician and after some questions and tests he gave me a wrist support to wear during bedtime. That's a relief, I'm telling you. And more good news, he added it'll eventually disappear after I give birth. The bad news, I'm one of those few who suffer this during pregnancy. By the way, both hands are affected. And every time I wear those wrist support, My brother in law thinks I'm going to combat.
I slept better at night after that. I'm on my 7th month now, and recently, I noticed pain below my thumb that wasn't there before. I guess, It is due to more water retention and am praying it won't worsen.
Pregnancy certainly has it's ups and downs but the ups outweighs the downs. Simply looking forward to the birth of our "Janna" makes it all worthwhile.
