prayers coming that way.

It was one of the easier surgeries I've had.  When I went in to the doc the
next morning so he could take the mitt off my hand and replace it with
bandages, all I wanted to know was how soon can we do the other one.

I never had any pain post op that came close to the pain from the hand
before surgery.  I think it was two weeks, no more than that I had to keep
the incision covered.  Its a nuisance to keep a bandage on the palm of your
hand.  I'd recommend plain cotton gloves that you can get at the drug store
to cover the hand and keep the bandage.  Double surgical gloves taped around
the arm will keep it dry so you can shower and wash you hair.  (No one
should be expected to wash dishes or clean house till they recover
completely.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Jo

    I had this surgery on my left hand in 2006.
    I think I was told that it should be back to full function in about
    six weeks. But it took more than three months, long enough to have me
    convinced that I would never again have the strength to open a jar,
    and I don't mean a jar that hasn't been started yet. But the
    excruciating pain in the wrist that drove me to have the surgery
    was immediately relieved, replaced by the les acute post-op pain

    I was also told that I had waited so long that I could expect
    residual problems like tingling not to be relieved. That prediction,
    too, seems to have been wrong.

    Apparently recovery time must vary sharply among patients.

                            --thelma
          who very recently easily opened *two* never opened jars.
                 

My sister Iris (the one with the stubborn knee infection, now gone) is
having a carpal tunnel release done this Friday. Her surgeons see some
urgency in doing this now because she has sustained damage as a result
of using the walker for over the 18 months or whatever it was that she
was battling the infection. Her doc says she could potentially lose
the use of her hands if she delays. We are concerned about her having
surgery so soon, and hope they know what they are doing.

How long is the post-op recovery usually?

the surgery itself takes only about 15 minutes.  so, the post-op recovery
from anesthesia is very short, too.   i had a hand specialist do mine and
remove a bone thing from the base of my thumb.  still, mine took only 15
minutes.

my hand specialist strongly believes in ot for any hand surgery and i do,
too.  so, i had roughly 2 or 3 months of hand therapy.  for almost any
surgery, it generally takes about a year for the doctor to know that you are
where you will be in the end result.  it seemed to me that he/we knew at the
end of my hand therapy because it went so well.

i think it is where the incision is made, in the palm or the wrist, that
partly determines how long the sutures stay in.  but generally, they are
removed in 7-14 days.  my incisions were in my palm and at the inside base
of my thumb.  but the incision site must be kept dry for a relatively short
time afterwards.  i forget, exactly, but i think it was about a month.  my
hand surgeon wanted me to gently start using my hand, with a palm-padded and
protective leather glove, that reminded me of a bowling glove, as soon as
the sutures were removed.  hth

kate

    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to
understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

Thank you very much to all who replied. SJ and Harv, thanks for the
prayers. Jo, Thelma, and Kate, thanks for sharing your experiences. I
will pass the word on.
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

Rose, will be ptating for Iris, her doctors, and all who are involved in
taking care of her.
Gwen

My sister in law was just over a week and she was using it quite a bit.
Swelling went right down.  Mine was different because it was the start of RA
and the RA never did let the wrists go down.

It was a great quick surgery though with no pain results - I wouldn't delay
it at all.

Kelly

recovery depend on duration , amount of pressure over median nerve and
other medical problem,mostly recover form 3 wks to 6 th month.
1st remove the cause then rehabilition start.
and pray.

My carpal tunnel releases were done back in '89 when the surgery was
relatively crude compared to today.  Many docs now do it through very small
incisions and the recovery is fast and easy.  Even mine, with the larger
incision, was far easier than my other surgeries.  Of course, by now she is
through the surgery and, I hope, well on the way to recovery again.

I used to know a woman who delayed her releases until she absolutely could
not tolerate it any longer.  Turned out she'd delayed so long she had
permanent, irreversible nerve damage and faced years of suffering nerve pain.
So, the docs may well be doing what is best for Iris.  Hopefully, with the
other infection all gone now, her recovery from this will be smooth and easy.