Carpal tunnel problems

[mrm30]

Hello all. I am stricken with CTS. I have had the release surgery on both hands. My situation is this,the company I work for has accepted responsibility and I received WC benefits while I was out of work. I went back to work with a 2 week work restriction, then it was back to normal. I felt good for a while but my hands ,especially my right began to get sore and fatigued quickly. Soon they began to get numb at night again, anyone who has CTS knows what I am talking about. I told the Doctor and my Supervisor several times that I was having pain and numbness. The Dr. said it was normal to have some pain and to work through it and it would go away eventually. My supervisor agreed to try and move me around from job to job to avoid repetitive stresses. I have come to the point where I can no longer work with the pain at this level . My work claims they will not accomodate me with work that would not iritate my problem. There are other positions that I beleive would be better suited for someone with CTS, however my supervision has said they have done all they can do. I have gone over supervision's head to the division's Health and Safety and they responded by alerting my supervisor to my questioning of their actions. Now my supervisor is really pissed off at me. I have scheduled a new surgery to explore the wrist area more closely and the nerves for damage. The Dr. says this procedure is successful in improving results in only 10% of cases. Not very good odds. My options seem to be these.
1. Work with the pain and say nothing more. I cannot see doing this I am utterly crippled in my right hand after an extended period of normal work
2. Insist that I cannot do the job anymore and probably get fired and walk away with no job, no ability to work, and a probably small WC settlement.
3. Have the operation go back to work and hope the pain does not come back, and if it does say nothing, just suck it up and continue to grind it out

I know I was probably naive to think that going back to the same job would not cause the problem to come back, but I assumed the company I work for would not put someone with a history of CTS in a position that would aggravate the condition. I also thought that once I had the surgery it would eliminate the possibility of the same symptoms to return.
I am really at a loss right now I cannot believe how the system works. This company is responsible for injuring me and they can just abandon me after 20+ years of service for the price of a piddly settlement that their insurance company has to pay. Meanwhile I am crippled for life and unable to support my family.
I have a WC lawyer but he has been zero help. It seems he is only useful in the last moment of the case, the settlement which is all he ever really cared about anyway. Any advice any help anything would be appreciated

[jayne]

I dont have any help for you but be patient someone will come along that does...welcome to the board...and posting your state will help

[1171]

#4 get a second or third medical opinion.
#5 find a new job within your limitations. some states offer vocational rehabilitation or retraining benefits.

[Bummer Knees]

I do understand what you are going thru.

I had carpal tunnel surgery of the dominant hand February of this year, and also have been having problems.

When was your surgery, and how quickly did you return to work?

Carpal tunnel effects everthing we do with our hands, at work and at home.
Is it worth working this job only to loose use of your hand(s)?

What does the surgeon say about your work, does this doctor know of the additional problems you are having? You may need to have your work restrictions updated.

Have you had occcupational therapy for your carpal tunnel?

Does your state offer Voc Rehab, evaluation of what you can do and retraining?

Please post you state as work comp is state specific.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

I have had CTS, and surgery. It did take up to a good full year of working before the problems did go away. I would Ice the area up at lunch time also. When getting home I used heat at first, performed some home PT then Ice the area.

You need to first talk with your surgeon before going to another surgery. Surgeon may take you out of work for a short period, so don't just quite your job.

You State is needed also.

You need to give these nerves a good time to heal before you doing anything else. Returning to your work is best for you. Doing the same work as I did when returned to work, was also okay.

[Bummer Knees]

Good information Bad Boy.

I want to add one thing:

If you quit your job your work comp benefits will likely stop.

[mrm30]

I live in NY
The surgeries were right-July 09 left- August 09
I was out of work for 8 weeks total
If I have to work with the pain I guess I would in the end but, I just have a hard time accepting that I should have to. The little guy really does always get screwed in the end.
The next time I hear management tell the employees not to be afraid of reporting injuries I will have to control my reflex to laugh

[Bummer Knees]

Do you have problems with scar tissue?

I ask because this is often a problem with carpal tunnel.
I recently had a discussion with the surgeon about carpal tunnel & scar tissue.

Mine is also bilateral carpal tunnel with surgeries being 6 months apart.
Then dominant hand has scar tissue built up around the nerve, I've been doing massage and do see a slight improvement.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

mrm30 Wrote:I live in NY
The surgeries were right-July 09 left- August 09
I was out of work for 8 weeks total
If I have to work with the pain I guess I would in the end but, I just have a hard time accepting that I should have to. The little guy really does always get screwed in the end.
The next time I hear management tell the employees not to be afraid of reporting injuries I will have to control my reflex to laugh

(((The next time I hear management tell the employees not to be afraid of reporting injuries I will have to control my reflex to laugh)))
Why is that?

[mrm30]

Bad Boy Bad Boy Wrote:

mrm30 Wrote:I live in NY
The surgeries were right-July 09 left- August 09
I was out of work for 8 weeks total
If I have to work with the pain I guess I would in the end but, I just have a hard time accepting that I should have to. The little guy really does always get screwed in the end.
The next time I hear management tell the employees not to be afraid of reporting injuries I will have to control my reflex to laugh

(((The next time I hear management tell the employees not to be afraid of reporting injuries I will have to control my reflex to laugh)))
Why is that?

No one at work is helping me out. Ever since I reported this I have been getting crapped on. I can do other jobs in the factory, all I am asking for is to do something that will not be repetitive. Or at least rotate through jobs some repetitive some not. I can't get anyone to listen to me. The safety guy told my supervisor I was trying to get her in trouble!! Management had me written up because I didn't follow proper reporting procedures. I feel like they just want to get rid of me.