Hi girls,

Anyone have any advice for relieving the symptoms of this?? Currently waiting for a referal to the physio so I can get some splints (I will probably have had this baby by then!!) but it is really making me miserable. Am massively swollen up which must be why I have this - my hands and feet look alien to me!

Anyway I get extreme numbness in my finger tips and incredibly sore arms and neck at various points during the day that makes it really hard to do things. Wondered whether there was anything I could do to relieve this at all?!

Liz x
35 weeks

Sorry to hear you are suffering, my best friend gave birth 2 weeks ago and she had this in both hands throughout her pregnancy. Sorry I cant offer much but I know that rest is the key thing. She restricted using her hands a lot - the mobile was a no no unless on hands free. And she had to sleep on her back b/c if she slept on either side it made it worse - but then her baby didnt turn from breech and she needed a c-sect but her ob-gyn didnt try to do or suggest anything to encourage her to turn! :evil:

I hope someone else can offer some advice for you to make you more comfortable x

Hi Ruby Shoes, I'm suffering quite badly with this. During the night and the mornings are the worse - I call them my claw hands!! I find that once I've been in the shower in the morning, they ease up quite a bit, but sometimes I do struggle to hold a pen at work. The midwife suggested splints but said they would be so restrictive, and that If I can manage without them, then to do so.

I hope it disappears once Bubs arrives - I'm going to struggle to pick him/her up during the night with my claw hands!

Rucky 36 & 4

I recently had a physio appoint for spd and she said that I had mild symptoms that match carpal tunnel but is not if that makes sense. She has suggested that when I get home I raise my hands above head like lady muck (her words). Reducing the blood flow is supposed to help ease it. Hope it gets better for you soon or you manage to see a physio soon.

I have this too. Physio advised me to place icepacks on the inside of each wrist for 10-15mins before bed. Then do some excercises, make 'star' shapes out of your hands @ 10 times. I also wear the splints in bed. They take a bit of getting used to. I was also advised to get a wrist rest for my keyboard at work. Physio actually told me to restrict use of the keyboard but that's pretty impossible to do at work! Another thing to do is to elevate your hands if they're starting to go numb / tingly (as Jodibump suggested). Hope these work x

Hiya!

I've got the start of this I think...my fingers are so sore plus I've got funny tingling in the pads by my thumbs :cry:

I'm trying to do the arm elevation thing plus I read that it can be down to fluid retention/oedema of the nerve endings, i'm following the advice given for normal fluid retention/swelling and going to up my intake of plain water.

Still wearing my wedding ring but my engagement ring's too tight now - gutted!

(((Hugs))) to all suffering with it xxx

SF - 33+4 xxx

Thanks girlies - some good advice there. There seem to be a few of us suffering from this!

Will try the ice before bed as I do find it much worse at night. Both my rings are off now - I miss my lovely sparkly jewellery, hoping that as soon as I pop all these horrible symptoms disappear

Thanks again ladies

Liz x

Hi Rubyshoes

I've been suffering with this too. Midwife sent me straight to the ante natal clinic at the hospital where they gave me some wrist splints. No wait for physio. It might be worth ringing her & asking?

The splints do take a bit of getting used to but I only wear them in bed & they really do relieve the pain. Still get swollen hands & fingers so can't wear my rings but at least I get to sleep through the night better.

Hope it eases for you soon
xx

I had carpal tunnel during my first pregnancy but it is a lot worse this time. I am very restricted in what I can do, especially first thing in the morning. I can't even brush my hair until I've been out of bed for at least an hour. I have a 20month old toddler so changing her in the morning is really difficult and I can't really carry her which she finds quite difficult - at least she's getting used to it before LO comes along.

Anyway the splints are an absolute must. If I don't wear them at night then I am awake within 3 hours in agony - the pain is so bad that I am crying and pacing the house. I need to adjust my position both in bed and on the sofa on a regular basis even with the braces and wake up about 5 every morning. If the pain is too bad to sleep then I take a couple of cocodamol (prescribed by the doctor) but I don't really like taking them this far on in pregnancy. The ice packs also help but aren't perfect.

I would chase up the physio. My doctor took one look at me and sent me to the hospital out-patients physio straight away. She just wrote me a referal letter and I walked in and was given the splints so quickly I didn't even have to pay for parking. If you play on the fact you can't sleep then they start to take you seriously as that can affect the health of your pregnancy. Also get some painkillers - not ideal but sleep is essential.

H xx
36+1

I've had this in both pregnancies - in the 1st it only came on in the last couple of months but this time it started when I was approx 10 wks! Was really painful. I do know in majority of cases it disappears after birth (and did in my 1st pg).
This time I tried an alternative therapy called Bowen technique (google it for more info / local therapists) and after two sessions it improved it no end. It hasn't completely gone (am now 28 wks) but I'm no longer in pain.
It cost me about ??40 per session but I only needed two so thought it was worth it! I also wear splints.
Hope that helps. Liz

I've had Carpal Tunnel since I was 18 and am too wussy to go through the operation. (Who know's childbirth might sort me out!) It's been creeping in stronger since I found out I was pregnant. Lots of pins and needles! I had physio before and was told to put an elastic band or bobble around my fingers and push it outward with my fingers, if that makes sense. I keeps them moving, Also, I found rubbing/ massaging at the soft paddy bits at the bottom of your fingers, especially your thumb, loosens things up. Hope this helps x

I've had problems with carpel tunnel off and on for years and it got bad when I was pg with my son so I got a physio referral for splints which helped - the physio said rest, stretching excercise and splints when asleep s the best thing to help.

One thing she said was to absolutely not wear a tubigrip bandage when pregnant as you retain extra fluid and the tubigrip will squash that around and not help at all - I can't remember the exact explanation about it but I'm glad I insisted on the physio referral seeing as my mw had told me to just carry on wearing tubigrips!!!

Definately chase your physio appt as the midwife told me (mine got bad again this time) that being pregnant then you should get an appointment within 2 weeks. I've just got mine through for the beginning of sept which will actually be 4 weeks from when I saw the mw but I'm not suffering too badly or I'd ring up and try and get one sooner.

With you saying you are having problems in your neck too I'm wondering if it might help you if you went for a pregnancy massage - it might help to loosen something up maybe. I had one when I was pg with my son and it really madea difference to all my aches and pains.

I did find that after a yaer off on maternity leave with much less computer use obviously not being at work I have had very very little problems since going back to work part time so I can definately say resting your wrists as much as you can will help.

Hope you get your appt soon

Thank you so much for all your advice girls - I will look into the pregnancy massage as well as my neck and shoulders are very sore as well.

Damn numb fingers making my life a misery at the moment

Liz x