posted
I do..and this article says 25% of "Late Lyme" folks do. One of the reasons I ask is because the IDSA guidelines do not consider CCT a periphaly neuropathy. Which is crazy.
Carpal tunnel syndrome in Lyme borreliosis Dr. John J. Halperin, MD 1
Abstract Neurophysiologic evidence of median nerve entrapment in the carpal tunnel was present in 25% of patients with late Lyme borreliosis. Sixty-eight of 76 consecutive, prospectively studied patients with late Lyme underwent neurophysiologic testing. Nineteen reported intermittent hand paresthesias; 17 had neurophysiologically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome. This was not consistently associated with clinically apparent wrist arthritis or with neurophysiologically evident peripheral neuropathy. We conclude that a significant proportion of patients with late Lyme borreliosis develop carpal tunnel syndrome.
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in fact the carpal-tunnel is how the lyme was discovered.
after all my nerve tests came back normal, i was lucky enough to have a doctor somewhat knowledgable about lyme. he ordered a test and it came back positive.
Posts: 35 | From Washington, dc | Registered: Jul 2007
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posted
I was told I had Carpal Tunnel after severly cutting my thumb, and not feeling any pain... I refuted the hand surgeon's diagnosis and was sent to a neurologist who said she thought I had Lupus or MS - but tested me for Lyme as well.
A week later, the Lyme titer came back positive, and here we are, nearly 3 years later, still fighting Lyme with no symptoms of Carpal Tunnel.
A testament to why we should always get a second opinion...
-------------------- Sometimes when I say �Oh, I�m fine� I want someone to look me in the eyes & say �tell the truth�
posted
i was told all the time at the beginning of my disease I have CTS. It took years until someone mentioned lyme. unfortunately I was told to take steroids before. and i did. Now, six years later, I have still symptoms.
Posts: 226 | From earth | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Hides1 - You sound like me. I've had CTS for years, and didn't know it had anything to do with Lyme.
But, I didn't know I had Lyme, either.
I've had at least 2 nerve studies done by the neurologist, which showed more nerve damage each time. Duh!
I've had 2 hand surgeons want to do surgery, no thank you. I've got multiple braces to wear at night or during the day when either hand starts acting up on me.
Do they work? Not really.
Like everything else, it comes in waves! I take precautions to not aggravate it, but sometimes those lightening, shocking pains take me to my knees.
It's embarrassing when I *gasp* from the sudden raw pain. You can't help it, it's an automatic response.
So, YES! Carpal tunnel is one of my "things."
terri3boys
Posts: 268 | From Texas | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
My CTS pretty much is gone with antibiotic treatment. B12 injections help with nerve damge and repair and fish oils help too!! Don't lose hope the pain can go away!
Posts: 238 | From Bethlehem, PA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I know a massage therapist and somebody who teaches Feldenkrais, both of whom have cured people's carpal tunnel.
So if you are thinking of surgery, try some other modalities first. Because if you don't get rid of the cause (whether it be Lyme or ergonomic), carpal tunnel can come back after surgery.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Yes as well. Was the FIRST problem I had!!!
Started as wrist pain along with forearm swelling, numbness and pin and needles.
Then turned into loss of grip, weakness, twitching and jerking of the hand and a dreaded claw hand.
Has gotten better with treatment.
Thank god...lets me know that something is working.
Posts: 111 | From San Francisco | Registered: Feb 2007
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Oh my this just brought back a memory from 8 yrs ago. That was another of my early symptoms prior to the flu from hell.
I remember waking up and shaking my hands out. I knew many people in my company with this dx due to the repetative jobs they did. I was so puzzled because I supervised these employees and I did nothing repeative with my hands. My wrists & hands were constantly aching.
In the last 7 years, every part of my body has hurt so I used to it. I still have episodes every so often with pain, wake up screaming pain in my hands.
This is all so puzzling sometimes?????
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Most nutritionally oriented docs think Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is often caused by B6 deficiency. B6 is needed to absorb magnesium properly. Sure couldn't hurt to add some B6 or P-5-P (activated form of B6) to your supplements. Don't have time to look up references now. Pretty sure this has been discussed on LymeNet before.
Have also read that there is some research linking a virus (I forget which one) to CTS.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Wow! I saw the Brain Dr. who told me the numbness, tingling and pain in my arms and hands were from CTS. They did the electric nerve studies and verified CTS. The only thing to attribute this to is sleep position, or Lyme. Brain Dr. only believes in "post-lyme syndrome" which obviously warrants zero treatment. I did get a scrpit for splint and phys-therapy. I wish it was that easy, just forget about the Lyme all together, as if it has nothing to do with anything and move on. The Brain Dr. did.
Posts: 8 | From CT | Registered: Sep 2006
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Hissy, it's kind of hard to move on when your whole body is falling apart, huh? Part by part by part. It's a wonder the doc didn't give you a anti-depressant to help you get past it.
Can you say quack quack?
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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daise
Unregistered
posted
Hello everyone,
I have a small amount of carpel tunnel, as diagnosed by a neurologist. He was surprised it didn't hurt.
I replied that it did, but in relation to all my other complaints, that pain was very, very minor! I imagine this must be from Lyme neuro.
However, a couple years before that I had painful carpel tunnel--at the time of Bell's palsy.
I respect what all of you are saying. But I wanted to let you know what else can cause carpel tunnel: hypothyroidism!
I had severe hypothyroidism (TSH 75.) I had it for decades--undiagnosed. Getting thyroid hormone in me cured it in a couple months (plus I used a wrist brace and an extra amount of B-complex, over what my multiple had.)
Carpel tunnel is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Lyme can attack the thyroid. There are easy blood tests: TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. A person can also have hypothyroidism, even though the tests don't indicate it.
For those interested, I suggest Mary J. Shomon's book, Living Well With Hypothyroidism, 2005 edition. You might find it at a library.
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