Slight Carpal Tunnel: Finger Weakness

[darric1]

Andy,

If you search some of my previous posts, I also have finger weakness. My fingers on my right hand are definitely weak. I cannot grip or push with them like I used to. This does also include my pinky finger. I have had 2 EMG's on this hand and both came out normal. My doctor thinks slight carpal tunnel. Actually, I have to schedule another EMG for this hand again because my neuro wants to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not get worse. But he is not worried about NMD and either am I. I have been cleared with a clean EMG, and so have you. He just wants to make sure my carpal tunnel does not get past the point of no return and I have permanent weakness. There are many things that cause finger weakness, and any nasty disease is very low on that list, especially with your clean EMG. Ulnar nerve entrapement is a primary cause of pinky weakenss and a person can get this just from sleeping on their arm the wrong way.

Also, when my anxiety was at it's highest about 1 1/2 years ago, so was my hand weakness. I don't think it was a coincidence. Therefore, I am a proven fact that anxiety can cause weakness. And as Sue said, she has gone through a very similiar experience. So you are not the only one.

 

[AndyStreams]

thanks man-- this is exactly why I'm psyched that this site is here. I really think I would be in MUCH worse shape altogether if I didn't know about everyone else's stories and experiences from this forum.

I am doing better today. I am getting weird tremors and shakes (and all the expected muscles aches) but my finger can lift again. That was so freaky-- I just couldnt move it, beyond pulling it in and making a fist. It was just flopping around on the keyboard.

I am still a little shaken up-- why are my muscles so weak that they would just shut down? Or even cause the type of tremors I have today? I think I should follow up on my neck injury with an MRI to see how things are healing. I got a compression fracture in my neck/upper spine last september. While my docs insisted that it couldnt cause fasciculations all over my body, I would like the peace of mind of knowing that 8 months later it is healing properly.

My little cousins are visiting this weekend, so I'll see if I'm strong enough to carry around a 2 year old for a few days! Thanks again everyone for your posts and support. Definitely helped my mental state last night.

 

[LisaQ.]

Hi Andy,
I guess I should clarify, (which actually may help you to feel even better...)

I had a virus about 9 years ago that left me feeling really weak and weird. That was the first of my three MS work ups.

It turned out to be a post-viral syndrome, and I never felt quite "right" after that.

The twitching began a couple of years into that, only I didn't realize I was twitching. I thought I was having weird "pulses" everywhere in my body, (and I mean EVERYWHERE. )

So, when I got my worst flare-up of bfs symptoms, with weakness, tremors, ratcheting, slurred speech, essentially every symptom of every dreaded disease, all at once, (I could barely walk,) of course I thought I was dying. That was 2 and 1/2 years ago. It was then when I noticed the finger weakness, had my 2nd and 3rd MS work-ups, and finally concluded on my own that I had bfs. My gp of course agreed with me and we were both very relieved to get me the hell out of his office week after week.

I found this site, ironically because my husband had been dx'ed with bfs, and we went through the whole **S scare. That was about five years ago. Because the syndrome is called b "F" s, I never associated it with any other symptoms like perceived weakness, (even though my hubby had complained of shoulder and leg weakness,) because I thought it was just about the twitching. Now I can think of another choice word for that "F" to represent.

When I finally figured out that these little "pulses" were actually fascics, (Big DUH to me,) I visited this board and started reading lots of stories about people with my exact symptoms. I know what you mean, you hate to say "I'm so glad you're suffering too," but you sure are glad to hear you're not alone.

Anyway, my point is that we can have waxing and waning symptoms that get exacerbated by stress, viral infections, etc, so it isn't uncommon to suddenly have a brand new symptom years into this thing.

Hope this helps,
Blessings,
Sue

ps-Hi Wolvster. )

 

[hCapitalize]

If your finger is working again it can't be the motor neurones that were to blame, cos apparantly once something goes with that, it stays that way and the power never comes back.

One morning I woke up with not only my right hand dead, as is it usually is, but with my whole arm paralysed, not just lack of feeling, but just hanging there unable to move at all. I was totally freaked out cos I was on holiday at the time. However the first thing I did was to go through a series of mental checks, to see if I could talk, know who I was, do simple calculations, and after getting out of the bed, I just waited till the arm came back on line a bit at a time, which it did fortunately else it would have been an ambulance call. When the same thing happened a second time, after I had gone to sleep in a bad position I was not scared any more because it was familiar and I knew it was just a pinched nerve and the arm would come back.

 

[AndyStreams]

Hey all, my finger is fully functional again. The fact that it happened still weirds me out, but I wanted to thank everyone for the support and kind words. I have my first game tonight (it was the first practice last week) so I'll be interested to see how my body reacts. If my whole hand becomes nonfunctional or something like that, you will likely see another post from me tonight.

PlayfulPants-- I had the EXACT same thing happen a couple of months ago. I think I was so groggy and half asleep that it didn't even phase me. I just woke up in the middle of the night unable to move my arm. It didn't take long, probably a minute or so, and it was back "on line" again. I almost ALWAYS wake up with my arms asleep these days. It seems to be that "ulnar nerve" that you are talking about; alot of the times I will wake up and it will be the side of my arm two fingers totally asleep (ring and pinky).

 

[strawberryninja]

Hooray
I was worried about you. Glad to hear you're on the mend.