What should i expect and ask?

charlotte34

I have been referred to a surgeon for carpel tunnel, i presume to have more tests. What my consultant didnt tell me was i have OA in my thumb, i think its starting in my finger and when i mentioned my knee he said it was wear and tear, did he mean OA?

Will the surgeon be investigating my oA or is this a diffeent department altogether? Im a little confused by it all so i made another GP appointment for 2nd june as that was the first i could gte, sometimes my thunb causes pain all day other times if i just move my thumb (very difficult not to do without a support) or touch it, put any pressure on it (i cant hold a tin can some days), which is hard not to do in every day life.

What questions should i ask my Gp and what treatment can i expect? is this going to get worse over time? can they do surgery on it?

Thanks for your help.

eastmidlandsman52

Hello there. I would've thought that the best course of action would be to refer you to a Rheumatologist. That way,you can would get a complete bodywide examination for all the affected joints - including Carpel Tunnel - from which a detailed diagnosis could be made and treatment prescribed. However, that is in the future.

More immediately,I would suggest you take a close and trusted friend with you when you go the GP in June. I would further suggest you write down a list of questions about everything and take this along with you. That way,both your friend and your list will prove invaluable in helping you get the most from your GP appointment.

"Wear & tear" appears to be a generic term used by both GPs and Specialists. The only proper way to determine to what degree "wear and tear" is to x-ray the affected joint(s). My own x-rays determined that my own "wear & tear" was in fact OA in the neck,spine and shoulder.

I know how daunting it is to go to a GP! If you follow my simple advice above,you and your trusted friend will benefit a lot from the visit! :!: By the way,I treated myself to an electric can-opener which also has a knife-sharpener and bottle-top opener on it. Its a Kenwood and came from Argos and worth its weight in gold bars!

All the best......

charlotte34 wrote:

I have been referred to a surgeon for carpel tunnel, i presume to have more tests. What my consultant didnt tell me was i have OA in my thumb, i think its starting in my finger and when i mentioned my knee he said it was wear and tear, did he mean OA?

Will the surgeon be investigating my oA or is this a diffeent department altogether? Im a little confused by it all so i made another GP appointment for 2nd june as that was the first i could gte, sometimes my thunb causes pain all day other times if i just move my thumb (very difficult not to do without a support) or touch it, put any pressure on it (i cant hold a tin can some days), which is hard not to do in every day life.

What questions should i ask my Gp and what treatment can i expect? is this going to get worse over time? can they do surgery on it?

Thanks for your help.

woodbon

Hello, I am having surgery to release my carpel tunnel next week. Here you are referred to a plastic sergeon who specialises in hands for this, as although its a quick op. done in an afternoon, the hands are difficult and a plastic sergeon is the person trained to do it. I was referred from a rhummy. My first appointment with the plastic surgeon was too check out the hand and confirm the diagnosis. He then explained what he would do and how it is done. Nice guy, much nicer than the rheummy! He had a better manner.

Good luck, I hope you soon get sorted out. Love Sue

markc1

Ahh...the old chestnut ''wear and tear'' :roll:

denpen

Hi Charlotte
The GPs say "wear & tear" and what they really mean is you have OA. I had suffered with wear & tear in my lower back for 15 years and my neck for roughly10 years I didnt even know that it was OA until this year because now I have it in my hips.
It seems to me that you get referred to a consultant for 1 thing and they deal with that. then you get referred again for the next thing. I dont know if it works this way for everyone but my consultant isnt interested in any other symptom other than the one I was referred with.
As for you GP "good luck" because they dont seem to understand how painful and the problems OA can cause to the patient, they just say its "wear & tear" and send you away with a few pills.
It does seem that some people have good a GP who does all they can to help. Lets hope yours is one of them.
Denise