Question
Hi there,

I am hoping maybe you an give a fresh view on this.
My husband is 44 years old and until 2002 in good health.  He ended up with a work injury which started as a repetitive stress injury that has escalated to a permanent debilitating handicap now.

He had what we can only assume now to be carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands but due to misdiagnoses and intolerance of his employer progressed to become a chronic pain that does not allow him to work or take part in day to day activities.

After several years of doctors appointment, surgery and such we are no closer to his being pain free.

He experiences burning pain in both hands and forearm, which he describes as "feels like my arms are submerged in ice water,then burns and itches, finally becoming numb and pins and needles.  This is constant in varying stages and never really subsides.  He has had physiotherapy, surgery (ulna tunnel pin release) dozens of medications and nothing has offered any form of relief for him.

As a result, he also developed sciatica, type 2 diabetes and  high blood pressure problems as well.

He used to be extremely strong but now he can barely grip a cup of coffee, has no fine motor skills left and has become unable to pursue any form of activity.  He cannot fish, do yardwork, house work, driving in only short spurts as the vibration drives his arms wild.  Intimacy is almost impossible.

His most recent visit to a rhumatologist may indicate a thoracic issue but no answers as yet.

Any ideas or insight would be very welcome.
Thank you

Answer
Hi Sandra

Thanks for your question. I am really sorry to hear your husband is having so many problems. I want to start by saying that I'm not a physician, and am basing my responses on my own knowledge and on the experiences of many of my psychology clients.

I suspect your right about the original problem possibly being carpal tunnel syndrome. In my experience, the set of problems that he is having is among the most difficult to get under control, and there are frequently many complications.

I can only assume that so far they have not really identified the actual underlying cause of the pain, which now sounds like a pretty advanced neuropathy.

Has he been evaluated at a large medical center or teaching hospital with a chronic pain program? There is a lot of variability in how much experience medical personnel have in the area of pain.

Has he had an MRI of the cervical and thoracic spine? Again, I would think that as much treatment as he has been through this has probably been done. The radiating pain into the arms can be due to impingement of the nerves in the shoulder area, but could also be due to stenosis, bone spurs, or disc problems in the cervical or thoracic spine.

In addition to continuing the search for a sound medical answer and treatment, I'd suggest that you buy the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It addresses the use of meditation as a way of helping people with chronic pain or other health problems. I feel strongly that people with chronic pain need to try to tend to their psychological and spiritual lives. The meditation approach this book talks about has been well documented to help people not necessarily eliminate pain, but maintain the best standard of living they can.

Best wishes to you and your husband.

I hope the rheumatologist is onto something that may ultimately prove helpful.

Barry Hughes, Ph.D.