Tingling in hand

[dunastor]

Whether people on this forum are doctors or not, you can never make a diagnosis just by the story on the net.
A decent doctor should always go see his patient himself and make sure what's the exact problem.

So if you think something may be wrong, just go see your own physician.

especially in neurology, where there are a number of physical diagnostic tests one can do on the patient to figure out what's wrong....

[MikeHarm]

She probably is using a pistol grip that doesn't fit her hand properly.

[drh]

Actually, just to clarify, I did *not* start this post with the goal of asking for medical advice. I realize this is not a medical discussion group. I simply wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this, and if so, what they did. There will be no "lawsuits" (as someone mentioned on this post), even if it turns out the information everyone gave is wrong. And I really don't think the Olympic Committee will take any interest in this at all...

MikeHarm: actually, I am a she.... And this nerve problem is in my left hand, which is not the hand I fence with.

Off to the doctor in about five minutes.

[whtouche]

Well good luck and be sure to post his or her findings as to what specifically ails you. With all the speculation as to the possibilities Im sure most would be interested to know what it actually turns out to be.

Good luck, and hopefully it's nothing serious.

[drh]

Just an update in case any one is interested...

I went to the doctor and had X-rays taken, and the doctor thinks I probably have some sort of inflammation on the left side of my neck that is putting pressure on my nerve. He gave me anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medication and said to go back to see him if it doesn't clear up by the time the medication runs out.

He said it probably wasn't caused by the fencing, but aggravated by it. But he said that I should be able to continue fencing without a problem unless I experience more pain.

He also said I probably need to buy a new pillow...the one I'm using doesn't give enough support.

Anyway, it's a relief to know that the damage is probably not permanent. I just hope that it clears up so we don't have to start ruling out other possibilities!

Thank you for all of your replies to my question!

[hscoach]

Have more work done. An xray will not show nerve damage. I also had tingling and finally found out it was due to nerve damage in my spinal cord (syrinx). The nerve damage was not due to fencing but fencing saber seemed to aggravate it. Everytime I parried (which I wish was more often) I would feel the tingling.

[morael]

drh, glad to hear the news from your doc! Of course, that's what they always say: take two anti-inflammatory and call my receptionist in the morning.

Reading this thread reminded me of primeval times, when I first started dating the man who's now my husband. His previous girlfriend was a medical student, and he used to read her books. Every pain was mortal, every sneeze was terminal. I really had my work cut out for me. Still he was right about my stomach ache that turned out to be appendicitis...

Assuming no further dire complications, put on your gift list a head, neck and shoulders massage from a professional.

[erzo]

I was waking up with "Tingling in hand, numbness, etc" So I went to the local Physiotherapist. I explained the problem. He put his finger in the middle of my right shoulder blade and pressed, he was so accurate he should fence!. Solved after a couple a sessions of loosening up this knot (more pain) and stretching exercises before fencing. I have now moved on to other injuries.

[Peach]

I have tingling in my hands often, which is carpal tunnel syndrome and to which I pay no attention whatsoever because I've had it for over twenty years. I went to the doctor back then and he said, "Don't worry, you don't have MS," which startled me because MS hadn't occurred to me. I fix it by sleeping differently when it starts to happen, or by changing hands on the steering wheel or the bicycle handlebars.

I also used to lose sensation in my right arm at night when I'd been to softball practice (I was a catcher). It was weird waking up with this thing flopping around on my right side, and frightening for a while. I didn't fix it. It went away when I gave up softball.

These days I have pain in my right hip which can be incapacitating, and having been through X-rays and MRIs, physical therapy and a bunch of blather from a couple of doctors, I can say that it's probably not a serious spinal problem but pinching of the nerve in the piriformis aggravated by the asymmetrical stance of fencing, and there's not much I can do about it. I fix it by stretching, working hard on my fencing form, and switching to a different strategy when it's acting up.

In other words, from my experience, "neurological" symptoms are very very very often not all that important, and shopping around for a diagnosis, though not a horrible idea, isn't gonna be that rewarding.

[Victor]

Like my grand-pappy used to always tell me, "Son, if it tingles, you're doin' it right. ... If it burns, it's time to stop."

That advice applies to so much in life. (sniffle) I miss grand-pappy.

[Inquartata]

You don't have brothers named Bret and Bart by any chance, do you, Victor?