Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

No, it doesn't have anything to do with my cubical at work. Though some days that could cause me to develop some type of syndrome. Especially when the neighbors are loud. Give me drugs!

I've been having pain issues with my elbow for over a year now. Last time I had a physical, I mentioned it to Sheryl Young, ARNP - she's my nurse practitioner and friend. She used to practice in Creston, as a partner to my doc Chuck Hoyt, but now she works here in DSM. At my physical she X-rayed my arm but we couldn't see anything. Never-the-less, it continues to burn in pain right near the funny bone. Mostly when I drive or dry my hair.

When I saw Sheryl right after the first of the year for my sore throat and head cold, I told her again about the elbow. It wasn't getting any better. She hooked me up with a Doc to do a nerve test. No...not that kinda nerve test - like you're on my last nerve. But more like a study of the nerves in my left arm. Dr. William Koenig hooked me up to a couple machines and zapped me with electrical currents, and stuck me with needles. Nice guy!

It wasn't really too bad. And the doc told me what was going on the whole time. Once he was done, he told me the good news - no diseases of those nerves. And nothing dire or too degenerative. But my ulnar nerve is entrapped at the elbow. Otherwise known at Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

It can be caused by breaking my arm - which I did as a child. Damn playing "boys chase girls" at age 4! That's how I broke it. Or since the symptoms showed up so recently...more likely it was one of those falls in the last couple years. How about the banana-peel like one off the little wooden stool when I thought it would be a good idea to oil the cabinets in the kitchen. I thought I was paralyzed - but thank goodness no.

What to do. I talked to Sheryl today. She's lining me up with a surgeon. Not that I've made my mind up about surgery. Another option is splinting my arm at night and working on not bending it any more than necessary. Yeah...we'll see what the surgeon says.