This (probably) carpal tunnel is driving me nuts... can someone give me some relief before the doctor tonight?

I am glad you are going to the doctor. Do you know how you injured it?

it started last fall when I had a ton of Christmas crocheting to get done… I laid off the crocheting, as soon as I could, even not finishing some projects I had promised to people, but my hand still went dead every night. Just lately, it’s gotten much worse pretty quickly. That part I can’t explain.

Put it in a volar splint.

For very temporary relief, what works for me is to shake the hand out and move it up and down while opening and closing my hand.

Do try and find a comfortable brace or splint; it makes a lot of difference!

Yes, it is possible. You could have trigger thumb, which requires surgery.

Stop using your thumb and your right hand at all if possible.

I wish I could show you, but I have a technique that worked for me when I had problems: I use the thumb and middle finger of the opposite hand to squeeze the wrist joint of the affected side. It loosens things up, and pain fades away. Sometimes I have to flex the wrist back and forth while squeezing to get relief. I get best results if it pops, but if it hurts I stop.

I have suffered from this several times and it sucks when it wakes you with your wrists in sheer pain.
ICE, then Heat. Try to immobilize your wrist as best as possible.
Wear tops with loose fitting arms to give as best a blood flow through your arms and wrists.
Try to not make any quick movements of your wrist and lay off the keyboard and mobile device.

heh yeah, unfortunately, I use both the computer and mobile devices to do my job. Sigh.

My sister said that alternating between ice and heat for 30 minutes every hour gave her some relief. She had a special ice/heat pack that strapped around her hand. After surgery, she continued to have pain and used the same method.

I am not an expert, but I remember reading an article that said once you get the symptoms, you have already caused the damage so do go to the doctor. Serious business. Hope it feels better soon.

Also, if your workplace have a health and safety officer, get them to work with you to make sure your desk/work space is ergonomically set up. (If you have an official workspace that is). If you work at home, do some research yourself. Make sure you monitor (even when you are fluthering) is at the right height and your keyboard at the right height etc. Mouse use is one of the worst things, you can get special mouses (mice?) that are designed to change the way you click. See if you can pick one up if that causes you any pain.

My mom has a genius chiropractor (he was an engineer previously) who massages her wrists and forearms to “open up” her thumb joint and hand. Maybe you can find a chiropractor or occupational therapist (they work with hands) to do some work on your arm??

I ended up having my appointment cancelled last night… I had to reschedule for Monday, but today I got a bolt of pain in my wrist through the pad under my thumb… so bad I dropped my fork. I’m going to a walk-in clinic by my house in a bit.

They took a round of xrays… I have a surprisingly comfy (for the most part) brace that I actually managed to sleep with all night. For the first time in months and months I didn’t wake up with a dead hand. Though, as soon as I take it off, my thumb is noticeably more tingly. Doctor definitely mentioned surgery as a possibility. Sigh.

So nice to hear that the new brace helped you rest. Wrist/hand surgery was the last thing I wanted to hear too. I hope you can remedy it without undergoing surgery.