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Fascia Tightening ??
Thank you both for taking the time to reply.
The surgeon did a very thorough job. The fascia and each of the muscle bellies in my forearm were opened up. I just think he may have done “too good” of a job for my particular physiology. As I alluded to, there is a significant swing in my symptoms and it is highly patterned. Awake, alert, mid-day, caffeinated and in air-conditioning – symptoms are present but liveable. But every night, when my body wants to sleep, the pain is over-the-top. I am taking excessive medication to be able to pass out and get any sleep at all. I have read that during the sleep cycle, the sympathetic nervous system relaxes, causing a significant decrease in muscle tone, a drop in blood pressure, and skin vessels dilate to warm the body. To me, the layperson, this seems to support what I am experiencing.
I have tried compression garments and I get some relief but it’s no where near enough. If I wear just the forearm/arm garment without anything on the hand, the blood pooling in the hand gets worse. This makes me nervous. But I wonder if just having the arm sleeve without the hand is cutting off superficial or skin blood return, and if actual muscle belly/fascia tightening (particularly to enhance deep venous flow) would be different. This is most definitely a major concern. I bought my sleeves at a medical supply store; I was measured and then placed into one of the existing standard sizes. Perhaps I might do better with something completely custom. Worth a try, thanks for bringing it up.
I’ve also tried a lymphatic pump – I get some relief during the 50 min cycle. But once the cycle is over and I take the sleeve off, the vessels immediately pool with blood. I’ve been looking into trying to get an ongoing pneumatic pump like what they put on your shins when you are in the hospital over night, that will run all night. The pumps are easy to find, but it doesn’t seem that they have hand/forearm sleeve for these devices. I’ve considered trying a pediatric leg cuff on my forearm, but I really feel I need the hand part to force blood flow in the proper direction. Because caffeine seems so beneficial, I have been exploring medication that induces vasoconstriction. I am *very much* at last resort. (And yes, I have made an appointment in Kentucky w/ a transplant surgeon, as kindly suggested.)
So I guess I’m still wondering… how are people doing a “fasciorrhaphy”, or “fascia tightening” for tummy tucks or mesh applications for hernia repairs ?? Can these be done in the forearm muscles — to a level of tension to increase muscle tone and intramuscular pressure?? Is there a reason these special repairs and suturing techniques can’t be done in the forearm fascia?
Much thanks for the replies.