Learn me carpal tunnel surgery/treatments/options/alternatives

I work at a computer, have for most of the last 25 years. For the last year or so I've been feeling pain in my right writs (right handed). I actually pick up things like glasses of burbon differently because I will occasionally get a sharp pain in my writs that can cause the item to drop. My wrist hurts most of the time now. I'll even try to keep my wrist straight while at rest to keep the pain away.  

What I have done is get a vertical mouse (it's great) to alter the position of my wrist. I am going to get one of those split keyboards as well.  

Anyway, I'm going to see a doc in January. I suspect he'll recommend surgery. Before I do that, I'd like to know what you have experienced. Did you go under the knife? Did you do something else? How long ago, and would you do anything differently if you could to back in time? 

I wear wrist braces at night. Seems to help. 

I don't wake up with numb hands anymore.

Surgery is the last thing I want for just about anything. 

I think they're more likely to recommend other things before they go for surgery - therapy, changes to habits (like using the different mouse you already have), wearing a brace, etc.

Wrist braces didn't do a thing for me.  I had the surgery after dealing with this for 20+ years. One of the best things I ever did. 

Im still in recovery from wrist surgery last month.  Not carpel tunnel but 2 cysts one upper one lower that were competeing to press on nerves and arteries.  So different scenario, ymmv.  The op itself was easy.  2 weeks in a hard splint and now I wear a brace as much as I can for a couple of months.   Its helped for sure.  I still have some pain but Im only 4 weeks out of surgery and I dont rest as much as I should.   But I was loosing grip strenght in my primary hand so I had to do something.  So far I dont regret it.

My Dad drew blueprints for fifty years and had surgery later in life.  I think I might have some issues too. It was one hand then the other down the road.  

It worked and he wasn't sure it worked but it's one of those that he forgot of the pain he was having.  I'm not sure as I have pain 2-3x a month so until it's daily pain?

In reply to ShawnG :

Same here.  I'm waiting for a consultation with the surgeon. We'll see how that goes 

Braces didn't do me any good. Tingly fingers, losing grip strength, waking up with pain so bad I couldn't get back to sleep.  Had the surgery, did the PT, got my hand back.

My wife was assumed to have carpal tunnel for years, turns out she was gluten intolerant.

Not saying it is a thing for everyone, but interesting 

I can't offer any input about surgery, but when I was getting more and more wrist pain from using a mouse, I switched to a trackball. The wrist pain resolved pretty quickly. That was about ten years ago and I haven't had any wrist problems since. YMMV, of course.

Wife was a dental hygienist, had wrist problems years ago when she worked too many hours.  Warm and cold water soaks after work and a brace at night helped.  Less hours working helped more.  I second the trackball, haven't used a mouse for decades.

About 1.5yrs ago I thought I was facing carpal tunnel surgery- after some fun tests involving electrical signals through needles stuck into my arms, they figured out it was actually nerves in my neck and upper back causing the majority of my hand issues.  I've been doing physical therapy exercises for that ever since and it has helped immensely, without the need for a long surgical recovery.

Now I have some new upper back problems resulting from the PT stuff slowly pulling my shoulders back an inch or so, but you know, one step at a time. 

I got one of these roller mouse things for my wife that has had wrist issues.  She loves it so far.

I've got in both wrists. I think that it's being aggravated my my getting-back-in-shape regimen. The one time I heavily suffered from it in the past was when I switched back from being a desk jockey to a sheet metal worker. Once my wrists strengthened up again, The CT went away. Seriously hope that will happen again.