I don't know about the thumb problem, but I had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand on Aug. 4, 1997, and on the right hand on Sept. 3, 1997. But the time I had the surgery, my pain was so bad that I had quit going to bed at night; just sat in my recliner. When the first (left hand) surgery was done, I overheard the surgeon telling the anesthesiologist that it was the worst he'd ever seen. The day after the surgery, the nurse called and asked if I was in much pain, and I assured her that I was hurting bad . . . not the hand that had the surgery, but the other hand. They said they liked to wait three months to do the second hand, but I finally convinced them to do the second hand after one month; instant relief.
Of course it does make a difference as to whether you get the right doctor. My mother had carpal tunnel surgery in another town and it didn't help. Then she had it re-done by the doctor I used, and that fixed the problem
