BILLINGS - Waiting tables can be a hectic and thankless job, but most wouldn't consider it dangerous. However one Billings woman found herself suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome after years as a server.

Robyn O'Nan has been serving food at Yellowstone Country Club for years. She first noticed symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome 4 years ago. But at the time Robyn didn't know what she was developing. "I had no idea what it was," says Robyn.

Symptoms started with tingling in her fingers, and got worse from there. "I would be sleeping, wake up and my whole arm would be like needles. Like when your arm or leg falls asleep, only more so, so much that it would scare me. I would walk up and down the hall to get the feeling back in it before I could go back to sleep and 45 minutes later I would be back up." says Robyn. Robyn mentioned her symptoms to a doctor she knew and he was convinced right away that she was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. "She may have genetically small canal with bones, but she did develop it over time." says orthopedic surgeon Dr. Barry Smith with Billings Clinic.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow space in your wrist that lets tendons pass from your arm to your hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes the tendon to thicken, compressing the nerves inside. Often doctors will try using splints to keep the hand from doing whatever repetitive motion that may be causing it. If that doesn't work they can use cortisone or anti-inflamatory shots to decrease swelling. But in Robyn's case, surgery was the answer. Dr. Smith says the surgery provides instant relief. "It should get rid of that numbness right away." says Smith.

Since it affected both wrists for Robyn, she had to have 2 surgeries. "I'm excited to get it done." The first procedure was done on her right wrist in July, and a few months later, with complete function back in that hand, she's excited to have the right one done too.