Carpal tunnel or larger upper body RSI? (Negative EMG)

[rdchicago]

Hello-
Because of pain caused by typing, this post might seem terse but is just meant to be efficient and perhaps helpful not just to me but to others...

27 yo female, history of headaches & neck pain & tension; frequent work at a computer but certainly not 40 hrs/ week, as I am freelance and have days off at a time.

In the last month: bilateral wrist pain & numbness in thumb & first two fingers led to 2 doctors diagnosing me with carpal tunnel. Splints helped the pain but aggravated the parasthesias. Advil didn't do the trick, nor corticosteroids; meanwhile, pain worsened, moving up both sides of my forearms, then into wrist joints themselves; increasing parasthesias in both hands & palms; numbness spread to ulnar nerve path (ring finger & pinky) & pain spread to what I believe is the radial nerve path - the backs of my hands.

Pain exacerbated by daily activities, walking dogs, driving, using the computer, but does NOT seem to improve with rest, as I also have spontaneous pain. Pain now occurs in upper arms as well, but usually not all at once - it's either wrist, forearm, or upper arm. I have also had a major increase in nausea, especially in the evening or after physical exertion. Headache stemming from the back of my head and radiating into the temples was present for 8 days straight and is finally starting to abate.

EMG/NCS normal, showing only very minor "wasting" in the muscle at the bas of my left thumb, with is the more symptomatic sign.

In past few days, the numbness has started to occur in my feet! I feel that this should raise red flags, yet both my neurologist and PCP still believe it's carpal tunnel or chronic fatigue. All this before ANY blood work has been done...and I go through a very highly regarded medical system for all of my medical problems! These are highly educated physicians!

Currently waiting on blood work results, but wondering how I would go about figuring out whether this is a larger upper body issue and carpal tunnel is just a symptom; after all, I have symptoms related to multiple nerves! Are there reliable tests/ imaging studies for thoracic outlet syndrome or similar conditions?

Can carpal tunnel lead to entrapment of other nerves (ulnar?) Can carpal tunnel still be the problem with a negative EMG/NCS finding? Is EMG accurate in detecting nerve entrapment that stems from the chest or neck? I can't figure out who to go to or what imaging to have done to determine whether this really is an RSI, because I don't know how it can be proven to have a root in the chest or neck through objective measures.

Thank you for your help - any guidance you can offer is appreciated.