[Missa]

My name is Melissa and I am 23 years old and have been in excellent health... until now.

I guess I should start from the beginning... Back in September I was on the computer and started getting really bad shooting pains in my left arm. When the shooting pain stopped, I had this eerie feeling come over me and what felt like my entire left side went tingly/numb. This only lasted for a couple minutes but came back again about 30 min later and lasted a little bit longer. Since that episode I have not felt that feeling again on my entire left side.

I went to the ER in which they told me whatever it was was just a "fluke." They didn't do any blood work on me and I had to push for a CT-Scan of the head just to make sure it wasn't anything too serious. The CT-scan came back normal.

A couple days later I noticed a pain on my left side right below my collarbone. It would stay for a couple days and then go. To be honest, I didn't think anything of it at the time. It's only now, with all my symptoms, that I'm really starting to think there is something more to this.

I have seen a Neurologist who on initial visit told me that he thought I had a muscle strain. Despite him feeling it wasn't that serious, he did recommend an MRI and Physical Therapy. The MRI came back as Mild Degenerative Disc Disease in C4-C7 and slight bulging discs at these levels. At the point that I had seen the Neuro, I wasn't having much pain in my left side below my collarbone, only here and there and it would never stay long. However, for the last 2 weeks it has been constant and is effecting my whole left side. It actually feels like chest pain and at one point I did go to the ER again and they did a EKG and Chest X-ray which showed nothing wrong. I get constant aching, pain in my chest along with a pinching feeling in my neck/collarbone area and it is slightly swollen above the collarbone. I went to an Urgent Walk-In Care Center a couple days ago and this is the first doctor to actually take a GOOD look at me. He pressed against my chest, assured me that what I was experiencing was not real chest pain but rather that my chest wall was inflamed, probably due to the clavicle joint. Not exactly the answer I was looking for but I felt like I was at least getting somewhere. He put me on a stronger medication (was taking Naproxen- did nothing). So far the medication is helping significantly but it only lasts for a couple hours.

I go back to the Neuro tomorrow and am hoping to be able to present what I have found on the internet about this Thoracic Outlet Syndrome because I am seriously at my last straw. I am constantly in pain, can't work and just cry all the time because of this. It also effects my left arm with pains and moe recently a numb, cramping feeling in my fingers. I also get pain in what feels like my armpit area. And to add to all this, it feels as though it is radiating to my right side as well. Same symptoms coming on slowly.

This has become long and if you've stuck it out through all this, I truly thank you. Does anyone think that I might have this Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

Other things I've experienced: Severe tension headaches (PT said this is from my disc disease), pain in neck/collarbone, aching/pain in my entire left chest area accompanied with what feels like chest pain, pain in armpit area which radiates down back of arm to hand, cramping/numb in hands/wrist. And again, all these symptoms are slowly going to the right side as well.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated!!!! Please, if anyone has experience anything remotely like this, let me know!!

Thank you!!

[Jomar]

Hi Missa,

One tip- don't tell the Drs that you found all this info on the internet , websites or forums - many of them don't like the patients to learn stuff - we may learn more than them -or they think it influences our symptoms or ....

Maybe say something like "someone told me it might be something called thoracic outlet syndrome, what do you think?"
and depending on what they say and do at that point...
- might just give you the brush off - or pooh pooh you
- might do a few more positional & pulse tests

sounds like you need a bit of a crash course on TOS for tomorrow -
I think our useful sticky thread will help.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html
the first and second posts have a condensed list of good sources of info.

[watsonsh]

HI Missa,

As a TOSer, the symptoms you describe sound similar to TOS.

You should also look at something called Pec Minor syndrome.

Be very careful with physical therapy. It has to be very gentle for TOSers and most PT's are not trained to deal with TOS and try to have their patients strenthen too soon.

There is a great book on the internet from Sharon Butler who is a TOS PT expert.

Take a look at the link that Jo posted. We have a great list of resources and a great base of members to get knowledge from. Hopefully you are in an area where we have some TOS docs.

Take a deep breath, I know its hard to do and relax. You dont want to tense those muscles anymore than you have to.

Also try to get some muscle relaxers.

Keep us posted. We are here for you.

[Missa]

Shelley & Jo55, thank you so much!

I am going to do more research on both conditions. I will do as said and not state that I have found all this on the internet but rather that someone suggested this to me. I know how doctors can be.

I just hope my Doctor really takes this into consideration and doesn't just insist it's a muscle strain again. I wasn't doing anything strenuous at the time this all happened, I was on the computer. I know the computer can cause a lot of these syndromes because of the constant pressure on the neck and muscles.

Although I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease in my cervical spine, I somehow do not feel this constant ache/pain in my chest, armpit and arm are directly related to that. I honestly think it has just coincided with something else. (Such as TOS or Pec Minor Syndrome.)

Another thing I remembered was that the other night I woke up during the night to my left hand and part of my arm feeling completely asleep. I mean, way more than normally expected if you fall asleep on your arm for a long period of time, it just was not the same feeling and it took way longer to get it back to normal.

I did read up on Pec Minor Syndrome but I'm just confused about one thing, if that is in fact what I have, then would I still get pains in my chest more towards the center? (pectoralis major?) Because that is where most of my "chest pain" is... but the aching is more towards the left (pec minor) and armpit.

At this point, I just want to know what it is, I want a clear diagnosis because at this point I just want something definite to go by. I'm tired of the run around and Dr's thinking it's just a muscle strain.

[Missa]

Forgot to add, I am on the muscle relaxer Skelaxin, it does seem to help somewhat, but not too much.

I mentioned before I was on Naproxen and it didn't touch the pain, I am now on Indomethacin and it seems to help a lot more but only for a couple hours at a time. It's very strong and I can only take it 3 times a day so I'm trying to wait at least 6 hours in between doses... but the pill only keeps the pain away for about 3-4 hours.

[watsonsh]

Hey Missa,

A couple of things.

skelaxin did not do much for me. the good thing about it is that it is non dowsy. Flexeril works better for me. For some reason it works better for women. I learned this from the fibro doc. There was one other muscle relaxer that worked well , I will try to find out the name of it.

In terms of pain relief, I use ultram er but check the TOS board there are a couple of different pain relivers.

You also might want to ask the doc for an antininflammatory. I have used both celebrex and Mobic.

I have mild cervical neck problems at C5/6 but the TOS is more for me caused by these muscle spasms and bad posture and long computer work.

Make sure you get your workstation adjusted properly. Your palce of work has to do it legally if you ask or have a docs note.

I would wake up too and my whole arm would be numb. Its compression of the nerve ad how you are laying. Try to use a lot of pillows to prop you up as well as arms.

Typically the ache under yoru arm could be the nerve bundle if inflammed because it passes under there. But it could also be your lat dorsi mucle which attaches there. It could be that all the muscles are tightening up.

Be careful to make sure that all your back muscles are not spasming up. Tight muscles make everything worse.

Try soaking in some epsom salts. And at nighttime what helped me was taking slo-mag a calcium/magnesium supplement. It helps muscle spasms. And I also added sea salt (1/8 teaspoon) to water or tea in the morning. Believe it or not it helped the mucsle spasms for me.

And be careful of the PT. Ask them if they know TOS. No strenghtening.

If you PM me your email address I have a copy of the Sharon butler book I can send you. Try to slowly introduce the stretches.

Be patient on the diagnosis, its not an easy one to get because not all docs agree. Take a look at our doc list and see if anyone is close to you.

[Missa]

Indomethacin is an anti-inflammatory. As far as pain, the anti-inflammatory actually works well but again, only lasts a couple hours. Dr. said I couldn't take anything on top of it for pain because the medicine itself is so strong. Regardless though, I am going to tell my Neurologist all of this and maybe he'll put me on something else.

I did look at the Dr's list. I am in New York, about an hour north of New York City and about an hour to an hour and a half from Albany. I think I saw Dr's listed for both those areas, so I will have to look into that. However, I would like to see what my Neurologist view is on this before I go and consult with another Doctor. It's only fair to give him a chance in helping me. If after tomorrow, I feel as though he is brushing me off, I will definitely seek other advice.

The thing about using a lot of pillows is that I was instructed not to due to my Degenerative Disc Disease in the neck. They said it would only make it worse. So I'm not sure what to do there.

I am going to see about getting in with my physical therapist tomorrow (forgot to make the appt last week when I was there -oops!) after I see the Neurologist. This way, whatever the Neurologist says (if he thinks it is TOS or not) I will know what to tell the Physical Therapist. If she feels she doesn't know enough of it to properly treat me, well then, I guess I'll have to find another PT! I know that as of right now I am getting Traction treatment to stretch my neck and relieve some pressure on my cervical spine. As far as that, last week was my first appt and she did a little traction along with massaging my left shoulder/upper back area and neck.

As far as muscle relaxers, my step-mother actually uses that because she has a herniated disc in her neck and she said it helps a lot. I've been told by a lot of people that it works well. I'll have to add it to the list of things to ask/mention to my Neuro!

Thanks so much for your info! You have no idea how much I appreciate it!!

[watsonsh]

Hey I used to live in NYC! Originally from Buffalo, went to Syracuse and loved n YC for 13 years

Had a boyfriend in Brewster NY where his family was. SO I know the area. Where ya from?

Careful with the traction. Sometimes its the muscle spasms in the trapezius and around that area. Have the P check if you traps are rock hard.

Ultrasound often helped me, dont know if your PT does that but I always got some relief from it. My PT would ultrasound around the t1 area.

Sound slike you have a reasonable plan. See it through and then reassess.

Good luck

[Missa]

I actually live right in Dutchess County, Wappingers Falls to be exact. I know exactly where Brewster is and it's not far from me at all. How weird that we're pretty much from the same area!

You know, actually, when my PT examined me and started massaging, it hurt really bad and she even made a comment of how tense I was in that area. Esp. up where the neck meets the skull and my upper back shoulder area. But she also added that with my Deg. Disc Disease that these areas would greatly be effected. So how do you distinguish between the 2? Good thing I'm not the Dr. because I truly have no idea!

And what is this ultrasound you mentioned?

[watsonsh]

I know where that is!

True that the disc disease wold affect those areas but the tight mucles make it worse.

Ultrasound is a kind of deep heat treatment for the muscles and the joints. Gets blood flowing to all those areas that are tihht and not moving.

Ask your PT is she can do ultrasound on your T1-t4 areas.

Cranial sacral massage helps too. And its very gentle. Also look for a feldenkrais practitioner.

Many of us have not had good experiences with PTs that no experience with TOS. They will make it worse.