Hello all;
To make a long story short I hope

In process still of getting diagnosed and most of all treated. SO confused, I have had some cardiac testing that does show some issues. But also have been suggested to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome or Subclavian steal. My chest pain feels as if someone takes a vice and squeezes or a contraction where it peaks . Terrible pain, torture really as i'm sure many of you are experiencing. It has affected both arms and even breathing. I sometimes also get a weird sensation in jaw, I know that in the past i had spinal stenosis due to a slipped disk i do not have the result anymore. (threw them all away when went through a deep depression in past) This has been a struggle I think started from a car accident. No one ever suggested up until now that it might be that. Have gone to top neuro in past for what i thought was MS. And also near syncopal episodes each time wanted me to go somewhere else. I didn;t but never once mentioned TOS? Now i have severly impacted function and try to continue to work a 40 hr wk job at a desk with computer. My ins company is denying Nuc stress test, and working on a Thoracic Mri which they are giving a hard time for . My next option will be the Er if they dont get on board. I find myself crying alot lately, (son left for boot camp) also just with the chronic pain and frustration. I called today to ask for some anti inflam or pain med just to get through. Waiting on call back . Just don't want to suffer depression as well. Just needed to vent if you read through all this THANK YOU!! Sometimes it helps just to write it out.

Hi, welcome! TOS often puts people through a parade of doctors before they get a diagnosis and generally another parade follows in search of treatments....

I've started taking a medicine called Memantine for my TOS pain/chronic pain, but a couple other people said that it really helped them with depression.

With TOS, the scalene muscles are often tight, or in the case of a car accident, they could be tight along with scar tissue.

Have you tried doing any physical therapy exercises for TOS? A lot of them can be found online. To improve your posture, consider wall pushups to strengthen the rhomboids. There are several stretches for the scalenes and pec minor that may help as well.

Also, having an ergonomic work station should help at work - I had a split key keyboard and rollerball mouse.

Eight, does Memantine act as a muscle relaxant too?
My theory is that I have very tight pecs playing tug of war on both sides of my chest, causing severe myofascial pain and cramping.

Memantine does not act as a muscle relaxant.

For me I found Soma to be the best muscle relaxant for night and Skelaxin the best for day (because it doesn't make you tired).

I had dry needling done before my pec minor surgeries and it helped quite a bit...it's just very painful, I would recommend lidocaine trigger point shots of the pec minor over plain dry needling if you have a choice. It seems to provide more relief and have less side effects (I would feel miserable for a day and then great for two-four days with the dry needling). I didn't have any "down time" with the lidocaine trigger point injections.

Hello all;
Again thanks so much for this site, helps so much!!

So went to ER, my left arm gets so heavy and weak feels like a stroke so they diag with cerv radiculapathy. well couldnt do mri then so went home.
Then i got to where arm went like that and face went numb thought stroke. (thank god wasnt) went to a big hospital and no stroke brain fine. most likely meds for face symptoms i think. they thought was having cardiac issues but was not heart attack. did a cervical mri didnt see results just said was ok??? but sometimes they miss things or dont tell you. Anyhoot i think this is subclavian area my radial pulse dissapears and my blood pressure is off by 20 in that arm and just getting worse. So i do have a thoracic disc mass that is on cord. but dont think would cause the arm thing???? Or does it??? Going mon for specialist (sorry hurts even to type) had to take time off work cant hold phone, and the pain thats out of control. anyone get the huggging sensation like someone has you in a bear hug?? No not MS according to brain scan. Thanks for any help or info before apt, or any suggestions for helpwith apt.

Thanks so much gentle hugs to you all