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Originally Posted by Titansophie
I did have jaw and neck pain but never attributed it to TOS. I never mentioned the jaw pain to Dr G so I don't know his take on it. I had braces put on as an adult for the jaw pain and lots of PT for the neck pain over the past 10 years. The jaw pain would come and go and I eventually got a night guard to help with that. At least I got nice straight teeth out of it.
I could deal with the neck pain until I was given a scalene block to diagnose TOS. Two days after the procedure, I was in excruciating neck pain. It got so bad that I could not support the weight of my right arm. I hear that some people have this reaction to the scalene block but the docs didnt know why. So, yes, I had severe neck pain from August until surgery in December. My neck pain is 99% better but I still have some discomfort. Keep in mind I am in PT so I am asking my muscles and nerves to do things they hadn't done properly in years.
I do have lingering symptoms from the December surgery but I was told it could take up to a year to fully heal. My nerve bundle had been compressed on and off for at least the past 8 years so it takes time for everything to settle down.
I am not concerned with any pain or stiffness I feel on my right side because I am confident it will resolve itself with time. I am 99% better then I was before surgery.
I commend the research you are doing. I was a total wreck before both surgeries, wondering if I chose the right doc, if I should wait, do a different type of surgery, etc. It is not a fun process. I don't mean to sound corny but the best advice I received from a friend was to go into a quite room away from anybody and just listen to my intuition. I certainly second guessed my gut feeling but am so glad I had both surgeries done. That was the right call for me.
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YES..."total wreck"...I can relate! It's such a nerve-racking decision. I expect you didn't know about the extra scalene prior to surgery, it might have made the decision easier. I have read about that type of anomaly (scalene minimus muscle) --seems to be a rare but known risk factor. Interesting that you did have neck pain, and so glad to hear that it has largely resolved. There are so many different medical opinions on all this. While that one doc told me not to expect full neck pain relief from a transax decompression, another one told me that as long as enough of the scalenes are removed (i.e., *adequate* partial scalenectomy), it shouldn't be a problem.
I really appreciate your sharing all this information. I just have this last set of questions...if you would be so kind. Did Dr. G provide any specific direction/advice on how to avoid scar tissue issues or recurrence? Does Dr G do anything specific during the surgery to mitigate scar tissue? Some docs will place an adhesion barrier around the plexus (like seprafilm), while others don't feel it's necessary or prefer not to introduce a foreign substance. And, does Dr G pre-treat or post-treat with any type of anti-inflammatory or steroid to reduce scarring? Some docs will routinely give IV toradol just prior to surgery, or low dose steroid...while others advocate against this for various reasons.
Again, I really appreciate all the info...and so happy to hear that you are so much improved!!