Hi there...everybody
This is a short history just as my story with TOS is starting....
I'm a 31 y.o. anesthesiologist from Romania...
First symptoms were paresthesias in my last two fingers 7 years ago while studying for an exam....went away in 3 days...
During my residence in Belgium 4 years ago had excruciating pain with vascular symptoms in my left hand while on call...Vascular surgeon on call told me the vascular signs were just a reaction to pain...3 weekes later couldn't intubate by myself so had to take 2 days off and went for emergency MRI of my cervical spine which showed "just a swan neck due to many years of ballet"... all symptoms went away after deciding eventually to take some tetrazepam (I was afraid to take it lest I wouldn't wake up in the morning)...
All good until a month and half ago when at the end of a night shift I felt the same familiar pain with intense cyanosis of my left hand...
Went immediately to the vascular operating room and the professor there told me, after feeling for my pulse...it must be TOS.
Had angio-Cat scan...normal. 2 MRI s- cervical spine and brachial plexus....normal, no cervical rib...
I'm in pain everyday...and can do my job only with extreme pain...
I already can do no on-calls anymore...
when I found this forum, I bevame really depressed...I couldn't stand losing my job as I ve worked really hard to get here and although the pay is horrible the satisfaction makes up for it ... also , taking away pain seems to be my mission in life
Until now, what I've seen is that:
-pain meds don't help (me, at least)
-psychiatric meds only sink you deeper...
I don't even dream about having surgery without abnormality on any scans...
I am trying qigong, some (probably crap) russian osteopath, and physio by myself as PTs here have no clue about what this is...
I'll keep you posted but I am determined to be totally functional again...sooon
Take care everybody,
Maria