Originally Posted by shug2003

My primary care doctor did the blood test that found my testosterone was low according to lab results. I'm only 31, so I believe my testosterone is depleted because of chronic pain (so did my doc). Long tern opioid use can also deplete testosterone. These hormones are vital for pain control. He put me on testosterone replacement for 2 months. I told him it wasn't helping and stated my case as to why HCG would be a better option to increase testosterone and possibly help with pain control. He was not familiar enough with HCG so he would not put me on it. I went to a new doctor that is up to speed on hormone replacement (another family practice doc) showed him my labs - he stopped the testosterone replacement and agreed with me that HCG would be a better option. He wrote an rx for 350iu every other day of HCG.

You will be hard pressed to find a pain management doctor that is going to write you a prescription for HCG. Hormone therapy is not there forte as it is too new/controversial. I would at least ask him about it, but don't get your hopes up. They usually don't know enough about it. You need to go to a internal med up to speed on hormone replacement, family practice doc up to speed on hormone replacement, urologist, or endocrinologist to get HCG. The only way one of these docs will write an rx for it is if your testosterone levels are low so you have to get a blood test done.

I took serrapeptase in a formula called vitalzyme for over 6 months. I didn't see any benefit in it so I discontinued. That doesn't mean it doesn't work, just did not for me. I also took pentoxifylline and vitamin E 1000 mg per day for over 6 months without any benefit. There were some studies that showed vitamin E/pentoxifylline can reduce internal scarring. I recently added vitamin E to what I am taking now because the nitric oxide from HCG ramps up bloodflow, combining vitamin E may work on the internal scarring. Here is my current regimine and why I am taking it.

-MetanX: prescription vitamin for nerve damage and to lower homocysteine levels (active vitamin B12, B6, methylfolate). I may just get over the counter version to lower homocysteine levels because its cheaper than RX and I have been on it for 5 months and haven't seen much benefit.
-Fish oil: 3 grams per day (anti inflammatory).
-HCG: 350iu injected subcutaneously every other day(nerve regeneration, pain reduction, increase in depleted hormones).
-Vitamin D: 5000iu per day(low vitamin d levels)
-TMG: 1000mg per day (lower homocysteine levels)
-Taurine: 3 grams per day (nerve health).
Vitamin E: 1000iu per day (internal scarring).

I used to take ALA and benfotiamine for nerve health but stopped due to not really seeing any changes.

I think it is vital to stay as active as possible without flaring up symptoms because of lack of oxygen flowing to muscle caused by adhesion/entrapment. I still believe there is a step by step process to overcome TOS:

1.control pain(meds)/stay active/increase bloodflow
2.remove adhesions/open up space for nerves to pass through (Tough to find a skilled manual therapist that knows complex cases of TOS).
3. Restore posture (Again, very tough to find skilled therapist's who work with complex TOS/nerve cases.
4. Strengthen muscles to restore any muscle imbalance that TOS causes.

Way too many therapists skip right to step 4 and further complicate matters.