jacquelina,

this doesn't apply to me so i have no direct experience. but i've read in the medical literature that MANY women have found relief from their TOS sx by having breast reduction surgery.

i believe that doctor wladislaw ellis of berkeley, CA (he's a neuro who specializes in the treatment of TOS) talks about this on his website, if i'm not mistaken: www.doctorellis.com; you might even try emailing him at: w_ellis@sbcglobal.net - perhaps he could point you or your docs towards some of the more current research and methodology in this area.

ocgirl is a patient of dr. ellis and i'm sure she would be happy to share any insight she may have with you via PM as to how accessible this excellent but i'm sure, very busy, doc is. i have not had the pleasure (yet!), myself.

good luck to you. i know they have come a long way in the last few years regarding this type of surgery. if you do decide to go ahead with it i hope that it brings you great relief from your TOS sx.

it makes perfect sense to me that it would. and of course just as with any type of TOS-related surgery you would want to be careful that you have a very savvy PT or bodyworker waiting in the wings to work with you in recovery (gently, gently now) to give you the very best odds of an excellent and sustainable result. and to choose your surgeon with the utmost of care; make sure s/he and your TOS caregivers are communicating effectively and frequently concerning your tx every step of the way.

and, it goes without saying (so i say it anyway, i notice...) that this is not a cosmetic procedure, so insurance coverage should not be an issue. in fact, it may help you to avoid or worst case, to prolong having to have a rib resection or a scalenectomy for the TOS itself - which the beancounters should find very appealing. as difficult as a breast reduction surgery may be, i dare say it still would not compare to a TOS surgery in terms of how long it takes to recover and rehab from that particular walk in the park. that one, i DO have personal experience with. TOS surgery definitely being the more expensive gamble, in more ways than one.

surgeons specializing in either area will no doubt minimize the heck out of the down time ... but i tell you true ... still i think what you are contemplating here sounds very worthwhile. your instincts, as usual kid, are spot on!!!

alison
"Be Brave"