there is a fellow aussie by the poster name of towelhorse who has been very active on the forum. you can find his posts by using the 'advanced search' function - just click on it; it's located right underneath the search bar which is located in the upper righthand portion of your screen... (enter his poster name and his thread[s] will pop up for ya that way).

hey, i'm not particularly pro-surgery so don't get me wrong here - but linda had SIX YEARS of no pain after her rib resection, ozzy. she's just having what we are all hoping is a minor relapse right now. so hopefully, by being careful to baby the affected muscle group she can get back to that pain-free state and go on to lead an active (but careful!) post-TOS surgery life...

there is no guarantee with any surgery. and you are right, especially not with a surgery like this one. i think you will get a lot out of towelhorse's posts in terms of what the right kind of rehab can offer you in the way of relief... and also - very, very important - what to AVOID from medical practitioners who may mean well but if they don't know what they're doing can really do you further damage.

TOS is such a sticky wicket. and the politics involved are pretty disgusting, if you ask me, ozzy. if you feel like you are being 'railroaded' into medical retirement by your employer my hope for you is that you will move to inform and protect yourself. because that just does not sound right to me at all.

of course, i don't know any of the particulars of your case. nor am i familiar with australia's laws governing workers compensation, disability leave, etc. if after reading through towelhorse's account of his experiences you feel you want to post more i would certainly be interested in hearing your story. and i always tell people if there is ANY way they can do so, to get a consult with a good, knowledgeable attorney with a track record of handling (and winning) TOS cases if they find themselves in a situation where their rights are being trampled to bitz.

you are a young woman and you have a marriage and growing kids to protect, not to mention yourself and your sanity. damn the man and damn the TOS monster!!!

so say i, anyhow.

good to see you, mate.

alison