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Originally Posted by finz
Hey Dena.........welcome to the club !
Even "knowing" my dx of TOS from a worker's comp doctor, I went through 2 NP's and 7 MD's before I found someone who understood TOS.
I hope your ortho guy is one of the ones with a clue. If not, check the MD list at the top of the forum. It is worth traveling to find a doc who understands TOS.
It definitely sounds like something is crimping that nerve.....the question is....where is the compression ? At the spine ? I know your MRI shows no impingement, but so does mine in a neutral position. It's when I turn to the left that my arthritic vertabrae rubs the nerve. Is yours in the brachial plexus ? You need a specific MRI of the BP to check this. Or is yours at your shoulder ?
I'm not suggesting that you should know those answers....thats what we need your docs to figure out.
Have they x-rayed to see if a cervical rib is aggravating the situation ? Poor posture, being overweight and/or large chested, and of course, those repetetive motions can all predispose us to TOS
Best of luck getting a correct dx and finding a treatment that works for you.
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Thanks for the welcome to all who responded.
I told my boyfriend about the forum and what I read about the difficulty for some to get taken seriously, properly diagnosed, treated...and to me (at the moment) able to help with the horrific pain. He suggested I stop reading, lol, he felt like I was setting myself up for it in a "you get what you expect" way. After all, we don't even know it is TOS.
Last night was the worst night yet.
So I cant type for long. I want to answer finz's questions, and when I get back from the ortho today, I will try to fill everyone in.
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You need a specific MRI of the BP to check this. Or is yours at your shoulder ?
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I'm not sure, but will request that the ortho consider another MRI. The onset of symptoms was focused at the "ball socket" of my shoulder. I agree about the pinch being position related, since the pain/numbness definately is increased or decreased depending on my position. I had no symptoms at all during mr MRI, so however I was laying must have been just right to release the nerve. Funny, I kept trying to duplicate my MRI position as I attempted sleep last night, lol.
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Have they x-rayed to see if a cervical rib is aggravating the situation ?
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No, I will also mention this to the ortho today. I suppose I should read a little more about the relation relation between this rib and our symptoms. I guess I assumed my ribs were fine.
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Poor posture, being overweight and/or large chested, and of course, those repetetive motions can all predispose us to TOS
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I am ALL of these.
Any suggestions for pain relief? Last night I cried myself to very fitful sleep.