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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,002
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In Remembrance
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,002
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Go with your gut instinct
I like to gather as much information as I can, and then I make my decision.
I am not even close to being healed after my surgery. But the cause of my condition was the combo of bad ergonomics, horrible hours of overwork, and then something about my body that was susceptible to the TOS. It's totally nerve based, and I feel / felt the changes to my brain, literally. These TOS cases have some similarities, but then, we're all individual. So there's not a simple, here's what you do, path.
And also, with TOS, it's not ortho, so it's not like there was a bone spur that could be removed, or a torn ligament that could be repaired - as most ortho issues are simply fixing the body issue. With ortho problems usually (if not always?) you can SEE what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. Not so with TOS. This is all about the nerves - unless it is the vascular TOS where they can see the compression.
So when I had the TOS surgery, they were just removing the rib, etc., to "make room" for the nerves to heal themselves, have more room in the thoracic inlet / outlet, etc. Very INEXACT if you ask me. Feels like the Middle Ages frankly...gosh, out of all of the illnesses, this seems to be so poorly researched yet...although we've got a few special TOS docs who've dedicated their lives to this. But even they aren't even able to tell me with any certainty the exact nerves involved. They can't explain to me EXACTLY why I have RSD.
But ortho issues are different. Can your ortho doc show you exactly what it is he wants to fix? Do you understand it, see it, and have confidence that at least this aspect of your problems might be cured? That would go in my plus chart.
With the TOS surgery, I chose a surgeon out of Denver who does these almost every day, literally so many I can't imagine the total number. The docs Sanders, Brantigan and Annest have tens of people here who have had surgery by them, without severe complication. No complications in most who I've met - I just have read a few who had chest / lung complications as there is an issue of deflating the lung, moving the lung over and anesthesia. I guess what I'm saying, is that I personally have a lot of faith and trust in those three doctors in particular. Some people have been cured, and they don't come here anymore. I know of two off of the old board who had surgery by Brantigan and reported afterwards that they were back to a normal life, although not doing the same or as much work...and can you blame them as once you were cured, who would want to trigger it all over again?
If it were me, and it was / is, I flew myself to Denver and saw two of the docs.
There is a line of medical opinion that any surgery under the neck is wasting your time as the TOS will still keep the person "sick." But who's to say that is true for everyone? Again, I go to can you see what it is the ortho wants to fix?
Do you have time / resources to get to Denver and have some more consults just before you go through with this surgery?
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