hey,

glad you have found neuro talk!! A wealth of support and info from fellow suffers is essential with TOS (or any type of chronic pain!)

i am 27 years old and live in UK (london) - have had symptoms for 4 years now - i have seen a rheumatologist, neurologist and now a pain consultant (who recognises tos as a condition that isnt just due to cervical ribs!....yes i have had my share that have said that as i have no cervical ribs i cant have tos!!)
tos is often not testable in the traditional sense - eg, nerve studies, mri's are often normal and is often diagosed based on symptoms. gp's are of little use i found as they dont appreciate this condition - i started sourcing out my own dr's, speaking to their secretarys to see how much of TOS they have seen and treated. also as of april 2008 we can request a referral to ANY hospital in the UK....so if u feel there is someone 25 miles away who can help you then you can be referred!

if u can feel a pulse if your collar bone area then u really need to be checked out by a vascular surgeon - they should perform a doppler ultrasound with your arms in positions that bring on your symptoms....anything where your just lying flat or in just one position is not usually going to identifiy anything

on the right hand side i have collar bone pain and wasteage - pain up into the front of the neck and sometimes down into my chest - this is pec minor related (pec minor syndrome is a condition that can be linked with tos) I also have shoulder blade pain - pain in arm - pain in liitle finger and tremor - heavy, tired arm, weak neck and muscle wastege in thenar eminence (wrist on thumb side) and padded part of thumb is flattened out.

im not sure what the cause of my probs was - fell down some stairs 6 months prior to symptoms - worked in an office for 3 years before symptoms started so it could be a combo of these factors!

pain cons im seeing is dr chris jenner (he works privately out of The London Pain Consultants) and also at st marys hospital london

all the best

tracey