Quote:
Originally Posted by mumoffive
Hi everyone. I have had severe neck pain for the past 5 years. Have only just had MRI and diagnosed with bilateral cervical ribs. My symptoms are severe neck pain, shoulder pain, tingling and numbness in right arm, blue hands on and off, chronic fatigue syndrome, really bad headaches and chest pain. I have today been referred to a cardiothoracic surgeon (i think thats right) and they may operate. With my symptoms do I need surgery? Very scared about it but my pain is so bad, i cant live with it. Are my symptoms severe enough to have the surgery or not? TIA
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Hi Mum...5? wow, I had 4.
alot of thought about the surgery answer. Did you have a second consult? C ribs are fairly straight forward, it is not like trying to fix a sick or injured nerve as in a car whiplash of other injury. Nerves do not grow healthy tissue. The c-bones under the collar bone removed in theory open the space where compression is.
If you have blue hands there seems to be vascular compression and that is a concern.
Surgery is generally a last resort and not a cure, but helps. Sometimes a lot, sometimes worse.
But a second opinon with a top doc that knows TOS is the best idea. He can do some dopplar testing and read the MRI, and try to see if there is another way to reduce the compression....back to the way it was 5 years ago before the flare.
Like putting it in remission.
May be every day activities are escalating the pain, and even if you have surgery and go back to the same activities, scar tissue may aggrivate.
There are 2 things to do, see another doc, try accomadations to your life, find a med that does help, reduce,......if not at least removing ribs will open the area.
BUT should be done by a doc that has done hundreds of this surgery, not a few in his life....
Just brain storming and chatting as if a family member asked me what I thought.
Is there something you are doing repetativly?
feel better
di