Originally Posted by derf36

Hi all, I have a bit of downtime as I’m recuperating from rib resection surgery so thought I’d join and share a bit of my TOS saga.

First a bit of background. I’m a 42 year old husband and father of three teenagers. In the summer of 2006 I was experiencing some burning pain in my right shoulder blade, neck stiffness, and numbness in my hand that just wasn’t going away. I went to my family doctor who thought it may be related to TOS so he referred me to a neurologist. Seeing a specialist in Canada can be a long wait and the first referral took 6 months. Over the next two years I saw two orthopedic surgeons who ruled out joint problems, and two neurologists which both suspected TOS.

In the fall of 2007 I was referred to a thoractic surgeon that specializes in TOS. His waitlist is long and it took until the spring of 2009 to have my first consult appointment with him.

All throughout this time I was trying physiotherapy, massage, chiropractor, and accupuncture; all offered no relief.

In the spring of 2009 the thoractic specialist examined me, reviewed the x-rays, CT scans, and MRI’s and diagnosed me with TOS on my right side. He recommended a conservative approach, having me continue with physio and massage, and wanted to see me for a followup 8 months later. In January 2010 he concluded I was continuing the downhill spiral and he placed me on the waitlist for surgery. At the time he was operating on people who had been on the waitlist for 1.5 years so I was expecting the summer of 2011.

Last Thursday, the 16th, I get a call at work. They said there had been a last minute cancellation, and they said to be at the hospital the next morning. I live 7 hours away so I had to hurry, cleared off my desk, passed off a bunch of stuff to my co-workers, threw some stuff in a bag and hit the road. We arrived in Kelowna at 2 am, spent a few hours in a hotel then headed to the hospital. I walked into the OR at 12 noon, only 24 hours after getting the call, the good news is that with such a rush there was no time for stressing out.

The surgery itself went well. Right side first rib resection and scalenectomy. The surgeon also said that he removed some fiberous bands, one of which was wrapped around the back of the nerve. Two hours in surgery, and three hours in the recovery room. Woke up in recovery feeling like I had been hit with a truck. I had a chest tube in as they collapsed the lung to get to the rib. I had a button that allowed me to control the amount of morphine and boy did I press that button.

The next day the morphine continued and they removed the chest tube. They try to get you out of the hospital as quickly as possible. Once you’re stable, the pain is controlled, and there are no complications, away you go. I was discharged on Sunday, 44 hours after coming out of surgery.

The problem was that I had to get home. Being in a car so soon was pretty uncomfortable so we had to take it slow, it took two days to make the 7 hour drive. Once I got home was when I started to feel better. From Day 4 to Day 8 I felt like I was improving every day.

The first few days I needed to sleep in a recliner as I wasn’t able to lie down. I don’t know whether it was the lung or the pressure on the rib cage but lying down caused severe pain and I wasn’t able to breath well.

Since Day 8 I’ve been able to sleep in my own bed but it is easier to breath when I’m upright.

The incision is also starting to look better. The incision is horizontal under my armpit, and is about 5 inches long. The hole for the chest tube is a couple of inches below.

The back of my right arm is completely numb from just above the elbow to my armpit. The armpit itself is completely numb. Hopefully that comes back eventually. This TOS road has been a long one and it is way to early to tell the level of success but I’m optimistic. I have noticed that I can rotate my head further than before so I take that as a small but good sign.

Any specific questions I’ll do my best to answer. I have some pics of the incision that I can post of anybody is interested.

Cheers, Rod