Welcome rjewels! So the pain mgmt doc is the one that diagnosed you and they are sending you straight to a scalene block? Are you in a position to start with conservative therapy such as physical therapy and posture training? Or is your TOS pretty advanced and/or needing more intervention? I've done the conservative route and am now on course to get a scalene block in the next few weeks. An anesthesiologist will do the block. He explained it in that I will go to the an outpatient surgery center (have to adhere to not eating and drinking beforehand for a certain number of hours), I will be put under with general anesthesia, he will inject my scalenes on one side and an hour later I'll be awake. I forgot the name of the drug that he will inject but it's supposed to relax the muscles. Assuming it works, I should feel relief within a day or so. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. I'm bilateral. So he will inject the other side at a different time. Anyhow, if you've never been under general anesthesia, you'll feel a little out of it afterwards. You aren't supposed to drive for 24 hours or go to work after the procedure so plan on sitting at home all day and hanging out.

Anyhow, once I get the block, I'll post more. What exactly did the doctor diagnose you with? Did you have an MRI/MRA and/or any nerve testing done? There are a lot of folks on these boards who are a wealth of information who can help ease your mind a bit. You are not alone