Thread: sympathectomy?
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Old 03-23-2012, 11:41 PM
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Lupus777 Lupus777 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Barrington, NJ
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10 yr Member
Lupus777 Lupus777 is offline
Junior Member
Lupus777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Barrington, NJ
Posts: 7
10 yr Member
Default sympathectomy?

Hi everyone, I am new to the boards. I have been suffering with nerve symptoms for 15 years now. It started playing softball in college as an overuse injury that turned into thoracic outlet syndrome. I had two surgeries within two years of the injury the second one resulted in the dr cutting the brachial plexus because it was glued to my rib with scar tissue. I wook up from this surgery in severe unexpected pain. I should have called my softball career over and not had the surgeries. Now i can hardly use my rt arm at all. I ended collegevon disability instead of fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a physical education teacher.

About five years later I had a SCS implanted. It worked great for five years. I still had pain but it was passable. I finally got to start my career at 26. I was limited because I still didn't have use of my rt arm but i was finally happy. That lasted five years then my scs stopped being effective. The machine was working but not helping my pain anymo re. I started taking pain meds again and the durageis patch but I still worked. It was difficult but doable.

Two years ago out of nowhere the pain became unbearable. Burning down my whole rt am, extreme sensitivity to touch, ect. I was dx with RSD and started pt. I did graded motor imagry and mirror therapy. I was for 6 months but made little progress. It was expensive and I didn't get much results. I still can't wear long sleeve shirts or a coat on my arm. My neurologist just keeps increasing my pain meds. I started missing a lot of work.

I went back to my old pm dr that I loved and he did a series of stellete ganglion blocks. I only got two days releif if that from each one but the dr said that was all he expected because I am not at an early stage. The blocks were meant to dx rsd. Now he says i am a perferct canidate to have a sympathectomy surgery to made the blocks more permanate.

Does anybody know anything about this surgery?




mbbbbarm, extremely sensitive to touch, swelling, ect. I was dx with RSD. I started mmissing a lot of work
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