Originally Posted by MagicMom

I still don't understand what is wrong with me, how or why it happened, and why nothing has really helped. I just want to get out of pain and back to a normal life. Before the accident I had forearm pain. Then, I had a minor rear-end car accident a little over 2 years ago, upon which I think I had whiplash...I think I had a muscle spasm in my neck and trigger point ache in my upper shoulder blade. I immediately went to a chiropractor because I didn't want this to turn into anything major. I would feel better after he cracked my neck. I do work at a computer and am stressed out all day long. By the end of a workday, I would be in agony. Over time, this new pain became unbearable, but at least the forearm pain mainly went away. I had 6 months of chiropractor and physical therapy in the first year that helped me make it through the day, but my symptoms got progressively worse. That was followed by 6 months of mainly massage therapy, with tens and ultrasound but I kept getting worse. I brought up TOS to my doctor, but he told me that was very rare and unlikely, and shot me down. Finally I felt like my doctor was taking me seriously when was told I had a herniated disk. I thought that was the answer and had ACDF C4-6 about a year after the accident which relieved the pinching in my neck, but I think worsened all the brachial plexus problems. After that, I developed a deep aching pain my my shoulder and a tender spot on the nerves and muscles in the front of my neck. Also, the nails of my thumb and first two fingertips turn blue throughout the day, and these fingers are constantly numb (although I still have feeling - it's a hard sensation to explain). I had shoulder arthoscoscopy a year and a half after the accident to shave a bone and clean out the bursitis, which got rid of one spot of pain under my armpit, but gave me other aches and pain. Then I researched some more on the internet, went to see a vascular surgeon, and was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome because my hand went white in a few seconds after lifting it, and my vascular ultrasound showed compression. I had a first rib resection and scalenectomy 4 months ago, which got rid of the worst aching pain I had in the grove between by tricep and deltoid. However, this left me with tons of inflamation, scar tissue, adhesions, new aches and tender spots, and I crack every time I move. I can flick the nerve in my arms like guitar strings, and a nerve and or muscle keeps getting caught and sending shock waves down my arm. I had more physical therapy which has done nothing except help me make it through the day and get a little stronger. A month after the TOS surgery, out of the blue I couldn't lift my arm and was told that I had axillary nerve dysfunction and that my deltoid wasn't working properly. Most function has come back, although nowhere near normal, but I was told that my other muscles are compensating. My medicine (Lyrica, Tizanidine, Nabumetone, Tramadol) just takes the edge off the ache, but if I don't take it, I'm in agony. I still work full time (primary breadwinner), and am a wife and mother of a young child. I don't know how I make it thought the day, other than I have no choice, because if I don't go to work and bring home a paycheck, I lose everything, and I would still be in pain. Being a woman in my thirties, I think people think I'm a hypochondriac because they can't see anything physically wrong with me. It's not like I have cancer or am dying from a serious disease. I think my husband thinks its all in my head and I just need to stop thinking about being in pain and just deal with it. I don't know what to do or how to handle this anymore. Does anyone see a pain management psychiatrist? And is there anything left I can do? If there is anything else I can do or a doctor I can see who can fix me, I'm not ready to give up yet. At the same time, the auto insurance just cut me off and I don't have enough money to pay for my co-pays for medication, pt and doctor appts. without putting it on my husband's credit card and racking up debt.