Hello everyone,

I am new here and would like to shortly tell you my TOS story.

Symptoms started in spring 2012 with my ulnaris nerve painful at night and pinky & ringfinger numb (right arm). One night last june I had terrible pain in my left upper arm as if I had a thrombosis. My husband drove me to ER but they couldn't figure out anything. My family practitioner was quite clueless too and sent me to a neurologue as well as a rheumatlogue - nerve velocity was all right and I have no rheumatic issues either. They gave me a splint and recommended not to use my right arm too much. This is quite impossible since I am working as an analyst 8 hours everyday in front of my computer...

The splint was useless and caused pain at night (arm swelling). I then got some PT for 2 months. Things got worse since March 2013 with pain now in right and left arm, shoulders, neck and upper thorax. I have a lot of bad trigger points and it is impossible to massage my upper body. I lost a lot of strength in both my arms and hands. Also, I do have occasional rining in my ears (mostly in the morning and in the evening).

TOS was discussed about a month ago and confirmed this week after a phlebography of my arm vein. Depending on the arms position the blood circulation stopps.

Causes: there are no visible underlying causes. I have been a violoinst (amateur) for almost all of my life and I also loved running. Computer work was heavy these past years and posture not always the best of course. We had a car accident in March 2012 and symptoms developed ever after.

For the past months I have been in pains most of the time and been eating NSAID's, painkillers and even had morphine prescribed which I couldn't take for it made me sick so much...

It sure is not an easy decision but I do not see any other option than going ahead and do the surgery. Will undergo surgery mid-June. Trying to stay positive.

Take care everyone

Isa