I am a 26 year old female. I have hypothyroidism, and diagnosed with migraines. Since May I've had 3 episodes where I've nearly passed out and its scared me a lot. I thought I was having a heart attack, since I'm overweight, but it mustn't be as I'm still here and never gone to the hospital, etc.

These are the symptoms I'm having:
All on the left side:

Collarbone pain
Shoulder pain
Neck pain--like constant stiff neck
Pain that radiates down my left arm--tingles, burning sensation,feels like falling asleep, weakness in arm, pinky & ring finger stiff, sometimes thumb aches.
Painful headaches just on my left side, I'm assuming are/were migraines.
Painful headaches at back of head and around my eyes (like migraine)
Pain from left armpit down length of my breast.
Congestion in chest (was recently sick & diagnosed w virus but all symptoms gone except occasionally I have difficulty breathing)
Get very tired/weak arm after blow drying my hair.

I carry a large, heavy purse and also have large breasts which lead to poor posture, which I've read can cause this syndrome.

I don't know if I should go to the ER or if I'll be okay to wait until Jan. 1st when my insurance kicks in. I get scared because these episodes of dizziness and near pass out seem to happen a lot at night when I'm trying to sleep so I wonder if I could have sleep apnea?

If anyone could please offer me any advise, I'm quite worried and don't know what to do. Thank you.

Welcome to NT!

You poor thing, I hope you'll feel better soon. Maybe you should go to the ER so they can rule out anything serious?

It's a good idea to switch to a lighter purse for one thing. But with the one sided symptoms I think you should get checked out. Keep us posted and take care.

Hi Pink,

Is your thyroid being treated at all now - that can be a part of the problem, it causes some weird things to happen.
But yes a lot of the other symptoms could be TOS or a TOS type thing.

All of the symptoms started in May?? or just the passing out feelings??

Have you ever had a neck , c spine, or upper body Xray or MRI?

I like to suggest finding a very very good chiropractor that also does various therapeutic modalities to resolve those tight muscles and spasms.
Especially if you ever had a car accident, hard fall, sports injury etc...
long time poor posture can be helped with chiropractic also.


Here's the link to our TOS forum -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html
& 1 of the useful info stickys -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html
post # 1 on it has lots of info links - kind of a TOS crash course of sorts
but the whole thread is full of all kinds of info and save posts, polls, video links

this link has some photos od positions you can try to see if they cause any trouble or symptom increase-
http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/thoracic_outlet/
{ the positions are not a definitive test but helps to pinpoint possibles - a small % of the general population will lose pulse also doing these}

No I'm not currently being treated for my thyroid, ive been off my meds since May 2008 b/c I lost my insurance and when I went back to my dr after getting new ins she wouldnt fill my rx without labwork.

As for when these issues started, it began in May 09 I was at the movies and felt like I was going to pass out. It worried me because recent to that event I was having the issues with tingling and discomfort in my left arm. Since May my arm has bothered me on and off, not constantly. I had spells where I felt like I was going to pass out in May, July, and again now. The only things in common each time is that it's around the time of my period but IDK how that could be involved.

I just worry if I go to the ER they won't take me seriously or else they will not listen to me if I seem fine when I go in.

Just within the past 2 weeks I've been fighting a viral illness that caused my lungs to be sore and congested and I had chest Xrays done at urgent care and they were clear-no pneumonia, yet it still feels sometimes like bricks on my chest.

I'm just worried, hoping for insight before I go to DR or ER. I may call my dr tomorrow and ask her opinion, but since no insurance I probably can't go see her because then after an office visit she'd send me for labs etc, if I go to the ER I can probably get it all done there. Just not sure how to pay off that bill...

I ended up going to the ER last night. The DR did an EKG it came back clean, said my oxygen levels are good. He doesn't believe I have Thoracic Outlet syndrome b/c I don't seem to have any problem with my arteries. He says the pain is most likely a pinched nerve, and all my other problems are because of my untreated thyroid. Also he thinks I might have sleep apnea which would explain why I can't sleep and keep waking up feeling shaky and weird. So I have some answers, thank goodness my hearts okay, but I still have to deal w the pass out feeling until I get back on my meds which won't be until January. Ugghhhhh..is there any way I can get some levothyroxine w/o labwork lol I know I can't just hopeful wishing....

Thank goodness your heart is ok. So, you have until the first of the year without insurance? What company makes the meds you were taking? You might be able to figure it out just by googling the name of the medicine. Many of the drug companies will give financial assistance in times of need. Can you go to the company website and contact them that way?

--as many on the TOS board can tell you, thoracic outlet syndrome can presen tboth with and without vascular problems; sometimes the presentation is entirely neurological, depending on just where the impingment area is.

It would seem you need a workup of the area, with imaging of the brachial plexus and neck, by somebody who is familiar with the syndrome (e.g., a tertiary specialist).

how much would the lab work cost, a TSH is pretty common test, check out the cost before you say you cant afford.....