Hi, Thank you for being here!
A year ago last November I took my mom to Hudson FL to the Bonatti spine institute. She was going paralyzed. We then found out it was ALS. I did a lot of heavy lifting. Suitcases, transferring Mom, pushing wheelchairs etc. It was very stressful. We pretty much confirmed Mom was terminal. I started getting numb fingers and hands bi-laterally. I became paranoid that I was getting ALS. (Mom passed away Sept 08). I went to the Dr. she sent me to the Neurologist (Feb 08). I took my husband (mistake) the did EMG's I was in great shape. ("ready for the Olympics!")
My husband said to Neuro, She is under a lot of stress with her mom's care and dieing.

Soooo... My dr. moved and I went back to an old Dr. I had.
I said remember how I use to complain about my two fingers on both hands going numb? now it is from the elbow down. I went to the Chiropractic and he said "one look at your posture and I think you have TOS" (what the heck was that?)

My Dr. said you has EGM's they are normal so its not TOS. He read my report and said it is stress. Put me on amytriphelyn to try. Sent me for an x-ray report said I had lots of space between my ribs.

So here I sit wonder what the heck to do. I miss my mom she was a RN and always had good advice.

If you not completely tired of my story yet, Thanks for listening. I am going to add a few things.

Years ago I would complain that my neck muscles would feel swollen, I would get nasty headaches ant the base of my neck and a pin in my shoulder blade like a knife stuck in it. (Yes I thought it was heart) I was then sent to same neuro who said, could be fibromyalgia. end of that i was labeled.

8 years ago I had (3) 8 pound triplet girls, two years later a boy. So carrying lots of stuff is a fact of life from babies to groceries to every thing. Anything over my head ie.windows kills me.

I am working with my dentist for TMJ he says my jaw can spasms my bracials and cause numbness and tingling. My hands drive me nuts at bedtime, they are swollen when I wake up. I don't buy the stress stuff. I had a fabulous Christmas and had a great time and did not let the fact my hands are getting worse bother me.

I am asking your opinion on your thoughts. Could it be TOS? If so what should I ask my Dr. to do? What should I do?

Thank you so much for your time.

Hi Northerngirl and welcome to Neuro Talk. Here is a link to our TOS forum...http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html

You'll find a lot of support on these forums.

Hello & welcome,
I'll copy your post to the TOS forum for you and we can talk more there.

Sorry for the loss of your mother...

Hey Northern girl,

I am so sorry fo the loss of you mom and the added stress and frustration of trying to figure out what is going on.

I have a couple of thoughts for you.

First I have TOS and TMJ and a c5/6. Essentially I am a mess at the neck and shoulders .

One of the first things is the TMJ. MIne was very bad. I would wake up with headaches and pain in my ears and even off balance from all the clenchin I was doing. I went to my ENT and he immediately thought of TMJ and sen me to my dentist who made a custom bottom night guard for me. It has given me significant relief and it was realtively easy fix. NOw when I say fix, the tmj is not fixed but much better managed.

Ok onto the TOS. I know you said the whole arm goes numb up to the elbow but did iut star more with the little finger or the thumb and first finger.

I ask because while I have TOS, I also have this thing called a c 5/6 subluxation or a retrolithesis and sometimes its the TOS that bothers me and sometimes the cervical issue. I know its the cervical issue when the thumb and first finger go numb on me and the TOS when its the litle fingers and the others.

Try to find an ortho or a psine doc that can take a look for you. SOMetimes it takes an EMG, an MRI and x-rays to help determine things. Ask for flexion and extension x-rays so they can see how your cervical spine is moving and if its putting any presusre on the nerves.

And you doc needs to do some reading on TOS...you have plenty of space between the ribs. pppppssssshhhaaaww....how bout between the clavicle and the ist rib. DId he even do some of the tests for TOS where they lift your arms in the air and check your pulse to see if it goes away?

Also ask him for a PT prescription with someone knoweldegable about TOS and cervical issues. Sometimes it helps sometimes not.

It sure sounds like whatever it is that from all the lifting ect (which is how mine happened) that there is pressure or pulling on your cervical nerves or your bracial plexus.

In the meantime here is the link to the TOS forum.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum24.html

Keep us posted.

Hi, and welcome to NeuroTalk. This is a great place to come and hang out with lots of nice people.

I'm so sorry about your mom.

Thank you Shelley! It started with little & ring finger but both arms now I get this ache around my forarms like a band. the tingling drives me crazy. I keep busy and can ignore it but, that ia denial and not being proactive. I have the $2500 night guard that was done with emgs. I think it helps a bit. but I hate to say that I don't think it is my answer. I went through a bad time last year when I googled numdness and tingling and has ALS pop up. They ane not the symptoms mom had. She just lot ability to control starting with her little finger on the left side, then her arm etc.
Thanks again for you support. Cheers Laurie

Well little finger and ring finger are classic TOS symptoms.

Have you checked the stickes at the top of the TOS forum for any TOS docs near you?

No I have not. But I will, because after the Dr. said I did not have TOS, I started to think he might be wrong.

Hello and welcome to NT I see you are getting some good input, you will folks here are really helpful and kind, again welcome