ATOS and sleeping issues
 

Does anyone have advice on how to find a comfortable (manageable) sleeping position. Nights are just the worst for me. I have ATOS on the right side with a lot of pain in my shoulder down to my fingers. However at night it is worse because I go from pain to that numb, lack of blood feeling in the wrist and hand and I can't take the misery.

I have tried sleeping on my left side to keep the right side open but my arm and hand go to sleep very quickly. I try sleeping on my back and sometimes it is okay for a while, but most times I will get that numb hand feeling. However, the odd thing is, if I lay on the floor to stretch, with one leg on a chair and the other straight, a rolled towel under the arch of my back and another under my neck, and then lay with my arms at my sides like JoMar suggested is the corpse pose, I don't feel my arm go to sleep or get numb most times. But I can not make it in this position for more than 30 minutes as my back hurts due to the hard floor and the towel roll under the back.

I have tried to duplicate this back position in bed but my hand and wrist will go to sleep/numb quickly.

I think I have compression issues because I can not wear any type of bra strap or cami strap on the right side. I can't seem to tolerate pulling my shoulder blades back much either because that too will cut off circulation.

I had an EMG and nerve conduction study last week and the doctor said the nerves all appear fine. A doppler on the right side shows compression in certain arm positions, but I don't know where the compression is on my body. A MRI and x-rays ruled out an extra rib. This all started after I was rear-ended hard. I was knocked unconsious for about five minutes and when I came too I was one sore person. It has gone down hill from there.

I appreciate any suggestions as I am so tired out.

Since a car accident is involved and loss of consciousness at the time, have you considered osteopathic care, or possibly upper cervical chiropractic (aka atlas/axis, c1 c2 etc )?
http://www.upcspine.com/self.htm www.nucca.com

If something was knocked out of alignment , then the best place to start is getting back into alignment. My chiro also did some adjusting to my hips, elbows, shoulder, wrist...he is a long time DC and taken added studies.
There are spinal specialist PTs also.

Have you had any luck with PT at all?

I wonder if a yoga mat would give enough padding for the floor pose?
Odd that the pose doesn't work the same in the bed for you:confused:

I know many in the past used to sleep in their recliner quite often as laying flat just did not work for them...
They also had many kinds of pillows to prop arms/shoulder for sleeping , whatever helped.

Here is a previous thread - Sleep? Or lack thereof...

My 1st bout with TOS was triggered by a car accident. I tried the "conservative" care route first (i.e. chiropractor, etc.) trying to just get pain free. The only way I could sleep for months after the car accident was in a recliner with small pillows positioned around the arm to try to minimize the pain. We bought the recliner specifically due to my problems from the car accident. Have you tried a recliner? I wouldn't be able to sleep on the floor as my back wouldn't tolerate it. I finally opted for surgery on this side and it's doing good. No more sleeping in a recliner!!

I do have arterial TOS on the other side and fail testing even with the arms at my side. I will be having surgery on this side soon due to the vascular problems.

Thanks for the tips. I slept in the recliner last night and got about five hours of sleep. That is better than most nights. My lower back hurts from the position, but my arm didn't get that lack of blood, numb feeling. The achey pain is one thing, but the feeling like my forearm and hand are thawing from frostbite is beyond miserable.

Oh, I also moved up my doctor's appointment from the end of May to next Monday so that we can discuss the MRI and the EMG. I need answers.

I have found that the knees need to be bent to prevent low back pain. In your recliner, don't bring the leg rest all the way up where your legs are completely straight. If you can, just bring it one click from the top so your knees can be slightly bent (this is what I do in my La-Z-Boy). My low back pain completely disappears when I sit in a zero gravity chair.

A zero gravity chair sounds like heaven right now. I will keep my legs bent tonight as you suggest. This may be why I am also so uncomfortable lying on my back as I hate the feeling of my legs straight out. I am so much a side sleeper it is very difficult to break the habit.

I have ATOS too and similar issues (even post scalenectomy) with Bra straps, seat belts and sleeping issues. When you are sleeping on your back,try keeping your knees bent and have a pillow under your knees and try keeping your hands on your abdomen or lower abdomen instead of arms on the sides. (arms are at 122 or 135 degree angle). See if that works for you.
Have you tried any manual therapy? Maybe your muscles and tissues got tight from the accident. Anne4Tos suggested it and I am already feeling better after two therapy sessions, they are working on my scalenes and upper traps and trying to loosen the tightness and work on the sticky fascia that are making my shoulders curve forward even when I am lying down. You have to find a really good PT who knows about TOS as well as knows myofascial release. I am hoping it saves me a trip to the surgeon again.
Everything doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth a try. Good luck in your recovery.

I am ATOs too. Curious to know who is your surgeon since you had a successful one? Did you have a Transaxillary or a scalenectomy? What was your post op care like? and were you sent for any rehabilitation or therapy afterwards?