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-   -   Post Surgery with Dr. Thompson (https://www.neurotalk.org/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/243085-post-surgery-dr-thompson.html)

moltra 12-18-2016 12:23 PM

Post Surgery with Dr. Thompson
 
I am currently in the Barnes Jewish Hospital from the 3rd surgery on my left side 12/13/16 by Dr. Thompson at the Barnes Jewish Hospital.

I will give you an history of all my surgeries on my left side.
Left 1st rib removed 2007 and was back to hurting 6 months later.

left minor pectoral muscle detached 201 and the pain started again after 3-4 months
Dr. Thompson's surgery team said that they removed alot of scar tissue from my left side. Due to all the scar tissue from the last 2 surgeries, I developed a lymphatic leak, and instead of getting out of the hospital 3-4 days after the surgery, I am still in the hospital 6 days later. I have been on nothing by mouth most of the time, except when they tried to get me back on clear fluids, Wednesday. When they tried to get me on clear fluids the drain that they had put in after surgery to help the surgery would to heal, started leaking Lymphatic fluids at a rate of 1440cc a day. They were worried about giving me to much fluids, since my body could not process the fluids that fast and it would start building up on my heart and lungs.

They have me back on clear fluids and so far the drain is not filling up fast. This is good since if it was, they would have to perform surgery again to stop the leaking lypmh node.

It is to early to see if my TOS symptoms are better, but I hope that they will be.

Jomar 12-18-2016 01:41 PM

I hope all goes well and you can go home soon..

moltra 01-22-2017 10:48 AM

I ended up getting out of the hospital after 7 days. The 3-4 extra days in the hospital was due to the leaking lymph node.

Once I was released, I was placed on a 4 week low fat diet <30 grams of fat a day.

It has been almost 6 weeks since the surgery and at times, I am worried that the surgery made the pain worse. Dr Thompson and his assistants said that it could take around 8 weeks for the nerves to recover.

I hope so. I go back Feb 9 to have my follow up and to start Physical Therapy.

moltra 11-08-2017 09:16 AM

It has been almost a year since my surgery in St. Louis with Dr. Thompson. My results are mixed. My good days are better, but my bad days are worse. My good days are with a pain level of 4-5 my average days are 5-6 and my bad days are 9-10.

I can wear a watch again, I have not been able to wear one for the last 7 years. But when I am driving, my left arm now goes numb on the portion of the arm that you rest on the door when you are driving.

My left hand same side as the surgery, it goes from normal to pins and needles and to feeling like anything I touch is cutting me.

My arthritis in my neck and shoulder areas is worse now also. I am not sure if it is from the surgery, or my age, but any weather change almost puts me down for most of the day.

The skin on my upper chest by my left arm pit is still very sensitive, I have to watch seat belts and anything else that touchs that area.

I am still taking the maximum dosage of Methocarbamol, 600 mg Motrin and 50 mg Ultram every 8 hours and still the pain is very high at times.

My average pain has been treading up with last few months and it has taken a drastic upward trend since the weather started to change. This last weekend, I had to leave a Church Revival because the pain was at a 9. When I went out to dinner with my wife and son, I was at a 9 and did not get to enjoy visiting with my son who moved out recently.

I am getting a MRI and a MRA next week in preparation to seeing a doctor to get Botox shots in my right Scalene muscles.

I am working again, but I am not sure how long I will be able to work full time, it is very hard to concentrate while being in pain all the time.

Just to give a back up on my TOS. I first started getting symptoms back in 1995 before my son was born, the USN thought it was due to neck spine locking up. I have had one surgery on my right side and it rarely bothers me, unless I over do it and do things I am not suppose to do.

I have had a total of 3 surgeries on my left side. I had a Partial Rib restructuring almost 10 years ago at the VA. I had my left minor pectoral muscle detached about 7 years. I had my last surgery with Dr Thompson Dec 11, 2016 and he said there was a lot of scar tissue built up on my nerves, it took him one hour longer than normal due to the extensive scar tissue. He said it could take a couple of years for the nerves to return to normal if they do at all.

I had hoped that having surgery with Dr Thompson would be the magic bullet to fix my left side, but now I regret having the surgery a lot of the time.

Jomar 11-08-2017 12:13 PM

Sorry to read it was not a magical fix...that scar tissue thing can really mess up the process..:grouphug:

moltra 12-27-2017 12:03 PM

I had 7 Botox shots last week, 2 in the right side of my neck, 1 in the left side of my neck. I also had 2 shots into the upper Trapezius Muscles on my left and right side.

I can tell that the Botox is having an affect, but it is not the affect that I was looking for. My pain has changed as the muscles affected are getting weaker, but the other muscles are tighting up and causing my nerves to be pulled in different ways. Since I had the Botox shots, my pain has been in the 7-8 daily range with bad days 9-10.

I have my 1st physical therapy session since I had the Botox this afternoon. Hopefully it will help reduce the pain I am having. I am wearing a glove on my left hand, since it feels like I am getting cut by 1000 razor blades If I touch anything to even if I move my hand.

I have an appointment in Feb to start the process of getting a Spinal Cord Stimulator put in. The VA have already approved it, I just have to see the Pain Doc and setup the appointments.

Has anyone used a Spinal Cord Stimulator for TOS before? If so, did it help?

:(

Jomar 12-27-2017 01:53 PM

A member long ago (beth?) had RSD & TOS, or the RSD came after TOS surgery, not sure on the details it was so many years ago..
But she did eventually get a SCS trial and had quite a bit of paint relief with back then. 2006..

We do have an SCS subforum that might give more info on that topic..
https://www.neurotalk.org/forum118/

moltra 01-10-2018 10:57 AM

The Botox had been wearing off for the last few days. I know it is suppose to last 2-3 months, but for some reason, it lasts less than a month for me.

I am kinda glad that the Botox is wearing off. When it was active, it changed all my TOS triggers. This caused my pain to be worse. Now I can do what I have in the past to help minimize the pain.

At the first PT appointment after the Botox injection, my PT therapist said that everything has reversed. Areas that I was normally very tight was loose and areas that were loose were tight. I think that this was what was causing the pain to be b worse. My nerves were being pulled in an opposite directions than normal.

I have a follow-up appointment Jan 23 work Neurologist and an appointment with Pain Doc Feb 26 to discuss implanting a spinal cord stimulator.

One good thing is, that the VA had already approved the spinal cord stimulator and the follow-up appointments for it.

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