My surgery is scheduled for June 13th. My follow up appointment is on May 29th along with my pre-op. I have a HUGE list of questions to ask. I am very nervous but optimistic. I have been doing acupuncture in the mean time with no results at all, just pain, but I had to try it.

I am so happy to hear that your surgery has been so successful. It gives me hope that I will be pain free in the foreseeable future.

Let us know how the follow up goes. I am starting to seeing the surgeons in L. A. but am interested in going to see Dr. Brown too especaially because he does scalenctomy only. What is his rationale for not taking out the rib?
Thanks,

CJ, have you had your surgery yet?

Response finally re Dr Brown UCSD
 

I have a lot of updates. I actually forgot I had even posted on this website. I discovered that many people wanted to know how my surgery went.

I had the Scalenectomy, but Dr Brown discovered that that was not going to be sufficient once he got in there. Apparently, my ribs are more vertical than most people, I had a branch of the Subclavian vein in the wrong place. He told me right away after recovering from anesthesia that I would need further surgery.

Dr Brown had me get a CT of my chest with angiogram to show where the vessels were being compressed, both artery and vein. We discovered that my clavicle and first 2 ribs were compressing the vessels on the left side.

He involved the Thoracic surgeon, Dr Goltz, in the second surgery, which was mid April. I had portions of both the first and second rib removed. I am about 4 plus weeks out. I am finally entirely off pain meds, except Aleve as of 2 days ago. My left hand still turns blue when it just hangs down while sitting or walking. A second CT done last week, in prep for the right side, shows plenty of room for the vessels on the left and I can correct the color of the left hand but raising it up, so we will leave it be. Right side will need scalencetomy and only first rib removal- but as least it will be in one surgery. I believe I will be shortly after supersickchick, as Dr Brown's assistant said I will be shortly after June 13.

Sorry for the long post. I will keep in touch better

Thanks so much for returning here to update us. Your info is very valued. Wishing you the best in you recovery.

Thanks for the update. Please come back to post about your recovery every now and again.
Thanks

6 days Post Op!
 

SOOOOO.....

I had my surgery last week on the 13th. All went very well, immediately after surgery in recovery i could tell that I was all better. My left hand is back! No real pain, just pulling and crazy pressure. I am only taking 800 milligrams of motrin for the pressure/pain. Have a hard time being on my feet for too long but that is getting better everyday. The only downfall.....

A little back ground for those who don't know my story, it was only my left side that was affected after a head on car crash. Key words being only my left side. After surgery my right hand pointer finger is now numb and has shooting sharp daggers when i try to use it....Does anyone know what this could be from: swelling from the surgery, the probes during surgery to ensure all my nerves were working, the IV?

When I went in for surgery my left was being fixed with NO symptoms on the right and now my left is fixed and my right is symptomatic. I go back for my follow up with Dr. Brown tomorrow and hopefully he can shed some light on this because I do not want to do another surgery.....

How long did you spend in the hospital post-op?

The new symptoms on the right side are baffling. I can only guess that maybe you have some cervical issue in addition to the TOS. I can't see how left side scalenectomy could affect the right side. I'm curious to hear what the Dr. says. Keep us updated!

I was only in the hospital post - op over night. They sent me home the following afternoon.

After seeing Dr. Brown today and him doing the exam of my right side, he showed me where they tried to put an IV in and hit my median nerve instead. (atleast that is his guess because he did nothing with the right and all scans show my right side is intact) He said all numbness and shooting pain will go away! Says my left side is looking good, that the pressure and pulling is normal and that with time I should be able to be on my feet for longer periods of time.
I start physical therapy next week.

Did any of you experience the same thing of not being able to be upright for too long?

supersickchick - what were your symptoms of the torn scalenes? Did you have popping in your pectoral region eblow and above the clavicle during arm movements