Hi! I didnt have too much luck with him-he kept adjusting my neck and that flared me up. I did like his pilates exercises tho. I am back down seeing Dr. Ando for awhile-having some ain on my left side. My right side(original side is much better). I have been doing FSM(Frequency specific Microcurent ) with an
acupunturist and it has helped calm down my nerve pain. I will do an update on this thread.

Thanks for the info. I tried getting workers' comp to approve Ando but no luck. Hoping Chan will help as my surgery hasn't improved my situation so far.

Hello,
Its been awhile since I posted and I have seen more Doctors in L.A. so I thought I should write an Update. I have been off and on with flare-ups mostly in my neck Upper and lower traps. I also still have muscle pain in my underarm,scalpula my arm and pinky get numb especially while typing! I tried working for a week and was in bad pain for 3 out of the 5 days. My Oncologist who I trust recommended seeing a new Pain Dr and he recommended Dr. Rosner and Dr. Bajaj

I went back to PT with Dr. Ando and Heather but it wasnt helping with the neck pain which is the worst of it. I still do all my exercises which I think helps with the pec minor and armpit pain and arm numbness.

I went to 3 new pain doctors who all recommended getting an epidural since I have tried all the other injections and I DO have severe foraminal narrowing due to a C5-6 disc bulge and Bone Spurs. It will also be diagnostic since I have never been sure if the pain was coming from my neck or BP. Classic Double Crush Syndrome. Its time to try it.

2 of them recommended trying Lyrica so I switched from Neurontin. I take 100 mg at night and 50 2x a day. it doesnt make me as tired and the burning pain is better. For Muscle spasms I tried Skellaxin which worked but gives me a bad headache. I tried Vanaflex-but it makes me tired. Now I am just trying 2.5 mg of flexeril as needed. I have to cut the 5mg in half.

SOO- I am having an Epidural tomorrow at C6,7 and 8. for some reason I am more nervous about this than any other injection I have had. I am having it done at the Cedars Pain Clinic by the head of the Clinic-Dr. Howard Rosner. He spent alot of time with me and seems to have an understanding of TOS. I had my Lumpectomy at Cedars so I am comfortable there and they have all my records. They put you under so you dont feel it.

The other Dr. I saw was Dr. Bajaj who I liked but I didnt get the sense he understood TOS as well and doesnt have as much experience as Dr. Rosner. Also I saw his NP for most of the time and when I went back for a follow up I only saw the NP. He is close by though and they are managing my medications.

I also saw Dr. Fish at UCLA and that was a HUGE disapointment. He wrote several articles about TOS and Shoulder vs neck pain and I thought he would be able to help differentiate and see if he can test the long thoracic nerve but he said he doesnt do that. All he did was come in for 5 minutes and tell me to go see Dr. Ahn for TOS surgery and he looked at my mri and said he would recommend an epidural but I would have to be in pain when I got it but you have to schedule it in advance-so how do you know when you are going to have pain? Then he walked out of the room and that was it.

I also got a prescription for Cannabis oil from Dr.Frankel in Santa Monica. It is legal here in CA. I'm not sure about it-it makes me a bit fuzzy-but he has developed different strains without the THC. It also has anti-cancer properties so I figured- Kill 2 birds-HA

fyi, I recently read the info below -- which seems to link nerve root irritation with muscle spasm of the scalenes, leading to TOS.

http://www.nismat.org/patients/injur...in-in-the-neck

What causes the neurovascular compression?

Compression occurs when the size and shape of the thoracic outlet is altered. The outlet can be altered by exercise, trauma, pregnancy, a congenital anomaly, an exostosis, postural weakness or changes.

Below is a list of the component syndromes which comprise thoracic outlet syndrome along with a brief description of each. Refer to the scheme for questions about the gross anatomy of the region.

Anterior scalene tightness
Compression of the interscalene space between the anterior and middle scalene muscles-probably from nerve root irritation, spondylosis or facet joint inflammation leading to muscle spasm.

Costoclavicular approximation
Compression in the space between the clavicle, the first rib and the muscular and ligamentous structures in the area-probably from postural deficiencies or carrying heavy objects.

Pectoralis minor tightness
Compression beneath the tendon of the pectoralis minor under the coracoid process-may result from repetitive movements of the arms above the head (shoulder elevation and hyperabduction).

Thanks- this is interesting- This sentence caught my eye:

"However, compression of these structures may be caused by stretching or microtrauma (small tears in muscle tissue) to the muscles which support the scapula." I feel like mine started this way-and they heal and then tear again.

Some of these exercises are similiar to Dr. Ando's. I dont know about the push-ups though.

Cyclist did you get my PM? I tried to answer stuff line by line. I hope to have time this week to send you some articles but it seems like you do just as much research as me!

Good to hear from you! I haven't been on here for a very long time either typing and pain has gotten pretty bad, but have to say I tried cannabis oil too and it definitely helps me to sleep with some major pain relief as long as it has more CBD in it. Also there are CBD pills that California may have that do not affect your head just a "body high". I have not tried those yet though will let you know how it works (recovering from my 3rd surgery 2 months post op now).

Hi Parbie-so great to hear from you too. I was wondering if you had another surgery. Did Dr. Donohue do it? How are you doing? I am interested in the CBD pills-I dont know if they have them here. where are you now? PM or e-mail me when you can-JKL

Thank you for sharing your experiences in LA!