I totally agree with you there Jo.


I have just come back from my family doctor who has already had correspondence from the vascular surgeon. I have an extra rib which is what not I was expecting. When I saw the surgeon on first consultation the other week he was concentrating on a particular area which now I believe to be where the extra rib is. My radial pulse is very weak when arms are beside me. This is something I was certain was happening but now I have it confirmed. I still have to have a MRI with contrast to check if there are fibrous bands and it's this that will determine how the surgeon approaches the surgery. He has said I have not only venus TOS but also arterial and neuro TOS. On a good note my blood clotting medication has been changed to Pradaxa which I have been waiting years to have. This drug will make it easier post surgery to make sure I don't clot but will also be a lifelong drug because I have suffered 2 clots in my lungs as a result of my TOS.

The MRI is posing difficult to obtain fully covered in my local hospital in Australia. I know when I have had the previous blood clots that the MRI department did not want to do the tests the doctor had ordered. As my surgeon is a consultant at the hospital he should be able pressure them to do the test or refer me to another MRI company who run out of one of the other hospitals. At the end of the day with my local hospital it's about cost cutting and not that they don't do the test. They tried to tell me they don't do the test but i have had similar there before but it was radioactive iodine and this time it's not radioactive.

I will post any updates as they happen to save me typing lol