Glad your daughter is doing so much better. i've been dealing with TOS for 20yrs or so, and had two surgeries already. Regarding your daughter pain, please do not take that for granted. Keep an eye on that. Trust me, i've had all types of pains dealing with this. i know about the pain and spasms in the rib area. i have an appointment to get a second opinion with Dr. Pearl next month. Schedule to have surgery with another doctor, but since this will be my third surgery, want to make sure i cover everything. Thank the LORD your daughter is doing so much better. i'm praying for everyone on here. You all take care, and thanks for the updates. GOD bless you all!!!!

Well, usually I am really excited when my daughter has another month go by....today that isn't the case. Last month about a week after her 8 month anniversary, she started complaining about a pain in her shoulder. Her exact words were " I think I slept wrong and I have a kink in my shoulder"...words that I heard back in October of 2011...when all this started. So I texted Dr Pearl...and she called him to talk with him. He said to take ibuprofen 3 times a day and stop doing activity. So she did that for a week and there wasn't any change...so he suggested that we get an appointment with the shoulder specialist that diagnosed her. We go see him next Thursday, but today she told me that her elbow started hurting one night. That is scary because that hasn't happened since she had surgery. My fear is that it's scar tissue and she will have to have another surgery, but my question is when does it end? If it came back this fast, what will it do next time? She can't keep having surgery, can she? I will let you know more after our appointment on Thursday.

Nospam: I know that you had another surgery to clean up the scar tissue...how was that and did it help?

Shoulder problems after TOS surgery are usually just shoulder problems. I personally had problems with rotator cuff bursitis and tendinitis due to poor scapular positioning. The scapular stabilizing muscles need to be strengthened and sometimes shoulder mechanics need retraining, a common problem with TOS sufferers (I used Stott Pilates for retraining and my shoulders are doing great now). A tight pec minor can cause the shoulder problems as well as the symptoms in the elbow. Unless she is having parasthesias/radiculopathy from the armpit down into the fingers, I wouldn't immediately suspect scar tissue.

Thanks for that....I always suspect the worse. I will try to remain calm until we see the doctor next week. It's hard

By the way, congrats on your baby boy! Hope you all are doing well

Went to shoulder specialist yesterday. He said it wasn't her shoulder and it wasn't a failed surgery. He said the nerves in her neck were inflamed causing the pain in her shoulder and the numbness/pain in her elbow. She is taking steriods and a month of p/t. Hoping that will clear this up..... will keep you all updated.

TOSMother: I feel for you and her and I hope the steroids and PT work for her. I go back to Dr. Pearl on Friday to let him know of my progress since I last saw him in July. I guess I actually should say minimal to no progress. Some days and nights the pain and discomfort is almost unbearable. I haven't thrown a baseball in 2 months thinking that would help but overall it really hasn't. It has been 11 months since my surgery and I'm afraid he might tell me I need another surgery but if it isn't going to be life threatening then I might just tough it out as long as I can and go to a pain management doctor even though I don't really want to go that route. Good luck to your daughter and I'll be thinking about you guys.

Cltbaseball9,

When I read your post, my heart just dropped. I was hoping that you were doing better Please let us know what Dr. Pearl tells you tomorrow. My daughter will start p/t next week and I've got to tell you that I am very worried, but trying to stay positive about all of this. I will keep you updated as things progress.

Sending prayers and good thoughts your way

Hi everybody!
It's been awhile since I've been on the forum but I wanted to give an update. I'm a little over one year post-op and I'm still really glad I had surgery. I'm not completely off pain meds at this point, but I'm down to Lyrica and Flexeril once daily!
I have had a few minor pain flare-ups, but nothing like I experienced prior to surgery. Usually an extra dose of meds and a couple days taking it easy take care of it. I don't have as much range of motion in the right arm as in the left, but I can do the things I need to do (like work) and want to do (like ride my horse). I also gained quite a bit of weight in the last year and I'm having some trouble losing it, but overall, I consider myself very fortunate. If this is as good as it gets, I'll take it.

So glad to hear from you! Glad things are still going well for you! We have missed you!

Cltbaseball, TOSmom, Losing Hope:

How great to hear from all of you.

I am also experiencing trouble again after doing better for a few months. I am afraid this is a lifelong battle. Cltbaseball, please let us know what Dr. Pearl says.