Hi my name is Jill. I started having issues early March 2012 with my hands, fingers and arms going numb/tingling. I also started to have pretty severe burning/ pain in my neck and Rt. shoulder. I woke up one morning and could not turn my head. went to to several doctors, Had an EMG and X-Ray of the C-spine which the neurosurg doctor said they both looked fine except my C7 process was alittle bit longer then it should be but nothing to worry about. She referred me to Dr. Dean Donahue at MGH who did a CTA scan and called me several days later personally to inform me of the results. Dr. Donahue stated that i had cervical ribs full rib on the right and small rib on the left side. At this point i have already been in PT for 5 month with no improvement. Dr. Donahue suggested two options, botox injections or surgery So still very stunned i said Botox first and if that doesn't work then surgery. My right side is worse then my left side. He also said that i have moderate compression on the right side as well. So i guess what i'm wondering is, Has anyone had surgery w/ Dr. Donahue? what is the post op like? he said that he was going to take out the extra rib and my first rib as well. Any advise at this point would be much appreciated! thanks

Lots of people on the boards have had surgery with Dr. Donahue. He is actually my surgeon although I haven't had surgery yet. He is supposed to be one of the top people in the country and he is very conservative and does not recommend surgery right away.

Do a search of this forum for "Donahue" and you'll find a video presentation of his, plenty of rave reviews, and one not so pleasant experience (no doctor is perfect).

Botox is only temporary solution (and may not even offer much relief). With the cervical ribs and the symptoms you describe, I think surgery may be inevitable. The good news is the Donahue seems to be very conservative and only performs surgery when necessary and you are a good candidate for successful recovery. Those with cervical ribs have better surgical outcomes than the rest of us in general.

Yeah Dr. Donahue is amazing! I guess that i'm just really freaked out at this point to think that i'm going to have to have surgery to remove RIBS I'm really worried about Post Op, from what i've read on here the recovery sounds really painful and long. I know i can't live the way i am now but i also don't want to come out of surgery worse then when i went in. I sure everyone has this thoughts and concerns but again i think i'm just kind of freaking out.

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yes of course you don't want to have surgery. However, if you do need it, and my understanding is the same that with extra ribs you do, you can know that you are in very good hands with dr donahue. I have complete confidence in him and will be seeing him again in a few weeks.

QUOTE=*Miss Jill*;914743]Yeah Dr. Donahue is amazing! I guess that i'm just really freaked out at this point to think that i'm going to have to have surgery to remove RIBS I'm really worried about Post Op, from what i've read on here the recovery sounds really painful and long. I know i can't live the way i am now but i also don't want to come out of surgery worse then when i went in. I sure everyone has this thoughts and concerns but again i think i'm just kind of freaking out. [/QUOTE]

In your case, surgery to remove RIBS that shouldn't be there in the first place. Post-op is not a cakewalk...but in my case it was easier than my cervical fusion (ACDF) surgery. Recovery is a long road, but I felt relief from many of the symptoms immediately after surgery.

DID you have Cervical ribs as Well? Post op and Recovery is what i think i'm the most scared about. I live 2 - 2 1/2 hrs. From where i will be having the surgery done at MGH so post care i'm not sure what will happen w/ that. what was your post op like? was it extremely painful? did you have alot of numbness afterwards? I guess the thing that is the most painful for me now is my neck and shoulder on Rt. It's so tight through their, causes spasms and last night my husband noticed that on my Rt. side right below my collarbone i have a lump which is Extremely painful. I'm at the point where i'm feeling defeated by this, everytime i turn around there is a new symptom, something else to deal with. Nothing so far that i've done/ been prescribed has really helped. Heat sometimes will give some relief, oh and IcyHot helps some as well. I was told to take anti inflamatory meds to help reduce swelling by the 2nd doctor i saw but i take them and nothing happens no relief so i decided that if they are not working then i prob. shouldn't take them. I also get this throbbing in my shoulder, my veins will then enlarge ( very uncomfortable), my arm will turn red and then it will all go away with in 30sec- 1min. I'm kind of hoping that doesn't mean i have a blood clot

Did you have cervical ribs as well? I guess i'm scared a lot about Post- OP and recovery, i live a little over 2 hrs away from Dr. donahue so the ride home is also a great concern. The symptom that eats me up is the pain/ burning in the back of my neck and Rt. shoulder, did you have that? if so was that one of the symptoms that went away right after surgery? I'm feeling pretty defeated at this point, it's like when i come to terms w/ a symptom a new one shows up. Last night my husband noticed a small lump on the bottom of my right collarbone (very painful) and i've had this dull pain in Rt. shoulder, then my arm will turn red and my veins get enlarged this will last about 30 sec - 1 min. then go away. Now i'm concerned that i may have a blood clot

Hi Jill,
Have you noticed any better or worse effects with posture changes?

Sometimes with pain we hunch forward or tend to go into a protective mode. The forward or hunching closes down the area even more.
Perhaps try being aware of what your head & shoulders posture is during those bad times and if you can make a change by changing posture.

I live further away than that. My plan would be to have follow up care closer to home. Ask dr Donahue about this. He told me that most people do travel home afterwards. Also try to relax as much as you can. Maybe do the edge low breathing?