[tidyteresa]

Hi all,
This is my first post here but I have been lurking for a long time just reading and digesting information, that I am grateful for!

I have been having trouble with my left arm for some time now. I thought it was tendonitis because a run a cleaning service and I work harder than my staff (their words not mine). My chiropractor had been treating my left arm for the tendonitis until I went in and my upper arm was very swollen and feverish. He was visibly concerned with my arm, my pulse in that arm, the fact that my arm was feverish. He was thinking it was a blood clot so I went to my clinic and after an x-ray and blood tests to rule out an infection. After those tests turned out to be normal (except for my high blood pressure for me) I went for an ultrasound which was inconclusive and an CT scan. The doctor showed us the CT scan and told us he thought he saw a small blood clot but wasn't sure enough to put me through months of blood thinners.

Two days later I went into the cath lab for a venogram. He couldn't find a clot so he was very agitated. He then told his assistants to lift my arm and "boom" my blood flow cut off like a kinked garden hose!! He was so excited he was jumping up and down saying "I found it, I found it"! Very intelligent but strange little man, who my husband nicknamed "Rainman"! Come to find out all of his staff call him that too!

He then told me that I needed to have my first rib removed and I am sure my jaw hit the floor! Not only did he tell me I had a syndrome I had never heard of but he was telling my that I needed to lose a rib, which I didn't know was a possibility!! At least it wasn't a clot so I have to hold on to that.

I met with the surgeon today hoping that everything the tests showed were wrong but of course they were not. I am scheduled for a resection of my first rib on Feb. 13th.

My doctor told me that I would be in the hospital a minimum of 3 days so I think it very ironic that I will be spending Valentine's Day in a heart hospital! LOL!

I am very nervous but it has really been educating for me reading posts on this site so I had a list of questions for my surgeon. So thank you for all that have posted! I will keep you updated!