[Horizontal One]

Hi

1990 Bi lateral c7 ribs excised with stellate ganglion sympathectomies

6mnth recovery but car crash - rear impact left with bad whiplash --injections in neck for headaches etc and neck pianfor several years.
Viral illness left with neuropathy to lower limb
R SIJ problems - pain +++
All seemed ok til 04 - L wrist pain....within 10 days raging bilat arm pain..only relieved by being flat hence my sign on name Horizontal. Then that did not help.

Lots investigations.....CXR, MRI, EMG ruled out hind brain herniation but do have narrowing/disc degen down c spine.

05 - had exploratory surgery L brachial plexus ----adhesions, rib end excised, muscle cleaned up, nerve fibres pinned down, released...recon work to sub clavian art...
Have colour change, cold hands, grip probs, sensation issues
Very tight thoracic outlet space......lots nerve damage.

Post op......still pain probs persist....lots of drugs inc Ketamine
Breathing problems - have L. hemidiaphragm paralysis and partial paralysis to R. on oxygen and SOB minimal exertion.

Review with surgeon very soon...also under pain doc. - both great docs.
Getting lower limb problems - both knees jointly (no pun intended) giving me pain...despite the pain meds I am on...so this is giving me trouble getting up and moving about.
Had to retire from work.....fed up but maintaining ability to laugh as if get depressed wont be able to drag self out of hole with useless arms.

That's me....like you found myself here and made some great friends...great help and useful advice.

[sandy1955]

I was diagnosed with tennis elbow in MArch of 03. I worked until was laid off (due to company filing bankruptcy) on December 31, 2003. By the time I stopped working I had to have not one but 3 procedures on the left elbow. Ulnar, radial tunnel release and tennis elbow release-Jan 2004
July 2004-right ulnar release
December 2004-right carpal tunnel and radial release
Since all that cutting didn't help with the pain in my neck and all the numbness, discoloration and tingling up both arms I finally was seen and diagnosed with bilateral vascular and neurogenic TOS. Treatment started a year later with the rib-resection a year after the PT. April 2006.
I am better but can't do much of anything without pain or swelling. So now they are ready to do carpal tunnel release on left hand.
I have said I will never let them do the reb-resection on the right side-I would sooner cut my whole arm off-than suffer the intense post-op pain after surgery on an outpatient basis.
I, too am bored out of my mind...So I eat and eat and eat.......30 pound weight gain attributed to neurontin and Hershey's!!!!