I *think* I am going to post pone on surgery.

GAWRRRR It is so hard to know what to do.

Dr. Donahue finally offered it to me so I jumped on it, now I may be pulling back.

I am going to try more physical therapy. We hit a wall in December but after a month away from it, I got better.

If I look at myself a year ago, I am definitely better. Not out of the woods AT ALL, but definitely not on that downhill spiral anymore. I know this takes FOREVER for nerves to heal so I will give my body the benefit of the doubt and keep plugging away now with therapy. Maybe the Botox will help my therapy go better.

I think of surgery as a cure and I think I am incorrect in doing so. I believe surgery is a last resort. I wish it was not something that you had to be very bad to have done.

My current level is that I get numb pinkies and my elbows get a pressure in them. This will stay this way as long as I am not on the computer much and don't do stupid things like hold a phone without a headset or go swimming. Doing so would make pain start.

I don't want to risk my current "ok" state for something better if it means possibly becoming worse than I am now.

Thank You ALL!
Marky Mark

I think you are making a good decision. You can always reschedule it. I am in a similar place-after 2 yers of pain-better but not good enough. The next step for me is posture,ergonomics and strengthening without hurting,with the goal of going back to work. For me my laptop has been a godsend. I cant use a mouse. Try to think of some ways to minimize the use that gets you in pain-and find other ways to do the things you want to do- In my case time and rest along with good pt and trigger point injections have really helped. Aquatherapy? instead of swimming. Trackpad or Wacom tablet, Dragon software, Ergonomic chair for the computer.

I have noticed too I am better without pt if the pt is flaring me up. See if it continues to improve and then decide if you want to try a new therapy, but only give it 2-4 weeks to see if it is helping you and if not move on to the next thing. It is frustrating and time consumng, but even if you have surgery you would still have to do all those things.
Keep Strong-
JKL

Is 2 weeks too short to determine if a PT approach is working?

Thats what Dr. Ando told me-but thats why I said 2-4. I have always tried people for 2-3 months and did not leave soon enough. it also depends on how many times a week-so lets say twice a week for 2-4 weeks.

Oh, Marky Mark,

Don't beat yourself up over this. Just think, if you ever do decide on surgery D told me probably, NO PT. He says to paraphrase, he's not too keen on it anyway. There is however, he said, one exercise I will give you on the day of the operation and you must do it for one year, 365 days, without missing.
I have a calendar already set up to check day by day off. So, I haven't seen it yet, however I'll do that rather than PT. I hate PT. I don't know how you and everyone else does it all of the time, I admire you for it. I guess I did it for so many years that I just couldn't do it any longer because for me it wasn't working. What I used to love tho, was when the pt would pull my hand and arm as much and as long as she could until she was exhaused. I guess it probably took any pinching off of any nerves that created my relief. That's why I thought of getting one of those machines where you hang yourself, lol on, too expensive for me tho.


I totally agree with you that there are no cures out there, even surgery. So, do what you need to do for yourself kiddo, everyone is soo different. Before I forget, I got an inexpensive bluetooth and I just love it. It was $30 I believe, on Amazon.com, I can get you the info if u r interested. I only use it at home and I turn the tv down when I'm on it because of background noise. I found it the best. I used a headset for years, like the ones used by phone operators on tv. It's just that I had to have the phone in my hands all the time. With the bluetooth you don't have to have anything in your hands. Mine holds 6 hrs of time, however, watch your phone bars it can eat them up, so you have to recharge it, which is fine.
My hand/fingers/lower arm/elbow/upper arm and shoulder pain happens when I use the computer. It is helped with my tylenol #3 with codeine, I take 2 now. I started with 1 every 6 hours for a long time and now 2 period. I take it about 3:30 before I try the treadmill, then I will use the computer as I am now doing. Since the tyl is not working like it did I am going for the surgery.
I think the advise on aquatherapy is good, try it. If you are a swimmer anyway I think you might like it. I hope you didn't feel pushed by me for surgery w/D. Maybe I told you too much. I do care about you MM (funny I call everyone with the name Mark, Marky Mark, why is that, ha?) and wish I could take away your pain. Please let me know how you are doing and come on often to neurotalk. Some people leave much too early, please don't. I want to see you get betterer and betterer!

Love Irisheyesmilin xoxoxo

Aqua therapy likely won't do any good. I did it after my fusion surgery. It is meant for those not ready to handle standard therapy. Me and one other girl with severe scoliosis were the only ones there under 60. I think most therapy pools max out a 4.5' deep (and I always fought over the deepest point).

While I still have some issues (not directly TOS related), I can swim with no problems post rib resection recovery (which included PT). It is one of my only true pain free activities.

I agree with everyone, I think you are making the right decision to wait. TOS surgery is very invasive and definitely should be a last resort. I actually improve with PT as in I feel AMAZING after but as soon as I leave the office and get back to life, the pain is back and gets worse and worse and I look fwd to seeing my PT every week just for that temporary pain relief. I do very simple yoga exercises as my PT is a yogi and when I go I basically get lots of manual therapy and joint/rib mobilization. I am nowhere near any strengthening or anything and I still cannot even do Edgelow breathing for more than 1 to 2 mins sometimes....hence I choose surgery again espec since I have extra ribs. I hope you improve with new therapies, maybe try a different PT? IMO PT should be beneficial always and although it may be painful during, it should relieve your pain/symptoms when it is over.

I think you're doing the right thing. I know it's frustrating that progress is so slow but at least you're making progress. If that stops, you've always got surgery. The harder part will be identifying the things that screw you up (like computers) and avoiding or minimizing them.

Take care.

Kelly

I want to have surgery. I want to book a flight and go do it.

But...I am thinking I shouldn't do it even though I want to.

I have modified my life until I am blue in the face, ahha.

But, I think physical thearpy has not been exhausted yet.

I don't know how I'll get along without having gone and done it. I really do want to do it but I have received too many negative insights on it. I think I am looking at it with too much hope. I want it to be a true great thing to do.

Those couple of sentences may change your life.

Physical therapy can be an arduous, boring, time consuming effort, but when I look back over the last year and the year before that one, every second I've spent doing it has been that true great thing.

Best of luck to you!