[katherineb]

im 38 and am having a rib resection on fri. i had a blood clot in jan and it came about becouse of tos. reading on the internet kinda, well it does scare me!

[Jomar]

Hi katherineb,

your surgery is next Friday?
don't be scared, knowledge is power right

There are just things that some have been thru already and others can learn from that.
Like-
speaking up for adequate pain relief if needed
preparing for surgery and post op recovery tips
what is normal for recovery {pain or whatever} and what is not
things to be cautious of - re injury, falls, car wrecks, just plain over doing too soon
bad PT vs good TOS PT

Just remember that the majority of most surgeries go with out a hitch.
If your surgeon is experienced and skilled at what he is doing and you feel confidant of that you should be just fine.

If you have any questions about anything just ask.

I'll copy this post of yours and make it a new thread for more replies and Hellos.

******************************************
below is from-

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

Ann Vasc Surg. 2004 Sep;18(5):558-65. Epub 2004 Aug 6.

Thoracic outlet syndrome surgery: long-term functional results.
Degeorges R, Reynaud C, Becquemin JP.
Department of Vascular Surgery, Henri Mondor Hospital, Creteil, France.

[This retrospective study was carried out to assess clinical outcome 2 years after TOS surgery and to determine predictive factors of outcome. Between 1979 and 1999, 155 patients underwent TOS surgery. Of these patients, 140 (90.3%) had a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Thirty-six (25.7%) patients underwent bilateral procedures. A total of 176 procedures were reviewed and served as a basis for study. Presenting symptoms were neurologic in 15 cases (8.5%),
arm or hand ischemia occurred in 38 cases (21.6%),
and venous compression or thrombosis in 27 cases (15.4%).
In 96 cases (54.5%), symptoms were mixed. A transaxillary approach (107 cases) was chosen to address venous symptoms and minor arterial dysfunction.
A supraclavicular approach (69 cases) was used when there were large abnormal bony structures, neurologic symptoms, and/or severe limb ischemia.
The first rib was resected either extensively from its neck to the sternal attachment (54 cases) or partially, including the mid-rib and neck or the mid-rib and sternal attachment (121 cases), depending on symptoms, approach, and surgeon's choice. Whenever present, cervical ribs, anterior scalenus muscle, and various fibrous or muscular compressive structures were also removed.]

Functional results were
excellent = 87 (49.4%)
good = 61 (34.6%)
fair = 14 (8%)
poor = 14 (8%) procedures respectively.

[dawn3063]

Hi Katherineb,
I was going to make your post into a thread of it's own since you are having surgery on Friday. Oops, Jo beat me to it... Ya, That's our Awsome Mod Jo...
I want you to know that you have come to the right place. There are so many supportive people here and with so much experience. The internet can be a scarey place to roam around.
I want to wish you all the luck with your up and coming surgery on Friday.
I've been thru two TOS surgery they consisted of a Sclenectomy and neuroplasty. I didn't have a rib resection. Just be sure that you have good pain control, Lot's of soft pillows and ice packs on the incision sites help alot. Be sure to use all those IOU's that people owe you..
And be sure to rest alot...
Welcome to our TOS forum and We hope to hear how you did with your surgery on Friday...
Many Hugs
Dawn

[Sea Pines 50]

i am so glad you found us. what part of the country are you in? do you mind telling us the name of your surgeon and what his or her specialty is (vascular, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery)?

it seems the majority of the top TOS surgeons are vascular guys, but not always the case. at any rate, it does sound like the type of TOS you have is vascular in nature.

and the good news is, your type of TOS as i am sure you know has much higher surgical success rates!

still, it is nothing to fool around with and i hope that you are going with one of the top docs if you are able to. i mean no disrespect of course. it's just that TOS is such a tricky byatch, katherine! and the thoracic outlet so teeny tiny; you really need someone who has done hundreds, if not thousands, of these types of surgeries in their career.

not just one every once in a while. or read about it in a book once.

doctors can be so arrogant (or me so jaded). i just want to be sure you are in the very best hands possible.

one thing i know for certain and that is you have found the very best on-line support group going and one of the best sources of information, too.

so again i am so glad you have found us and we have met you.

stay close. we are right here for you, katherine. this is a scary thing...but we'll get through it together, OK.

alison

[Stardust]

Just want to say hi and sorry that you have to have surgery. But you've come to the right place--the forum provides a wealth of info and support for TOS'ers. Will be thinking of you....
Hugs to you.

[ocgirl]

Welcome and best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
Martha

[katherineb]

my doctors name is karthik kasirajan. they call him dr. cassie. im gonna be at emory in atlanta. i was reffered by a vascular doc who said that becouse he didnt do rib resections often enough that he wanted dr cassie to look at me. i have spoken with other people in the vascular field and all say that he is the best. i hope so!! katherine

[astern]

Katherine, please let us know if you get a good feeling from Dr Cassie, and how you are doing after your rib resection. I am in Atlanta and am desperate for a good TOS Dr to follow up with my care.

Be brave, we will all be praying for you!
Anne

[Sea Pines 50]

dear katherine, that you came through your surgery yesterday with flying colors and will be able to spend a quiet holiday weekend resting up and recovering from the trauma and insult of the operation.

keep lots of ice on the incision site itself as well as on the affected arm and surrounding areas; that's always seemed to help many of us going through this very same thing. and stay on top of the prescribed meds, for your body will heal better if you can keep the pain under control. if the nurses aren't bringing them every 3-4 hours (however they're rx'd by your surgeon, he's running the show), make noise! as everyone gets busy and it pays to be proactive in these situations (actually i read somewhere if you can, have a family member or friend do that last bit for you, then you get to hunker back on the comfy pillows and not be seen as a 'difficult patient', which would also rock!

but the main thing is to take care of you, whatever it takes during this critical phase of your immediate post-op phase of recovery.

sure will be thinking of you, katherine. this ain't no walk in the park, that's for sure. i remember clutching onto my 4 or 5 little bags of frozen peas while i was still in the hospital like there was no tomorrow!

totally saved my life.
do let us know how it went for you as you are able, dear.

all my best to you,
alison

[katherineb]

well its tuesday and all is well!! i was able to come home on monday. my house never looked so good. the pain was not as bad as i had anticipated. i had my last pill on sat nite. i wasnt in pain only uncomfortable. asked for tylonel but nurse would only give me percacet. i only took 1 but it helped. havnt needed any since. my arm is still numb in the back. my fingers have been tingling and sometimes numb although its getting better. to cough, laugh or clear my throat really hurt my back and chest wall. it has gotten better. if i press my back against a wall and put a pillow on my chest it helps alot. i have a 3 inch scar in my arm pit and a small scar under it where they put a drainage tube. right now the only comfortable way to sleep is on my back. my right side still falls asleep. i cant wait to be able to sleep on my side. to be able to talk with someone who understands is awesome. thank all of you who were thinking of me. i was also thinking of my cyber friends!! love you all