I was kayaking a few weeks ago (one of my favorite hobbies) and my left arm suddenly became extremely tired. By the time I got downstream my arm was in serious pain. Over the next day my arm swelled and briefly was blue before returning to normal color a day later. Then veins began to appear all along my left chest and underarm. I decided to see an ortho surgeon.

The initial x-ray showed nothing. The doctor almost just wrote me off and sent me to PT, but then I mentioned my veins and immediately he told me he thought I had something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I had an EMG done, nerves "perfectly fine" according to the neurologist who performed it. Then I had a duplex ultrasound and they found no clots.

I thought I was out of the water, but the doctors still think I have a vascular form of TOS. I'm going in for a venogram on Thurs but I'm terrified! Not just because I may have VTOS but because my ortho surgeon had another ortho assess me just to be sure and they both told me that if this is not what I have, they have no idea what our next step will be.

The lack of a diagnosis scares me because I'm left handed and even writing for a prolonged amount of time hurts. I'm only 21 I don't know how I can live with this pain for the next month let alone the rest of my life if they can't figure it out.

I've been googling and googling and I have no idea where I lie. I have all the symptoms, pain in the neck, shoulder and arm. Veins showing on my chest. Arm is still swollen weeks later.

Anyone with similar symptoms?

Can you have VTOS without blood clots?

And if I don't have blood clots is it possible that this can just be treated with PT? Or will surgery still be the better option?

I'm in serious pain and it constantly gets worse throughout the day unless I immobilize my arm in a sling. I was given muscle relaxers and 800mg ibuprofen and neither relieve the pain. I'm at my whits end!

If I have this what are my chances of recovery (with or without surgery)?

If I do need surgery, how long will recovery likely take? I'm currently in school for engineering and I'm left handed so I need to be able to write. The University has a lot of resources for people with medical problems and handicaps but I'd prefer to be able to take my own notes because that's primarily how I study. I'm also wondering if there is the possibility I need surgery, maybe it could be done during my winter break from classes. Is there a chance that I will be able to write again 3 weeks post op? And is this time frame possibly too short, as in there is no way I'd be ready for surgery in Early December if I need it?

Please help ease my mind. I'm incredibly stressed from school and now I have this problem with my arm and my mom thinks I'm overreacting and that I just have tendonitis or something and that these doctors are liars. I know she's wrong but the arguments we've gotten into have cut her off as my support so now I really have no one and I'm a huge worry wort so I just can't stop thinking about this and how it may affect my future.

I've read several different sites that say surgery is the best option, but then I've stumbled on a few that say surgery is controversial and can sometimes worsen symptoms or fail.

I have no idea what I'd do if I had to give up rowing and really how good would I be as a one armed engineer (not saying I'm going to lose the arm just that the pain is severely limiting my use of it).

Sorry for so many questions, but I just have no idea what to expect and I'd really like to have some idea of what's to come.