Hoping to ask for advice...I had a MRI after my tos surgery because I have had worsening pain since the surgery 6 months ago. It showed mild to moderate inflammation and I have been on high dose steroids for the last 11 days which have halved the pain but the side effects are significant.

My pain doctor has me scheduled for next week for three things to be done to my brachial plexus:
1. Steroid injection over the brachial plexus
2. Lidocaine injection
3. Pulsed radiofrequency neuromodulation

I was wondering if anyone has had any of these procedures done to them. If so, did any of them help? Did you have any complications? Any worsening of symptoms?

Your advice and experience is deeply appreciated!!!

So sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. I've learned a few things from my pain doc over the years -- and I just sent you a PM with some thoughts to perhaps consider...

Sorry, I'm no doctor or anything but that seems like an awful lot to be throwing at your poor brachial plexus in the hope that something will "stick." I have had some of the procedures you mention, and I'm sorry to say have not found them to be helpful at all in bringing my pain levels down.

I know six months seems like a long time, but it's really just a drop in the bucket in terms of real recovery time from TOS surgery… My surgeon told me to expect it to take twelve to eighteen months before I would be fully recovered.

Are you in PT, or bodywork of any sort? That is what helped me, ultimately, once I was able to find TOS-savvy therapists to work with me. It's difficult and slow-going, this recovery business, I'm not gonna lie, but so worthwhile.

If you would still like to try some of the pain intervention techniques your pain management doc is proposing, that's fine, but I would just suggest that you give your body a bit more time to heal first and then try these one at a time, with a decent interval in between each one. Otherwise, you not only won't know which technique is effective (or not), but you risk making things worse by confounding the picture just as your poor thoracic outlet is beginning to heal from a very invasive surgery.

Hope this makes some sense to you. If not, take what you need and leave the rest! Wish you well as you continue on your healing journey.

Alison