Hi all,

I'm a new member here. My hubby has just been (sort of) diagnosed with TOS, and I'm looking for more information / support / resources about it.

He has been having lots of chest pains in mid-chest and upper left shoulder for a couple of months. This has included arm / hand numbness and weakness, and fluctuating blood pressure / pulse. He began to notice this pain after a particular evening when he had sudden chest pain and arm numbness (we had been to the gym, and his heart rate was high). Of course, he interpreted this as a heart attack, and it led to the first of many recurring panic attacks over the course of a few months. He was tested for heart conditions that would cause the chest pains or the heart rate, but was otherwise assumed to be suffering from panic attacks. This was hard for him to accept, though, as his pain has been consistent, not just during his attacks.

I convinced him to see a massage therapist, as he has always been a very tense person (especially lately), and very sensitive to any kind of massage. She is a family friend and is very skilled and knowledgable in what she does. He had very tough fascia/connective tissue in his back, chest, and neck. She also noticed the way he rolls his shoulders forward, and the tension in his left shoulder area, and suggested based on this that he look up TOS and mention it to his doctor.

We were completely shocked after doing some quick research on TOS - the symptoms of TOS matched the symptoms he has been having exactly! He has had the tingling and numbness in the arm that are related to the neurogenic TOS, as well as the pains in the thoracic area and in his sternum area. The pain and numbness sometimes cause him to awaken at night when they are at their worst. He has mentioned this to a neurologist at the doctor's office where he works, who has confirmed the likelihood, but has not yet performed any tests.

Some things I am questioning:

Brian has Pectus Excavatum, also called "Sunken Chest", which is basically just where his sternum is indented, causing a cavity in his chest. It is a common abnormality that many people are born with, and from my research, it only very rarely causes problems and only in extreme cases (his is moderate). X-rays have not indicated an extra rib, but I can visibly tell that he has a high rib-cage, as his bottom ribs are high enough to be noticeable. Do any of you have this, or have you heard of a link between Pectus Excavatum and TOS? It seems like it would be a logical cause, but these are both fairly common things, and I haven't found any information regarding a link between them.

He has a number of other factors that could contribute other than the pectus excavatum, including his poor posture and the fact that he has worked with computers since he was 14 (spending as much as 8-10 hours/day on a computer with work and as a hobby). He may be convinced to work on his posture, but not to stop working with computers.

Also, I found a few websites that hinted at correlations between TOS and anxiety disorders, but no concrete research behind this idea. Is there significant evidence of this, or is it simply anxiety that would be related to any disorder involving lots of pain and discomfort?

Hopefully he will have some tests done this week to confirm or further support the diagnosis, and he is scheduling another massage therapy session for next week. Since this is such a new diagnosis for him (and symptoms were very sudden), I don't know how much will be involved in or required to treat this; hopefully he can get through it with PT and posture training.

I'm very happy to find this forum. It seems very active and supportive, and I look forward to getting to know some of you,

Thanks,
Mandy