Awhile back I read an article someone had written about what it's like to have TOS....it talked about not feeling like doing things that you normally would enjoy, not feeling like being sociable and having to carry on conversations....stuff like that. I recently had a falling out with 3 of the people that I thought were such good friends because they got mad that I just didn't feel like socializing and preferred to just spend time quietly with my boyfriend who doesn't place any expectations on me. I'd like to find a copy of the article to email to them so that maybe they can understand what's really going on with me. Does anyone know where I can find this article?

Sorry I don't know But there is a way to search for periodicals online. This works only if you have a library card, your library is online, and your library subscribes to these databases...
So right now I'm going on my library's homepage, click on Articles and Databases - select a database search engine I chose Gale InfoTrac OneFile because it has 76,810,559 articles updated as recently as November 21, 2008 - enter my card number - and then do a Basic keyword search for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I got 100 results and many of them are full text! They each list the title, author, publication, date and length of the article.

Now if you can do this and you can remember more about this article you can tweak the search options. I really hope you can access this!! If you can't please let me know and I can try to find it with your help using my library resources.

I think its great that you want to find it and share with your friends what its like to be in your shoes

Hi,

I tried to reply to you a couple of days ago but I was not allowed to post so I will post the website for you now.

I hope this helps you. I bought a couple of books and sent them to family and friends to read. It really helps.

http://www.invisibledisabilities.org/booklet.htm

great website to send friends to as well

good luck with it!
love and hugs,
Victoria

Thanks so much for the info, I'll have to check that out just as soon as I have a chance to go get a library card. I just moved and haven't got around to that yet, maybe next week if I feel up to it. Moving sure got the best of me!!!!

Actually I'm not wanting to share the info with them out of niceness. It's more because I'm very mad at them. While they were nice enough to let me stay at there house for 4 months rent free, they expected me to cook big dinners, clean the house, and do bookkeeping for their trucking business....they even went as far as expecting me to carry in firewood despite all the times I told them I just can't physically do that stuff anymore. They told me that I needed to just "put on an act" and do the stuff anyway plus socialize with them 99.9% of my waking hours (I'm serious, these people are nuts!!!). It all ended with me getting mad and moving out and I'm much happier now and I'm in a little less pain now. I just want to send it to them I guess to lay a guilt trip on them because I'm angry.

Hahe, that's my style exactly. Most people wouldn't admit to this kind of vindictive schooling, but I support you KLS!! It seems they are really clueless. I hope they understand soon that asking someone with strain injuries to do those heavy tasks is bonkers. Good for you for getting out And I hope you are able to find that article through the internet somehow... I'll cross my fingers your library database has it

if you search on pubmed.com (it is a medical article data base) you can put in your search terms and then find what you are looking for either pm me or email me and I'll use my university access to try to get the article providing it is not too old. I also have a hell of a lot of articles on disc in pdf. It just depends what you want the article to say so if you would be more clear we can search together to try to find the one you'd like. The best guilt trip if that is all you are looking to do is not by a medical article, but by the one I gave the website to. Order the book and give it directly to them as a gift or send it to their address. It clearly outlines the difficulty people with invisible illnesses go through and how they are effected by life and the hell it puts us through.

You CAN'T teach some people. They just DONT CARE or DONT WANT TO KNOW it's not their problem so why would they expect you to be any different than they are.

If they are your friends or family they would care in some way but may not get it. the type of behaviour you are describing seems to me people who are unwilling to get it and don't care enough to even listen to you .....why waste time or effort....which I know in my case is in short supply.....on people who don't want to help, get it or even listen to what you have to say. Most LOGICAL people would at least hear you if you told them you couldn't do work for any medical reason. Perhaps you should rip your arm off and then tell them you can't lift wood around for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

take care!!!
Victoria

You're absolutely right & I've decided against even wasting my time bothering to educate it. I guess I just have to chalk it up to they weren't really friends after all.

You will get these: here at least. Sorry you had to cut your bad friends off. I wish they were naturally decent instead

hey KLS, i think perhaps we have all had that time when a friend or whoever has said 'explain again to me why you cant lift heavy bags' etc - yours sounds more extreme and people like that are just not worth having around as it will always be in the back of your mind that they dont believe you or that they dont care about your health....lets face it, tos is a stress enough in itself without that as well!.

its often in the back of my mind whether people truly believe me - even when i have been in tears in a taxi on the way home from a long night out - i dont blub for no reason so i hope that gives them a clue.

also im a bit taller and possibly stronger looking than most of my closest friends.....so it must kinda seem strange to them that they have to help me with shopping bags even the small ones!

take care
x