gibbrn,

I can see why you are confused. When I went to the hospital with massive arm swelling (double its normal size) they first did an ultra sound which pretty much showed a clot. Then to be sure, they did an MRI (both non invasive), which indeed confimed I did have a blood clot in my subclavian vein. At which point I was sent to the hospital in Denver which was better equipped to deal with my issue. Early the next morning I had an angiogram, which showed without question that the subclavian vein was being pinched shut between my collar bone and 1st rib bone and muscles and was not allowing blood flow and therefor casued the clot. Then while they were in there with catheters and wires they did a thrombolysis (to desolve the clot). I had numberous angioplastys (a painful invasive process in which they again go in through the arm and try to blow the vein up with balloons) before having to have rib resection surgery a week and a half later.

The thrombolysis procedure was mentally the worst. First they ask you if you have a living will and then let you know that the procedure may not work or it may kill you - not somthing anyone ever wants to hear. They drug you up so you cant feel anything but they did not warn me what I would see on the big tv screens that are using. When I saw the clot break into a million pieces and shoot a million miles per hour in the direction of my heart and lungs - I thought it was all over! Ugh... One of the worst experiances of my life!

I guess since I have decent insurance, and they knew they would get paid, they put me through every test imaginable.

Medicine is a science and sometimes seems like, for the patient at least, still Mad Science for humans

Hope you're doing better now. For all you've been put through, you should get a medal.

Hi There,

I am in the San Diego area and am struggling to locate any physician who can even just diagnosis me. Please, please, who was the physician who referred you? That is at least a start for me. I appreciate that your physician knew his limitations and referred you to a specialist. But have all the symptoms after an injury and no San Diego area doctor seems to be able to know what's wrong. Pretty please, what was his name?

Hello Mags,

this list is from our Drs & PT sticky thread.
Hopefully it will be of help until you get a specific reply.

California

Sheldon Jordan
Neurological associates of West LA
2811 Wilshire Blvd #790
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310-829-5968

Also PT's, don't' know if they are there:

Westside Spine and Joint Rehabilitation
1082 Glendon Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 209-2011

Joyce Wilkinson
2664 29th street
Santa Monica 90405
310-392-8259

SALINAS PHYSICAL THERAPY/Sports Medicine
21540 E Yorba Linda Blvd Suite A,
Yorba Linda, CA
714.695.1566 fax 714.695.1533
www.salinaspt.com *Docotrate in PT
He has been helping me so much
since my 911 call
Joyce in Santa Monica that Johanna, Shelly, Ali and everyone uses was booked for 2 weeks

Dr. Wladislaw Ellis
2445 Carleton
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 849-4703
(510) 849-4995 (FAX)

David Agnew MD
Neurology/Pain Medicine
533 E. Micheltorena St
Suite 202
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
805) 962-1116

Samuel S. Ahn, MD, FACS
Vascular Surgeon
University Vascular Associates
1082 Glendon Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310)209-2011x3 (o); (310)209-2113 (fax)
email address: sahn@universityvascular.com


Dr. Hugh Gelabert
UCLA Gonda Vascular Center
200 UCLA Medical Plaza Suite 510-6
Los Angeles, CA 90095-6908
310-206-6294
FAX: 310-206-3885
Website: www.surgery.medsch.ucla.edu/asp/doctors.asp

Dr. Ernestina Saxton / Neurologist
2070 Century Park East suite 401
Los Angeles,California ,90067
phone is 310- 556- 0765


Dr. Aaron G. Filler / Neurosurgeon
Institute for Nerve Medicine
2716 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 3082
Santa Monica, Ca 90405
(310)314-6410
http://www.nervemed.com


Dr. Richard M. Braun
770 Washington Street, Suite 301
San Diego CA 92103
619 - 297-9200
-works closely with physical therapists in the same building:

The Hand Center
770 Washington Street, Suite 207
San Diego CA 92103
619-299-5000
Dr. Linda M. Reilly, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery in Residence
Assistant Chief of Vascular Surgery
University Of California
San Francisco, CA 94143-0222
(415) 476-1357

Hugh A. Gelabert, MD., F.A.C.S.
Associate Professor Division of Vascular Surgery
UCLA GONDA Vascular Center

Newkirk Neurology
METS Clinic
1099 D Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415)258-1838
Fax: (415)457-2850
Website: www.drnewkirk.com

James Avery, II, Thoracic Surgeon
CAL Pacific Medical Center
2100 Webster Street #320
San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone: (415)923-3150
Fax: (415)563-2527

Dr. Darren B. Schneider
Clinic: Vascular Center at UCSF
400 Parnassus Ave. Room A-6110, Box 0957
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415)353-2357

Thomas McClure MD
CPMC Davies
Castro & Duboce
San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415)565-6616

Jon C. Bowersox, M.D.,Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Chief, Vascular Surgery
Mount Zion Surgery Faculty Practice
2330 Post St., #420
San Francisco, CA 94115
Tel: (415) 476-1070
Fax: (415) 353-9526

Dr. Pang / Neurosurgeon
Sacramento, California
UCD (University California Davis) Medical Center

Peter Edgelow, PT
Northern California
(510) 732.7881

Todd Soares, P.T.
North Santa Rosa Physical Therapy
2305 Mendocino Ave., Suite B
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Tel: (707) 579-4217
Fax: (707) 579-3271

Dr. Scott Peterson
Santa Rosa, CA.

Dr. Daniel Cross DC
Fair Oaks, CA

Dr. Matan / Orthopedic surgeon
Pinole, CA.

Dr. Stallone & John Pletz, M.D.
Oakland Ca.
Spine Clinic
1-650-994-0459
In Daly City (just south of SF) on Mon & Wed
In Fairfield (near Sacramento) on Tuesday
In Santa Rosa on Thursdays
www.spine-clinics.com/

Dr. Michel Gagnon, DC, ART,
& Dr. Tina Roach, DC, ART
Active Release Therapy
6105 Snell Ave., Ste. 101
San Jose, CA 95123
(408) 972-5686
Fax (408) 578-1804

Murray Tanner/Physical Therapy
3640 W. Lomita Blvd. Suite 203
Torrance California 90505
Ph (310) 378-1212
Fax (310) 378-0124

Linda Johnson & Bob McGrath: PT & Feldenkrais Practitioner
Clinic: Movement Matters
PO Box 492722
Redding, CA 96049
Phone: (530)222-3622
Fax: (530)222-3657

Dr. Louis Messina
Clinic: Vasular Surgery-Chief Surgeon
400 Parnassus Ave Room A-6110, Box 0957
San Francisco CA, 94143
Phone: (415)353-2357

Dr. Terri Turner DO
Osteopathic Doctor
698 Peteluma Ave.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Phone: (707)824-9742

Dr. Richard Fischel
Chapman Medical Center
2601 East Chapman Avenue
Orange, CA 92869
Phone: (714)633-0011 ext. 1423
Website: www.chapmanmedicalcenter.com

I agree with you on Dr's doing an ultrasound before an angio. If the hospital doctors had done an angiogram to discover the reason why I had subclavian vein clots I would be better of now knowing exactly what was going on and so would my doctors. I am hoping to convince my hematologist to do one as the vascular surgeon is being very "conservative" as he said to me. He is not taking into account my existing blood clotting disorder or the fact that compression of my subclavian vein is causing me to clot even with clotting meds.

I would love to get a second opinion but will try with my hematologist and if he won't I will ask my GP to refer me to another vascular surgeon who is a little more pro active