I am back on posting after a long break in time. Dr. Ahn wants me to have a Angiography, brachial, retrograde, radiological supervision and interpretation. He would go in from my groin up to my left subclavian artery! Has anyone ever had this? He has tried to scare me telling me he doesn't want me to have a stroke when nothing has changed since my Dr. Filler surgeries except for chronic pain to the max! I have had "6" surgeries by Dr. Aaron Filler from 1997-2000 to remove scar tissue at my right clavicle and the other 5 at my left clavicle. The surgery before the last resulted in a staph infection from the operating room leaving me with more scar tissue and worse off than before I started any surgeries. I have gone to Dr. Jordan for 8 years but due to my work injury I have to go to a physician on their list now, so I go to one in Camarillo. I don't really care for Dr. Ahn does anyone else? Isn't there a test not so invasive that would give the same result? Thanks for any help to me and I think I could help lots of others just to encourage them not to have surgery cause of my outcome! Thanks

Hi Jacquie
I would ask the doc to start with a less invasive test as you do not feel too comfortable. Don;t worry about his feeling being put off, heck it is not his body. I know I would be be no way doing without the greatest apprehension and understanding the problems that could happen or side effects.

My Mom had a angiogram at Leigh Valley a top hospital and I remember how they preped us for it. She had a in depth cardiac history and throat tightness and chest pain going on.

She had to lay with sand bag weights on the groin and there was an extremly high risk to bleed out from going in there. She lay a lond time.

It sounds like you are prone to scar tissue and I would want to have 4-D ultra sounds, hyperbaric treatments to increase Oxygen to healthy tissue before going through a process like cardiac angiogram.

For one thing, I am the age my Mom had her first heart attack, I am sure the doctors would use other diagx test first before ordering an angiogram to determine if my anxiety tightness is just that or it is a potential cardiac issue.

To tell you the truth in 12 years of TOS reading and doing, I never heard of this testing?
Are you having trouble with discoloration or swelling of the arm like celluitis, or dead arm syndrome?
I hope someone that sees these doctors, can provide you with info if they had the proceedure.
Di

One of my dr's (in a long line of them) ordered this test for me (angiogram) i researched it and realised it was so invasive and said no......he then did an mra which was fairly useless. Could he look into doppler ultra sound as a less invasive test to start off with?.....

I had this done on both sides. I had an IV in and they injected dye into my system then took x-rays of the veins as the contrast IV solution went into me. I was also put into provocative positions. It was not invasive to me. But going in from the groin sounds a little excessive to me!! I'd want to start small and work up. I did find out tht I had a 90% blockage of my subclavian vein due to this test......before any of this was done I had an ultrasound done on my arms and they found total occlusion of both vein and artery when I was in provocative position as thus moved forward to the angiogram.......so start small and work your way up....unless he gives you perhaps an IRON CLAD reason for wanting to do this testing!!!

best of luck with it all.....
love and hugs,
Victoria