| Last Updated July 13, 2004 |
My TOS :
Since 1986 I have been having surgeries for carpal tunnel, ulnar nerve transplant, shoulder, etc. In May of 2001 I had elbow surgery and expected to be off work for 8-12 weeks. It is now 2 years later. I did return for a couple of weeks, but I had too much pain and my job had been given to other staff. The pain I was experciencing just got worse and in July 2002 I had shoulder surgery. I flet great for a couple of months. Then little by little the pain returned and I started having other problems--numbness, tingling, headaches and more. This past February I started pain managment and have had some relief. My pain management doctors and bio-feedback tech think I have TOS. They have been trying to help get the approvals from worker's comp so that I can get the proper testing. The insurance company has dug in their heels and won't approve anything, not even the meds that I have been taking for 8 months. I'm determined to get a diagnosis so that I can make decisions about surgery or not. My orthpedic doctor has been somewhat reluctant to push for the prooper MRI. I'm not sure why. I will see him this week and demand that the test(s) be requested. It is frustraing to be in pain all the time. For the past 3 weeks I have not been able to get a full nights sleep. I've decided that sleeping on a harder mattress might help. Since my son is home on leave, I've asked him to switch some of the beds around so that I can have the one with the firmest mattress. Hope this helps! If it weren't for my PM doctors I think I would have gone crazy by now. Not knowing what is causing the pain is terribly frustrating. I have been reading some of the postings, and have found them very helpful. I'm especially grateful to my friend Cyndy who has TOS--she referred me to this site. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
None.