| Last Updated July 13, 2004 |
My TOS :
This whole thing started in such a weird way. I was wrestling with my 10 yr. old and I was on my knees holding him. He jerked to the left, with my arms outstretched, and I heard a very loud pop (in the chest), then felt a rip in about the same area. I went down for the count. The sound of the popping in the chest was so loud that my son ran thinking he "really hurt mom". I thought at first that I had just pulled a chest wall muscle and would be fine in awhile. Over the next week, the pain in the chest area didn't improve. I woke up the morning of the next week and couldn't take a deep breath. I went to my family dr's associate. She told me that I had pulled the chest wall muscle. Prescribed Naproxen and Vicodin E.S. for the pain. I was told it would take 4-8 weeks for it to heal. About the 3rd week into this, I was getting worse instead of better. The pain was unthinkable! But instead of it being just in the chest area, it went down my arm in a straight line(starting in my arm pit to the wrist), my left arm was discolored,then my hand started to tingle. I then returned to Dr's office to see the P.A. When I told her of the pain and the diffuculty in moving my arm, she yelled at me and stated "I'm NOT going to change your meds!" Then asked "You can go to physical therepy, IF you think you have the time!" So, off to phyical therepy I went. That was TERRIBLE! At one point the therapist asked me "do you think your dr. understands how badly you are injured, you have multiple injuries". I then made another appt. to see my dr. She said that she would change the antinflamatory, but no pain meds. I was crying so hard! I couldn't believe it!! I didn't think that she believed me or that she cared! I was devistated! She did give me Vicodin E.S. 20 pills, Two a day, told it should last 3 weeks!! Ya, right!! I then had to go back, pain no better. Arm looking worse. Mobility was none! She then told me that Vioxx was the answer and NO pain meds!! I shouldn't need them!! I then began to cry uncontrolably!! I told her that my arm hurt soso bad, that I knew this was warped thinking, but I thought if they just cut my arm off, it would feel better!!! I then told her that I didn't think that she believed me, I had left that office a week ago crying because I felt she hadn't believed me then. She repeated the study about patient's complaining of pain had nothing to gain by lieing and that Dr's had nothing to gain in not believing their patient's. She then gave me 20 vicodin and said that she could refer me to the pain clinic. That was in 3 weeks! The next week, I ran out of pain meds. Didn't think it would be a problem. It was!! She refused to call in anything, said Vioxx would be enough and she wouldn't refill meds for 2 more weeks. Talk about not knowing what to do!! I had asked for a chest x-ray, emg. She did order that!! Showed normal. I called another Dr. in town. They were very understanding!! She gave me enough pain meds to get through to the clinic. I was seen 2 times and a SGB was done. No relief! Made me very ill. Chest pains started during the injection. Which is still present. The Dr. at the clinic did 2 MRI's. I had a repeat EMG with another Dr. During the test, I and the Dr. were talking. He asked me how this happened and what had been done so far! I told him the whole story and without missing a beat, he declared "I KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!!" After the EMG was done, he checked a few things out and said that I definitly had TOS! I went up to check out and was crying at the desk. That lady asked me what was wrong, I said it's got a name!!!! I am now waiting for what they are going to do. I had lost all hope. Life has not been the same as before. My mom is my best support along with my bestest friend in the whole world!! I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't kept pushing to keep moving and to not give up hope!!! As I had stated to that first Dr., there is only one thing worse than hurting like this and that is that the only person in the world that can help you, DON'T believe you!! To be treated as "drug seeking" is not only embarassing, it's humiliating and degrading!! I don't know where this road will end up, but for the first time in 5 months..."It's got a name!!!"
Dr. Landon!! I could kiss him!!