One Month Later

It has been about 1 month since surgery.  I have had a recurrance of some TOS symptoms, but not all.  I think the worst thing I have been experiencing is the muscle tightness in my neck and opcipital headaches.

There are times when I have tingling and nerve pain in my hand, but it is drastically improved after surgery.

My incision looks really good, and I still can't believe how little bruising there was.  Dr. Annest placed subcutaneous sutures, so they are buried beneath the skin, and would not need to be removed:

Incision 1 month post surgery.  The red dot about 3 inches below the incision is where the chest tube was inserted.

Do Your PT!

I am really bad about doing my PT!

I saw Dr. Annest on December 28th--he was pretty dissapointed at my lack of flexibility.  I hate dissapointing my doctors!  So, I resolved to be good and do my exercises. 

Sleeping through my alarm and missing my second PT appointment was really not the start I wanted...

I don't see my therapist for another week, so I have to get busy. 

PT for the TOS surgery really isn't that bad.  I just talked to my friend who had shoulder surgery 7 weeks ago; it sounds like her PT is really painful--she's been swearing a lot more.

It seems like a big goal of the therapy is to prevent scar tissue from forming and producing nerve compression.

So far, all I have to do is work on gentle stretching of the chest muscles.  Dr. Annest explaned that there is a "good" stretch and a "bad" stretch.  The "good" one feels, well, kind of good, like a stretch first thing in the morning.  The "bad" stretch causes tingling, numbness, cold sensations, burning, or a lot of pain.  The bad stretch is to be avoided.

There is also a lot of focus on breathing exercies.  Deep breathing, abdominal breating, and focused breathing.  Correct breathing technique helps move the ribs and chest muscles.

I know Dr. Annest wants me to work on my posture as well, but since I have only seen my therapist once, I haven't got that far.

Oh, my whole point in this post is that PT is pretty important as I am learning the hard way.  This is the first week I have had increased pain in my chest, and some pain down my arm into my hand...and I hate to say that I had some tingling today.  

I guess that's how recovery goes.

Happy New Year!

It's January 1st 2011, 23 days after my Transaxillary First Rib Resection and Pectoralis Minor Release. Things are great! I feel really like a new person, and I am excited about my continued recovery.

I want to get into the history of my condition and all the treatments I've had and all the doctors I've seen, but for this first post I want explain the purpose of this blog.

As I was considering sugery last year, I searched the internet for personal stories about TAFRR and PMR. It was difficult, and most stories were discouraging and talked about all the complications and continued problems peolple had. But, my doctors were telling a different story, so I agonized over the decision: live with it; or have surgery: my last two options I was told.

Well, I was tired of living with it, so I opted for surgery. I am living proof that it works. Everyone is different, and I had two of the most skilled doctors in this field, but I want to give my account of a successful treatment. I want to answer some of the little questions I could not find answers for: how big is the incision; is there brusing and swelling; will I be able to wash my own hair; will I notice that I'm missing a rib? Things they don't explain on medical websites.