question about first rib swelling and pain

[Spring]

Cap..I sure hope you are feeling better. You have been through alot lately. Please keep us posted on what is going on. I hope you find something out when you see the doctors. I think of you all the time. I remember back when I got my shoulder surgery....I was so happy to be getting it fixed...thinking I would be back to work in no time. That was almost two years ago. And know I wish I had never had the surgery.....I am in so much worse shape. But at that time I never even knew what RSD was. Life gives us all kind of curves....Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Capricorn, I can surely tell you this. A simply X-ray, will tell the whole story. In my Cervical X-rays, you can see the top rib, where it is out of place, and not only that, they can compare one side to the other also.

[capricorn]

Hi spring.......thanks my friend for the kind thoughts and prayers. You know it works both ways. I think of you often also. I already wish I never had the surgery. For every step forward I take i go back 10. Bad day today. Pulled my armpit putting a shirt on , then because my knee buckles i lost my fotting going up the step sand of course landed on the bad arm outstreched. I'm putting on some comfy PJ's, getting an ice bag and putting in a good movie. Getting dressed sometimes kills me. I know you know. Let's pray together. (;00 prayers tonight, we'll pray for each other along with everyone else here suffering.

God bless,
CAP


badboy ...we must have been posting together. I agree. I know my own body and know that something is wrong. I get a pain in my left ear, that goes down the side of my neck right into this big lump I have above my collar bone. Not normal after shoulder surgery. Has to be coming from somewhere else. Also I am having alot of forearm and hand pain which I have been told is the neck. My neck hurts all the time, Now i'm starting to have middle back pain and pain down the left side of my ribs. can't get the appt. any sooner. Have been calling everyday for a cancellation. will hold out until the 2nd( spine specialist) and the 3rd shoulder surgeon. One of them needs to help. nothing works for pain. I'm sorry. I'm rally disgusted today. 8 weeks down the road I didn't think I would be where I am.

Peace,
CAP

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Capricorn, since the appointment is later, maybe you can ask them, to let you have the X-rays ahead ot time, so there won't be much delay, and then only to add in another appointment latter to find out the results. Maybe that would work.

Oh, as for dressing, because I have a bad balance problem ever since injured, I sit down now to dress. I had my share of falling from side to side or forward.

[capricorn]

Oh badboy....I am so miserable today. After tripping coming up the steps I have the pinch back in the sole of my foot. Dr. said it was coming from my back months ago. I guess i twisted my back when i fell. yep will try for the x-ray earlier. Also have this God awful pain in my armpit, wrist and thumb and index finger. I have no idea what's happening but I'm not a happy camper. You know, You're right. I never thought of sitting down, but of course I don't think I have realized fully yet that I have to make some adjustments. Between the shirt and falling I know I have to now. Have to go slower and be more careful and accept that I can't do what I used to do. Oh my!


CAP

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Lets take a lQQk then; At shoulders;

X-ray of shoulder;
http://www.rad.washington.edu/RadAnat/Shoulder.html

Then lQQk where the Nerves are running;
http://www.innerbody.com/image/nervov.html

http://www.orthosupersite.com/

I love this site, for anything just to learn in plain terms;
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html

Nerve Chart;
http://www.echiropractic.net/nervechart.htm

Surgery Video's;
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgeryvideos.html

The thoracic outlet is bordered by the scalene muscles, first rib, and clavicle. Neurovascular structures pass from the neck and thorax into the axilla through this space. Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is not the name of a single entity, but rather a collective title for a variety of conditions attributed to compression of these neurovascular structures as they traverse the thoracic outlet. It remains one of the most controversial clinical entities in medicine
http://www.emedicine.com/SPORTS/topic131.htm

And of course shoulder muscles;
http://www.bartleby.com/107/illus412.html

[chrischris]

Hi Cap, Just wanted to chime in and say that I wish you feeling better. I think of you often. You are always such a great support. Hang in there.

[capricorn]

Thanks CC....I think of you often also. I would just like to get to the bottom of this. This big swollen area above my collar bone is driving me nuts. every which way I turn it puts pressure on my collar bone and is sometimes more painful than my shoulder. Since I have a messed up neck I thought it best to make a follow-up appt with the spine specialist who has been put on hold since my neck was doing pretty good after a couple months of PT. I am just assuming that even though this didn't appear until after the shoulder surgery that it would be the spine Dr.s problem. I am very confused so will see both of them, one on the 2nd and one on the 3rd. I feel like I can't possible be getting the right treatment or PT UNTIL we know for sure what this swelling is from and why all of a sudden it happened. Thanks for the support. Yo're always in my prayers.


CAP

[RNvic]

cap, sorry you are hurting so much. I do understand the pain as it sounds like a repea of what I went though and still have days of pain that don't let up. The Effexor seemed to help the most as it works on the nerve pain as well as the depression that comes from all the pain and lost sleep. the swelling sounds like RSD along with the burning. There are times that I can do nothing just move the arm and start the burning and muscle spasms. The doctors are now saying that I need surgery to release the impenage at the elbow and hopefully return of some of the feeling in my last three fingers. But after talking with the neruo dr and decided against it. What they wanted to do was take nerve from my stomach and replace the damaged nerves in my arm. No thanks. will just live with it.

When you talk with your spine dr ask about C4-C6 as this where the nerves come from that go down and across your arm and shoulder. If they are pinched at that point it also effects your neck. Fixing it there could help a lot and hopefully you will get some relief.

please give your self time to heal and don't over do with the other arm or you will cause problems with it also.

as for PT, I went 5 days a week 4 hours a day for almost a year before they decide it was not going to get any better and stopped it.

Prayers and angels coming your way,
RNvic

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

RNvic, it was PT that caused this problem for them. It was after PT when the problem started. They pulled to hard, and too far.