I had never heard of TOS before I got diagnosed with it either. I was like "am i
the only person who has this?" But apparently there are a good many of us!

I just realized i never gave you guys an update on my physical therapy. It
was...kinda helpful. They did some pushing and pulling to see what range of
motion i had and where the most pain was. But instead of doing any massaging or
stretching, they had me doing exercises! It's hard to describe them in words, so
i'll try to scan the pictures they gave me and show them to you guys, but i'm
having a hard time making myself do them.

The most helpful thing i got out of it was advice about changing my posture. I
realized that the way i had been sitting at work had been putting a lot of
pressure on my left arm (where most of my pain stems from). The PT recommended
that i set a timer to go off every 15 minutes, and when it goes off, i should
stand up for a few seconds. You don't have to walk around or anything, but
standing up then sitting back down forces you to readjust your posture and way
you're sitting. Just doing that made me 'think' more about how i sit, so i find
myself straightening my posture more often. I asked about using some type of
back brace, but he didn't put much stock in them. He said they only temporarily
help the problem. What's better is to form positive habits that will lead to
permanent changes.

The exercises were mostly designed to stretch the neck/shoulder area and
strengthen my back. The stronger your back is, the more load it takes off of
your shoulders and the better your posture will be. So i still want to work on
strengthening my back...it's just no fun...lol.

Just from adjusting the way i sit at work, carrying a lighter purse and standing
up more often, my pain has gone down a lot. I had a fender bender a couple weeks
ago and it's flared up a few times since then, but not too bad. I'd still like
to see a chiropractor one of these days to see if they could provide any relief,
but i've got no time for that right now between working 50+ hours a week and
going to school full time.

Good luck with your surgery!!

~Katy~


----- Original Message ----
From: fiddlinfever <fiddlinfever@...>
To: thoracicoutletsyndrome@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2006 12:28:27 AM
Subject: [Thoracic Outlet Syndrome] Feel all alone with TOS

Hello, new to this group and the whole messaging thing but I feel like
I'm the only one in the country with TOS or at least maybe true for my
state. I just turned 28 and I've had TOS for 2 years although I wasn't
diagnosed until october of 2005. It has been such a long hard road for
me I feel lost like no one even cares. Just wanting to communicate
with anyone who has had or has TOS. I'm supposed to be hearing when my
surgery is scheduled for the first part of next week. It's been such a
slow long process. Well, don't want to get this too long, it's a
weakness of mine. Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.




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