hi, Deb and thanks so much for responding to me..wow 15 yrs, thats incredible;
can I ask you if your symptoms have lessened over time; mine seem to have to a
certain extent, for example when i get severely flaired up it won't last as long
as it did the first year but I just passed the 3 yr mark since my accident and
this is unrelenting and prevents me from doing much at all with my arms/ I do
swim as much as can tolerate, I do use wrist braces. and some of the other
things you mentioned..I have had about 8 botox injections billaterally over the
past couple of yrs with mixed results..so I don't know if I could reccommend it,
maybe it would help you but I can say you must be under sedation when you get it
done, and then its fine, just some numbness for a few hrs after..once I was
accidently awake during it and it was very painful so you really need to be out
for them..yes, you do learn what your limitations are with this condition..feel
free to write back if you want..I'm in the L.A.
area and went to ucla and saw a leading expert in the condition, so I am well
informed and advised...
Deborah Young <debkay21@...> wrote
--- tstwhills <tstwhills@...> wrote:
Hi Im Deb. I've been living with TOS for fifteen
years now. You need to do some networking in your
area and find an ortho doc who specializes in TOS.
This is not an easy condition to live with. It takes
a multi-desiplinary office to manage the symptoms.
You need to establish a very close relationship with
your treating physician. By now you have figured there
is no cure. You never get rid of the pain. You
learn to live with it. If you can get ahold of the
Peter Edgelow Program, it can teach you how to control
the spasms and regain some range of motion in your
upper extremities and head and neck area. The thing
to do in therapy is to take BABY STEPS, you may think
your are not doing anything but it works, it is a
lifetime obligation. The therapy is the same as
taking a breath. But you need the right kind of
therapy. A big part of this condition is to maintain
your posture, and it has to be very correct with no
slouching. As for meds, I utilize extra strength
tylenol with a few asprin chasers. I only do this a
couple times a day and take drug hollidays during the
week to give my liver and kidneys a rest. That is
another thing you must be aware of you have two
garbage dumps in your body, the liver and kidneys and
you cant live without them. Protect them now. They
need to last a lifetime. I find Zanaflex a great help
with severe muscle spasms, I only use that at night to
get a decent nights sleep. Be careful of motrin, it
is very kidney toxic, I nearly shut mine down with it,
I went to the Cox II anti inflammatorys, they are more
forgiving on the kidneys. Sleep with a pillow under
your arm for support it you are a side sleeper. Wrist
splints helps with the numbness at night and give the
nerves support and a rest at night, but they take time
for your body to accept. This condition teaches you
tolerance and acceptance, Type A personalities have a
humbling experience with it. For support,at the
computer, I discovered IMAC products, check them out
at imacproducts.com. I have Dragon Naturally Speaking
on my computer, at times it is a blessing and other
times I find key boarding quicker. If you have access
to a health club with a pool it is a real help, just
getting in the water is theraputic to your body. The
arthritis classes which puts an emphasis on range of
motion with some aerobic exercises are great. Another
thing I discovered is Tai Chi, that is the kind of
motion you want for nerve injuries, very slow and
gentle, nothing aggressive. My doc wants me to try
botox injections because I have contineous spasms that
wont quit, I havent gotten up the nerve yet. Heat is
good for the nerve pain, but ice packs work better on
the migraine headaches. I haven't found anything to
control the headaches yet, mine lasts for weeks and
really pull me down. Another thing that is common is
depression, you have had your career yanked out from
under your feet. Do Not hesitate to talk to someone
about it. Some of the anti-depressents help with pain
control, they dont lessen it, you just dont give a
Da-- about it. If you havent figured it out by now, I
am a RN trying to re-educate my self back in the job
market. Please forgive the mis spellings, its not
one of my strong points. Please keep in touch, let me
know if any of this helps. Your not alone out there.
>
> I've been living with this condition for 3 yrs after
> a bad car
> accident, this is a nightmare to deal with, I can
> barely work or use
> my arms to do anything, I've tried various forms of
> therapy,
> injections, meds, etc..welcome any suggestions on
> other therapy or a
> good medication to help relieve some of the symptoms
> and
> pain..thanks, anyone, from an ailing disabled
> lawyer..
>
>
>
>




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