Hello all!

My name is Katy, i'm 26 years old, and i just found out a few weeks ago that i
have an extra rib (cervical rib). It was found when i started complaining of
excrutiating pain in my left arm and side. Funny, the emergency room did a chest
x-ray and chest catscan and didn't find it...but as soon as i went to my primary
doctor, he figured out the problem in 5 minutes. Took another chest x-ray to
confirm it and yup...there it was. And so while he's never said i have Thoracic
Outlet Syndrome outright, from my research on the web, that seems to be exactly
the name of the issue. We did a nerve test a week and a half ago and it also
confirmed that there is nerve compression on my left side.

He's had me taking naproxen (anti-inflammatory) 500mg a day since we discovered
it, but it hasn't done much of anything. I don't hurt constantly, but when i
do...boy does it hurt. So our next step is physical therapy. He thinks that
method may be able to relieve the pressure in that area. If not, the only other
options he's mentioned so far are anti-inflammatory injections (which i would
have to get once every 2 months) and surgery (to remove the rib - which actually
spans both sides).

Have any of you tried physical therapy? What was it like? Did it help? What
about the other two options...have any of you gone the injection route or
surgery route? Just trying to get some more info so i can know what to expect.
This has been interrupting my life long enough.

~Katy~

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