My TOS Diet Plan ~ Pre-diet

The last few days I've been gearing up to start the diet.
I have used The Green Smoothies Diet for a couple years, love it.
I just finished reading The Diet for a Pain Free Life yesterday afternoon. Overall, good information. I don't agree with a couple things, like using sugar substitutes-I believe fake chemicals have to be irritating and inflammation causing, so I will be using raw honey instead.
I believe in the healing properties of raw honey. My husband had a bad burn and I applied raw honey because I read an article in Mother Earth News that honey heals burns--and the next day the burn was gone!

As I mentioned, I will be gleaning from these books, not necessarily following every word. I'm also trying a few tips I've gleaned off Pinterest for my anti pain & inflammation diet.
I'm throwing it all together to make My TOS Diet.

First order of business in putting together my diet plan was to decide if I should stop my morning habit of one cup of strong coffee. (That's my sister and her family on the mug). I posted this question to my TOS facebook friends, and with their comments in mind, (and my bowel dependency) I've decided to go with caffeinated green tea in the morning (for the bowels), and decaf/herbal tea in the afternoons, with decaf coffee as an occasional treat. I won't know if cutting coffee helps unless I try, right?!

I made a blender full of smoothie with pain-reducing fruits: blueberries, ground flax seed, spinach, raw honey, apple, orange, strawberries. It made 4 pints, I've had one per day, gearing up for my one quart per day smoothie...or one large salad. Gotta get those anti-inflammatory greens in! I prefer smoothies because all the chopping for salads can be flare-inducing.

Next thing was to go grocery shopping. Not a small task in the crummy Midwest snowy weather we're having here. But my husband drove, and pushed the cart, and I pushed on the back of my head...seriously.
I was having a nerve pain flare, up my neck into back of my head. So I walked around the store pushing on the back of my head feeling really odd.
We loaded up on anti-inflammatory foods: nuts, fresh, frozen, non-sugar/salt canned fruits and veggies, fish, dark chocolate, ginger.  We walked right by the aisle with the chips, pop, cookies.
We're going to use Ezekiel bread- sprouted whole grain super healthy (& expensive! I need to learn to make it). And yes, I said we. The hubs decided he wants to do this with me to see if he can loose a few pounds.

I read that Gin-soaked golden raisins help with inflammatory pain, so I got supplies for that experiment.
I guess they're supposed to soak for a week or two before you eat the recommended 8-10 raisins per day.

Tomorrow's the big first day. We just had cheeseburgers for lunch, a last hurrah.
I pointed out we can still have burgers on the anti-inflammation diet, salmon or turkey, on whole wheat.
Which reminds me, The Diet for a Pain Free Life cuts out beef and pork because it purports those meats cause inflammatory response, so we will be cutting that out. However, we will be eating all-natural, lean, local venison. A tweak in the diet that may not work for everyone.

One final thing today- I'm an average size lady, I was up twenty pounds a year ago and could stand to loose another 10-15, but I have zero aspirations of 'skinny' or single digit clothing sizes. Zero. This is not a weight-loss diet for me. Being healthy and free of pain is my only goal, and if I happen to loose a couple pounds, then ok, but if I don't loose weight yet feel less pain-well then hallelujah! (I will say, not carrying the 20 lbs I lost last year has been helpful.)

So I will try to report every other day on how things are going.
Interesting time to be starting this diet, being in the middle of another unexpected nerve pain flareup.

I love to eat cookies or chocolate to self-soothe when I'm really hurting.
I will have to eat grapes and walnuts instead. Drink more water.
I sure hope this diet helps.

TOS Diet...Coming Soon!!

Starting February 1, 2014...I'm committing to a pain reducing, anti-inflammation diet for four weeks!!
I will journal here and share my results.

I'm calling it 'My TOS Diet'.

I have been wondering for a while if there is a diet that helps alleviate TOS symptoms, so I decided to find out.
I will do my best to cut out food and beverage that purportedly cause inflammation. I will take in food and drink that are supposed to reduce dreaded inflammatory pain.

*Check back here for regular updates over the next few weeks!
(I'll post the final results of what I learn on my separate 'TOS Diet' page/tab).

I will be utilizing two books -
Diet for a Pain Free Life, A Revolutionay way to Lose Weight, Stop Pain, Sleep Better, and Feel Great in 21 Days  by Harris H. McIlwain, M.D. and Debra Fulghum Bruce, Ph.D.

Also, the book -  The Green Smoothies Diet by Robyn Openshaw
Throw in a few tips I've found on Pinterest, and we'll see what happens!

Click the link to check out my Pinterest board--Down with Inflamation and Pain!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to email me.

Gentle Hugs~

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Day 1- Coming Soon!!

Interesting TOS reading

http://www.msdlatinamerica.com/ebooks/PracticalOrthopaedicSportsMedicineArthrocopy/sid169169.html

So many questions

It was a lovely morning, sipping hot coffee, doing some reading, enjoying the quiet. Then I stretched. Stretching is an autonomic response, like yawning, tough to control when the need hits you. I moved the wrong way and muscle grabbed onto nerve on left side of neck at the base and pain level shot from the usual 1-2 I'm used to, to a 9, which makes my brain freeze. I can't think straight, I'm in restless panic mode, even though I've been through this locking up so many times I know what to do...get heat pad, swallow muscle relaxer & pain pill asap, hot shower, lidocaine patch, try to relax, even though with every breath I can feel muscle raking over nerves, muscle spasming, tightening, stiffening.
I pace the kitchen floor holding my neck, massaging, trying to push the cervical rib forward hoping that will stop the sharp knife in my back pain, which usually works for minor pains, but not this time. I need my husband to tell me to get in a hot shower, because I'm stuck in a panic loop, pacing and muttering "I don't know what to do...I don't know what to do..."
I do all the things I know how to do to try to alleviate the pain, but still it jabs, burns down my arm, throbbing. I pick up my cell phone and lying on the couch taking shallow breaths, I tap out a plea to my fellow TOSers...asking what helps them with their pain. They respond with helpful ideas, encouragement, even possible food choices to reduce pain. Pickles...who knew!?
Still frozen today, had to call my job to let them know I can't work tomorrow, again. I've been thinking maybe I am not reliable enough any more with this unpredictable cloud of TOS hanging over me. I think I have a lot to offer, but I never know when symptoms might shoot from a 2 to a 9. The brain-lock I had yesterday scares me the most, that I just couldn't think straight overcome by that sudden pain.  Lots of thoughts and questions running through my tilted head today.
Looks like heat pad on a timer has been off a while. I'll turn it back on and go think some more. Much love and appreciation to all my fellow TOSers.

Big TOS Medical Word of the Day - Subclavian

Subclavian = (my definition) vein/artery that runs under clavicle.

 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subclavian

TOS in the News

http://www.mysuncoast.com/health/news/relieving-pain-removing-ribs/article_67b9a328-786f-11e3-b2e4-0019bb30f31a.html

Three TOSers go on a Trip - Daughters Second Opinion Update

My neck and arms were hurting too much to drive us to the University hospital for my daughters second opinion consult this past week. This is the consult I was supposed to have for myself but gave to her because she has been having more problems recently.
So my son drove us. The roads were treacherous here in the Midwest too. I thanked him several times.

The daughter had a couple more tests, x-ray, doppler, then we waited for the doctor.
A physicians assistant came in and went through the daughters history, her complaints, had her do the Adson's maneuver, which was interesting to watch  one hand turn completely white then blue in seconds.  The P.A. mentioned that the diagnosis of TOS is not an exact science, more of a combination of several factors. I mentioned that our family has been through resection surgery three times combined because I also have TOS, and my son in the waiting room also has TOS. She said, "Oh, 'familial', I'll have to tell the doctor that."  The P.A. poked around the daughters neck area, looked at her armpit scar, and left to go brief the doctor.

After a while, the doctor entered the room with his assistant and asked the daughter a few questions, asked her to hold her arms out to her side and tell him what she felt. He then scooted on his stool up closer to her and said something to effect of - "Well, you do not seem at the point of surgery yet so when you feel excruciating and want to proceed with surgery we can do that. What do you think?"

Daughters face was blank, shocked, speechless. She told him the reason she has been trying to get in to see him since last June is to find out what is causing her recurring pain, to ask questions about if she should be avoiding doing certain things. "No, I do not advise my post-op patients to restrict themselves in life, you should not have to restrict yourself", he said.

The doctor had not addressed the fact that we brought post-op x-rays with us that show a rib regrown. When I asked about the x-rays he stated- "Ribs do not regrow, although not much rib was taken in the first resection, but ribs do not regrow."  I asked him, "So what are we seeing in the x-ray then, because it looks like a full rib!?" He said he wasn't sure, he'd have to go look.  The daughter mentioned having different pain now than before previous rib resection, and wanting to understand what was causing it. The doctors response- "You have TOS, that is the cause of your pain."
Cut and dry, in three minutes time.
She tried asking a couple more questions, which the good doctor cut off the end of each without listening and answered with assumptions. When she mentioned arm swelling with exercise, he sent her for a vein duplex/doppler to check the subclavian veins and told us to return in an hour after that was done.
Upon return, we were escorted to a conference room where we waited a while. The doctor and his assistant returned and informed us the vein test was normal.

"The only thing I can do to treat your TOS is surgery, so when you feel this is disabling you to that point we can operate and remove the first rib, one incision above the collar bone, one below."
My daughter then asked again about the regrown rib, the doctor said he was not able to view the post-op x-ray we brought. So then the daughter made the most excellent move of the day-(I absolutely LOVE this) she got out her cell phone and said, "I know this isn't a professional quality image but look..." and pulled up before and after pictures of her x-rays and showed him!!! (Such a great move!)
He looked at both and said "Hmmm, yes...yes, there is bone there now where it was resected."
Finally an answer. The rib DID grow back... which you can clearly see in the picture. Probably because she was twelve when she had the first resection, and possibly not enough rib was removed. (She did have pain relief for eight years.)

So the bottom line of the consult is this, we learned she is dealing with Neurogenic & Arterial TOS.
Her cervical ribs are not very big, more like an elongated transverse process on C7 spine.
The physicians assistant said they call them 'nubbins'.
We learned the doctor utilizes Subclavian (collarbone area) surgical approach and not Transaxillary (armpit).
We learned that the decision is hers, when she feels the risk of surgery is worth taking because her pain has become unbearable.
Would surgery give relief? The doctor was not sure.
What is causing the daughter new pain?  The doctor didn't know.

We rode home feeling deflated.

We had hoped for more explanation, more conversation, more answers to questions.
I had hoped for the possibility of preemptive treatment that would spare her having to live in intolerable pain before getting relief.
And remember, this was supposed to be my consult, and many of my symptoms are the same as my daughters, so the answers he gave her affect me too.

At this point, it looks like we are going to buckle up for the long road ahead with TOS.
Back to the drawing board. Look into pain relief techniques, ways to manage life with the limits TOS brings with it.

Adson Maneuver, EMG, CT Scan- TOS Tests

Info on EMG/Nerve Conduction Velocity Test  - http://www.webmd.com/brain/electromyogram-emg-and-nerve-conduction-studies

Adson Maneuver-



CT Scan - my non-medical description, you lay on bed, slide in tube, wear earplugs, loud noises while machine takes pictures of internal layers. Painful if asked to hold arms above head.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2704801

Xray, Ultrasound, MRI - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/DS00800/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis