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Neck pain/thoracic pain

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Chronic Pain
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Posted 7/11/2016 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
I think I have neck issues but I feel tremendous pain near my shoulder blade and around to my chest. I also have tingling under my armpit. Ive been to a battery of heart tests and they all come back normal so it is back issues. Already had a disc herniation on low back but that was 12 years ago. I've had neck pain for years and years but always tolerable with medication. The thoracic is less tolerable and very painful. Neck still hurts and I'm going in for a facets injection at T6-7, pain is brutal. However, my neck still hurts and I've read where people have thoracic pain but it was an issue in their neck.

Can anyone share or have symptoms similar to what I'm describing? Also, going in for a neck MRI after the injection is over. Surgery is not commonly down in the thoracic area but I'm kind of thinking it is neck causing the thoracic pain.
Posted 7/12/2016 12:39 AM (GMT 0)
In my quest for answers to my own pain issues, I came across a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. You may want to google it. The information from the Mayo Clinic was very good on the subject.
Posted 7/12/2016 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Bill & welcome to Healing Well. Sorry to read that you are suffering so. Good to read that you are going to have an MRI. May I ask what type of drs are treating you for what you have going on? It is possible to have referred pain from your neck down in to the areas you mentioned. When my neck pain was at its worst, I was having severe muscle spasms & had horrible chest pain. If I had not known better I would have thought I was having a heart attack. It always felt like I had tennis balls under my shoulder blades. You are right about the thoracic spine situation as far as any surgery goes. Rarely will a dr do surgery in that area as its considered high risk.

Hopefully once you have the MRI & get the results you will know more about what is going. Take care.
Posted 7/12/2016 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the responses.

Yes, my wife keeps freaking out and asking me if I'm sure I am not having a heart attack. I'm pretty sure not and have been to several cardios to be safe. Of course they can be wrong and anything is possible but I have thoracic pain pretty bad now. It has increased to a constant and chronic 7-9 throughout the day. I get the tingling under the armpit, side pain, chest feels like there is a weight on it and I've had neck pain for a long time. Many many many years. The current doctor believes that the condition is initiating from the cervical and hence the MRI. Hopefully we will find some answers. Before that I am scheduled for a facets injection to hopefully get some pain relief, if only temporarily until someone can figure this out.
Posted 7/13/2016 8:40 AM (GMT 0)
My mom had a thoracic discectomy about 3 years ago. You are correct, it's not common and if done, is a much bigger surgery. She was in the ICU overnight because she had cord compression. She did great and had no deficits after the surgery. My mom's symptoms were weak legs but she didn't associate it with her back. It was an incidental finding while having pre-op testing for bilateral mastectomy for breast ca. Her breast surgery was delayed several months because of her thoracic surgery. Good luck with your MRI!
Posted 7/17/2016 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Markentosh & welcome to Healing Well. If you would please make a separate intro post so all members will see it & can respond. You will get a much better response that way & we don't want to hijack Bill's thread.

Thanks.
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