I’m a registered nurse
and have worked in health care my entire career. Five
years ago I suffered a work-related injury that resulted
in nerve damage, causing ongoing neck and arm pain.
I tried everything to alleviate
the pain: medication, physical therapy, acupuncture,
similar conservative treatments – anything to
avoid having surgery. But still, the pain did not
go away.
I even went so far as to have
cervical fusion surgery. Unfortunately, my pain continued
after the surgery.
I kept working but with the
ongoing pain, it got to the point where I couldn’t
do my job any longer. I tried staying home for a couple
of weeks, but when I returned to work, the pain still
prevented me from accomplishing even basic duties.
The first doctor suggested by
my insurance provider had diagnosed my condition correctly:
herniated disks in my neck. But it turns out that
I had another, less-often diagnosed condition: thoracic
outlet syndrome.
A fellow nurse had been diagnosed
with TOS, and suggested I read up on the subject.
The more I learned, the more I felt that this may
be the reason for my ongoing pain.
At this point, my condition
had worsened to include chest pain and a nagging cough
– the latter caused by the phrenic nerve (which
stimulates one’s cough function) being aggravated.
My current physician suggested
I see someone who specializes in thoracic outlet syndrome,
and that’s when I discovered Dr. Aaron Filler.
As we talked, I learned that
he’s very meticulous at what he does, and plans
his treatments in the same manner. I didn’t
want to have another surgery, but after discussing
the procedure with Dr. Filler, my concerns were addressed
and we crafted the strategy. It turns out that during
the surgery, Dr. Filler discovered a congenital abnormality
where my nerve went through my muscle, rather than
around it (as with most people), so he re-routed it
at the same time.
My recovery was great: almost
immediately my chest pain vanished, as did my nagging
cough. My neck and arm pain have also improved over
time. Prior to Dr. Filler performing surgery, I was
barely able to walk for exercise. Now, I can walk
again and I feel great.
I would definitely recommend
Dr. Aaron Filler to friends and family.
