I receive a call from the other surgeon’s office telling me it would be a month and a half before they could get me in. Mind you, this is only for the office visit, not the surgery. By this time, my arm was hurting, I still had bluish purple colored hands, and still the feeling of cold water running through my bones. My lump, aka my subclavian artery, appeared to be getting larger. I explain to the secretary, on the phone, what was going on in hopes there was some way she could work me in sooner, but she apologized and said that was the soonest she could get me in. I asked to be put on a cancellation list and she said they typically don’t do that. I then told her I would call in every day to check.
The previous surgeon had given me strict orders of keeping my arm down so that blood could flow properly and no tumbling, he found this funny for a 31 year old. I was being really good and following doctors orders, but my symptoms just kept increasing. Eventually, the lump was no longer above my collar bone, but below it as well.
Then I had, what I could only describe as, a bone pop up on the top of my shoulder.
How in the world could this extra rib have been there my whole life, but only causing issues now? Issues that were very rapidly increasing!
I kept calling the surgeons office daily, they got to know my name, but each day they told me we have nothing open.
Ami’s Journey 