pinched nerve

[MsFab]

hello;

three weeks ago I woke up with a pinched nerve in my shoulder/arm. It was just a slight pain/tingle in my socket at first, but then I was on a plane for 3 hours and that kicked it into high gear. Now I have numbness in my left thumb and two fingers and along my arm and killer pain. I went to the doc immediately; got x-rayed (it's not disc-related) and have been going to physio 3x a week. Had a nerve conductor test as well and they say there will be no permanent damage. the PT thinks it's a pinch from a muscle from my neck to my collarbone.

the pain is relentless. I am improving very slowly; I'm icing several times a day and taking a ton of Advil and Tylenol. I average 2 hours of sleep at a time before I have to get up and walk around for sometimes a couple of hours, depending on the pain level. Nobody has any answers really; just time, is what they say.

I'm 48, female, healthy and fit. I think it's stressed-related but who knows. Has anyone out there had something like this? The worst is not knowing when it's going to be over. There isn't a lot of info on this, and I don't know anyone who has experienced this either.

anyone?

UPDATE:

so it's a week later and the pain is changing; I've been taking muscle relaxants and that seems to have helped with some of the pain. But the numbness is worse, not better; my index finger is puffy as well as useless, and the pain I have mostly is from the nerve. it's like I scraped myself to the bone.

physio helps but only temporarily, as far as I can tell, but i'll keep at it. I'm going to a chinese medicine doc next week. I'm willing to try anything, except maybe a chiropractor. apparently neck adjustments are risky for strokes for women my age, according to my regular doc.

I still am sleeping only about 2-3 hours at a time. I live on the couch now.

I'd be grateful to hear from anyone who has had a pinched nerve. Like i said last week, it's the not knowing when it will stop that is getting to me the most. I read nightmare stories online about people who live with this for years. I can't imagine how. I'm a musician, so for now, no performing at all until I get my left hand back.

UPDATE:

so it's been a couple of days since my last post; I went to an Acupuncturist yesterday and that helped immensely. Basically he told me I need to rest the nerve completely; and to rest on my stomach, with proper pillow support, to let my muscles and spine fall back into place. My pain is almost completely gone; the numbness, however, is still the same. I go back in two days. Last night I actually slept for 6 hours without having to get up, the first in a month.

TWO MONTHS IN:
so, I have been seeing an acupuncturist and a chiropractor for 4 weeks now; I'm sleeping 6 hours straight on a regular basis, and the pain, while never completely gone, is usually no more than a 4/10, and averages much less than that. I still can't drive due to the numbness, but it's lessening bit by bit. The docs all say I should be over this in a few weeks. Walking is the only exercise I can get, which is a bit frustrating, but it helps; I find I'm better the more I walk. I'm working again, which is great because is is distracting. do I ever have an appreciation for my health now! I'm going to be much more careful from now on. No more yoga, that's for sure.

The chiropractor is very gentle; not a whip-and-crack type. This guy has a holistic approach, and that's why I'm comfortable going to him. I think he's done the most for getting me back to normal. The acupuntured helps with pain management and relaxation.

so that's my latest. I hope this helps someone out there deal with this problem. the worst for me was the lack of information.

9 MONTHS IN:
so; I'm almost back to normal. I have been able to drive again for the last 4 months, I have been going to the acupuncturist and the chiropractor regularly, down to twice a month now, and am also getting theraputic massage, which has been really helpful for my range of motion. I have been working out again for a few months, building up stamina, but still have to take things easy. there is very little pain now, mostly just tight muscles. The numbness in my finger hasn't gone away. When I cough, I can still feel that the nerve is slightly pinched still.

This has been quite an ordeal; never knew what chronic pain was before. I'm still hopeful that it will go away eventually. I guess I write this for anyone out there who is going through this as well; I couldn't find any info, still can't. The only source for me is my chiropractor, who has dealt with this many times. He says I'm going to be okay, just give it time.

good luck to all who are going through this.