Mona Vanek
I'm able to mostly control the total numbness that occurs whenever I lay down, and if I'm not careful, even when I'm up and about. Drs. diagnosed the problem as thoracic outlet syndrome. What I did was cease using my hands and arms for any activity that uses the muscles of my upper arms -- which apparently causes swelling. After I got the problem under control (about a month) I continued to restrict use to as minimal as possible. I'm able to type for hours, using a laptop computer. Just about anything else, if not severely restricted to just necessary use of my hands results in the problems reoccurring. It's a matter of controling my activities. ie: peeling no more than 2-3 potatoes; not picking berries (overhead seems to affect it the most); driving no more than absolutely necessary; house cleaning; gardening, etc., all bring on severe bouts. When it was at it's worst before I knew what was causing the pain and numbness, the doctor warned me that if it totally shut down the arteries I'd wind up being airlifted to the nearest hospital for emergency surgery. I've recovered a long way from that point -- just by restricting activities and NOT taking pain pills, which only bury the symptoms and keep you ignorant of the causes.Good luck.