Videos: Before and After Surgeries

[jmar]

angela, if you go to a plastic surgeon, you can get injections in the raised scars that will flatten them out. these are called keloid scars and they can be very immobilizing if they get too thick. i had a problem with those when i got burned several years ago. the injections almost totally eliminated the thickness. i still have one scar that is very slightly raised but nothing like it would have been. i dont remember what the injection is called but the doc would know of course. good luck

[AngelaW]

Thanks gain for the nice comments everyone.
Thanks for the scar advice and it will be very useful to those who want to try to reduce any scarring they have. I personally am just fine and have no problem with the scars, either physically or mentally. I only mentioned them because someone specifically asked me about them.
Also, just to clear things up so no one gets scared , this a is a generalization, but keloid type scarring is not the type I have. Keloid scarring is an overgrowth of scar tissue that extends beyond the original wound, can keep growing long after the wound has healed, can reoccur after removal, and will usually not stop spontaneously. I have a cousin who suffers from this and is genetically disposed to it from his mom's side (she can't even get her ears pierce for fear of keloids forming). His is particularily tough and on the back of his head and after about 15 years of trying different treatments, including radiation, it still keeps growing. (I'm adopted so I'm not genetically prone to these...whew.)
The type of scarring I'm describing is called hypertrophic scarring and is subtly but importantly different in that the scarring doesn't usually extend beyond the wound, doesn't continue to grow after the wound is healed, and often flattens out a bit on it's own as the scar tissue becomes more flexible and ages. I only have one scar that is a little thicker and a little raised and that's on my back from the shoulder surgery and it has improved over the last year and I expect it to improve more. The rest are very thin and flat. I will try to get pictures.
Hope this helps and if any of the information is inaccurate please feel free to correct me

[Carolyn J]

Thanks again, Angela for this information re scars...I always learn alot from you!
HUGS,
Carolyn J
LOBPI/72

[jmar]

sorry i said the wrong thing, mine were not keloid they were the hypertrophic scars. mine were severe on my knee and i had to do something about them because i could not bend my knee. sorry for the misinformation.

[MadisonB]

Angela, I think your scars are beautiful.


Rabindranath Tagore
“When I stand before thee at the day’s end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing.”

[AngelaW]

Thanks so much. Me too! They don't bother me one bit Very nice quote too. Perfect.

[Brandon_3]

Hi Angela, I very much liked the 2nd video. I knew you overcame a horrible accident, I didn't know the damage to your shoulder was so bad. Dr. B did a magnificant job. I don't think I ever asked. Were your nerves avulsed or severed? Anyhoo
Brandon

[AngelaW]

Hey Brandon, actually they were stretched and encapsulated in scar tissue and my bicep was pretty much destroyed by the bone as it broke through my arm. The doctor who stopped to help at the accident (Dr, Levy, awesome) was shocked that not only I had survived, but that I didn't loose my arm and my leg. None of the mayo docs can believe I'm walking today and living on my own. My shoulder was also one of the worst Dr. Elhassan had seen. Pretty much ruined. The brachial plexus team at mayo were almost certain (2 out of the 3 doctors) that I would require a shoulder fusuion, but Dr. Bishop wasn't convinced and sent me to Dr. Elhassan and the rest is history.......really shows why it's good to explore ALL your options, even if the experts are convinced of going in one direction. If you're not completely sure that the recommended surgery or treatment plan is getting you what you want, just keep asking about alternatives and don't give up. It took me SEVERAL follow up appointments over the course of a year to get the recommendation to Dr. Elhassan and I only got it after my last appointment was over and the other two had left and Dr. Bishop had stayed behind to finish up on the computer. Keep in mind they are really the best doctors I've worked with in terms of skill AND personality; they just were convinced that my shoulder was too ruined for his surgery to work, and it was still a pretty new surgery. When I had my appointment, he walked into the room and inside of 5 minutes knew he could help. Since then they have started sending more shoulder patients to him instead of recommending a fusion as his surgery offers much more range of motion and flexibility than a fusion, as the video shows, it's very natural looking. Pretty amazing the stuff that can be acconplished.

[ichessa1960]

Angela:

Your story is such an inspiration to me. Approximately 4 years ago, around this time frame, my son, Joe was 19 y.o. (he is now 23) and had a serious motorcycle accident. As a result, Joe suffered a complete avulsion injury of the cervical and thoracic brachial plexus which controls his dominant right upper extremity. All 5 nerves were completely ripped from the spinal cord resulting in a total paralyzed right upper extermity. As a result he also suffered atrophy of the rotator cuff muscles and had severe damage to his right shoulder as well. Sorry to be so technical, I am in the medical field LOL

Within 6 months after the accident, we were able to see the experts at Mayo Clinic, Bishop, Shin, and Spinner and schedule surgery. We had to wait almost 2 months because the surgery schedule was so booked, that was the earliest time period available to have the procedure.

Joe had transfer of intercostal motor nerves V and VI (these are nerves between the ribs) to the biceps muscle, restoration some control of finger flexion with a free functioning gracilis transfer (this is the muscle on your inner thigh) powered by intercoastal motor nerves III and IV, reanimation of the triceps with spinal accessory to triceps transfer with an interposed nerve graft, and sensory neurotization of the hand with four intercostal sensory nerves. I know this sounds very technical and I wanted everyone who reads this post to understand that he probably one of the most severe of brachial plexus injuries that Mayo has ever seen.

They are now wanting to fuse his shoulder and also his wrist. Angela, I would really like to speak with you because I am curious to know how severe your injury was in the beginning. Joe's arm looked identical to yours in the first video and then after his first procedure listed above, he is now able to do what you are doing in second video, but because the shoulder is not stable and is wrist is floppy, the range of activity is very limited. He does not require a brace and the arm hangs from his side, not very functional because the fingers and thumb have been stitched in a hook like position but due to the wrist being floppy it does not assist in anyway with activities of daily living.

Angela, I look forward to hearing from you and hope that we can somehow connect by phone so I can discuss in more detail your shoulder surgery and wrist fusion. You look beautiful in the video and I almost cried when I saw your remarkable results.

I wish everyone the best regarding their recovery and also any upcoming surgeries, and also want to validate the remarkable work that the above surgeons have accomplished, not only with my son, but the many who have visited this unique medical community.

ichessa

[ArmStrong]

I WAS JUST WONDERING IT SEEMS LIKE DOCTORS LIKE TO WAIT TO DO A SHOULDER OR WRIST FUSION,I WAS TOLD MAYBE IN A YEAR THEY WOULD LOOK INTO DOING A WRIST FUSION,IS THIS STANDARD?WHY DO THEY CHOOSE TO WAIT SO LONG?