Kelsey's update 11mo post surgery~ Yea~!!

[Mom of Kelsey]

Hello all, I have been making my way around tonight.. feeling it is time to get back to the message board.. I have been out for awhile now, not posting but checking in and out for sometime when I can, but haven't posted for sometime!

I did come back after Kelsey's 10 mo post and left this big long message and then when I went to post it my internet was dis-connected and lost it!! a mile long and no energy to redo it at the time!

But anyways, I would like to Thank all the mothers that talked to me and helped me along when I was making my decisions on whether or not to have the first surgery for Kelsey.. she was 8 yr old at the time and I just didn't know how it would turn out for her, being a older child.. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR TALKES AND MANY THANKS FOR THOSE OF THE OLDER CHILDREN THAT SHARED THEIR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES WITH US!! *~*~

Anyways, Kelsey had her first surgery March 12th 2001 and is going on her ONE year post and she is doing great!! the arm (left) is by no means perfect but wonderfully better!! she has so much more upper use now!! she did lose some of her lower use (or didn't gain much) but she needed the upper so much more. I have asked her to think about it for awhile and let me know how she now feels about the surgery.. well It didnt take her long to think about it~~ She has said that if any child that needed the surgery was thinking second thoughts about it she would tell them ~ It is OK~ not to worry and to know that from her experience~ it has helped her so much ~ she can now put her own hair up in her own pony!! and that is something she couldn't do before the surgery!!

It has been a long year waiting and we have seen even more improvements within the last couple of months. Kelsey is still in Physical therapy 2 times a week.. Mondays and Thursdays in a town 30 min from here, we go to physical therapy twice a week on our own preference. We did not notice any improvements within the first 3 or even 5 months that we noticed, and I was starting to get so worried.. but as she has become stonger and with time we started to see it.. when she was putting on her own clothes and putting her own hair up and doing all of a sudden things that she had never been able to do alone before!! or did but with very difficulty!!

I am wanting to do a web page for Kelsey and for the parents of older children with erbs palsey/brachial plexus birth injury that didn't know there was help out there until their child was older, to maybe help other families along with making the decision and the knowledge of Kelseys story. I'm as sure the decision would have been very difficult even if Kelsey was still a baby going through the surgery but with older children time has healed what it has healed the injury is no longer fresh, and harder on what recovery there will be.

so what do you all think about a web page for the older children? I would like to know~

We go back to Houston in July to talk about a second surgery this time,for the elbow to make it straighter it has a pretty good lock to it still, but we will know more on that in July. and I want Dr. Nath to take a look at her shoulder blade, I know by reading in here in the past where some have talked about the winging being worse after surgery being a good thing but her's is so far out there! It makes my stomach ache just to look at it. but she says it dont hurt!

Our therapist has started a exercise for this and he thinks that it may be helping that! but we have just started it in the last month. it is where she lies on the floor with her arms up in the air as reaching for the ceiling.. then she lifts her arms up and her shoulders off the floor, but her body and head stays down. she does 10 of these 3 times a day. "Steve" our therapist belives that will help with the winging because it will work those muscles that work them!! and for smaller children, you could help them along if you would like to talk to your therapist and see what they think.. we have been doing them at home and I will let you know how it goes..

One more question for the board.. does anyone know the statue of limitations for birth injuries in Oklahoma? I was always told it was 2 years and then started to do some research and found that in New York and a few other states it is 10 years!! so I just cant believe that it would only be 2 yr in Oklahoma!! You know our health insurance in the last year after Kelseys surgery has gone from $191.00 a month to $725.00 a month because of the surgery and on going therapy for Kelsey!!! she alone is $445.00 a month now!! and we are stuck with this company because now one else will come within 100 miles from her!!

Well I have gone on and on!! Let me know if you have any answers for me!! Thanks and take care ~ Denise~ Moma of Kelsey

[DeShawn]

Denise, It's good to hear that Kelsey is coming along well post surgery. It is always a good feeling to watch them cross milestones. It is a great accomplishment to now be able to make her ponytail all by herself. Things will only get better from here. Thanks for the update.

DeShawn

[Tessie258]

Hello,
My son is older too....It is great to hear she is doing so good. I just wanted to comment on the suing thing..I have always been told that a parent can't "throw away" the opportunity for a child to sue and that the child has 2 years past their 18th birthday to sue. You may not be able to sue for yourself but your child still can....Anyone out there want to correct me if I'm wrong?
Keep up the good work!!
T.

[NancyP]

Congratulations on the progress. My daughter is a Kelsey too. She is 5, and has had 3 surgeries. We are just now going through the legal process for her. We chose not to sue on my behalf, but for her as she gets older. We live in Wichita, KS and the law for KS is this: You can sue on your own behalf up to the 2nd birthday of your child. You can sue on your child's behalf to their 18th birthday.

What part of OK do you live in?

[Mom of Kelsey]

DeShawn~ Thank you for your reply~ Yes it is wonderful to see the great accomplishments whether they are in *tiny*~*small*~or even bigger steps!! I do know we worried so, after the surgery about what this year would bring~ And I can say "We have *NO* regrets!

Tessie & Nancy~ Thank you for your information, when Kelsey was born there were so many doors shut on us, and as she grew, even more were just slammed..... We were told that we had no case~ what~ so ~ ever because the "Doctor" did not hae the technology to have prevented Kelseys injury... (not like 7hours fully dilated and her not being in the birth canal and the nurses having to push her down into it, was any indication) and to just "be happy" that she was alive and had some use of her arm! (she was nearly 8 mo before she had any movement, she could only move her fingers)
Anyways, Long story on how I found the source and a "new Doctor" that opened all new doors!

"But~ Now I know Kelsey will need for us to take action for her"

For those of you with the older children~ Have you went threw the school system? We have and did at the age of 3yr (after her sooner care stopped) Door slammed!!
then again at the age of 6 yr, again Door slammed.
then the last time was at the age of 8 yr right before her surgery~ BIG SLAM!!
Same thing each time " Kelseys arm has nothing to do with her learning"
with the same O.T that shut Kelsey off of O.T and P.T at the age of 3y, telling us that "Kelsey is as good as she will get, nothing more can be done for her"
I have had thoughts about letting her know "her thoughtless and poor judgement made Kelsey regress so much!
But then again my children have to be a part of this school system and I know in my heart my children will pay for my anger in the end~ even thoe it isn't fair and against the law.

Cellarand & Nancy~ Kelsey is a very popular name** LOL** and a great one~ LOL~

Cellarand ~ Kelsey had the mod Quad and muscle & tendon release and some transfer~ We also had the same wories ~ the ~ WHAT IF'S AND WILL THIS MAKE THE ARM WORSE THAN BEFORE HER SURGERY~ infact I took 6 months to do research and to make the decision~ I say, "I took", because I felt this was all laying in my lap~ anyways I was sick to death each day of wondering will this be *OKAY* for her, So I can sympathies with you and each parent in this position~ We will be going threw it again I fear in July~ BUT~ I can feel better on knowing that I have more trust in the Doctors now.

If you are asking me "do we have any regrets about the surgery?" I would have to tell you *NO* No regrets at all~ We are very happy with the outcome, Like I said before Kelseys arm is by no means perfect but in comparison to the before and after~****Kelsey has more use of her arm now*****

I live up close to the Oklahoma panhandle, infact not too far from Kansas.. way up North!! do you know where Woodward is? I am close if you do...

Nancy~ how do you feel about your daughters outcome?

If anyone would like, feel free to email me.. Thanks for your advise and your congrats!! Take care~ Denise