I just found this forum!

[Nan in On]

I am new to this forum: after 17 months of research I can't believe I just stumbled on it now...probably because my condition was never refered to a BPI but
rather "long thoracic nerve palsy".
It has been a long uphill battle for me as well.
I incurred this during an emergency surgery for a ruptured bowel in Aug/2000...so have been living with it for 17 months.
I suffer from chronic pain in my back, shoulders,
and upper arm as well as shooting pains in my
right arm, hand and wrist.
I can't raise my arm more than 45 degrees in any direction.
Doctors here had never seen this before and so I
guess it's very rare...especially after an unrelated
surgery. KJ you are the second person I have found
who incurred this during an abdominal procedure...
coincidence????
I did not get a diagnosis from the neurologist
until several months afterward and did not see
a neurosurgeon until 71/2 months living with
this. He was the first doctor to refer to it
as an "iatrogenic" injury (ie. medically induced).
He, however, thought that it may be caused by the
direct-line IV in my neck. He wanted to explore the area but gave me a poor outlook since I was so far along. So here I suffer with limited options, like the rest of you.
Legaly I had little recourse due to having no "proof"
of the mechanism of injury, having no disability
insurance(not available to me at my place of work),
and "the statute of limitations" being 1 yr. here
in Ontario, Canada. I am presently battling it out with
the Canada Pension Plan disability...have been turned
down twice. I am unable to work and have no income.
I too have tried anti-inflamatories, NSAID'S- vioxx,
celebrex, mobocox, and ampitriptyline all to no avail.
My GP will not prescribe anything stronger.
I have tried physio, bracing, etc but for me
complete rest and heat/cold packs seem to be the only
form of temporary relief.
It is comforting to have found a group of people
I can really relate to...especially KJ...I would love to discuss this further with you if you'd like to e-mail me.
I have a webpage which now has about 35 members
called "The Winged Scapula"(check out my homepage info). It has been a place
for discussion and support and I have many articles and links there. Unfortunately, we are a small
group and no one really has any definite solutions.
Please feel free to visit, join, post etc.
Gotta go...thanks for allowing me to vent.
Nan

[francine]

Hi Nan and welcome to the message boards. So glad you posted your post. I visited your web site and was quite impressed. I didn't know about winged scapula until a woman visited the message boards here and passionately explained it to us. Sites like yours will certainly help a lot of people.

-francine
mom to maia - age 3.5 obstetrical brachial plexus injury

http://www.injurednewborn.com

[Donna (Colleen's Mom)]

Hello Nan,
Welcome to our forum, but sorry you have to be here. It must be extremely frustrating for you to not have a diagnosis for so long and not to be able to find treatment. It's hard to search for something when you don't have a name for it! The cascade of events and circumstances following your surgery seem even more frustrating. I hope that eventually you can get some kind of relief.

I'm sure you will learn a lot here, and you will be able to go back and educate your own doctors, as many of us here have done. Good luck to you!

Donna

[admin]

Thank you Francicne and Donna for making me feel
welcome here...this has been a good day!
It saddens me to hear about children being
inflicted with this...but you are great moms...so supportive.
Best wishes to you both...and thank you.
Nan