United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

thank you for the update. it is great to hear he is doing so well. I think of him often. I also find the more distracted i am, the less i focus on the pain. thank you for the link and all the info. i started doing some strength work on my legs to get them back and also spend a lot of time in the pool. of course it takes a lot more energy to swim with one arm...but its better than nothing! i hope it will be a temporary thing! But i could use a different sling.

thank you again, i really appreciate all the support. Give my best to your son!

Robin

Trimommy, just curious on your technique for swimming. I'm an athlete as well. I enjoy running, and have taken up biking as a cross train cardio, and trail running to ease the road-run pounding on my knees when I was half-marathon training.

I work at a Fitness Center and we put on lots of sports events throughout the year. One recently was a triathlon, with condensed distances for each leg of the race (similar to Formula One distances). I've started to consider competing next year, but I've never biked any competitive event, nor have I ever swam for anything more strenuous than hanging out at the motel pool while on vacation.

It is the swimming portion of the event that most concerns me in 1) how to effectively and efficiently swim technique/mechanics-wise and 2) get strong enough at it to be able to make training worth it to be competitive.

I apologize for the thread hijack. I wanted to hear some thoughts from another athlete

the good thing about triathlons is that for non-swimmers the swim portion is the shortest part! you would be surprised at how some people get through the swim...this past year i swam over someone doing the backstroke..but i digress! swimming has always been my strongest leg..but now i am forced to swim one armed (i hope temporarily). There are websites that sell dvd's on how to improve swim..i blank on them now, but if you want to email me, i will look them up! boatpr@aol.com. swimming one-armed is tiring, but people do it. just keep going...one lap at a time and you will be surprised how strong you get! again email me with any qquestions. My triathlon club puts on 3 triathlons, so i have a lot of resources.
Robin

Hi trimommy,

I'm so sorry you have suffered such an injury, especially when you have three little kids to care for. You have come to the right place for support and up to date information. EllenB, Christopher and all the other regulars are very supportive, knowledgable and helpful. They helped me keep my sanity through the early days. Our 18-yr-old son had damage to C5,6,7 last summer from a cycling accident ( his arm was paralysed) and I searched the internet for info and support. Like you, I found this board through John's story and Ellen was my angel all last year while we went through the recovery process.

I had actually found three of the top specialists - Mayo, Belzberg, and one in England, by the time I found this board, but it was great to have corroboration from the 'experts'. We chose Mayo Clinic, even though we have free health care here in Canada and a top BP surgeon here where we live, mostly because the trio at the Mayo specialize in BP, as does Belzberg. We would equally have gone to see Belzberg, but Mayo is closer.

I was extremely impressed by everything about the BP clinic at the Mayo - from on-time appointments and the clarity and extent of information, to the attitudes of the docs.
I hope you are able to get your pain under control, and I wish you all the very best in your recovery.

I usually take 3-15mg of Tamazepam at night.
I stay in one place in bed for 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
There is no rolling over onto the injured side and
there are no apparent side effects.
Just good clean sleep.
Scott

Thank you! it definately helps to have the support of others who have been through this injury. I have appts. scheduled with Belzberg (nov 2) and the Mayo (nov 7-8). I also have another EMG and appt. with the surgeon i have been seeing at Hospital for special surgery in NYC, tomorrow. My insuranve wont pay for any of it, so i guess that wont be a consideration! I just want to have surgery ASAP!!! i can't stand waiting anymore. I have gotten strong since my accident and am ready to get on with my life. Any idea how long Mayo will make me wait??? Maybe Belzberg wont have as long a wait time. I am very impatient and am afraid i will make a decision based on how soon they can do it rather than who will do the best job.

I know that Mayo & Belzburg send patients to each other all the time - they have great respect for each other & offer the same surgical options. So I'd be very comfortable with either one. I've been told Belzburg's "bedside manner" might be somewhat gruff, but frankly I wouldn't care about that. Probably you can get surgery sooner w/Belzburg unless Mayo can put you on standby in case they have a cancellation or something.

Ellen

Hi Robin,

I'm also a triathlete with a tbpi. I was sking and hit a tree March 07. I had BP reconstructive surgery (nerve transfers)done in St Louis by Dr. Susan MacKinnon. She was able to get me in fairly quickly (much faster than Mayo). I strongly recommend checking her out.

Yes the swimming with one arm really sucks and setting up a bike to be primarily operated with one hard isn't that fun either. I'd love to hear what happens with you and its cool to find another triatlete with a TBPI.

Cheers,
Joel (26 Triatlete, TRBPI 3/07)

I've heard Susan McKinnon recommended by someone else also. She is a plastic surgeon, and Mayo & Belzburg are neurosurgeons. Both specialties do bpi surgeries - they just developed microsurgery techniques independently. I don't know what surgical options McKinnon offers (such as gricilis transfer, etc). What procedures did she do for you?

Thanks,

Ellen

I had tons of work done.

1) Scapular Release
2) Spinal Accessory nerve transfers to Super Scapular Nerve
3) Medial and Ulner nerve transfers (about 20%) to Bicep and Brachialis
4) Medial Pectoral nerve transfer to Axalary
5) Intercosol (Right 5 and 6) to Triceps

There was talk of using the sural(sp?) nerve but it was unnecessary.

I had 1 and 2 done on a friday then when back in on monday for 3-5.

If you have any detailed questions let me know.

Cheers,
Joel (26 Triathlete , TRBPI 3/07)