United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Just to confirm what Sally said in the previous post ...during evaluation for possible capsulodesis and bicep lengthening, Dr. Nath felt that capsulodesis surgery was not going to be the best answer for my son, and would not perform it. I was devastated b/c I really wanted it to be the solution for his shoulder, but Dr. Nath said no. He will not do surgery unless he feels it will make a positive difference.

Cathy Y

Thank you all for the information you provided. We were under the impression that Evan would not need surgery. Until a few weeks ago when I came across Dr Nath's website and decided to consult him, surgery seemed a distant possibility. Now I realize we may have several more in the future. It's a tough realization but it's great that there things that can be done to help our kids.

I am so glad I found this website as we didn't know anyone with a bpi injury. I look forward to hearing more from Lisa and Cindy. Francine, I've been trying to get through the wealth of info you have on your sight. Once I do, I'll be in touch with more specific questions. Thank you again.

It is very comforting to hear that the Dr's have best interest of the child in mind as they should. However, with all the things that happen in the world that shouldn't, it helps to be cautious.

We're on the opposite end of the spectrum LOL. Nath wanted to do bicep lengthening on Matthew who only has a 5 degree contracture because they would have been doing the caps and we said no way. There are so many angles and opinions to treatment of this injury and unfortunately nobody has the magic answer so until then we do the best with the information we're provided with.

Cindy

Cindy,

You are not the only one on the end of the spectrum. I know several others including myself. Unfortunately, the people I know do not feel terribly comfortable posting here which is very unfortunate. I think it is very important for us to consider all possible angles. Everything isn't as black and white as some may think it is. I appreciate your candidness.

Sema, best wishes to you as you begin to sort through all of this.

Our experience with Dr. Nath and the BPI clinic at TCH was excellent and we are so grateful that through the UBPN site we were able to learn so much information that helped us to make the decision about surgery. My granddaughter (lobpi) had primary surgery at TCH when she was 5 mo. and the mod quad at 12 mo. She had EMG's before each surgery but in our local area. Results after the mod quad were quick and noticeable, particularly that she could raise her arm above her head when before the surgery, she was unable to raise it higher than shoulder level. We have the highest respect for Dr. Nath's expertise, knowledge, and experience with bpi patients. Now, at 21 mo., my granddaughter is doing well and people have told us that they can not discern any difference between her arms. Five months after her mod quad we sent in a video for evaluation to Dr. Nath, and his response was to continue the therapies and that further surgery was unnecessary at that time. We will be sending another video after 6 mo. for further evaluation. Good luck to you whichever way you decide to go!

Ok i will go with Cindy and the other guest on this one! Everything is NOT Black and White and while I agree that Dr. Nath and his team do have the child's best interest at heart I also believe that others out there do as well.

The very best tip I can give you ........Get more than one opinion, it is very important.

All the best.

Undoubtedly there are others out there who do GREAT work. We've seen proof of it here time and again...I wish those people would speak up. They feel uncomfortable? I've heard all KINDS of talk about other places and other doctors. Just look back at the posts over the last few months.
Dr. Nath certainly doesn't treat this as a black and white situation either. That was mentioned here several times as well.
This isn't about politics. No one's trying to band together and "promote" Dr. Nath. This is not a "Dr. Nath" website. These are just opinions. Second opinions are great. It comes down to: does what your doctor say to you make sense? If it doesn't, seek another opinion until it makes sense to you. Gather all the knowledge you can and go from there. When you're comfortable, take action.
Best of luck,
Jaime

We live in California as well. I have not been here long enough to know where East Bay is. We are in Southern California. Our daughter had Mod Quad at age 2.5 at TCH. Dr. Nath performed the surgery. Our first evaluation/ surgery schedule was in March. We ended up going home after that evaluation. I had some concerns regarding Gabrielle's mobility at that point. Dr. Nath listened and we agreed to wait six month and reevaluate. She did have the surgery in September of that year. I did feel that they listened to what I had to say and consider I may know what is best for my child. That is hard to come by in a doctor. But it is always good to get 2nd and 3rd opinions. We always do. Just wanted to share our experience with TCH.

Sema,
I hope all of this information has been helpful for you. It has been incredibly helpful to me as we are in the exact same position. Our daughter, Kate is 9 months old and we were hoping to avoid surgery also but Dr. Nath saw her and said we needed mod quad. Like Evan, she can't bring her arm above her shoulder. Thank you for posting the questions that have been so helpful to us in making our decisions! best of luck to you in your decisions.