United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello!

My accident was 5/2000, all the nerves were ripped off my spinal cord for my right arm & right diaphragm so they are completely dead. In Aug 2003, I had the whole arm amputated. No more weight hanging from my neck & back. Still have phantom pains but they seem to be getting better as time goes by. I have been able to get off all pain meds finally. Some days are bad but not enough to need more than 1 pain pill to hold it together. I hope this helps.

SusieKaye

Jenny,

Let us know when your surgery is. We will keep you in our prayers.

SusieKaye

I had mine takien off a year after the accident and injury. Didn't change the pain but was a great relief to be rid of it.

No regrets, and that was 22 years ago.

Henry

I have accepted that the chop won't get rid of the worst pain but relief from the neck and shoulder pain caused from dragging the arm around would be something, and I'm still hoping not having a hand will stop the spasms caused by the cold.....
I am now due to see a pain clinic team so we can discuss my expectations and they can tell me of their experiences with post amputation pain. It looks like I already have phantom limb pain from my bpi anyway so that will continue and they say may get worse! Anyone out there amputated so long after the accident as me? It looks to me like the sooner you do it the better and I am quite worried about the pain getting worse, I don't think I could cope.
Still, we have a long waiting list for the chop so I have a minimum 6 months to think about it....

Hi Susie It would be sooo wonderful to be rid of the pain pills and their side effects. I'm glad you are doing so well.
Thanks for writing.
Sandy

Had orig injury 12/12/93 Finally got rid of arm 3/30/95--best thing I ever did (as far as I know)--dragging that 8 lbs of useless flesh and bone around was a nightmare in itself. As for pain--it's about the same BUT it is easier to deal with because I don't have to worry about the arm anymore. I explained it to one Dr like this: tie 4 feet of rope around your neck then tie a brick to the end and carry it around for day after day--month after month.....get the idea? I think I did the only thing I could to stay relatively sane. Good God in heaven--the pain is enough to drive me over the edge---the arm was too much to deal with. Ronin

jenny
That is,of course, my worry- increasing the pain. An already bad situation, potentialy made even worse. I have created a new orthodetic splint for my arm, in the vain attempt to keep it. This splint cures some of the problems but worsens the subluxation. It's a toss up for me at this point.
Onepaw

Susie Kaye,
Sounds like you made the right decision for you. I'm glad it brought you good results. Now that the arm is gone, have you tried a prostetic arm to regain some function on the right side? I'm curious to see if there would be a way to get good function back again, and at what costs. Thanks....Karl....

Hi Onepaw
I am still awaiting my appointment with the pain clinic and I intend to present them with a large mass of articles about theories of pain in peripheral nerve injuries, cortical remapping and amputation following avulsion injury for discussion. Let's hope they are the kind of doctors who keep abreast of research, cos there is NO WAY any doctor who knows less than me touches my arm......:0)
I'll keep you posted about what happens...

Karl

All my nerves are dead that go to the arm. My arm was removed right at the shoulder joint. There are no nerves or anything to make an artificial arm move. The prosthetic place told me the only thing they could do for me was make an artificial arm just for looks. I told them "No thanks. I just got rid of something dead hanging from my neck, I didn't need another."

I sort of envy those that have at least some upper arm movement, they can probably make an artificial limb work.

I don't regret my decision. I sometimes get saddened as I read these boards that I couldn't have more function, therefore more options like most of you. It just wasn't in the Lord's plan for me.

Susie Kaye

Hi Susie Kay,

I have the same, although I left some stump for sleeeves. I do have a bit of movement , but not enough to operate an arm. I told them the same thing about a cosmetic arm.

Cheer up though. I think that having a limited prosthetic would be a constant reminder of its inadequacies.

Hang tough,

Henry