United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi everyone!!! How is everyone doing? It's been a while since I posted so I just wanted to give a brief update on my condition.

I had an appt. w/ Dr. Terzis a while back and now she and my lawyers are discussing the finances and my surgery might be in Feb. I have an appt. with Mayo on Jan. 5th but I think I might have to reschedule it for later.

Ok, there are some things I'm wondering about and I hope that someone can help me. Recently, I noticed some changes to my BPI hand.Before, it was extremely painful ( a 8 on the pain chart) but now, it's much less painful(around a 4). I'm taking gabitril but only 4mg a day so I don't think that is the reason for the deminishing of my pain. Another thing that has me confused is before, the muscles in my hand atrophed a lot...my bracelet fell out so many times that I stopped wearing it. Just recently, I began to noticed my hand getting fuller, muscles coming back and hand normal colored again (before it was pale and i could see blue veins everywhere). I wore my bracelet again and IT DIDN'T FALL OFF!

Is this normal for my hand to be going through all these changes? I feel really happy because all these changes seem to be a good thing but I'm not really sure...

OK, I'll end it before it gets too long (my one handed typing is getting fast!) Hope everyone had a happy holidays and a happy and HEALTHY new year!!

Kim.

I 100% agree!!!
I am Radiology Resident finishing my final year of residency. Myelograms are unfortunately ordered every day on patients who surprisingly just had a recent MRI. The results are always the same. It upsets me that a patient in pain has to suffer through a painful needle poke and then waste an entire day in the hospital when a 15 minute painless risk-free MRI gives the same information. Myelograms are archaic and barbaric. If you are a physician ordering this ridiculous test- please do your research and ask yourself if you were in the patients place would you want this done???

Timo,
I couldn't disagree more with your statement and it frightens me that a resident of radiology would think this way. Maybe my case was unique, but I highly doubt it. I had countless MRIs for 2 months post injury (over 15 at 2 top rated US hospitals, UCLA & USC) and the best conclusion that came out of having them was that I had only one avulsed nerve from my spine (which would have been damn wonderful). One of the nations leading specialists who wrote the first books on BPI reconstruction, Dr. David Kline of LSU, ordered me to have a Myelogram before he would see me. That was the first accurate diagnoses I'd had, 3 nerve avulsions, which exploratory surgery confirmed.

I wish one of my 3 neurosurgeons in Los Angeles had the sense or education to have ordered a Myelogram procedure done from the start, because I wasted precious time not knowing the extent and seriousness of my injury because the MRIs were inconclusive and inaccurate.

It angers me to think that a Dr. is not willing to put a patient with an extremely life changing injury through a mild procedure that help all involved get a clearer picture so the appropriate course of action can be taken.

Christopher