United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Sue,
I know you have probably heard this before, but I wanted to say it again. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.
We have now way of knowing that our doctor would have caused this. We trusted them. They are the ones with all the education. THEY should have known better!!
We do not going around checking our doctors background.
Although, after something like this, we do now. We learn the hardway. They have given us a reason to distrust them, and then in a special moment, a different DR. will come along, and finally be someone that you can trust with your child.(EX. Many people have said DR. Nath)
Just remember you are a good mom! You are doing your best in a hard situation. Just take a deep BREATH, and RELAX, a minute. Try not to let this overwhelm you too much. And please remember it was not your fault. Your doctor should have known better!
Take Care,
God bless you,

Suzanne,
You can't tell if she was injured at all. When Matthew saw the docs from TCH at a picnic we had them look at Melanie as well and they said she's fine.
We see Dr. Richard Finkel at CHOP. Now our visits will enable us to see him and OT in the same appointment. Education was at Washington University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston Harvard Medical School. He is conservative on his apporach to surgery. I know a few families that use him as well and are pleased with their level of care. He is also the Director of the department. He perforemd Matthew's EMG test, he does not perform surgery, but refers. When Matthew was in CHOP for about 3 weeks he was also on the "team" that saw and worked with him everyday. He did recommend surgery for Matthew, but at 90% I'm not sure what he would tell you. If you would like the number let me know. Good luck.
Cindy

Jade was injured at dirth too. He said "she was to big and your too small" I told my doctor befor i went into labor that i would not be able to pass here. they said she would get better in 6 weeks and not to worry. Jade is a tomboy too. Her injury affects everything she does. She did have alot of pain during post op. for about 3 weeks. she still has pain about once a week but only at night.Fancine is just great i love her.

Hi Cindy, yes, I would like the number. I actually called Childrens Hospital today and was put on hold for 15 minutes, then when the line finally rang through no one answered. Now that I have a name maybe I can get through quicker. Even though Jaime is at 90% I still want a real doctor to look at her. You never know. What if she was misdiagnosed by the orthopedic doctor..I dont trust any medical personnel these days. If the specialist says she is fine I will back down. But until then I am still wondering. It seems like we all got the same lines from the doctors. "It will get better just you wait and see", " The nerves are like rubberbands they will just go back in place over time." Well, how much time? When I think of how I almost waited on the doctors advice I get so upset. The OB never even called me to see how I was doing after Jaime's injury. The only time I heard from his office was to see why my records were going to another OBGYN. It is just crazy. Well, thank you very much for the info I will look forward to the phone number. THanks again. Sue

Hi Debbie, Thanks for replying to my venting this afternoon. I still get very worked up over it. I know my daughter may be considered one of the lucky ones. That is the phrase I always here from the doctors. But I do not feel so lucky because there was no reason that she had to go through this. I feel so bad for what the other mothers are going through that have to subject their babies to surgery. All because of a doctors negligence. I know it was not my fault but sometimes I wish I could have known alittle bit more about my doctor. I have a really good lawyer who specializes in Brachialplexus malpractice cases. We have a family here in our town that settled with this lawyer and they made out well. I am not looking for a windfall of money I may not get a dime because she is doing so well. I just wanted to make sure that she would not have to worry down the road if she could not move her arm. It is still to early to tell. My lawyer said in some situations she could actually have problems writing. She may need to learn to write with her left hand. There are still some problems we may encounter. I am so happy to have found this messageboard I feel like all my questions are finally being answered in a pleasant way instead of a intimidating smirk that you get from the doctors. Talk to you soon. Suzann

My ob did call after Matthew's injury and was quite apologetic. I'm going to e-mail you the number to call. Clinic day is Friday. One other thing I forgot to mention is I think Dr. Finkel has excellent bedside manner and you can see that he loves his profession.
We had a choice on where Matthew was transferred after birth and chose CHOP b/c of Dr. Finkel.
Cindy