United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Mlynn,
I'm so glad you are still posting.
Here is my take on this whole thing. I come here and read most every post. The reason being that perhaps someone has new information or experiences that may help us. I know that each injury is different and each path that we follow is also different. We are all looking for the best outcome for ourselves or our children. So, if I was looking at mod quad I have seen many posts about being splinted for long periods, I would condsider the prognosis for improvement and the hardship of the treatment. Now I would see your post and say "Wow" there is another option. Maybe my child has another option. Perhaps the surgery has been refined or perhaps due to the injury this would be an option. If we needed the surgery I would say to the dr I heard of a boy that had this surgery and he didn't need to be splinted 24/7 is this an option for my child.
It is always wonderful to hear that there are options and that things are changing. I think it is important that people post their experiences so that others may find hope and answeres or better questions to ask.
It is sad that some posts seem very defensive. But without knowing both sides it may be hard for people to make different choices.
I think that everyone was just surprised at the way that your sons treatment seemed so different from what they know as the "norm" for this surgery. However I think it is important that others know there is another way.
By the way I do think it is wonderful that he had such a wonderful out come and hope he continues to see improvement.
Sue

Well I saw Nath this weekend and just because I was curious about the differences in the way people were talking about the splinting I asked him.

He said that when a child has a significant improvement after surgery then it is not neccesary to splint 24/7, you wont know until you have the surgery in which way you are going to be splinted. Every person is different and every outcome is different. Someone that takes weeks with 24/7 splinting might take another just a couple of weeks with only night splinting,ect.

I just thought you all would like to know his comments. Thanks

Good job Jackson and keep up with the good healing.

Leslie,

In order for that explanation to make any sense, you'd have to leave the splint off of ALL kids right after Mod Quad (to see if there is "significant improvement after surgery"). Which I am positive doesn't happen and wouldn't make any sense physiologically. There are elements of a Mod Quad which entail relocating tendons and sewing them into new positions. That's the reason for the splint! Otherwise the transfers literally can *rip out*.

It must depend on what exactly was done in surgery - if or how the tendons were transferred, specifically, or how much releasing was necessary. When I said before "I think it's more likely that a full Mod Quad was *not* done for some reason" that somehow got interpreted like I was suggesting mlynn got "ripped off" because her child didn't get every possible transfer and release. That would be as crazy as saying someone was cheated because they "only" had a couple of toes amputated when they went in to have the whole lower leg cut off!! If your child is lucky enough to need minimal intervention, isn't that a good thing?!?

Kate