United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I happened to run into the most adorable little girl named Hannah, along with her mother and her grandmother, at the airport in Houston. Ironically, we both had injured children with bpi's and we were both headed to see Dr. Shenaq at Texas Children's Hospital.

I have been thinking a lot about Hannah and am hoping that her surgeries went well. I am not sure if mom visits these boards much, but if so, please know Hannah is in my thoughts and prayers, and I am hoping that she is recovering well and that the surgeries will be successful.

It was so nice running into to you guys and chatting.

Take Care,
Lisa

Lisa
Thanks so much for your kind words about Hannah. I was so happy to meet and talk with you too. I am so glad that you took the time to stop me and say hello.

Hannah's surgery went well- I really like Dr.Roth a lot- this is the first time I really got to talk with him. Dr Shenaq is wonderful too! Hannah rolled over in recovery- and came right out of her splint. Dr Roth came right back and called the PT Therapist to have her splinted immediately, so she didn't have to wait until Day 2 to be splinted. It is so amazing to me how kids just seem to adjust to these splints like "no big deal" for 6 weeks. She definatley teaches me patience.

I was thinking of sweet Tanner too. How did Clinic go?

Thanks again for your kindness and prayers.

Emily

Hi!
Hannah's mom, I noticed that you mentioned Dr. Roth. Did he do your daughter's surgery? We saw him while our daughter was under Dr. Laurent and Dr. Shenaq's care for primary back in March. My husband and I were shocked to see Dr. Roth there in recovery doing rounds close to 9pm and then back again at about 550am doing rounds. He seems to be very commited (as is all of the staff there). He has an excellent bedside manner and was very helpful in answering my many questions.
Shannon

Hi Emily,

I am so glad you saw the post, but more glad to hear that Hannah is doing well. I am so happy that we had the opportunity to meet as well. I am glad that I didn't scare you away in the airport...having this strange lady approach you out of nowhere.

I haven't had the opportunity to meet Dr. Roth yet, but I have heard really good things. I am glad you really liked him and that everything went well. I actually ran into your mom in the hall, as we were headed to our appointment. She filled me in about the whole splint incident. What a bummer.

Gosh Emily, you are so right, our children teach us so much, don't they? They are just so amazing!

Was Tanner actually being "sweet" when we met? LOL! I don't know about that. Clinic went GREAT! They were wonderful and spent an unbelievable amount of time with us. Dr. Shenaq is such an honest, caring and gentle man, and we really appreciated that about him. He suspects some overgrowth with the acromion/clavicle, but we are not jumping into any surgery at this time. We got a prescription for 3D CT scan, but I am leaning away from the idea, just not comfortable with the amount of radiation and Dr. Shenaq even expressed the concern. I think we will just wait and see if range changes at all, and follow him as he grows for now. We will probably be doing serial casting for Tanner's bicep contracture.

Thanks so much for the update. I have been thinking of Hannah a lot, so it is nice to know she is doing well and is such a trooper! Please keep us posted on her recovery. Sending lots of healing energy your way!

Take Care,
Lisa

Lisa:
Are you going to do botox with the serial casting?? or just the serial casting? We considered serial casting for Juliana's lack of supination, but decided against it.

You know I am a big proponent of botox. It worked wonders for Juliana.

talk soon,
claudia

Lisa
Absolutely! Tanner was being so cute-he seemed still sleepy from the flight- unlike Hannah who was ready to go.
Dr. Roth is so helpful and totally committed. I believe that Dr. Shenaq is listed as the "official" surgeon who performed Hannah's surgery, but Dr. Roth probably did most of the work,with Dr. Shenaq overseeing. I noticed the same thing- Dr Roth was there really late the first night, and back first thing the next morning.

Dr. Roth was so interested in making sure that Hannah's arm was properly positioned in her splint that he didn't realize he was blocking Hannah's view from watching her new CareBear video. Hannah of course wasted no time telling him to move, which made him start laughing.

Hannah continues to do well with adjusting to the splint- we are almost half way through the 6 week protocol. It's getting colder here in Cincinnati, so finding clothes to fit over this bulky thing is a challenge. Hannah seems unaffected by all of it- which means my prayers have once again been answered.

My mom did mention that she saw you when she went to get lunch. I went down shortly after that( we ate in shifts), but you were already gone. I am glad to hear that you were pleased with Tanners clinic visit. Dr. Shenaq does do a good job ensuring that all of your questions are answered. All we can do is take the information provided to us and do what we think is best for our childrens future. It's such a difficult choice sometimes. This surgery was thankfully an easy choice-both Dr.Shenaq and Roth ensured me that without Caps- Hannah would have little to no function in her arm due to the extreme internal rotation, by the time she started Kindergarten next year. That leaves little room for choices at least in my mind.

Thanks for your continued support and I hope to keep in touch. If you ever want to e-mail me directly, my e-mail address is in my profile too. Sometimes I only find time to visit here weekly.

Take care.
Emily

Hi Emily,

Tanner is RARELY sleepy, so you some him in an unusual state! No wonder you thought he was so sweet! The kid is always on the go.

Wow....Dr. Roth just sounds like a super guy. That is so funny about Hannah telling him to move. The girl speaks her mind! I know what you mean about difficult choices with this injury. They always seem to abound. It is a relief to have clarity in our minds and to know we are making the best decision for our child. I am so happy to know that your prayers have been answered and that Hannah is doing so well. What a relief! It helps us to deal with all of this when our children are so strong, flexible and simply amazing. The splint will be off before you know it.

Dr. Shenaq did take the time to answer my zillion questions. It is so nice when you do not feel rushed or pressured, like I have felt in many doctors offices. He just sat down and it was like he wasn't going anywhere until I was 100% ready to let him walk out that door. I also got to meet Nancy Conte, one of the therapists, which was nice because on all of our previous visits we never had the opportunity to do so.

Feel free to email me personally as well. I often do not have the time to stay up on reading the message board. I will keep Hannah in my prayers. Keep me posted about her recovery.

Take Care,
Lisa