United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Well we are home from TCH. Kyle's surgery went well although there was an unexpected surprise when we went to clinic. Dr. Nath felt that Kyle should have the capsulodesis in addition to the mod quad so we had some thinking to do that night before surgery. We talked exstensively with Dr. Nath about it and decided to be aggressive with the surgery and do it all at once. So Kyle has three incision sites and his arm is splinted straight out to the side instead of up (makes for a tricky situation going through doors). He is doing so well though. Back to his normal ALL BOY self. Making me a nervous wreck cause he doesn't sit still for a minute. I was so pleased with Dr. Nath and his patience with us, taking the time to really go over the additional surgery. Rose was wonderful also, very patient with Kyle during splinting. (He was not an easy child to splint, did not want anyone touching him, as everyone in the whole hospital could probably hear). And the hospital was great. All though I wish they wouldn't polish their floors at 2:00 am in the morning. Oh well. I would like to wish the best to all the other children and their families we met there that week....Jody & Alyssa Gallette, David, Juanita & Davie Clifford, Ashley & Isabelle Williams, and the Cord family (sorry we didn't get to say good bye to you). There were a few other families but we never got to meet. Karen & Tonio, we briefly saw at clinc but then we never saw them again so I am assuming they did not have the surgery (anyone know)? The kids were just great. Real troopers. So cute and just taking everything in stride. They were wonderful!!!!! I want to thank everyone who sent thoughts and prayers. And thank you to those who sent the e-mail cards. They were just great. Thanks Roseanne for the call, you were so thoughtful. And a HUGE THANK YOU to Francine. If not for your site and all the helpful information you have, I would have been totally lost. But because I could research everything about the surgeries on your site, I felt much more in control. So I have to say, that for someone who was so apprehensive about the whole surgery thing.......so far everything has turned out to be fine. Best wishes to all of you. And again, thank you to everyone who helped me get through this ordeal. You all are so wonderful!!!!!!
Karrie & Kyle
P.S. Sorry this was so long....just so glad everything turned out OK.

Karrie -so glad to hear from you and glad to hear that things went well. What a blessing actually to not have to be splinted twice!

So that side position must be some powerful weapon for your active little boy - has he squashed any friends or pets yet?? LOL (or shall I rephrase that by asking - how many bruises do YOU have?) LOL

It's such a different experience to be away from home for something like this but once you meet other families - well thank God you meet others and have someone to talk to right?

Well, I hope that his recovery goes well and that time flies! How many weeks does Kyle have to be splinted?

God Bless,
francine

Hi, Karrie. Thanks for the update. I think there's definitely some logic to doing both surgeries at once. In hindsight, I guess I wish that Nicole had both surgeries done together to avoid the additional surgery and splint time, etc. I don't know how I would've felt about the decision a year ago though. I was wondering what they would do about the splinting if they did them together. If Nicole has another surgery, her arm will prob. be out to the side from what I understand. Must've been a fun ride home on the plane. Don't worry, Nicole learned pretty quickly that she had to turn her body sideways to get through doorways. Kyle's older than Nicole so he should learn that even quicker. Glad to hear he's back to himself. If you're nervous now, wait until the splint comes off during the day -- yikes! I always have a greater comfort level with the splint on b/c it's a form of protection and it's also a visible reminder to other people who want to play with Nicole or pick her up. We too thought Rose did a great job with the splining process. Isn't it nice that you got to meet all the other families and had a little support network there! Glad you got the email cards. Yes, Francine's site has been sooo helpful to us too. It's great to see the pics in advance too.

Sooo, tell us about your car seat concerns. What are you using and how's it going? Please keep us updated with Kyle's progress and pass along hugs to him. Take care. -Tina )