United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi, I'm Kari, the mother of a beautiful OBPI. I need help, though, finding a doctor for a friend who is TBPI. He suffered a TBPI in a bombing in another country. He needs to be seen outside that country, as it does not have the facilities needed, nor the doctors. I hope it's not too late to help him. Please let me know.

Thanks.

Kari

which country Kari ?????????????? Paul

Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan

how terrible, poor guy. There is a renowned specialist in Saudi Arabia, can't remember his name, maybe this will jog someone else's memory. Hope he gets some help soon :0)

How long does he have for nerve surgery? I know it's different with TBPI. Doesn't it have to be within 24 hours? I'm afraid it's too late for him.

Kari

try not to worry! i too have heard that if surgery is carried out very early in tbpi it can be better, surgeons differ widely in their opinions on this. in practice this is not what happens in most cases and many still get favourable results, the 6 months timeframe applies to adults too,....recovery depends in part on the severity of the injury. really serious tbpi sometimes don't tend to respond very well to treatment, even if carried out in time. if he has access to email any of us can offer support, but all bpi's are very different from each other, it would be very hard to give practical advice and he needs a doctor! if it's any comfort, my bpi hasn't recovered and i'm surviving pretty well with one arm, keep us posted. sorry i can't be of more help :0(

Kari - call down to TCH - actually see if you can get the number for Dr. Shenaq's secretary (I don't have it). I believe Dr. Shenaq is from somewhere in that region and he may know of a specialist in that area? It was the first thing to come to my mind - hope it pans out for your friend. I wish him the best and hope he can get the help he needs soon.

in the meantime, here is lisa thompson's email.. lisat@bcm.tmc.edu

-francine

Kari,
You might want to contact an organization called 'Doctors Without Borders'. Their website is:
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

They state in their introduction that:
"Médecins Sans Frontières (also known as Doctors Without Borders or MSF) delivers emergency aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and to others who lack health care due to social or geographical isolation."

Since your friend is a victim of a bombing, I would expect that he would qualify for their services. I do know that some of the bpi specialists work with this organization on a volunteer basis.

Nancy