United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Well,

It's been 13 months since the accident (You can read my story in the forums if you want. "Male 27 motorcycle accident..."). There is still no big change in my wasted deltoid. Except, finally, some reinnervation is confirmed on the last EMG I got two days ago.

I had decided to go to a new ortho surgeon who is also an expert on BP repairs and knowing it was late for primary surgery on nerves. I still needed to know all the options my previous doc was not bothering with. Today, evaluating my EMGs, he told me it looked like my recovery was too late, too little. But he would still go for it and do a primarily exploratory/repairing operation on my axillary nerve. The other muscle groups innervated from C5 and C6 showed much better improvement, so he reckoned maybe the axillary nerve had some additional damage distally.

He says even if all goes good and he finds the damage and repairs it, he cannot make any promises about the quality of my final recovery. He said if it were 6 months ago he'd positively push it. He added still, since I don't have anything to lose with this operation, he still thinks it is better to go in and see what's there than wait one more year and lose the last option. He is suspecting one of the branches of axillary nerve innervating the posterior deltoid is ruptured and if this turns out to be the case, he can repair it.

I have to decide very fast. He can do the operation next week if I give it a GO. So, do I really have nothing to lose with my recovery potential even after a surgery that may unfortunately turn out to be redundant? I also hear a lot of sad "wait and see" stories around.

What do you think?

Hey buddy,
i think im in the same boat...had my accident may 26th 07, im 29...and my deltoid is severely atrophied as well..my brachialus seems to be coming back, so i have elbow flexxion against my body, but not sure about the bicep...seeing my surgeon monday morning...so if i find out anything ill tell you.
Shaun

god bless

Yup. We are in the same boat with the deltoid allright. I've also been watching your progress through the forums for some time now. Yours seems like a larger trauma though. But, you are also recovering at an exceptional level considering the common stories of our flail arm projects. If I don't remember it wrong, they also repaired your roots as soon as they thought they should. So I guess it is coming back and you have even more to expect. Keep it up Shaun! : )

The new doc I went to suspects a double trauma to my axillary nerve; one to the roots and or brachial plexus and one to the peripheric nerve distally, like where it is about to branch off into the deltoid faces. That's why he feels like going in and looking at the terminal branches of the axillary running under my armpit.

I am still very confused about the pros/cons, still postponing the decision. Although newish, I have innervation confirmed in my deltoid and it feels like I will eventually get better. But there is not much time when it is so late in the potential recovery window. So what do you think? Can this kind of surgery really not affect anything adversely as the doc says and only a bonus if it succeeds in finding something to fix?

Heeeelp!

P.S. Shaun! I got back on motorcycle (borrowed a FZ6 from a friend) couple of weeks back. It felt sooooo good, I felt like new. I think I'll need a bike, fast, as soon as I can afford it. And man, you almost don't need deltoid on a bike if your hand works.

hey buster,
yeh i had my primary surgery of a nerve graft using the seral nerve from my left leg aug 07 then distall bypass sept 07
Well after my surgeon appt this morning, look like both my bicep and brachiallis are coming back but my delt not so good..getting one of those lovely emg tests done this week.. then probabaly under the knife...bummer..
yeh isnt it great being back on a bike!