United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Excellent news Karlos. Now it's my turn in a few days. Well done.

Athos

yeeehaaar!! karl...glad evrything went OK...I was gonna send you a get well card on Boxing day, but I got drunk and forgot!!! ;0)
...never mind...have a happy birthday insread...!! ...
...or have I got that wrong???
Liz xx

...blimey...I really should use that preview button, ayyy?? ;0) (I meant "instead"..doh!!)

Good luck to you also Athos, let us know how you get on...which hospital will you be in?

Hey Karl,
Great to hear everythings OK.

Tell me the truth though; did they use anaesthetic diluted with lemonade for you....or did you take the hard stuff?

Seriously, glad you're ok.

Good luck athos, hope all goes well with you too.

Steve P

Quick, I need info on tendon transfers. I saw the doc yesterday and he said I need 2 of them. Do they work?

Kathy

For those of us who have no clue what a tendon transfer is please explain what it is and what it does?

From what the doctor explained to me, he will take a tendon that is innervated and move it to a tendon that is not innervated and then it will take approximately 3 months of OT to train the new tendon how to work. Ex, I am unable to rotate my thumb to touch the end of any of my fingers. He said he work take a tendon from the top of my hand (one that makes my index finger straighten) and transplant it to the tendon that makes my thumb rotate. It will require 3 incisions (2 on my hand and 1 on my forearm). I will be immobilized for 2 weeks and then OT for 3 months and then on to my 2nd surgery. This of course is a simplified version of what he said.

Kathy

Heeeeyyy Karl !!!!!! Appreciate you posting mate !! Guess you are all plastered up, huh? Great everything went well. It won't be long they'll cut that thing off your hand and wrist and you'll get to see some things move again. Just real happy all is well !!! Any idea how long the proceedure took? Just curious........good luck !!

Pulling for you too, Athos. Won't be long now. Wish you the best mate !!

Always good to get good news....... always !!

George

good on yer mate, all the best from downunder! you'll be up and about in no time, you wait and see. I hope you managed to keep the hossie bed single occupancy this time....... keep us posted, it's good to hear the good stuff.

Hi eveyone,
this board realy is fantastic,I think all of you are great!!!!!!!!
Right cathy this surgery does work as long as the doner mouscles are stong enough,they say you lose approx 25% of power from that mouscle.....My transfers will give back wrist/finger and thum extention ,pretty much the same as cathy wants,
imagine looking at the palm of your hand each finger has 2 tendons (one shorter than the other) they take each short one out and thus you now have 5 doner tendons, these are then attached to the non working tendons(to lengthen them)on the top of your arm and passed thro your wrist to the stongest working doner mousle in your lower forearm ......does that make sense?
the surgery took 2 hrs and to be honest pain and discomfort is very minimal and nothing like what we have with bpi!!!
your in plaster 1 week then move ont a splint
after 2 week phisio starts this is probalby the hardest part
after 6 week you can return to light work and this is the point when you should be fully mobile and enjoing your new mobilaty .

hope this is comprehensable,ill post more about it when phisio/movement starts

Athos dont worry mate its a piece of cake!!

cheers karl #