United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Such a shame...... We're from all over the US as well as the world. Most of us had to search on our own for quality care rather than doctors knowing more.

I don't blame some doctors since they are already too busy. But many just give up on us and leave it as "listen your nerves are shot, there's nothing you can do", or "what do you want me to do, you have to let it grow back".

Thank you doctor Im for giving me such hope with the above statements.

Thank God for the internet. I would've never found out the information I need to attempt to get better.

I feel the same. In my case the only people who REALLY tried to help me were the physical therapist.

Sorry Peter, but I DO blame the doctors sometimes.

When they are faced with an injury such as ours, and are perplexed by it, then they should do their own research and quickly advise the patient of other doctors and institutions that are better equipped and experienced to treat them.

Too many times I have heard of a doctor telling a patient to go away and wait 6/9/24 months (take your pick)or even advising amputation before a proper range of diagnostic tests, and that is in a little country like mine (UK) when they all have access to the NHS databases, and therefore to the top men in this field.

No, I do blame them...they are sometimes far too egotistical to admit that they are out of their depth and prefer to send people away to save face.

Sorry for the rant, but I heard from another person today about this happening...again! and it just isn't good enough. I will be writing a few stern letters :0(

Lizzy F aka B

My doctor totally gave up on me.He says "I" cant help you. So why dont he refer me to someone who knows something more about this?

In my case I was referred...and referred and referred. I think I ended up seeing well over 20 doctors and almost two years post accident before I found someone that had a clue.

To be honest I have more respect for the ones that say "I don't know how to treat you". Then the ones that try and treat you and screw you up more!

This is a "big league injury folks, even the most expert docs in the world have little or no clue what to do with it. Maybe it is our fault,at least to some degree, for thinking that because this is so overwhelming for us that "they" must be able to do "something". Maybe we're screwed and need to let these overstuffed humans that we look to for help, off the hook a little. They are not gods, that's a fact, nor should we expect them to be.
Onepaw

I worry that I gave up sometimes. I went from doctor to doctorin Washington. Then to Nath for surgery in Texas. Then he said WAIT and I went to Mayo to get one last opinion. I figured since everyone speaks so highly of Mayo, I would take their word for it. They told me first that Nath could have done more, but now it's too late and to WAIT. But then I hear of other surgery options and wonder if they could do that for me. But you think, "Hey, I'm no doctor, so if they say no more options for me, they must be right". I sometimes think the worst part of this injury is not loss of mobility or intense pain, but doubt. We doubt every doctor, therapist, news article, and mostly ourselves. And then you worry and get pissed off because you feel you stopped/ overlooked something or a doctor did and it eats at your insides. This site and the UK site are great resources, but it's pathetic how little is known about our injury.

There, I'm off my soapbox. Sorry.

I remember they had to escort me from the hospital when Dr. Im wouldn't prescribe more physicaltherapy for me. I was a bit disturbed by his attitude when I started asking him questions I wanted answered.