United Brachial Plexus Network

Hi all,

I am happy to say that I am in good spirits but I do have some questions that I was hoping you folks could help me with. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. My mva was June 17th of this year so I am a rookie to this.

1. My emg was done at metrohealth hospital in Cleveland. The results were not good. Has anyone ever gotten a second emg done elsewhere and gotten different results? (hopefully for the better)

2. Any thoughts for my surgical assessments between mayo clinic, Susan McKinnon, or cleveland metrohealth hospital? Any other thoughts?

3. Best way to curb pain in the arm/fingers? Will it ever subside?

I undoubtedly will have many more questions in the near future but I figure this is a good start. I look forward to being a part of the group.

Ian

Hello Ian and welcome to ubpn,sorry it's under these circumstances but this is a pretty good place for info and support.I had my motorcycle accident in sept. of last year,2 avulsed nerves,surgery in march now just waiting for results.As far as the emg goes it never hurts to get a second opinion but it's important to go to the right doctors who know what to look for,I've heard nothing but good things about the Mayo clinic,don't know about the others.As for the pain it seems to be a little different for everyone so I think you have to kind of find something taylor made for your level and frequency of pain.My pain has subsided since I was first injured but has not stopped nor has the numb feeling.The most popular consensus seems to be that once you have found the right doctor,not to wait too long to have surgery,the sooner the better.This is a complicated and often life long injury but educating yourself and your family,staying active,patient and having a good attitude can help you through the hard times.Good luck and best wishes and I hope you find this forum as useful as I have.


ArmStrong

i just had surgery by dr susan mackinnon about 6 weeks ago. she did a new procedure on me and it is working quite well. i would HIGHLY recommend her. i dont know how to "bump" topics on here, but if you type in susan mackinnon in the topic search box above, you will find some great info on her. also if you google her name, you will find a lot of info as well.
she is very kind and considerate of her patients. and has a wonderful bedside manner, besides being one of the top respected doctors in the brachial plexus field.
in my opinion, there could not be anyone better. never met any of the others, so i cant comment on them.
as far as the EMG, i had a second one in st louis and it found something different than the first one. i am SOOO glad i had the second one.

hi ian welcome to the forum. i've found it very important to be as active as possible. keep the injured limb supported. the meds i have used to help with the pain thing are lortab, gabapentin snd pregablin. it was a learning process for me and i'm lucky to have a doctor who is willing to find the right medicine course. thing i've realized is everybody is different so what works for me [or anybody else for that matter] may not work for you. but exercise, diet, nutritional supplementation, therapy, and meds are what has helped me. it took me a while to get the right mix of everything and i'm still adjusting. anyway, welcome and good luck.
doug

djk and ian i sent you both a PM

Welcome to the forum, it will definitely help you in the coming days. People who have experienced what you have will be such a help. My injury is very much like yours with avulsions at practically the same location. You will find out quickly though that no two injuries are the same and people's body responds differently to medicine.

I went to Baptist Hospital at Wake Forest University because Duke nor UNC Chapel Hill were able to do the nerve transfers which I required. I did however go to the Mayo and they were helpful in giving me peace of mind in going forward with Dr. Li of Baptist Hospital (my understanding is that he was well acquainted with Dr. Skinner of Mayo.

My nerve transfers have been somewhat successful and I was thankful for some use of my arm verses none for over a year.

I found that Lyrica worked better for my pain than Gabepentin - but again, everyone is different.

Good luck and email any questions you may have.
God bless and keep on keeping on!

Hi Ian, I too am new though it's been nearly two years since the accident. Dr. MacKinnon did my nerve transfer and Dr. Tung, in the same office took care of my muscle transfer. If you can get past all the students curiously watching you then give MacKinnon a call. As far as pain, it has become an out of control monster for me. Since I spent a month in the hospital and then surgery a few months later . . .anyway, needless to say, I'm very drugged up. Everyone responds differently to the drugs so you might play lab rat for a bit until it's dealt with to a level that works for you. As far as going away, it might never go away. I refer to my pain as the flaming snake; a consent companion. But you learn to accept.

I am new as well, on a tear posting away as we get ready for our lil one's first bday!
Agree with other advice, I feel that we need to place more emphasis on pain management. It is one of the most challenging problems for docs. The
FDA mandated pharma companies to create beter pain meds, strongly suggested to docs to prescribe as we who are in true pain are truly ignored or otherwise have problems with pharmacists or others with hidden agendas. Then all these morons began abusing (for giggles and of course OD's) what the FDA mandated (oxycodone was the biggest accepted and effective newer formula). Jump ahead some- Now the FDA is mandating new meds again, Atempting a centralized database (epic in madison, wi is doing much ework) Side note- if so inclined to some risk w investing, these govt mandates can equate into profits if you study the suggested laws and good/bad companies (look up Remoxy, rejected of course, but it should pass per pfizer, helping some of us, its just a new altered oxy pill that may prevent abuses. Opana- a MS contol release, J&J had a new control release approved last week. Everyone reacts different and it is good advice to find a doc and one pharmacy, be a guinea pig for a few months and involve everyone all concerns. Myself- i can not take most muscle relaxant meds, only one works well enough w no side effects. For me, the meds like Lexapro are not an option, but for some, that helps.

Best advice I had, one trusted no nonsense doc and the many docs in my family said"
"whatever IT is that helps take off the edge, do it", this would include herbal remedies esp if you are lucky enough to live where that is no longer a problem. Again, personal choice. Well, gotta jaboo! Hope this is useful, and try not to feel shame or weak, a struggle many have going through all this!! Time to get elmo balloons, J