Deception?

[bethakerr]

My daughter is 2 /1 years old. She has Erb's palsy as a result of a birth injury. She had very little movement from her shoulder for the first 4 months. She could, however, move from her elbow fairly well, just side to side. With a lot of therapy, she has great movement now. You would never know, just by looking at her, there was something wrong, unless you knew to look for it. She is limited in movements behind her back and above her head. She also has some loss of strength. She tends to carry it bent in front of her. We are just now considering surgery. She had such tremendous progress in such a short period of time, we thought and doctors thought, it would resolve itself. She has been to a surgeon here in town that said he wanted to do surgery next summer. We are taking her for a 2nd opinion next week and are considering going to TCH for another opinion.

I still think back to her birth and wonder if the hospital was trying to decieve me or if they really thought they were telling me the truth. I was told that her arm was probably like that (limp) because she was bunched up in the womb. Although my labor and delievery was 18 hours, the unbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and they used forceps. Also, when the forceps were used...I heard (and felt) a huge cracking noise, which I later learned was my tailbone. I was told that was normal and that it was either broken or bruised and either way there was nothing that could be done about it. I sill have trouble sitting today. I have never been to a doctor about it since I was told there was nothing that could be done. I also left the hospital with severe anemia, which no one told me. I finally found out when I went to my MD a few weeks later, after suffering from severe exhaustion and trying to breast feed and take care of a newborn. He was outraged that no one at the hospital had told me. He said it was amazing that I could even make it to his office in the shape I was in. It ended up that I had to take iron through my veins at the hospital twice a week for 6 weeks to get better.

Does anyone have anything in common with this situation? It was my first baby and I really believed everything I was told at the time. In hindsight...I am not so sure that I should believe everything. Any response would be appreciated

[Bridget]

Hi Beth,

Welcome to our community. Unfortunately quite a few of us probably have lots in common with your labor and delivery story. It is not unusual to be left in the dark about the true nature of the injury to your baby, as the ob/gyns are very much aware of the probability of being involved in a lawsuit related to this type of injury.

You are on the right track in reaching out to other people who have experienced similar challenges, and I hope you find great information and resources here.

I encourage you to take care of yourself and seek out specialized treatment for both yourself and your daughter. There are relatively few specialist centers that work with brachial plexus injuries, I hope your child can receive an evaluation at one of them.

Best of luck.

Bridget

[admin]

I'm so sorry, Bethany, that your baby's birth was so injurious to both of you. Your thoughts on getting a 2nd opinion on surgery are wise. I tend to be biased toward TCH because that's who did my daughter Elizabeth's 2 surgeries and she's had remarkable recovery of function (C5 & C6 avulsed). You can mail a videotape to TCH for an evaluation (free) if traveling there is a hardship. It is best, however, to get an evaluation in person because the doctors can see much more accurately your daughter's level of function.

I hope you can find relief for your own injuries. Can the MD who you saw after your baby's birth recommend a specialist for you? There has to be something that will help you. Best of luck to you and your little girl.

[Kathleen]

Hi Beth

Your story sound like most... I am 62 and they told my mother similar story... I am OBPI... and until 2 years ago thought this was a rare injury because that is what I was told...

As for your tailbone they did the same thing to me when my first was born but it was to prevent Erb's... because she was faceup and stuck...
I also when home anemic...
I still have problems sitting on chairs and sitting up straight ... and I was told at the time I would get Arthritis there... My first chid is now 35 and this did not go away for me... Plus I compensate for the sholder and posture created by Erb's...
Please have yourself checked out do not rely on the opinion of the doctor who injured you...
Glad to see you are getting second opinion...
My mom got tons before she made her choices for me...
Kath

[Nettie]

By all means, Beth, get as many opinions as you can and remember that surgery is not the only option available. There is supposed to be questions to ask your surgeon on injurednewborn.com site. My son is 3 and has never had surgery. You also can not tell there is something wrong unless you look for it. His arm was limp until 4 months of age. After his EMG he began to regain function. Call it divine intervention or whatever, but, he steadily has improved and it quite functional. Providing the most function as possible is the goal. This is a life long disability for the most part. There are many cases where there is spontaneous recovery, but those occur early on. Deciding to place your child through surgery is a tough decision and many questions need to be asked and mostly whatever you decide to do, remember, you have to be comfortable with your decision, once we make the decision, we must live with it, good or bad. You will find alot of support and information here. Keep coming back. Take care and good luck with the future.

[admin]

Karen,
Thank you! I had no idea you could send a video tape for an evaluation. That is a good idea. At least to maybe get a feel for if we need to go there or not. We live in Louisville, KY and a trip to TX is something we will do it we need to.

Thanks again,
Beth

[LISA & PARKER]

BETH,
MY SON PARKERS BIRTH WAS SIMILAR TO YOURS HE WAS STUCK THE DOCTOR CLEARED THE HALL (WHICH IS PRESEDURE FOR C-SECTION) THEN LAST MIN. CUT ME #5 WORSE CUT AND PULLED HIM OUT . NO ONE IN THE HOSPITAL NOT EVEN THE PED/IATRICION TOLD ME WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY SON THEY EVEN WENT AS FAR AS TO SAY IT WILL COME BACK (MEANING THE MOVEMENT OF HIS ARM) NO ONE TOLD US HE HAD ERBS PALSEY , THEY MADE US AN APPT. WITH A PT AND THAT IS WHEN WE FOUND OUT I WAS SO DRUGGED UP FROM THE BIRTH AND THE PAIN I DID NOT UNDERSTAND FULLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED UNTIL ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER. THEN I WAS ;'#$#$$%&*&(*))(_)__)+)(%&*&(*$%&& you understand. well now with thereapy and me he has come a long way looking at him you couldn't tell. OH BETH YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON I HAVE FOUND THAT HAS A CHILD WITH THE ERB'S
PALSEY SO CLOSE TO US WE LIVE IN KNOXVILLE, TN. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOU PERSONALLY ABOU T OUR CHILDREN. MAYBE EVEN MEET AND LET THEM PLAY.

MY NAME IS LISA AND MY SON IS PARKER.