We met with one of the surgeons today to go over the surgery that Luke will undergo tomorrow. The great news we got was that the myelogram that was done on Friday showed that none of the five roots of the brachial plexus were torn from the spinal column. Praise the Lord!
The goal for surgery is regain motor function in his shoulder and elbow. They will first open his shoulder and neck to examine the brachial plexus to determine the location and type of damage to the nerves. Once that determination is made they will use sensory nerves in his lower left arm and his right leg to repair the damaged nerves. Taking the nerve from the leg will create a numb area on the side of his foot but not affect balance or motor functions at all. The nerve in the arm is to an area already without feeling. If this part of the surgery is successful it will still be about a year and a half before the nerves regrow through the sheath and motor function comes back. We were told that there is a 70% chance of the nerves being repaired to actually take. We are praying for 100% of the nerves to take.
They also plan to take a nerve from the chest that runs between the ribs and reroute it up the side and down the arm to gain feeling in his hand to serve as a defense mechanism. Although any sensory stimulus to the hand will be felt in the chest, over time he will learn that the sensation is coming from the hand.
We need to report to the hospital at 5:45 a.m. and after all the preparatory work is done they expect to begin the surgery around 8:30. They expect the surgery will take around 8 hours to complete and then there will be clean up work and recovery after that. There will be a team of three specialist performing the surgery.
Pray for wisdom for the doctors as they further evaluate Luke's brachial plexus injury and do the surgery. Pray for Luke's recovery both now and over the next 18 months. Praise God for his hand of intervention and healing thus far.
---Bill
p.s. Thanks for the tip, Lisa (MNgirl)! We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner Saturday evening at the Timberlodge!
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4 comments:
I am praying for a very successful surgery and easy recovery for you, Luke. The surgery sounds so complex. I know God will be guiding your doctors' hands. I wish I knew you better personally. From your Dad's updates, it is obvious that you have Herculean strength and determination. I will be looking forward to the next update.
Beth Dithrich Shapiro
Bill, Paula and Luke
Our God is a wonderful Creator. Learning of the complexities of our bodies is a witness to His wisdom and His love. He is the God who has kind intentions for our good. And you can be confident that His kind intentions pave the way to Heaven, unlike our good intentions. You see, He follows through with His kind intentions. In James, he says to ask for wisdom without doubting and He will give to all without finding fault. I do pray that He showers Luke and the whole medical team with wisdom as this amazing surgery gets underway. And while we pray for 100% of the nerves to take, we know that our real hope, the kind that is being sure of what we do not see, is in our Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace to you all!
Praying for Luke and the three surgeons! Luke is a fighter and he has a great family to support him and a Heavenly Father to guide him and strengthen him. I pray that the ultimate, Heavenly Physician will guide the surgeons through every step of this process.
We are praying for Luke and all the family as you face this surgery and the long term recovery. The Lord has blessed all of you thus far and with his healing hand we will provide for you again. Please keep us updates on this site and tell Luke we are praying for a 100% recovery.
Karen and Dave Shaffer
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