Surgery!

Luke spent over 6 hours today under the skilled surgeons' knives (and microscopes!) and all in all they actually accomplished more than was in the original game plan. First of all when they opened up his shoulder and examined the brachial plexus they confirmed the findings of the myelogram in that all the roots to the spinal column were intact. However, the damage to the nerves that make up the brachial plexus began just outside the root and ran all the way across to the shoulder. He had broken his collar bone and probably had stretched his arm extensively in the collision.

The nerve damage posed a problem because of the limited amount of nerve tissue available with only having one leg to work with. They decided the best course was to use the nerve from vertebrae C6 to repair the nerve to his deltoids. They were able to successfully use the nerve from his leg and the sensory nerve from his arm to also do repairs to his biceps.

They opened up his chest to expose three ribs but could only use one intercostal nerve because of bone scar tissue that had formed from breaking ribs. The plan was to use that nerve to try to regain some sensory perception in his hand. However, when they opened his arm they found that place that they use to connect the nerve to, which in most people is just below the shoulder, is down by the elbow in Luke. The intercostal nerver would not reach down that far, so his 'special anatomy' prevented that connection. So instead they used that nerve to connect to his tricep muscles for more range of motion, which they hadn't originally planned on.

After spending two hours in recovery, it was to the ICU for Luke. He had a significant loss of blood from all the surgery and they had given him fluids. They want to keep an eye on him over night. That was where we were first able to see him again and despite the pain and discomfort he was feeling himself enough to be joking around with and harassing the nurses in his good natured way. They are amazed that he is in such good spirits and so polite after the extensive surgery he had and the pain he is in. The doctors told him yesterday that after the surgery he would feel like he got hit by a truck. His comment this evening ... "They weren't kidding!!"

We should be able to get an idea tomorrow how soon he will be able to travel back to San Diego and our return to Pennsylvania.

---Bill