Doctor Visit Before Surgery

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!

Meet The Doctors

This morning we met with the "Dream Team" of three top neuro surgeons of the Brachial Plexus Clinic, part of the Mayo Clinic. After reviewing all tests and pictures and examining Luke they believe that they can get some function back to Luke's left arm. There are three types of damage that can happen in the brachial plexus. There is avulsion, which is where the roots are detached from the spinal column, stretching and rupture. They still are not yet sure if any of the five roots are avulsed so Luke is scheduled for a myelogram at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow which will show any avulsions.

If the damage is the result of stretches or ruptures they will perform repair surgery next Tuesday. They are hoping to get function back to the shoulder and arm. The problem with attempting to regain function to the hand is that length of time for the nerves to regrow. After successful repair surgery the nerves will have to regrow to the end tissues at the rate of about an inch per month. That means approximately three years to reach the hand. Unfortunately, by that time, the muscles change to an irreversible state. The doctors feel attempting that would be futile.

Luke had a chest x-ray and one of his hand after meeting with the doctors. Then he had some blood drawn for type and cross match and his pre-operation interview.

---Bill

Testing Day

Luke spent a good part of today Mayo Clinic hospital. He had two series of MRIs taken of his shoulder area and then after lunch had an EMG done on his left hand, arm and shoulder. We won't find out the test results or prognosis until we meet with the doctors tomorrow.

---Bill

Off to Mayo Clinic

Luke flew in to Rochester, Minnesota, on Monday evening. Paula and I were at the airport to greet him after making the 13 hour drive from Pennsylvania. This afternoon we paid our first visit to the Mayo Clinic. We met with the neurosurgeon. He examined Luke to get a general idea of his condition. We spent the rest of the day working from our laptops and then played some games.

Tomorrow will be a busy day with Luke scheduled for an EMG and two MRI tests. We will meet again with the doctors on Thursday to determine what can be done to help Luke regain the use of his left arm.

The weather has been very pleasant with sunshine and temperatures in the 50s, although there is still some snow around on the slopes facing north.

--- Bill

Luke's Vehicle Plight Makes Evening News

Luke's dilemma over his Jeep reached the ears of KUSI TV's Michael Turko and he interviewed Luke on Monday and it was broadcast last evening on San Diego's channel 9 news. The news cast and interview can be viewed here - http://www.kusi.com/features/turko/40271422.html.

Soon off to the Mayo Clinic

Luke recently received a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and is scheduled for examinations and evaluations on March 17, 18 and 19 of his brachial plexus injury. He has had no improvement in either sensations or movement with his left arm. If they determine that surgery is necessary, it will be on March 24. Pray that the doctors will be able to diagnose and repair his nerve injuries.

Luke is still waiting to receive his prosthetic leg. Insurance is the current hold up as they must evaluate and determine that the microprocessor leg is necessary for Luke. Pray that the decision will come quickly and he will be able to get the leg that SCOPe is recommending for him.

Despite the frustrations of the delays with his leg and taking care of the bills that are coming in, Luke remains in good spirits.

---Bill

Playing the Waiting Game

Luke is patiently (more or less!) waiting to get his prosthetic leg. He has waited a couple of weeks as his leg was shrinking. Now he is on hold until they figure out what to do about some random bone growth in his leg. During his final leg surgery they put a hole through the end of his femur to attach the leg muscles to. They believe some material seeped out of the hole and some bone tissue has developed from that material. The orthotic people are going to be checking with the leg surgeons to see what may need to be done. So it is going to be another wait and see.

---Bill