[Sea Pines 50]

i remember dr. steve annest telling me this was the number one risk of the transaxillary approach, or perhaps just the TOS surgery itself (frankly, i was so gung ho @ that moment i probably wasn't listening to him all that closely, more like "yeah, yeah, sure, sure...and could your eyes BE any more blue, d'yuh think dr.?" - but alot of patients end up "numb" in that area, or can have the type of hypersensitivity you are both describing, i think.

obviously, dawn is a little further out in the healing process than is johanna. but we TOS'ers want what we want when we want it, don't we? we simply don't rock with the snail's pace at which these nerve injuries insist upon healing themselves...

i am far from expert in the area. but i am a shivering wreck, as the brits would say, so i suppose i qualify from within, if you will, on that basis alone. nerves grow back v e r y slowly. di used to post about this, frequently (help me out here, friend di - is it only the ulnar nerve that grows at a rate of 1/8" a month, or something along those lines?) rate could be even slower, for those teeny tiny ones, and i would think the worse the injury or compression, the longer the healing time, too; the ulnar is one of the "big 3" we're all familiar with (and for the WRONG reasons, i might add!).

there is a very kind radiologist originally from new zealand practicing in beverly hills by the name of dr. david campion. (i call him my champion, for it was he who raised the reg flag in my own case and queried in a set of electrodiagnostic tests ordered by a certain pain doc at cedars who will remain nameless "has anyone ever tested this woman for neurogenic TOS?" and thus began my journey to ahn to annest and to you good people... but i digress). dr. campion very gently said this to me when looking at my wasted hand:

"don't EVER give up on your nerves."

and that's what i wanted to pass on to you guys today.

that is precisely why i don't listen to doctors like weaver when they say negative things that try to take away my hope, things like "your nerves aren't coming back, you know, ms. ayers...". because of my champion and because of the simple fact that the human body is amazing, he is absolutely right; your body WANTS to heal.

it is your job to give it the right environment, the proper hydration, nutrients, rest, massage, nerve glides (gently, now!), desensitization techiques (soft flannel to terrycloth to lufa to different grades of brush; lots to read up on), whatever you can do to encourage the natural healing process along.

oh, god i smell another thread coming from hojanna now.

people, we've created a monster...

alison

i'm not judging! i'm just saying!....