Custom body work at a chop shop?

[High Sided]

with the sorrowful news from oddlycalm (boy does that name fit him well under the circumstances) i thought i'd try to make light of the news of my upcoming surgery. a few of you may know the struggles i've had over the years from losing the use of my right arm and the phantom pain that goes along with it. today will be the end of a 17yr decision/desire to have my arm removed, incredibly i am looking forward to it. if you are interested you can read through this post i started at another forum, "has anyone chose to have their arm amputated or disarticulated?" (http://adultswithbrachialplexusinjuries.yuku.com/topic/2948/t/chose----arm-amputated--disarticulated.html). who'd a thunk i'd find some blokes in the U.K. like me? oh well, off to the chop shop. here's hoping for a new lease on life!

[RaceGrrl]

I hope the surgery goes well and provides the relief you need. 17 years is a long time to struggle with a non-functioning limb. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

[WickerBill]

I hope you are absolutely thrilled with the procedure and the life changes that it will bring... phantom pain is an absolutely miserable thing to experience for a few weeks, much less years upon years. I wish you the best.

[Don Quixote]

Good luck. It sounds like you are doing the right thing.

[extramundane]

Good luck, sir. We've got a friend with exactly the same struggle thanks to a nasty motorcycle wreck 10 years ago. I'll pass that link along to him. :thumbup:

[G.]

Best of luck to you!

[racer2c]

Best of luck HS. :thumbup:

[trish]

Good luck with your surgery.

[Andrew Longman]

Good luck. That has to be a tough decision but one you seem to have chosen optimism over regret. That's great and courageous we can all learn from. :thumbup:

[Gnam]

Good luck. :thumbup:

...what's the word on upgrades? ;)

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/6837/termarm.jpg

[chop456]

Granted, I'm a dumbass, but please explain how it's "phantom" pain if it hurts.

And best of luck w/things. :thumbup:

[nrc]

Best wishes for a successful procedure. :thumbup:

[swift]

sending positive thoughts your way!! :thumbup:

[cameraman]

Phantom pain is when a body part that isn't there or is no longer enervated hurts. The pain is very real, the perceived location can be long gone.

High-sided good luck with the surgery. :thumbup:

[Insomniac]

Good luck with the surgery.

[SteveH]

best of luck - although I hope luck isn't need - just in case it is :thumbup:

[TravelGal]

HS, it sounds as if it's already been done by the time I'm typing this. I hope it all went well and that it has the desired results. There was a TV piece a while back about a young boy who was run over by a lawnmower. After many attempts at reconstruction, they eventually decided on amputation of the ruined leg. It was the best decision the family ever made. I hope the same is true for you.

[Indy]

I hope you are recovering well!

[High Sided]

thanks everyone, i really appreciate your responses. home now a little over an hour and i'm ready to go do something. the surgery turned out perfect, everything i hoped for and even more from the moment i came too. immediately noticed the relief in my neck, i haven't felt this regular in over a decade. the weight is gone but my arm feels exactly the same except it's not there, i keep wanting to adjust it. to explain phantom pain better, also referred to as neuropathic pain is when nerve damage sends information to the brain. the damaged nerve sends the pain signal then the brain responds. even though i had no sensation in my arm the damaged nerve endings were still sending pain signals. honestly it is sometimes the most unbearable pain you could ever imagine, your arm in a vice, a ice pick being driven through your bicep, a car parked on your arm are all examples i'd give when describing it. over the years it's gotten better, less frequent, and i've simply gotten used to it. rating pain 1-10 i average 3-5 and even having to sit through bouts of higher levels has become easier to manage. back to my recovery, just sitting here typing is unbelievable. my head is free from any strain, my shoulder is not being pulled on, my head freely moves and my range of motion is equal on boths sides, simply, I FEEL GREAT! and this is just the first day, i really do have a new lease on life. thanks again everyone, i'm glad i could share this with you.

[Don Quixote]

Awesome HS! Keep us updated. :thumbup:

[chop456]

Great news. :thumbup:

[dando]

Congrats. :thumbup:

-Kevin

[devilmaster]

Glad to hear! :thumbup:

[RaceGrrl]

I'm glad it went well you have have the result you'd hoped for!

[TravelGal]

What great news. Thanks for letting us know. I'm thrilled for you. :thumbup:

[Elmo T]

:thumbup::thumbup:

[KLang]

Excellent! :thumbup:

[JoeBob]

Glad it worked out for you!

[trish]

I'm glad you're feeling better.

[cameraman]

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[stroker]

I never, ever, thought I'd congratulate somebody on losing an arm! Glad to hear you're feeling better, though.

[nrc]

If you don't mind talking about it, if this is something that you've wanted for a long time why did it take so long to get there? Were doctors reluctant to remove the limb even though you had no use of it, or was it just your own decision process? It seems like a perfectly reasonable decision in your situation.

I'm very happy to hear that this is a success for you.

[G.]

If you don't mind talking about it, if this is something that you've wanted for a long time why did it take so long to get there? Were doctors reluctant to remove the limb even though you had no use of it, or was it just your own decision process? It seems like a perfectly reasonable decision in your situation.

I'm very happy to hear that this is a success for you.

First, very glad to hear that you got the expected results, HighSided! I cannot pretend to understand it, and thanks for sharing it with us.

A buddy of mine tried for years to get his arm removed, but it was a Hippocratic thing, or somesuch. His case was different, though, as he had some function with it, just a lot of pain and constant infections. For some reason the docs felt it was better to flail his arm open every 6 months or so for a flush-n-fill than to remove it.

Lost track of him and don't know the outcome. :(

[SteveH]

Wonderful news.

:thumbup:

[Napoleon]

Great to hear it worked out well for you.

[High Sided]

If you don't mind talking about it, if this is something that you've wanted for a long time why did it take so long to get there? Were doctors reluctant to remove the limb even though you had no use of it, or was it just your own decision process?

the short answer would be both

now the long answer, i would have had this done over 5 years ago except know one would do what i wanted which was to have no stump. i've brought up several times with my pain dr. to have it removed but he was reluctant to the idea because it would not fix the pain and feared i'd regret it and i'd lose any chance if something came around in the future. i don't know if it's just st. louis but everyone more or less did their best to dissuade me from having it removed. i went back to the doctor i saw 5 yrs ago and pretty much spelled it out that a stump was not an option. she again was trying to persuade me to have a stump. frustrated i went to another dr. and got the same result in that 10 minute consult. so i went home and got on the computer to research prosthetic arms that i already knew would be of no use. right off the bat i found a video from the chicago rehab institute with a girl who had the amputation i've always desired, no stump. she had her full shape of her shoulder which were points the st. louis doctors made that i'd lose. i contacted the doctors office from the video, told them of my situation and was able to set up a consult. went to chicago and met with the dr. an amputee/prosthetic specialist. he confirmed that i'd never gain any use from a prosthetic fitted on a stump and i'd need the arm removed if i was interested in using one. finally i found someone who understood my case and saw nothing wrong with having my arm removed at the level i desired. back in st. louis even with the report one of the two doctors i saw would still not do it. i wouldn't let the the first dr. i saw 5yrs ago work on me and met with another surgeon in her department and he had no reluctance to do what i wanted. he just needed verification that i knew it would not help my pain, trust me i knew. here is the video that without a doubt changed my life by viewing, my nerves were avulsed at the spine so the prosthetic in the video wouldn't work for me...
T6R5bm6qx2E

[Insomniac]

It's great to hear you're already feeling so much better!

[cameraman]

Curiosity is getting the better of me. In your posts on the other board you mentioned that your other hand was also injured in the crash which has me wondering what input method are you using to type?

[High Sided]

^^^
i use a track ball that is wired for foot switches to navigate on the computer. for typing i simply just type one letter at a time using my pinkie knuckle. i should probably check into the newer voice activated programs but i don't mind my method. before my accident i was a two fingered typist.
my trackball... http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Trackballs/SAM-Trackball