More Than A year Since......

Saturday 6th Sep 2008

Oh my, does time fly!
Sorry folks, it's been a day and an age since I was last logged on here and actually has the time to sit and update my blog. As I said previously, my new job is taking me from one end of the UK to the other and finding the time to stop and take time to update the blog is getting harder every week, month.....

"Bracken" I hear you all say, Bracken is doing fine, she, sad to say, is still no further forward as to using her paralysed leg albeit confirmed that the feeling is back and that she can independently move it. Looks like she will never use the leg again, but, as you all now from the dilemma I previously had, she still has it, tucked up under her chest, just in case as I say!

We still take her swimming every 2 weeks, she needs the swim in the hydrotherapy pool to relax the stress being put on her good leg, She tends to keep popping her shoulder out which Tom at the pool relentlessly keeps popping back in for her.

I received an email this week from Betsy's mom, Hi Betsy's mom, I am so glad this blog has given you hope since Betsy's accident and is I suppose one of the main reasons I am sat her tonight updating it. It gives me great pleasure in writing this blog when I know it is reaching people in the same boat as I. Day by Day, this is ho0w it has been, the ups and the downs, sadly I as said earlier, it looks like Bracken will never regain the use of her leg, in the end the muscle wasted so bad in the shoulder etc. that it was going to be impossible to get it back.


Time is what is required, and god knows, had I had buckets of it, I would have worked on that leg every hour of every day, to keep the muscle from wasting away. It would have been worth it too knowing now that the nerves and feeling have regenerated, but, hey ho so the story goes.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position that myself and Bracken were in, please like myself, never give up, keep all hope, we were just unfortunate that the nerve regeneration took a long long time, and by the time it had, the muscle had gone.



"Radial Nerve Paralysis" Now we know what it is and I sure hope this blog can help anyway out there with advice and treatment suggetions.

I'll be back with more updates as and when I can, take care all and good luck to anyone unfortuante enough to have to take my advise!

Craig

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi again, Craig, as we weigh treatment for Betsy I have a question about Bracken's diagnosis. Did he experience deep pain when his toes and leg were pinched? Betsy has no dee pain response, which has led the neurologist to conclude that the nerve is severed, not merely damaged. Did anyone tell you Bracken's nerve was severed? We are being told that because the nerve is most likely severed she will never regain feeling or use of the leg. Is it still worthwhile to give her hydrotherapy, acupuncture, etc. Thanks for the newopaws link. We're going to order the summer boots first since Betsy is mostly in the house now and the grassy back yard while she recovers. Maybe in winter we'll get the neoprene ones. Did Bracken wear his bootie all the time, i.e., also in the house? Thanks again for all your help. Bracken looks very happy! Betsy's Mom

Jaida said...

Hi Bracken-beauty!

Hey, you have a bendy paw like I used to!!! You know, your dad did eveything he could to help your bendyfoot, but sometimes things just gotta stay bendy. There's nothing wrong with being a tripawd bunny-hopper :-) Tell your dad to keep taking care of that shoulder, and tell him that there are some people that make pretty nifty wheelie-carts to help out on those days where your shoulder is being NOT-TEE and you still want to go for a walk.
Puppy kisses! Jaida

Anonymous said...

Just thought I'd check in to see how Bracken is doing as Bri asked about her last night. She looks really well, you have done such a good job with her, glad you were online to give us hope for Lulu otherwise I don't know what we'd have done...big hugs to Bracken

Craig said...

Radial nerve damage is a common injury as I have found out through my blog. There has not been a week gone past that I have not had an email from a frantic family like yourselves. It’s a great pity that there is not more to be found on the web on the subject other than my blog, but I am sure glad I started it. My dog Bracken is still fit and healthy, We were unfortunately unable to stop the muscle atrophy (Withering) in her legs as it took so long for the nerves to re-generate.

My only advise at this point is to keep the leg moving as much as possible, you have to keep the muscle working or you will have no chance of recovery when the nerve re-generates. I know its a lot of reading but please refer to all my earlier posts in 2007 for tips etc such as electrotherapy for the muscle. As long as the nerve regenerates soon, you have a chance of recovering the activity in the leg.

Jan said...

Hi,my dog Rugar injured his left front leg last summer. He's doing great on 3 legs, can run as fast as before. Since he's starting to injure the front paw on our walks, he's going to get the leg amputated.

He's a slender, medium dog, very agile, so that's in his favor. The only thing he can't do is dig up field mice.

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