Long vent warning birth trauma mentioned

LilredmommaC · March 2014

Hi lovely ladies! Been trying to catch up this evening. I don't comment a ton but love listening to all of you and hope you won't mind my vent.
We have spent the last little bit on information overload regarding my daughter (8) and her upcoming surgery. Long story short: shoulder dystocia during birth resulted in nerve damage to her right arm (Erbs palsy). We have taken her to 10+ doctors, physical therapists, neurologists, orthopedics over the years. She has awesome range of motion but has stunted growth and holds her arm in a guarded position.
Fast forward to now: pediatrician thought a muscle/tendon surgery might help so they sent us 3 hrs away to a orthopedic dr. He did the first X-Ray that she's had since she was hours old and found to everyone's surprise that her shoulder is completely freaking DISLOCATED!!!!!!!
The dr says it's been that way for years and she's just learned to live with it! I'm so extremely frustrated and overwhelmed! She's having an extensive surgery on March 20. Thoughts & prayers appreciated!
(I'm on mobile so forgive my grammar/punctuation mistakes please!)

TurtleMonsters · March 2014

OUch! GL with the surgery. Will she regain function? T&P!

iris427 · March 2014

OMG how upsetting. I hope everything goes well with her surgery. What do they say about her prognosis?

littlemissmarla · March 2014

Wow! That is terrible! I hope everything goes well and this can be corrected!! T's and P's

LilredmommaC · March 2014

@TurtleMonsters: they hope...basically the bones have eroded so much it's just a wait and see once they actually open her up. He's concerned it will just pop right back out of place. I hope it helps, but I'm a nervous wreck because she has great function now. Limited, sure, but awesome compared to what it should be with this injury.

sxymamakat · March 2014

I'm glad you have gotten some answers! I can relate to having things go undiagnosed, it's incredibly frustrating. Good luck on the surgery!

rattlecanqueen · March 2014

That's crazy! hope the surgery goes well and resolves her issues!

Salsera29 · March 2014

Omg poor thing! Good luck on the surgery...she is obviously a trooper!

ghostof5letters · March 2014

So frustrating and infuriating

LilredmommaC · March 2014

Prognosis now is up in the air...probably never full function but hopefully improved!
(@iris427: your my VBAC guru right?!?

her birth injury led to my csection but after seeing how well she was doing at 4 I braved and had a successful vbac!!! Woohoo! Now tho all those fears are creeping in. Good vibes on that front to ok?! Thanks!)

cakebatter27 · March 2014

This makes me so angry for you and your child. Ugh.

I hope she has a successful surgery and you can both move on from all this.

singingirl96 · March 2014

Sounds like you need to speak to a medical malpractice lawyer. No, seriously, you should. Good luck with surgery. Hoping for a good result.

Artistmom30 · March 2014

Oh man, that sucks a lot. Hoping for a good surgery and fast and complete recovery!

LilredmommaC · March 2014

@singingirl96: husband and I have been discussing this. I don't quite understand all the laws regarding birth trauma, ESP because the original dr that delivered is retired. Definitely something we will be looking into.

pantherRN · March 2014

singingirl96 said:
Sounds like you need to speak to a medical malpractice lawyer. No, seriously, you should. Good luck with surgery. Hoping for a good result.

And this is a contributing factor to the c-section rate.

OP, I hope her surgery goes well! At least they were able to find the damage and can fix it! Good luck to you guys!

LilredmommaC · March 2014

@pantherRN: I agree. This has increased csection rate. Suing isn't always the answer. It is my gut reaction as mama bear to "make someone pay" but won't actually fix anything. Since the physician isn't practicing anymore, our choice to let her decide when she's older still stands. Wish there was a simple fix tho!

ghostof5letters · March 2014

In 8 years they never xrayed the shoulder?

LilredmommaC · March 2014

@ghostof5letters: crazy right?! She's had tons of physical therapy, and three years ago the PT asked for X-rays to be done. The ortho and ped dr both denied which caused insurance to deny the claim. They insisted the injury only causes nerve damage which wouldn't show in X-test so the study would be pointless. I am kicking myself for not fighting more.

pantherRN · March 2014

@pantherRN: I agree. This has increased csection rate. Suing isn't always the answer. It is my gut reaction as mama bear to "make someone pay" but won't actually fix anything. Since the physician isn't practicing anymore, our choice to let her decide when she's older still stands. Wish there was a simple fix tho!

I totally get wanting to make it better. I hope the surgery goes well, honestly.

chelsey33 · March 2014

I hate that this happened to her. But now you have answers and can work towards improving. GL. Thoughts and prayers your way!

ghostof5letters · March 2014

It's amazing how resilient kids are. Good luck!!

huggabunch · March 2014

I'm so sorry for you and her that this has been misdiagnosed all this time. How frustrating!!

SuperTinkerham · March 2014

Oh dear lord. That is so horrible for her. I would definitely speak to a malpractice attorney just to make sure you don't have a time limit on when you can sue. At least get some of the medical costs covered. Best wishes to her for the surgery. I had shoulder surgery in July after dislocating it on my birthday and it was rough.

Ylvelill · March 2014

Fingers crossed that things go well with the kiddo!

LilredmommaC · March 2014

SuperTinkerham said:
Oh dear lord. That is so horrible for her. I would definitely speak to a malpractice attorney just to make sure you don't have a time limit on when you can sue. At least get some of the medical costs covered. Best wishes to her for the surgery. I had shoulder surgery in July after dislocating it on my birthday and it was rough.

I know everyone's different but how was your recovery? We are guessing at how much school she's going to miss...but I'm clueless. The drs said a special brace for 6 weeks but not sure if she will be Homebound this entire time. Be careful this July!

the only reason to be in the hospital is for your new bundle, no shoulder injuries allowed!

jensavicci · March 2014

Oh wow

i can't imagine what 8 years of that could be like. Hoping for a safe and successful surgery!

abrazz · March 2014

I don't know what to say but I would be furious that x-rays weren't performed. They are non invasive and relatively cheap (with insurance). Complications at birth happen so really I don't know who you would sue. I wouldn't be as mad at the doctor who delivered her but at the doctors who assumed the injury and ongoing problems were only related to the initial injury. Thank goodness they caught the dislocation now and will treat it but I would still be angry. My children were misdiagnosed this past summer and had a serious acute illness that could have killed them that went untreated for several weeks (nothing compared to the years your child has endured) so I understand a little bit how you feel. I pray this surgery will help her and heal well. She sounds like a tough little girl. I would ask pretty soon about the statues of limitations if you are even considering going that route. This isn't something petty so you shouldn't feel bad about discussing it with someone who knows medical law.

LilredmommaC · March 2014

a_brasuell said:
I don't knuow what to say but I would be furious that x-rays weren't performed. They are non invasive and relatively cheap (with insurance). Complications at birth happen so really I don't know who you would sue. I wouldn't be as mad at the doctor who delivered her but at the doctors who assumed the injury and ongoing problems were only related to the initial injury. Thank goodness they caught the dislocation now and will treat it but I would still be angry. My children were misdiagnosed this past summer and had a serious acute illness that could have killed them that went untreated for several weeks (nothing compared to the years your child has endured) so I understand a little bit how you feel. I pray this surgery will help her and heal well. She sounds like a tough little girl. I would ask pretty soon about the statues of limitations if you are even considering going that route. This isn't something petty so you shouldn't feel bad about discussing it with someone who knows medical law.

She's soooo tough!

Her teacher and I were talking about it today and she pointed out that lil bit swings from the monkey bars and never complains! I hope that toughness carries over to help her heal!

alohababy14 · March 2014

Wow, how upsetting! Your poor little girl! Glad you finally have an answer and that she'll be getting proper treatment!

purpleXdandelion · March 2014

Poor thing! T&Ps to you and your family.

gallifreygirl · March 2014

T&P for your family. I'm glad that she's finally getting getting treated but I agree with some of the PP I would be more upset with the doctors who decided that she didn't need a x-ray than with the one who delivered her.

acciovino · March 2014

T&Ps for a successful surgery!

January Bride · March 2014

I hope your daughter's surgery goes well...sending thoughts and prayers!

Ecomom17 · March 2014

Oh poor sweet little girl! Don't blame yourself, you couldn't have known there was more to it when the DOCTORS refused to get X-rays. How ridiculous.

I agree the doctor who delivered her isn't to blame. I would be looking at the ones who denied sending her for X-rays. And my first reaction isn't to sue someone, but...I would talk to a lawyer.

Best of luck on her surgery! Hopefully it will help her more than you even are hoping!

SuperTinkerham · March 2014

LilredmommaC said:

SuperTinkerham said:
Oh dear lord. That is so horrible for her. I would definitely speak to a malpractice attorney just to make sure you don't have a time limit on when you can sue. At least get some of the medical costs covered. Best wishes to her for the surgery. I had shoulder surgery in July after dislocating it on my birthday and it was rough.
I know everyone's different but how was your recovery? We are guessing at how much school she's going to miss...but I'm clueless. The drs said a special brace for 6 weeks but not sure if she will be Homebound this entire time. Be careful this July! the only reason to be in the hospital is for your new bundle, no shoulder injuries allowed!

I had a torn labrum, so not sure what exactly your daughter's situation is in relation to mine. They told me if I didn't get the surgery I was looking at shoulder replacement in a few years. I've had 4 knee surgeries and a thyroid surgery, and the shoulder was the most difficult recovery.

(Please make sure your getting an opinion from both a shoulder expert and a pediatric orthopedist since she's still growing).

The morning of surgery they have a specialist come in and give you a nerve block for your shoulder (giant needle in the neck). They couldn't find the nerve in my neck so I didn't get the nerve block. This made me very sad. Because the next day I was sobbing from pain. (It wears off after 24 hours).

It was on my dominant arm, and I was useless. Doc told me it would keep me off work for a week, and I was out for 3 weeks. I think I wore a cast for 8 weeks. Mister had to help dress me, shower me and feed me. It was so frustrating. He even had to brush my hair. I slept in a recliner for 2 months. The essential things were recliner, ice packs, and having an endless supply of Netflix and junk tv, and tube tops/sundresses. I also had PT for a long time.

I'm hoping I'm not scaring you. The recliner was the biggest thing because to lay down on my back was torture. They're ugly as hell, so we rented one from a medical supply place that had a remote control so I didn't have to wrestle with putting it into position. Most recliners have levers on the right side, and so the remote was essential. We slip covered it with a sheet since I was in it for so long, eating and sleeping there.

Shelleybell · March 2014

wow OP, good luck hope all goes well!!!

TallMomma29 · March 2014

How frustrating! Your girl is such a trooper! I have a shoulder injury from birth that has caused limited motion in my left arm.. And they did xrays a couple of times when I was younger to make sure nothing else was wrong. I can't imagine living for years with the whole thing dislocated! Poor girl!

You should definitely talk to a malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to determine whether you have a claim and whether the time limit has run out. Like other PPs have said, I don't think you have a claim against the delivering doctor. But there may be something against the doctors who refused xrays 3 years ago or previous doctors who failed to notice her shoulder was dislocated if it was dislocated sooner.

fmb2011 · March 2014

Oh my goodness! Lots of Ts & Ps for your little girl! Sounds like she's one tough cookie but I hope the healing process is easy on her!

middleschoolmommy · March 2014

I'm so sorry this happened to your DD! I also would be furious. Sending lots of T&P for a smooth surgery and recovery.

Unknown · March 2014

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iris427 · March 2014

I would be pretty upset at the doctors who missed the dislocated shoulder all this time. I agree with others that the doctor who did the delivery is probably not at fault. Shoulder dystocia is just one of those things that can happen. There are some risk factors, but in many cases it just happens out of nowhere, and it's no one's fault. In fact, SD can result in permanent brain damage or even death for the baby, so the fact that your daughter "only" has Erb's palsy shows that rather than malpractice, your doctor probably did a lot right in the situation and actually saved her life. So I doubt you'd get anywhere in court there. (And I'm not trying to dismiss the complications she does have).

Sending you good healthy VBAC vibes

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