I should think it works the same way my "tendon transfer" worked for my right hand. After TM "visited" me in April 2006 and I spent a month in a rehab facility, all four fingers on my right hand 'dropped' at the hand knuckles. I couldn't lift my fingers up when my palm was facing the floor, nor open my [permanently?] cupped hand without manual assistance. My occupational therapist recommended me to a wonderful sports medicine surgeon who, with the guidance of a Stanford surgeon, performed a 2-part tendon transfer on my right wrist in September of 2008 and October of 2009. Using a lesser tendon in my arm, he transferred its' function to take over for the damaged one. After several hand/arm splints and therapy sessions, the result is I can now open and close my fingers - though I am still working on bending the end joints completely - i.e. making a fist. The added function has been a God-send... I can now grip things between my fingers and thumb [like the zipper of my pants], p ick up things, etc.
The nerve transfer for little Sadie may conceivably work in the same way, possibly even better since she's so young and likely more adaptable to therapy than someone my age [57]. My prayers and best wishes go out to her and her parents. It's hard enough on those of us who've had the advantage of living some number of years as a 'whole' person, but for someone so young and in the infancy of life to be struck down by TM... that offends my senses. If these doctors have discovered a possible "fix" for the lack of function we TM'rs are left with, HALLELULAH!!! I anxiously await hearing about her recovery. Betty (in Northern California)
--- Begin Message ---Since we don't think that it's the nervous in our bad leg that's bad, it's the nervous in our spinal cord that's bad. So, I believe that butting her own stem cells into her spinal cord at the place that the TM hit her spinal cord, would work better. I'm wishing her well, since this has already happen to her. Todd in CC, TX --- On Sat, 7/10/10, Bernard Pelow <bpe...@austin.rr.com> wrote: From: Bernard Pelow <bpe...@austin.rr.com> Subject: Re: [TMIC] This link was on the Forum today...surgery for 4-yr old with TM - WoW To: "TMIC" <tmic-list@eskimo.com> Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010, 12:45 AM I am not sure how this will work? TM does the damage at the cord level, so how is transferring nerves from one leg to another going to help? Any of you got an idea as to this, especially medically trained persons.... I was a paramedic training to be an RN, and I cannot see how this is a fix for TM. The only way a nerve transplant would work was if the girl had Gulliame Barre' and the myelin from that nerve was destroyed; then replacing it might work. But for TM, I don't see or understand it. The article said very little as to how the doctors came to this conclusion. Peace, Bernie in Texas On 7/9/2010 11:14 AM, Pieter and Heather wrote: On the TM Forum today there was this link. It is about a little 4 yr old girl with TM and a first ever surgery to see if it can help her walk. WoW. Heather in Calgary http://www.wbaltv.com/health/24188659/detail.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.830 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2992 - Release Date: 07/09/10 13:36:00<<attachment: BPelow.vcf>>
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