Tendon Transfers???!!!

So it's been since the summer of '07 since I've had a surgery; I think I'm about due for one, right? Let me explain:

If you know me at all, you know about my thoracic scapula fusion surgeries. If not, please visit http://www.shoulderdoc.co.uk/article.asp?section=879and learn more without my having to relive those horrid experiences! But having those painful surgeries has brought me wonderful results, and for that, I am thankful!

I received a call from a lady whose daughter was considering having the surgery. She had tons of questions and wanted to see the results, so we agreed to meet with the both of them in Ft. Payne. I was nervous about this. They both had the same kind of MD has I do, and truthfully, they were the first people I have ever met with FSH (Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy) besides my mother, of course. I didn't know what to expect. What if they were much worse than I? What if they were much better than I am?

I went in to Cracker Barrel looking for someone who walked like me or who was in a wheelchair. I walked right past them! The daughter, Lauren (age 21) walked up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and asked if I was Nia. I was shocked. She was beautiful, and I had walked right by her. Nothing about her seemed "different." Her mother Sandy was the same. Of course I watched them walk, and would you believe, they didn't even have a limp! Darn! I was the weirdo in this group!

We sat and talked for about 2 hours and I told them every detail I could think of about the surgery and the recovery. Jason helped to recount the caretaker's point of view. They were receptive but scared, naturally, and were surprisingly, less open to talking about MD than I am. However, the mother was very connected with the FSH Society, which I knew nothing about! She gave me some info about joining the group and told me that she had a friend who lived in St. Louis, Missouri who had foot drop like I have. (That's where the tendons in the top of your feet weaken and cause you to sling your feet when you walk instead of rolling the foot from heel to toe. It's what causes me to trip over my own feet 95% of the time.) Now for the good news...can you stand it? Cause I can't! The lady from St. Louis had surgery to correct the foot drop, and it worked. SHE DOESN'T HAVE FOOT DROP ANYMORE!!!!! AHHHHHH! If there would've been a surgeon in Cracker Barrel that day, I would've knocked our biscuit and apple butter out of the way and said, "Hand him the butter knife!" If I had to choose between the shoulder surgery and the foot surgery, I would choose the foot surgery, hands down (no pun intended). I can deal with not being able to reach up high, but walking? Now, that's different!

I've been trying to do some research online about it. I can't find much, but what I have found is good with positive results. Sandy gave the St. Louis woman my email address, and she has offered to talk to me about it. I'm going to call tonight. I'm nervous and sure don't want to get my hopes up, but wowowowowow! I think it's too late for that!

Here's a link with some gross pics, but at least you can see the difference in before and after pics. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2384039