Brown-Sequard Syndrome

Interesting and helpful to know that there are others out there in the world who deal with the same syndrome and resulting functions or lack there of.

I was injured on a motorcycle, at around 70mph I hit a guard rail and a yellow arrow sign (on a curve with an empty field mind you) and thrown 75 feet.

My left arm was demolished with multiple severe compound fractures in many places and my left elbow was totally shattered.

I fractured my c6-c7 and had a spinal fusion as well as having my arm rebuilt with metal and fixed in place at the elbow. Incomplete asia D ? i think...it was C or B at first?

My right side fared a little better but that is where the paralysis shows from browns sequard syndrome. So after hearing the doctors tell me id never walk ,before my BSS diagnosis, i was determined to get back on my feet. I did and live a fairly normal life with some help. That is the perception on the outside, ie a little bit of a limp and a right hand that utilizes tenidesis for gripping.

The doctors said my BSS was from a puncture wound ,but i didn't have one in my neck...

I later read a study out of England(Oxford i think) that describes motorcycle injuries and BSS was one injury studied.

It happens due to the momentum and if that person lands on the side of their head and shoulder this action rips the brachial plexus nerves from the shoulder where it connects to your neck. Basically the structure of muscles and nerves that attaches your head to your shoulder.
This tearing causes nerve damage and completely tearing of the rotatory cuff in some instances as mine happens as well.

I worked hard to get where i am and am grateful I had some miraculous recovery to be able to function somewhat normally.

Now for the bad part, to live with all day everyday.
Since i regained feeling in my body some 10yrs ago, i have lived with constant severe nerve pain from my upper left chest down to my toes, this neuropathy is felt inside and out 24hrs a day

I have no true pain or temp sensation on that side just deep burning and hyper-reflexive response to stimuli.

Living with this seems to build and build till i am broke down and cant help but want it to stop just for a minute. I have been on gabapentin since my accident in 06' also cymbalta, these seem to temper the neuropathy down to a tolarable level most times. They did have me on massive amounts of pain meds for years due to the difficulty of my many injuries, but i got upset when my (physical rehabilitation doctor refused to taper me off since he was not an addiction doctor.) psshhh well that did it for me first i changed from oxycontin ER 40 to 20's then i changed to morphine and i weaned off of 3 30mg ER Morphines and 9 Roxicete a day ON MY OWN, only having to go to the hospital a few times where they did not listen to me and just always responded we are not giving you anything for pain, I never asked for pain meds i wanted off them I even had them with me!, well after standing my ground and advocating for myself they prescribed some mild drugs to help with the symptoms i was having from opiate withdraw.

A caring Pain and Spine doctor is who i finally found and my quality of life on some days is very good.
I am amazed i was able to finish collage on all that crap I was on previously and so is my doc.

Its sad cause you are at their mercy...I begged and pleaded in the hospital to not be put on them(hardcorepainmeds) but my body would go into shock from the pain and they said they had no choice, which i understand at the time but come on lets get a active plan to eventually come off the opiates please med community. Im happy to report that the good times get me through the rough times and i was able to lower my pain med dose to the min because of body dependency . Another note that happened while i was in the hospital was an IVC filter was placed a week or two after my surgeries and accident. I was still on the SCI floor rehabbing and working hard daily. They described the device and said it would catch clots from my legs. I had no injuries to my legs I said, they said oh it will catch a clot from your arm, errr wrong your arm blood does not travel where the IVC was placed. After two days of refusal to this procedure a head super special nurse lol came in and stated that if i dont comply with docs recommendation they will document to my insurance that i was not complying with treatment, she told me a patient got kicked out of the hospital cause there insurance dropped them for this reason. That scared me cause she stated "you want to bankrupt your family cause you wont let us do a necessary procedure. I made her sign a form stating that if they put an IVC filter in i want it out before i leave the hospital...err that never happened its still in me and i never saw that form again. Now i find out this thing they put in me (IVC Filter) is killing people left and right smh....

I hope to meet others here who deal with this syndrome and help in anyway possible that i cab. As a posted above someone stated its a very abstract injury to try and explain to people, i get the duuhh look like their brains are not able to process the info. But i understand as it took me quite some time to understand what has happened to my body and nerves myself.

Best wishes Tim