meeting with Carl C. Kao

[Birde]

Greg, a 26 year old man from Cincinnati had surgery Monday by Dr. Kao.
Tonight, he moved one of his feet, the first time in several
years...(just TWO days after surgery!!!).

Much talk among the other patients' families. We are learning a LOT and convinced MORE THAN EVER that this surgery,
the ONLY one of it's kind (other than the doctors in China), is the answer not only for Ed, but for a great deal
many others.

VERY tired, still. Tests and check-ups by many doctors. ALL of home are
VERY warm, kind and caring and ALL with a smile and a BIG welcome for
BOTH of us.

I took more pictures today but am too tired to get them posted. I
promise in a day or so I will.
--
Teddy Lancaster

[Birde]

The moment of truth, so to speak, is almost here. Dr. Kao reviewed all
Ed's x-rays and MRI's yesterday. Today, he had a consultation with us
which included Dr. Alarcon, the general surgeon, the assistant neuro
surgeon Dr. Guapa(sp). The news is very good.

Ed has complained of weakness on his right side, including his jaw, his
arms, and inability to move his neck from left to right. Dr. Kao had
asked that Ed have an MRI of his brain with in WV. Ed's brain has
absolutely no sign of ANY injury. So far the PT people and the
physiatrist only attempted ultra-sound on Ed's muscles. Dr. Kao has, to
his and our satisfaction, explained this weakness and loss of mobility.
He attributes it to the fact that the spinal cord itself is being "held"
by the compression of the bones from the spine. This kept the spinal
cord to not have its natural "flexion", hence, the immobility of his
neck. So, ultra-sound therapy was not going to do any good. Freeing up
the compression on his spinal cord will. Although Dr. Kao limited his
"agreement" with Ed to sensation to the knees as well as his regaining
bowel and bladder function, Dr. Kao is very pleased with the prospects
for Ed's future possibilities. (I.E. He feels his estimate is very
conservative.)

We feel very fortunate in having found Dr. Kao, Barbara Devine and this
facility. I would never see a neurosurgeon anywhere in our experience
voluntarily wheel a patient from the cafeteria to his room, to assist in
his transfers, to coordinate his meals, to attend to every detail that
is normally left to nurses. These people hold their patients hands, ask
us to express our every concern, go over every step of the procedures in
detail from the readings of the x-rays and MRIs, to the actual surgery
and finally through not only the recovery, but to be right at your side
throughout the therapy during your 2 week stay.

Ed's spine may or may not need to have pins. The judgment will be made
after the area is opened up and assessed in detail. I will be allowed
to film and record the voices of the decisions during this period. His
spine indeed has a 30 degree bend. Up to 35 degree is considerate
acceptable and not to hinder him in any way, provided that fusion is
complete. He was x-rayed in various positions to determine if the spine
had movement by the break, it did not. This indicates that there is
probably no need for the pins, but Dr. Kao will reserve judgment upon
closer inspection during surgery. The addition of the pins will add
about 2 hours to the surgery, already planned for ten hours.

Two other patients have already had surgery since our arrival. John,
the younger one (in his 20's) was a quadriplegic. His had surgery
Wednesday (yesterday). He s already moving his fingers. Greg, the man
from Cincinnati who had a gunshot injury to his spinal cord years ago
(but had no disturbance to his spine), had surgery Monday, he is able to
voluntarily move each of his legs. He is sitting up in bed and eating
normally. Both spend 2.5 hours each day in the hyberbaric chamber, as
will Ed.

It must be the elevation. Neither Ed nor I feel bad, but we are both
constantly tired even though we feel we are getting plenty of sleep. We
were driven to the Equator today. There is a large monument and a small
village of shops and restaurants surrounding it. I took pictures of the
avenue of busts of the mostly Spanish and French explorers who, 300
years ago, marked this spot as the "center of the earth". Of course we
had pictures taken which I will post later.

It was a long (1 hour) bumpy drive through Quito which is 30 miles south
of the Equator from Cumbaya where the clinic is 10 miles east of Quito.
The mountains remind one of California and the western USA. They are
Mostly bare, very steep and it is surprisingly VERY windy. I bought a
great many textile souvenirs at very good prices. ALL hand-made by the
local "indians". I want to go back next week to buy paintings. The
regional art is almost impressionistic, much of it very colorful and I
found it all very pleasing to the eye. Again, all done locally. No
where did anyone sell anything "made in China". The only influence I
see of the "outside world" are the additions of modern conveniences
which have been introduced by American "big business". Shell, Mobil,
Texaco, Goodyear, Pizza Hut, Ace Hardware, McDonalds, Pfizer.

As soon as I have some more time (others want to e-mail home) I will put
photos on the website. PROMISE!!! I have dozens and will send you the
best. Teddy Lancaster

[Birde]

Ed went into surgery at 7 AM this morning. I watched (and taped and
photographed) from 10:30 to 12:30 and then from 1:30 TO 4:30 when he was
closed up.

I cannot imagine ANY US hospital allowing family in the operating room,
much less allowing them to peer through the microscope, stand at the
patients head and watch as well as ask questions. I was indeed
privileged to be able to do so. Dr. Kao is obviously VERY experienced
at what he does and does it with ease, but perfectionism. His
assistants have all been with him for some time so the entire procedure
was coordinated very well and I feel went very smoothly.

I saw Ed is recovery 1/2 hour ago. He is obviously traumatized. It was
a very deep and invasive procedure which included removal of not only
bone fragments, but of part of the "spine of the spine"...(sorry I am
not more medically versed) in order to access the spinal cord.

The spinal cord is thicker than I realized and very well protected
against just about anything except major accidents like Eds. I first
saw the actual compressed bone (which is well fused). Dr. Kao opted NOT
to add pins since this area is already very stable and to insert pins
and screws would involve further and unwarranted trauma as well as more
extended recovery.

I have never seen an actual surgery before, so I have nothing to compare
with. But I did faint when I had my ears pierced, so I was not
surprised when I got very dizzy. I left for maybe 15 minutes to lie
down and decided I had to talk my way into observing as much as I
could. I was fine from then on, except that standing for so many hours
did kill my back. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

For those of you who are squeamish, do not look at the photos on the
website as they show the opened up back and spine, all the way down to
the spinal cord. Yes, it does look like ribs being readied for
BBQ......http://runningbear.com/main/Ed/text/Main-Page.html


I have also posted many of the photos of Quito and the Clinic itself.

Ed will be fine, but his body will be sore for quite awhile. He is on
pain medication and will be as long as necessary. He will have his
first 2.5 hours in the hyberbaric chamber at 1 PM tomorrow (Saturday).

Feel free to e-mail me back with questions. Pass this on to anyone you
feel is interested. This is indeed an experience to share.

P.S. Ed's spirits are very good.....he definitely retains his keen wit
and sense of humor in spite of the surgery.
--
Teddy Lancaster

[Birde]

WSAZ-TV (NBC affiliate, Huntington, WV) is doing an in depth follow-up
story on Ed. I am gaining TONS of knowledge here to share with others who
find themselves in Ed's predicament.

Discovery Channel has already contacted Dr. Kao (while we were in
surgery today) and said they wanted to do a story, promising Dr. Kao
more publicity. It was quite a laugh in the OR as that is NOT one of
Dr. Kao's goals...


--
Teddy Lancaster

[JK]

Birde, Thank you for your story every day.
I am very excited in watching your story and Ed's recovery. I belive the God is watching him too.
Really hope his excellent recovery.
Thanks again.

[Birde]

http://runningbear.com/main/Ed/text/...Surgery-1.html ****pictures of Ed's operation at the end of the page click on the next button and the 2cnd set of pictures will pop up. http://runningbear.com/main/Ed/text/...-Inside-1.html ***pictures of the inside of the clinic

[overtheline3]

if dr.kao is going to get so much attention,i wonder if he is planning teaching and showing other docters his procedure?it seems like he is swamped

[Birde]

overtheline3- I think because of the technology today it would seem that Dr. Kao is busier than ever. Search engines are better, the internet, and now the digital cameras make it possible to spread the word quicker. Dr. Kao taught for several years and has done this for quite some time. The media is getting word thanks to the technology as I said before. We will have to see if Dr. Kao allows them to come to Ecuador.

[Birde]

http://runningbear.com/main/Ed/text/8-18-01-photos.html

[Carl R]

are you still going to undergo the procedure? I thought I remember you saying the 24th, but I was not sure? I will not mind at all if you come walking back and say " told you so ". You have definitely done your homework and the updates are appreciated.