Tommy John Surgery Blog

An appropriate foreward. If you wanted to have a little literary fun, you could have played around with the word "foreward" a bit more and the word "forward." As in "this will be a 'foreward' to a blog about moving 'forward'." etc. Whatever you provide, Josh, I'll be happy to read it.

The last post of yours I read here on HSBBW was after you got a "first impression" of a muscular tear and not the UCL. So this is a bad surprise. Having blown both my ACLs playing rugby (fourteen years apart), I know a little bit about the sense of loss you felt after getting the news. For a baseball player playing beyond HS, I have a sense that this sense of loss can be particularly acute.

Keep up the self-education. Participate in the online groups of people getting like treatment. Put in the work (especially the ROM stuff) when the cast or brace comes off (you will, you're a baseball player). Believe you will play out that last year of eligibility. And keep moving forward.

Josh, it's not actually a cast, rather lots and lots of bandages with padding underneath to prevent you from hitting it.
Afterwards you will have a prostetic device to help with your range of motion.
The scar is ugly, make sure that they are attentive to the scar, so that scar tissue doesn't build up. I am going to assume that your ulnar nerve WILL be moved during surgery?

Very interesting reading in your blog. I will certainly be following your progress and learning a lot at the same time. Good Luck!

TPM- I've heard the padded device is only for about a week, and then the prosthetic device (my buddy called it the bionic arm) is about 5 weeks.

Not too sure about the ulnar nerve. I had another consult with a doctor in NY who confirmed the tear as well. I obtained a copy of the MRI report from his office, and it says that there is nothing wrong with any nerve system in the area. I guess the nerve is removed at times during the surgery so I guess that'll be discussed with Dr. Andrews when I meet with him...nothing was mentioned about it over the phone or in any of the email exchanges I had with him or his assistants.

The ulnar nerve is not removed but moved from the elbow to the inside part of the elbow.
You won't have to wear that bionic arm all of the time.

Oh I see. You learn something new everyday... Guess that'll be added to the blog. Maybe it'll turn out like the movie Rookie of the Year...I'll start throwing 102 mph. I'll keep you guys posted on that too

Josh,

My son had TJ surgery in December in Boston with Dr OH who is (for a lack of a better term) a disciple of Dr. Andrews. He said that in the East they pretty much automatically move the nerve while in there as there have been cases where after surgery there have been nerve issues and they had to go back in. So while they have you open they just move it so that there is no issue afterwards. Apparently out West (Dr. Yocum) they don't automatically move the nerve.

In my son's case they'd have moved it anyways as it was an issue for him. It will be a good question for Dr Andrews though.

Good luck!!!

redsox- I read your comment on the blog. Appreciate the well-wishes. I will probably send you a PM in the near future to touch base about the process. If possible, maybe your son could provide some feedback for readers as well as a player getting the experience from a high school player's perspective.

I read the post and it's identical to how I felt before my labrum surgery.Putting all of this into words is the best thing you can do. For me baseball has always been the best place to escape from every day life... from stuff at home to girl issues here and there... baseball was a place you could live and be free. Everyone wants to know what it's like and it was bitter sweet for me to read that because I'm glad someone ele feels the same hectic emotions but no one should have to deal with that pain. Like you said it's not the arm pain that hurts, it's the feeling of emptiness. My girlfriend asked me consistantly how it feels to be sidelined, and the only way to describe it is that it feels like you're not living. That everything you have worked for was taken away.

Keep pushing it gets better after surgery. A sense of progression, even the smallest amount goes a long way.

Prayers going out to JH as he was scheduled to go under knife at 10am this morning.

Best wishes Josh and a speedy recovery!

YGD

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Speedy recovery,yes indeed!

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Josh didn't have the surgery this morning.
I sure hope he did have it today.
Yesterday was a day in airline travel "infamy" for Josh and his father.
I traded PM's with him last night. He was stuck overnight trying to sleep on the floors in the Charlotte airport, following a day we would not wish on our worst enemy.
He was not even going to arrive in Mobile until after 10am this morning.
His hope was Dr. Andrews' office would be able to help him, could make some adjustments and have the surgery later today.
Josh is a very persuasive communicator, as we all know. His skills were being taxed to the max by US Airways.
Hopefully, he had some left and was able to use the rest up with the office personnel in Mobile today.
Update: Josh posted on FB. The procedure is now on for tomorrow.

Oh gosh!! I have been thinking about him all day!!

Good luck tomorrow and I hope you can rest up.


(Thanks for the updates)

Thanks for the update infielddad...I have been thinking of Josh all day too.
More prayers tomorrow!

Hello everyone, thanks for the well-wishes. I'm sitting here comfortably in a Marriott in Pensacola, winding down and getting ready for bed. The people at the Andrews Institute were amazingly considerate this morning and accommodated my father and I despite our tardiness due to the airport debacles. I have documented everything up to this point in a blog post that I just put up, which can be found by clicking the URL link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks again for thinking of me. I'll keep everyone posted on the progress as soon as I'm able to.

infielddad- You have a PM

Positive thoughts and prayers headed your way this morning Josh!!!!!

08

I read on FB that Josh had surgery and all went well.
I can hardly wait to hear about the adventure with travel, the day before DK was to have his shoulder surgery, 40 minutes in flight the engine blew out of the plane, back to FT Lauderdale to wait for another flight!

Check out this interview with JH telling us what the surgery was like. You can ignore the first 10 minutes or so where we were chatting about small talk...

JH Discusses Post-OP Surgery and other baseball topics

Thanks CD!

quote:

Originally posted by 55mom:
Thanks CD!

Thanks 55mom!

As we are finding out, JH is not only a great writer, but he is a very compelling speaker as well

JH Discusses Post-OP Surgery and other baseball topics

I know - he sounds much older and very mature!

Josh - All the Best to you, speedy recovery (yea for stronger longer tendons) Hope you can work out things so you can play your final years of eligibility!

JH,

You sounded like you were in good spirits after listening to the recent HSBBWeb radio broadcast. I wish you a speedy recovery, and best of luck in your senior year, and graduate school. Get well soon!

BTW...I really appreciated your comments on HSBBWeb radio related to the summer baseball vs summer internship question.

fenway- I don't mean to downplay the significance and benefits that come from an internship opportunity, especially in the field of engineering. I love summer ball and am of the school of thought that baseball doesn't last forever. But at the same time, internships often times line people up for great future endeavors. Take the radio interview for what it was...a Devil's Advocate type of thing. Can't really go wrong either way.

I'm going to write another blog post this afternoon, to those who have been reading it (the numbers have been very good and the majority of hits have come from HSBBWeb so I greatly appreciate the support). It's a bit tough typing with one hand so I need to donate a good chunk of my time for this and now that I'm home in NY I can relax a bit

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One handed typing? I've got all of my typing down to a single finger! No wear and tear on the other nine!




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JH,

Understood, and I'm with you on this one. My son and I have been talking about this for some time. It was his decision to get a summer internship this year for experience and money. My wife and I tried to be as neutral as possible to let him decide.

After working OUTSIDE (HOT!!) for an engineering firm at a water treatment plant, I think he is very open to playing summer ball next year. You've said it and others have said it.....that you only get so many chances to do something like this. He is lucky enough to be in a position to take advantage of it. So, I think he has learned a life lesson out of this as well...when you're young, be young. He'll have plenty of opportunity to work in his lifetime.

New post is up!

All I have to say about one-handed typing is I told you so.

junior5- You ain't kiddin'. My girlfriend offered to help me type it and I stubbornly said no, trying to be all independent and tough. Took me several hours and a hefty painkiller.

After less than 2 weeks and just 5 posts my blog has already surpassed 1,000 views. Thank you to everyone who has tuned in thus far. I plan on continuing the in-depth analysis of the Tommy John process and hope that the word can get out and help many more out there in the baseball world who might be having to cope with the same type of situation.

jh

as i recall, they wrap that arm pretty tightly.when they take the dressing off and work the blood down your arm..........i think that is a really good feeling.again, as i recall from my son.

it's all up hill from here.

20dad- It is wrapped very tightly yes. The thing that's been giving me the most trouble is the fact that the entire arm is splinted at a 90 degree angle, so even things like getting a shirt on/off becomes difficult. I am very excited for the switch to the prosthetic brace (the "bionic arm" as I've called it in the blog) so that some progress can finally be made in that respect.

New post is up, discussing a bit about the aftermath of the first physical therapy session. Six days removed from surgery and making progress!

Great blog JH. Really enjoying following it and reading your writing. Hope the therapy goes great. Get that full extension back!

Count how many times you go somewhere and people ask you if you need a bag? I'll go buy a single gatorade and the cashier will ask me if I need a bag like both my arms are cut off or something.

junior- How many people wait an absurdly long time holding the door open for you? Like you can't reach across with the other arm...

Husker- thank you for the support

Got to meet josh yesterday as he spent about an hour with my 14 yr old pitcher working on some things.

A true gentleman and very knowledgeable. He has a great future in whatever he decides to do.

maybe see you next week again josh. Chris.

Just read your latest post on the blog. You are going through a tough time! It may seem like it's taking forever to move just a tiny step forward but keep at it. Everything they've said would happen so far has right? They say you will most likely be able to get 100% back (eventually). It will happen. We're here for you and pulling for you Josh!

Leftysidearmmom- Thanks for the support. Yes, everything is perfectly on schedule and I've been following the protocol exactly how it's written. The process of TJ surgery is usually successful but it is often times frustrating because the amount of time it takes. I am hoping that once I get the brace off my arm the stress dwindles down a bit. Right now it is a bit all consuming because everything I do has to factor in the fact that I am partially disabled. It is just one frustrating and temporary facet of the surgery, and I am hoping that I am able to share the emotions I'm feeling on the blog as they happen. My goal in the end is to show that the emotions that people go through during the rehab are shared and expressed by many and yet everything is done for a purpose and the end result is successful. With that being said, I do realize that things could be much worse and don't want the negativity in the blog to come off as whining. It is just simply things as I see it and nothing more.

Thanks again

You're not whining. It's not a piece of cake what you are going through. Write as honestly as you can because what you are doing is a great service. Chronicaling the frustrations AND the small victories are exactly what will help players understand the entire journey keep them focussed on the end goal. I'm hoping to follow you until you post that you are on the mound striking out guys again!

If we cheer you on, don't think we feel sorry for you...we are coming to really care for you is all.