United Brachial Plexus Network

My grand daughter is two years old and was injured at birth. Alexandra has had surgery at texas childrens. she had no use of her right arm and hand at birth-she has some movement now. Alexs trial is set for October. Her lawyer has said it would be helpful to know the problems that others have encountered growing up with bpp. I would appreciate it so much if there is anyone out there that would share this information with us. Also if anyone has any advice about how I can help Alex as she is growing. I watch alex while her mom works. She may have to have another surgery soon-her shoulder is pulling forward. she attends therapy and we have applied to bcbs for a tes machine. She is a lovely active little girl although a bit shy and timid thank you so much for any info you can share-gamma barb

Barb,
You will get a number of responses here. Maybe you can tell us how formally the lawyer would like our responses to be. Is he planning to take a deposition from someone or do you want us all just to chime in and talk about what some of the issues are that we faced in growing up with this injury. And is he also concerned with what issues we now face as adults aging with this injury as well?
Nancy

Thanks for such a quick response. I don't Believe the attorney is looking for any thin formal at this time-more or less to show that this injury will have a huge impact on Alexandras life and everything she does.(doesn't stop her from trying everything ) I really don't know what he will decide to do . I will ask him. thanks again barb

Nancy thanks for the quick reply I am not sure what the attorney will want to do he had just told me that it would be helpful to hear from someone that had experienced the things alex will have to adapt to. I decided to ask for help I will ask him this week how he will use this information-again thank you for your help barb

Nancy thanks for the quick reply I am not sure what the attorney will want to do he had just told me that it would be helpful to hear from someone that had experienced the things alex will have to adapt to. I decided to ask for help I will ask him this week how he will use this information-again thank you for your help barb

Nancy I am not sure what the attorney will do with the information-I will ask him this week I think that he would like to be able to show a jury the challenges Alex will have to face and that the largest part of her lawsuit will be based on her potential lost wages since we have caps in Mi. I will ask him this week. barb

I'm a 63 year old right OBPI victim. I've made a fairly successful recovery from my injury although mine is not as severe as others I've read about in the UPBN forums. Here are my thoughts about what your grandaughter will need in the coming years. She will need devoted parents or guardians that love her unconditionally who, together with her extended family of siblings, cousins, grandparents, friends, and neighbors are willing to sacrifice their time, effort, and money to achieve the maximum possible recovery for her. She will need expert help from physicians and therapists that could last until her teenage years. Her parents will need training to perform supplemental physical therapy at home. She will need understanding and encouragement from her parents and teachers when she wants to participate in activities that may be physically challenging to her. She will require a solid education preferably leading to advanced college degrees that will help her to lead a productive and successful life. Even with her maximum recovery, she will be confronted with performing such tasks as personal hygiene, holding her child, playing baseball with her children, everyday household chores, using a computer keyboard with speed and accuracy, and using a pointer during a business presentation with more difficulty. In later years, she will be mindful of overusing her unaffected arm and will think about what could happen should she suffer an injury to her "good" side. She will learn to cope with her injury and will conduct her life in spite of it. How well she copes will likely be influenced by how well her parents and family do.

Hope this is helpful.
John P.

John

You said it all...
now that you said you are 63...
I am the second oldest obpi on the board at 62...Yeah!!

Humor is the greatest gift we develop. Without humor I think we would all be a very sorry lot.

You are right about the good arm. I walked into a wall banging my right elbow and threw out the entire left side... now that is really a problem trying to operate normally without the full use of the unaffected side... I was in a rush and with out body boundary on that side I wack the poor old arm a lot. I just never thought about it hurting the "unaffected side" This time I really did myself in... I hate when wall bump into me! LOL

I wonder if the issue of body boundary could be solved with PT?

Kath

Barb,

I am 25 years old with no use of my right arm, due to a doctor's mistake. I had a successful lawsuit when I was 10. It's not hard for your lawyer to make a case for Alex. Tell the judge imagine going through life only being able to use one of his or her arms. The strain that it puts on your good arm...my left arm is sore all the time. Tell him to remember that society is designed for two hands/arms....what if Alex wanted to be a surgeon? A professional sports player? Those are just a few limitations we have. Simple things that people take for granted we are unable to do...lifting objects, doing our hair, easily tying shoes, clapping, etc.

Alex's life will be harder than an average person's...guaranteed. But with a loving family and determination, it won't even be that big of an issue.

Good luck with everything!

Thanks everyone for fhe encouragement-we do worry all the time about the hardships Alex will face throughout her life-especially the emotional hardships. She is a very determined little girl-and stubborn-so much so that much of the time we forget that she has to do things a little differently. Right now I am a little overwhelmed-there are so many things and programs I am trying to research for Alex. We live in a rural area so I also want to make sure that she socializes with other children as much as possible-she is becoming less shy. Our next step is the Tes machine We talked to others at the Ohio picnic that have had good results. Barb