United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello, I'm Ryleigh. And I have OBPI. I'm a sophomore and highschool, and it never really bothered me having OBPI at all until the beginning of last year. I started wearing long sleeve shirts and hoodies with pockets so I could hide my injury. I haven't worn short sleeve shirts in a year. And I'm very insecure about my arms being two different lengths, anyway, recently i was looking to see if there was a way i could recover, and I saw that Mayo Clinic in Flordia was really good and have had some really great success stories, so I researched them and everything.. I've been researching non stop for like 3 weeks. But they never answered a question that I was specifically looking for. Does anybody know if there's a weight limit for brachial plexus injuries? I'm a little bit over weight and I just don't want to travel 1,000 miles to Florida just so they can tell me I have to lose weight before proceeding. If anyone can let me know. That would really be a great pleasure.

Hi Ryleigh,

This forum doesn't seem to have much activity but I wanted to offer you my feedback and support. I am 60 and have left arm OBPI so I have lived with it my entire life. I have never had surgery for it and I would say I have about 30% range of motion below shoulder level. However, I have managed well enough throughout my life by learning to compensate and realizing that OBPI does not define who I am. Before considering surgery, do your homework and try to talk with someone who has had it done. The skill of the surgeon and the number of procedures he has performed are very important.

Hi Ryleigh, where are you from? There allot of specialists throughout the country that perform secondary surgeries. Considering you are still considered an adolescent, there are even more places that you could consider, from Boston and New york, Philly, and even California and Minnesota. As far as weight, they should be able to answer that over the phone. I don't see that as typically an issue, since it is arm/shoulder surgery. Being the age you are, you will figure this out in time, but limb lengthening is a very painful long process. I wish you well (my daughter just turned 19with the injury)

rich

Hi Ryleigh,
You may or may not receive this since the activity on this forum has gone down, me included. I'm Melanie and have a right OPBI. When I was in HS, I would always hold books or something with my right arm so it just looked like I was carrying something, not a shorter arm. I did surgery with Dr. Nath in 2005 and while it helped a smidge, for me, not enough to do it again. I know there was a second operation to straighten my right arm out but I have the ability to "pull" things, not "push (biceps muscle decent size no triceps muscle) and I didn't want to lose that as well (can't tuck things under my arm for more than 1-2 minutes). With all of that being said, what I'm starting to deal with osteoporosis because essentially my left arm is both arms and it gets over worked. I would weigh out the pros and cons because it's a tough choice. Also, the bottom line is that kids are mean at that age. It doesn't matter whether someone is perfect or not, some kids are bully's and will pick on everyone. I hope you got through that awful time and put it behind you. Good luck on your decision if you haven't made your mind up yet.