United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I knew where you were going, Steve! Not a problem! Cathy

Hi all,
I've been vacationing for a long bit.
Back again now.
To get this thread back on 'track', yup, I suffer continuously from upper respiratory ailments. I have asthma, frequently get bronchitis when I catch a cold and have had pneumonia more times than I can count. My injury was a rupture to all 5 nerves, for the record.

Nancy

Hi All,

Sorry about "double" posting...getting the hang of it I think.

Just want to know if anyone has ever had a doctor acknowledge the connection between upper respiratory illness and the OBPI??

Since my doctor's are reluctant to connect the injury to ANYTHING (probably because nobody ever taught them anything about it in a classroom enviroment), I was guessing that you've all have had similar experiences.

I'd be interested in hearing about them.

Thanks,
Take Care,

-Stephanie

Stephanie

Your questions:
"Just want to know if anyone has ever had a doctor acknowledge the connection between upper respiratory illness and the OBPI??"

I had the same doctor for most of my life at least the first 28 years... He told me that my LUNGS were my weakest spot... NEVER SMOKE was one of his biggest warnings. He took lots of what they called Florascopes he had a machine in his office. He also kept telling me during my teens and early 20's that I always had to be careful because my lungs were weak.... He was very big on the B-12 shots I had to take and the B vit... he is also the one who insisted that I never get a blood test from bpi arm or blood pressure... He believed that I had to learn to ask questions and always told me to.... Now I get it! after reading all of the medical information ...

The doctors I used after he died never connected anything to obpi - Erb's. In fact when I mentioned it they never even looked at my arm ... or mentioned it again......

I had to point out to the Neurologist recently that I had Horner's becaue they never noticed!!! then they took a closer look... and said yes that true!!!...

I see many of the parents posting about the kids with Asthma... and pnemonia and Bronchitis (spelling ugh)
so there must be a connection...
Cathy posted about C4 injury... wonder what part of the arm that effects... as well as lung

Kath

I am not sure about the c4 function--maybe I can ask the neruo next week--take my mind off the MS workup. katie's neuroma from the c5/6 rupture had entrapped c4 as well.

She has Horner's but hasn't had any lower respiratory problems since the first few days after birth BUT the upper airway--we can't seem to keep the myryngotomy tubes in her OBPI side. I read somewhere in the beginnint that somehow the structure of the ear is affected on the OBPI side. Now her ENT doesn't relate anything to the bpi BUT he seems to know more about these kids than the orthos around here and he has his share of them as patients. Makes me go hmmmmm....

Hope all are getting over this nasty stuff soon. I know the ER and inpatient charts are killing us with all the respiratories and gastric stuff coming out our ears. Never believe that everyone in the medical field rubs their hands in glee at a full house...just administration and even then they start pulling their hair out to open up "pods" of overflow.

Sorry to ramble..just wanted to say we hope all feel better. Hang in there.

Hope you are feeling better Sharon. I have asthma also. We need to take a poll and have this documented some how to show that it could be related.