United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

in my case the injured arm is sort of an uncontrollable counter weight. it's like a free weight that may or may not act as an effective balance. getting it pinned so it is not, as it currently is, just sorta "hanging there" may help. i still have the "pinch" in my thumb/first finger so i can use it for "odd jobs" so to speak. i'd like to be able to see if i can create more muscle mass around the socket area and see if that helps to add more basic control of sorts. but i also think that not having the arm would be a liberating thing. once i got used to not having the uncontrolled weight the arm brings.

I am so Conflicted
Has a doctor ever said that there is no help now or ever by a doctor , you really should just take your arm off???? I do know just what you said was true, I live the life with this erbs arm but in some cases amputation is a reality to do . I just hope what I and others by post,maybe change someone fells like amputation is the only true action??? it real to
Just thinking
Tom

This topic does take a lot of thought
I have lived with a pretty much a dead arm and it has flop around my hole life
I never ever heard of treatment ether my hole life for my erbs Then there are post of treatment they find by determination Some find a way to get some usage back or someone post treatments what there going to do But maybe there are some that they have seen doctors and still cant or will never get back usage back???? That my life ,No help for my limitation,etc. With all the medical information posted there still is the need to amputate I really believe if you just can find that doctor the new treatment today ?? To lessen your limitation?? You might not think about the REAl possibility of amputation as much????
I will always pitch to stay on a doctor quest in life , You may find one as post state here ITS real to Finding direction can be so to do and can lead you to despair, I think// The first time despair hit me was being called STUD arm when I was little , so I know the mental state you can get into in life These injuries also give us a positive of determination to try to overcome in spite of limitation even from possible amputation post to . Boat load of post like this to I guess for me it is trying to focus on the activity and less on my limitation and flopping arm I guess for now Dan sling is the best you can do for a flopping arm??? but gaining usage some how is the true answer for the amputation post,I think??
Like always , I hope what I say helps someone thinking about amputation???
I know, Mr positive
Tom

if you have the insurance and/or bankroll to chase & pay for all the drs dreams and feel up for all the hospital visits and rehab time then by all means go for it.

You are Right there is that part to . But alot of post fined that way past that hurtle its a quest to. I dont know how you do it ether ,but If you state your problem with insurance issues someone might give you direction by post. People post getting pass insurance issues and some times not I encourage you to post your insurance questions here. What you said was a 100% true to
Tom

Master DIVER TOM wrote:I have a question??
If you have a amputation what happens to your Balance playing in your sports??
Interesting things happen with paper work to prove what you say or should I post pictures, A lot of people have posted AWSOME photos?? :Your pictures were AWSOME to you posted-!! Your sling arm is your Contour weight for balance for real-!! Do you really want to try balancing with out a arm for what sports you do GREAT-!!
Best wishes,Always!!
Tom

it doesnt balance me out now, it lays across my chest. i dont think it would effect my balance any more than it already has.

my bpi is all avulsed nerves. i dont really wanna focus on maybe getting my elbow back or 2 fingers or something where my arm for the most part is completely useless. i dont wanna be uncomfortable anymore lol. im kinda over the trying to get my arm to work stuff, id rather focus on making the most of what i have pushing forward you know, instead of dwelling on what could and most likely wont happen.

it gets in my way and id rather try to balance with what i have. have a strong core.

ill just spend more time on my unicycle lol

Hi Tom,

I think this might be one of those subjects were the difference between the OBPI and the TBPI are just difficult to understand. As someone who has all five nerves avulsed and only the bicep working, I completely understand the reason why "we" amputate, even though it is something I personally have chosen not to do. My goal is not to help people keep their arm, my goal is to help people live life to the fullest every day and if that means amputation will improve the quality of their life, then off it comes.

Most people have explored all the medical options posible and the best we can get is some function, especially those of us with all the nerves completely avulsed. At the current time and for the forseable future, we will not get back full function or even get back much. So what we are left with, even after the best surgical help in the world, is a heavy thing attached to our body that gets in the way, hurts like hell (both from phantom pain and the weight pulling on our neck and shoulder) and in general is a pain in the ass.

As far as sports go, I have always said, I would be better off without my arm, there isn't a sport I do that I wouldn't improve if I got rid of the arm. As most know, I have done just about everything athletically. My understanding of what "we" need when doing sports is one of the reasons I made the sling and why it works so well, but I would still be better without the arm.

Tom, I always appreciate your input and am so thankful you are an active member on the forums, so please keep being Mr positive and supplying us with

Dan

hey Tom
i met a woman who was born with only one hand. she had a perfectly round stump about 3 or 4 inches below the elbow which she used as her second "hand". i asked her how she did things with only one hand. her reply: how do you do things with two hands? i would not begin to know how to manage another hand because this is all i know. i would be lost trying to figure out how to manage both hands.
when i lost the use of my hand, i was lost as to how to do things. if she was to all of the sudden have a second hand, she would be just as lost with two hands. that is kind of like the difference between an OBPI and a TBPI. or losing the use of a hand/arm at an older age vs never having the use of the hand/arm to begin with.
something more on a neutral issue....a person who is born blind has no concept of what light is, color has no meaning whatsoever to them, they dont know what shapes or sizes are, what their mother looks like, what any human, animal, or anything else looks like. now, if you were to go blind today and not be able to see light, colors, nature, your wife, your children, you would be very upset because you would miss all of that.
i dont know if you understand the difference in OBPI and TBPI or not, but i hope that helps.

Hi guys,
Thanks for the help and explaining I was stump forsure trying to help
I have run out of gas trying on this topic and for a good reason I think You guys did have use of both arms, you think 2 armed. I think one arm from birth that is a huge difference for real. There is another affect in trying with these Forms of injury Its like Malling a problem to figuring a way that will work or help many times in my life I tryed doing something to adapt to I was like a dog on a tasty bone. Can I adapt to this or not?? Tenacity in trying happens to in life's trys to overcome and also answering post , sometimes
I think this is like HUMPTY dumpy affect amputation is what it is.
Living my life with now both arms having limitation has expand my need to stay positive We all wonder will what we say will help?? In my case trying to save a arm was becoming a quest trying to draw on my life experience to help??
The idea will all ways bother me of amputation, but being mr positive and pulling how to out of my can do bag is me
I am so glad you guys explained it to me
Mr positive, Always
Tom