Hey,
I'm also in Australia, my son is just about 18 months old now and had a ROBPI, he had the nerve graft surgery at 3 months old exactly. We were told that the surgery is best done between 3 and 6 months of age. He had no movement whatsoever in his arm, slight finger movement only.
We are in w.a so he had surgery at princess margaret hospital. It took 6 or 7 hours and he has a sling on, bandages, a drain going through the bandages to the cut in his neck/shoulder, a catheter and other cords and stuff attached. It was horrible to see but we just kept in mind that it was the best chance for him to get some use out of his arm. The surgeons said that 3 of his nerves were torn and had scar tissue on the ends so without this surgery he would not have gained any further movement.
He was in hospital for 3 nights, on morphine drip the first night or two, then jus strong painkillers. He was all bandaged up for 4 weeks, then in a sling for another 2 weeks. His scars on his neck and legs are hardly noticeable now, they have faded so well.
5 months after surgery, he was laying on the rug on his back and bent his arm at the elbow to bring his hang up. I cant even explain how happy and excited we were lol its now been a year and 2 months since his surgery and he holds things in his right hand, tucks things under his arm, can carry light things with his right arm and has just started to get his hand into his mouth whilst standing.
I hope this helps you come to a decision. All the injuries are different and my son had no improvement at all from birth until 5 months after surgery but even though it is hard to see such a little baby go through surgery, it was for the best in the end. If you want me to email you any photos of him whilst in hospital after surgery and his arm now and the movement he has gained i would be happy to, it might help you to deal with it better or come to a decision if u see what happens. My email is
marshmello_007001@hotmail.com
.