Staying Positive
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jmar
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:43 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: brachial plexus stretch during thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on may 18, 2010.
Re: Staying Positive
when you have lived with the same amount of weight on each side for your entire life, then when you wake up one day and you have no sense of weight on one side, it does affect your balance. at least it did for me
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Master DIVER TOM
- Posts: 759
- Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 11:51 am
Re: Staying Positive
This is interesting about balance, How many people have this issue with balance with there other injures? If you had balance issues what did you do about it? Balance( inter ear and loss of a use on a side? I know you really cant compare injuries here to closely , because the vast combination of injuries and when you got them. What works is a try,What does not work is still a try even in trying to help to 
Best Wishes ,
Tom
Best Wishes ,
Tom
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jesseb
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:11 am
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: Injured 02/01/04 in snowmobile accident; recently turned 21.
Multiple facial, limb, and rib breaks. Only lasting injury is due to left brachial plexus avulsion of C6, C7, C8 & T1. C5 vertebrae fractured, allowing nerve to remain in tact. No sensation in, and minimal movement and use of left arm, except for phantom nerve pains. Whenever the pain sets in, I try to focus on the fact that God allowed me to live and be thankful He is giving me a second chance..
Two BPI related surgeries at Mayo Clinic-Rochester.
1- Right gracilus muscle transfer connected to left bicep and clavicle, intervated to allow elbow bending. Sural nerves taken from both calves for nerve grafting. Partial tibial nerve graft.
2- Fusion of Left wrist and thumb.
Cartilage removed from wrist and thumb to solidify joints with harvested bone marrow from my hip. This surgery has highly improved the functionality of my left arm.
All proper diagnoses and surgeries performed at Mayo Clinic-Rochester.
Re: Staying Positive
I am very sorry to hear about your injury. I hope and will pray that you get the use of your arm back.
I know that I am a little late on replying, but I would like to say something regarding a positive attitude. The first thing I would do is sit your entire family down and talk. If I could do things over again, I would tell my family that I needed them to help me, and not pity me because that will only cause you to limit yourself. You will know what you can and can't do, and no grown adult wants their loved ones telling them things that they already are having difficulty with.
My family treated me with kid gloves when they thought that I would never be able to do all the same things I did before. I can do all the things I did before, just differently. I was not the greatest athlete in the world, but I was in great shape and was unable to exercise for quite a while. I used to be able to dunk a basketball with both hands at once, or both hands individually. If you want to stay active, there is a sling designed to help with that. Here's the link to some see more:
http://ubpn.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18806
If you are able to be active, you just gotta go out and be as active as you can be. I was inactive for over seven years, and I am just now starting to push myself physically at the gym. My advice: do not let your hopefully short-term injury turn you into an introvert like I did. I thought people were always staring at me, but often that was just my own paranoia. People are going to look and occasionally say things you don't want to hear, but you need to remember this: 'Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.'
I have come to the belief that if God sees me as sufficent, what right do I have questioning Him?
Best of luck,
Jesse
I know that I am a little late on replying, but I would like to say something regarding a positive attitude. The first thing I would do is sit your entire family down and talk. If I could do things over again, I would tell my family that I needed them to help me, and not pity me because that will only cause you to limit yourself. You will know what you can and can't do, and no grown adult wants their loved ones telling them things that they already are having difficulty with.
My family treated me with kid gloves when they thought that I would never be able to do all the same things I did before. I can do all the things I did before, just differently. I was not the greatest athlete in the world, but I was in great shape and was unable to exercise for quite a while. I used to be able to dunk a basketball with both hands at once, or both hands individually. If you want to stay active, there is a sling designed to help with that. Here's the link to some see more:
http://ubpn.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18806
If you are able to be active, you just gotta go out and be as active as you can be. I was inactive for over seven years, and I am just now starting to push myself physically at the gym. My advice: do not let your hopefully short-term injury turn you into an introvert like I did. I thought people were always staring at me, but often that was just my own paranoia. People are going to look and occasionally say things you don't want to hear, but you need to remember this: 'Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.'
I have come to the belief that if God sees me as sufficent, what right do I have questioning Him?
Best of luck,
Jesse
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tamhart
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:13 am
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: Auto accident on December 25th 2008. I had traumatic brain injury and a brachial plexus injury. I have had one tendon transfer and will have another at a later date.
Re: Staying Positive
I am new to this network and excited in a way. I have never met or communicated with someone that has the same injury. I am hoping to learn
More and hear from others about this injury.
More and hear from others about this injury.
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tamhart
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:13 am
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: Auto accident on December 25th 2008. I had traumatic brain injury and a brachial plexus injury. I have had one tendon transfer and will have another at a later date.
Re: Staying Positive
Staying positive will sometimes be extremely difficult. I was in a terrible car accident and had a traumatic brain. Injury. It took many doctors and finally found Mayo. I have a pretty severe injury. I have nerves that were severely stretched and some that were avulsed. It's a tough injury and the pain wears on you I try to keep busy. You wil find that it seems difficult but with time yit will get easier. I am excited for this forum as I have never talked to anyone with the same injury very excited
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jmar
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:43 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: brachial plexus stretch during thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on may 18, 2010.
Re: Staying Positive
as far as people looking at you or staring, people dont stare as much as you think they do. think about how people look at each other all the time. after an injury that is noticable, a person just notices it more that people are looking at them. if we didnt look at each other, we would be staring at the ground all the time.
as far as feeling sorry for me, I HATE THAT WITH A PASSION!!! don't feel sorry for me. if you do, well you can just go on your merry little way and stay away from me.
as far as feeling sorry for me, I HATE THAT WITH A PASSION!!! don't feel sorry for me. if you do, well you can just go on your merry little way and stay away from me.
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MadisonB
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:50 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: During my right shoulder surgery about three months ago three nerves in my arm were stretched causing my Brachial Plexus Palsy. The outer part of my upper arm is numb to touch, as well as the inside of my forearm. This continues up to the palm of my hand to my thumb and pointer finger. I have movement in my hand but that is about it. I am unable to pick up my arm at all. I had the crushing and burning hand for about two months, but now it had dulled out. I am nineteen years old and played volleyball for a college. I went back for my second semester of college but had to medically withdraw. We are now waiting to see if the nerve wakes up, if there are no differences at the end of the month we are going to visit the Mayo Clinic to see what surgical options I might have.
Re: Staying Positive
As cliche as it may sound I am not a pretty firm believer in the saying,"Only time will heal." Time will hopefully heal our injuries, time will hopefully heal the disappintments, but most importantly time heals our outlooks. I have only had this injury for four months, and my injury happened in a far less traumatic way than most, so I know it is probably easier for me to speak on this. When I started this thread, I was in a desperate state. I was battling depression from having some of the things that I love most in the world ripped from my hands. I felt my future was completely turned around. I had hopes of becoming a surgeon. The best way I can describe how I felt is lost. But I have had a few "eye opening" experiences that have encouraged me. I have seen others with more extreme challenges in their life that have not allowed them to let their disabilities define them. I have decided to no longer allow my arm to define me. If anything it can be used as a conversation starter. ( I as well hate the pity remarks though.) I have changed my outlook a lot because of the people in my life such as my friends and family. And my relationship with God at the beginning of my relationship seemed to be faltering, but now I see that it has just grown even stronger. I have a life, and I am going to go out and live it. Even if it is with one arm.
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jmar
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:43 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: brachial plexus stretch during thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on may 18, 2010.
Re: Staying Positive
i am sooo proud of you madison!! 
if you keep up a positive attitude like that, you can and will be a surgeon some day.with the assistance of robots and machinery, you may not need to use both hands. the best of life to you.
if you keep up a positive attitude like that, you can and will be a surgeon some day.with the assistance of robots and machinery, you may not need to use both hands. the best of life to you.-
MadisonB
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:50 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: During my right shoulder surgery about three months ago three nerves in my arm were stretched causing my Brachial Plexus Palsy. The outer part of my upper arm is numb to touch, as well as the inside of my forearm. This continues up to the palm of my hand to my thumb and pointer finger. I have movement in my hand but that is about it. I am unable to pick up my arm at all. I had the crushing and burning hand for about two months, but now it had dulled out. I am nineteen years old and played volleyball for a college. I went back for my second semester of college but had to medically withdraw. We are now waiting to see if the nerve wakes up, if there are no differences at the end of the month we are going to visit the Mayo Clinic to see what surgical options I might have.
Re: Staying Positive
Thank you so much! Good luck to you as well. 