United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hey Francine! Are you back on the boards??? I know it's been a while....welcome back!

Laura

I came on to post something in BPI events. I'm coordinating the Philadelphia area bpi clinic for Dr. Nath. Want to come?

Yes! YES! That hurt your son! Stretching that arm is frequently painful, and small pricks in my arm feel a lot worse than they do in the other arm. And the pain lasts longer and spreads across the entire arm. If I have a hangnail on the right hand I can feel it all the way up my arm. This is a nerve injury, sensory nerves are effected and putting a needle in HURTS. Also, a good friend of mine is an EMT and physician's assistant, and for valentine's day her unit was doing blood pressure checks. So, we tried a little experiment, did both my arms...and they were different. Not so completely, but definitely distinct numbers. So NEVER take bp in that arm, it isn't an accurate reading. Also, positioning the injured arm uncomfortably for any amount of time turns painful quickly. Buffets are the worst for me because its weight bearing and not a good position. Stretching the arm up for an xray also sounds like it would hurt. I feel very passionate about this because it's something I've always found difficult to explain to uninjured people, doctors and nurses too. Keep on fighting those ignorant persons who want to overwhelm your instincts, they are right on.
Carrie
(24, rOBPI)

When I did my Infant/Child CPR and Basic First Aid course a couple of months ago, they mentioned taking the brachial pulse in infants. i immediately piped up and said that although that was great if they couldn't find the jugular pulse, it wouldn't necessarily work on my daughter. i then explained that she has BPI and that her injury does not allow for an accurate reading of ANYTHING on her left side (most common side to perform CPR from and check). What surprised me was that the instructor tried to gloss over it and the other students were more than willing to learn more.

My poor instructor! I also mentioned that peple that have this injury sometimes have Horners Syndrome which affects pupil dilation.....you can imagine the rest from there LOL!!! The poor lady, I pretty much dominated that class for at least an hour before she could get back on topic. But 18 pepole walked out better educated than when they walked in!!!


Stick to your guns and make sure your kids are will ing to stick to theirs even if they are called "rude" and "disrespectful" by those that "know better".

-Ginne