United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

This is a great thread, so useful! Thank you!
I am still having trouble with almost everything. I got the joy of learning how to open my school binder, and jars. But I have trouble stapeling and whole punching worksheets. THe biggest problem I have is changing for gym class (a requirement to graduate highschool), putting my hair up, and tying my shoes.
Any advice?

Thanks again!

Hi ee7-

As a guy I don't have an issue putting my hair up, but for shoes I've bought elastic shoelaces so you can just slip the shoes on and off. For athletic shoes I use ibungee laces (http://www.amazon.com/SpeedLaces-IB-iBu ... B001CH1F9K), and they work great. I've done a lot of distance running and racing with no issues, and once you have someone help you get them on once, you never have to worry about them coming untied.

As for casual/business shoes, I use the tylastic laces you can get at Sammons Preston: http://www.pattersonmedical.com/app.asp ... t&id=75819

They work the same way as athletic laces, except that they look completely like normal laces. I bought a white pair to lace into my Chuck Taylors, and brown/black for my business shoes.

Finally, you can definitely ties normal laces with 1 hand; my OT showed me how. While I can do it, the amount of time it took to get 1 shoe on + the fact that the knots weren't that strong made me go the elastic shoelace route.

Hope this helps,
MW

Wow... MW - I need to check out some of these shoelace ideas. I actually figured out how to tie my shoelaces with one hand but I may have have forgotten already since once they're tied, they stay tied.
ee777 - If I get a friend to help, I will try to get a video of how I put my hair up and see if I can post it. I have long hair and with a little plastic clip I can usually get my hair up in about 30 seconds or less
I'm glad you have been able to get loysa good advice on this post. I was really pleased to see so many peopler add to it. Everyoner is SO creative.

Ang

Mardella and Brandon,
My teeth are my left hand and some people cannot stand that....I tell them I haven't died yet and 72 is a good age to have some fun!

Mardella I still need to see your method for knitting...please please post on you tube with a link on HERE.

Thanks... I now have the time to knit as my car transmission is gone and we must save up for another down payment and rent a car for an occasional weekend.

HUGS,
Carolyn J
LOBPI

Hi all:

My husband has a brachial plexus palsy and has lost use of his right arm (right handed of course). He is getting accustomed to having one arm (as much as one can). Not to be gross and all, but one of the greatest indignities he is experiencing is being able to wipe himself after a bowel movement. I have to do that for him. Good thing we love each other a lot:0) There are other things (shoes and socks and stuff). It has been an experience for both of us and has deepened our committment to each other (30 years next year). Thanks for this site to be able to talk about stuff like this.

terri, your husband is extremely lucky to have you. you really don't know how much having someone to help is a luxury some of us dont have. i have a lot of problems relating to people and have no one to help me with anything. i ask someone for help and usually i get "i dont have time" i really need help and dont know where to get it. my doctor wrote out a prescription for help at home and the workers comp said that it was not medically necessary and refuses to pay for it. so here i am again on my own.
i have found a couple things that help with using just one hand. one of them is an ice cube tray that has a soft rubber bottom on each cube. just push the cube out from the bottom. no twisting the tray. i found this at a local family owned drug store.

another thing i found (which you may have already figured out) is drying my back. hang a towel bar at neck level, hang a towel on there and rub your back against it.

i found a book at the library titled living one-handed in a two-handed world. i dont know who the author is but you can usually find it by title. the author had a stroke and wrote it from personal experience. it helped a lot.

I never get tired of reading this topic. We OBPI adults never get tired of learning new ways to do Activities of Daily Living to save our "good" arms, shoulders and hands . I personally fear losing the use of my "good limbs".

Carolyn J

re: the nail clipping in particular, i had the pedi paws sitting around (everybody's seen that thing on late night tv right?) my cat won't let me near him with it but it does a pretty good job on nails (of course you've gotta take the safety cover off). it doesn't even chap my fingers up, although of course i'm a guy and have pretty rough hands already. my friends don't believe that i do this so of course proof was warranted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lkR-wV3hVo

WOW that was cool!! do you also use that on your dog or do you have a separate one for him/her? lol

Hi Angela and others, uploaded a video on youtube couple of years ago of an alternative way to tie a shoelace with one hand... hope it helps someone...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYH9xOJ7Pm0