United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi all,
.....But "my Moment" took about a half hour!
I discovered while shamppooing & Showering my usual 1-handed way, that I have ALWAYS tensed up my right(good arm and hand)VERY tight the whole time. Next time, I concentrated on relaxing as I went about the whole tasks & it made such a big difference. I am currently working on/studing ways I make my poor overused right limbs overdue, sooooo this was a big discovery for me.
ALSO,after falling backwords(no injury, just very sore)out of the tub/shower the other day I went out & bought safety bars and safety tub bar. SOOO I also
dicovered I was tensed up all over my whole body when showering& shampooing becuse of fear of falling.

DUh! I need to hold on to a grab bar to relax.
Wow, soon to be 67 & am still learning basics!!
Have a good day, everyone.
Carolyn J

Carolyn
I guess we were all so busy living our lives and doing all of the things necessary to function that we just never noticed all the compensations.

I was amazed when I had children and saw all of the things they did two handed... Like washing your hair! what is that all about? One hand works fine for me... LOL...

I was 60 before I realized WHY my arm, face and leg are so much colder than the unaffected side... duh!

And of course the biggest shocker of them all was the realization that I hold things in my hand forever and don't realize they are there... I could be looking for something and it's in my hand... I loved finding out that I was not the only one who has that quirk... it was a relief because I always found it annoying and embarassing at times...
Now even my kids ask if I had the remote in my bpi hand when I last saw it LOL. At least we all understand why now.
Kath

Yeah Kath, I also had many similar experiences re holding things in my lobpi hasnd and looking all over for that item...I always had something clenched tight in my lt.hand & now because of painful tight contraction of lt. hand("Iron Claw" I call it)I always have to have a soft ball in that hand. Lt. hand always knows when the ball is not there! & I have to find it ASAP!
AH, there are 100's of stories for us,aren't there?
Have a great day everyone,
Carolyn J
Ps...yikes,I'll be 1 year older soon and by the time I hug you all at camp!!....I promise I won't be a pest!

Carolyn
My hand is weak but not closed anymore. The reason I knew there were problems again was because I had my hand closed and thumb in... I just have a habit of collecting things to put away under my robpi arm and in my hands and sometimes forget to put them down... LOL...
Kath

Doesn't everybody keep their thum in a closed fist????? I hold my arm that way unconsciously-- I have no idea why. I have pretty good strength in my OBPI hand, just can't supinate or bend the wrist up at all. I have been exercising the arm--as well as the rest of me at the Ladies workout express and I think the arm has loosened up a little at the shoulder and elbow---although after a month it is still chronically sore from the exercise. Wonder if that will ever disappear??
Here's a weird one for you. The hair on my erb's arm is shorter--and when I was little--it was lighter in color. Is that strange or what???? Pat

Not so weird. lol My son is ROBPI- he is only a year. But the hair on his injured arm is much darker, and fuller than the left. I thought maybe I was crazy, but I guess not. I do wonder why that is. I wonder if anyone else has ever noticed a difference in the armhair.

Pat,
Had to laugh , while reading your post I looked down and my thumb was in a closed fist.LoL First time I noticed it.

Hi Judi and all,
Yeah, watch that closed fist with thumb-in you guys,later it gets really painful. That's why I now have to have a soft ball just the right size,not too big,or too small, in my LT.OBPI hand all the time. It is too painful now without it.
Carolyn J
LOBPI & 67 in 2 weeks[YIKES!!]

Thumbs tucked in to the fist is a sign of neurological damage. My PT told me that she also sees it in stroke patients. It is one of the obvious signs that they look for.

Nancy