My injury

[EddieFromMD]

Hello, my name is Edward. Im 26 years old and I live in Baltimore, Md. I sustained a injury to my left shoulder/neck area at birth that involved the brachial plexus. I have always been a big guy even at birth weighing in a almost 13 pounds. My mother did not have a "C-section" and because my shoulders where so broad I basically got stuck. To save my life the doctor pulled me with forceps at the shoulder causing a vast ammount of damage. It seperated my shoulder which lead to later problems with bone development. I was in a body cast for the early parts of my life then that changed to a arm support cast untill I was 5 years old. At that time I recieved a shoulder/arm reconstruction surgery. The doctors broke my arm and reconstructed it so that it would grow "normally" and to give me atleast partial use of the arm. They also placed a steele hinge in the shoulder to give me more movement and to allow me to learn how to use this arm. The hinge was removed about a year later. To make a long story a little shorter ill get to the point of why im posting here. Ever since I can remember I have been in pain because of my shoulder. Its only ever gotten worse and recently the pain has spread to my neck which ends up giving me terrible headaches at times. I have had physical therapy several times but it just doesnt seem to do the trick. I have done alot of things on my own to try to help with little or no effect. Over the past few years the pain has gotten so bad that I am very guilty of abusing pain killers which has caused other problems for me. The further my arm is extended the less I turn it over which cause many problems for me at work. I cannot lift my arm very far over my head and when I manage to it only lasts a few seconds because the pain becomes almost overwhelming. I cannot put my behind my back for more than a few seconds. My left arm appears to be about 2 1/2 inches shorter than the right arm because I cannot make my arm go straight. I have alot of back problems around my shoulder blade and below it which im sure is due to the injury. The list of problems I have due to the injury could go on and on. I guess im posting here because I want to see if anyone could give me some advice on what I should do. All the doctors I have spoken to in the recent past seem almost clueless to my condition, or want to do some radical surgery. The pain just gets worse as time goes by and I am honestly afraid of what the future holds. I am getting married in a few months and starting a whole new life. Its become difficult for me work, im a chef and this requires hand dexterity which I have lost much of. I feel so foolish, but I get very upset thinking of a future for my soon to be wife and I where my arm gets bad enough that I cant work. It scares me to death. I actually think I had a panic attack the other day thinking about it to much which is what lead to me look into this on the net. There are so many things I feel like I want to say here just to be able to share them, but this message is long enough. Sorry for the length, and thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

[Kath]

Eddie
Welcome to the Message Boards.

I am sure some of the younger obpi will come forward with some information about surgery and PT they have had recently.

Kath (adult/obpi)

[Judy-T]

Welcome to the boards Eddie. You are not alone. Feel free to ask any questions here. I think you need to see a bpi specialist . There are alot listed in the medical resources on this site. They can also guide you with the pain that you are having.There are bpi specialist at John Hopkins. That is right near you, so I would start there.It is nice to find a doctor that understands your injury and your pain. Good luck. Judy

[meg501]

Edward,

I am 22 and also have a OBPI. I understand the problems you are facing concerning the pain. You are not foolish in feeling worried about your future. We all are and even those with out an injury have to worry about getting older and the problems that occur with the normal progression. Judy mentioned using this site. It is a great resource for you and you do need to find a specialist that understands your injury. Your fiancee needs to know how you are feeling. Use those around you as help. It is not weak to ask for help. I struggle with that one, myself. I find that stretching helps with releasing some of the tension I feel. Especially around the neck. I have the same pain in my back and have not found anything that helps with that either, so if you discover something, please pass it on. It is a great thing that you are searching for answers on trying to fix the pain instead of covering it up with the pain medications, so stick with it. This forum is great for asking questions and also just to vent. Good luck with your search.
Margaret

[Carolyn J]

Hello Edward,
Welcome to our UBPN family.I am glad that you came here,there are alot of resources, love and support here on all of the Message Boards when you have time to read thru some topics. I found a name for our injury only just before I found this website in 2004. I am not a candidate for surgery, so the most helpful information for pain that I've gotten is aqua therapy,WARM water which I do 2X a week AND the HOT TUB.I have pain relief for the 1st time ever.
I was lucky to attend Family Camp 2005 and heard a wonderful presentation by the John Hopkins BPI Specialist there.
Carolyn J
LOBPI, Age 67 & proud of it!

[EddieFromMD]

Thanks for all the love so far haha. It has really made me feel better already reading some of the topics and reading the responses here. Im going to try to get moving on getting some help next week. Things have been to crazy this week for me to do anything. Thanks again and I look forward to many more posts.