United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I would like to intro myself to you all. I am (GASP!) almost 50 and on Feb 20th I was rear-ended by two trucks, in quick succession. I got whiplash and what the neurologist is testing for is a brachial injury. Have had an MRI done on the shoulder girdle and both shoulder arm joints, but haven't spoken with the doctor yet. This Friday I go for the EMG. I know, maybe late, but better late than never. When in the ER both arms were starting to give me problems, the right was weak and uncoordinated, and the left was the same, plus there was numbness all the way to the fingers. The right arm within a few weeks pretty much regained all its mobility but the left continued to be a problem. I was in PT already for a pelvic problem, which strangely enough resembles this issue as well when it all started. I had a devil of a time getting it dx'ed but finally it came and was Piriformis Syndrome. Very similiar to BPI. So we switched gears to treat the whiplash within a week of the accident.Which is getting better, more ROM but still dizzy when looking down etc.

So now, I just have really the left arm and shoulder. I haven't been able to talk to anyone who has personally exp. this so you guys are going to get all my questions about what I am going through.

My symtoms.

My present condition is the left shoulder is hiked up about 2 inches higher than the right, I have very little bicep control, fine finger movements are decreased, hand is weak, and the shoulder blade and top of shoulder is numb. I also can't lift the arm past the level of the shoulders sideways, and can't rotate the arm past palm forward. I also get burning pain under the left shoulder blade and pains across the back from shoulder to shoulder. I've also got some muscle tightening going on in the neck big time and this is causing some facial and dental pain at times.

But most of this I can deal with, however, there is something that happens that comes on that is really, really bad. I call it an attack, because this is what it feels like. The scenario is like this,
I look down or whatever, (it was really bad after the 2 hour MRI last week) and I'll feel a muscle pull in my neck. Then it will go down the shoulder and the arm will start to feel odd. I get an ill feeling like I'm about to throw up, which passes quickly, and then if I don't take a painkiller, within 15 minutes I am feeling like I'm being compressed right up to the eyeballs. Everything just hurts like a triple whammy flu, and I just want to die. My throat closes up and I start rasping while I breath, the teeth hurt, the side of my face, the arm aches, the fingers go totally senseless they are so weak, and the neck and shoulders tighten up. I take vicaden and within a short time the pain and all subside, but it leaves me with a spaced out feeling. This really only started happening in the last few weeks and its got my PT concerned. We haven't actually started treating the BPI but just the whiplash end of the injury at this time. I'm sure some of this is whiplash related, but the other pain stuff, geeze whiz, these attacks are so random, if I go somewhere in the car, the act of driving has brought them on.

I need some hope I guess. I am also having bouts of depression and want to simply cry my eyes out at times. Very disturbing.
Wendy

Wendy I might be able to answere some of your quesions. A friend of mine cannot lift his arms up past his chest without feelig very dizzy. He has weakness in his arms and shooting pain (attacks)chest up to the point where it has caused him to fall dowm. This was caused by c4, c5, and c6 spine disks compressing. He is going to a specialist and when i find out more i will let you know.

I have a TRBPI and mine arm in paralized shoulder down. So my right shoulder has dropped 2 inches. I have crazy amounts of pain. Taking vicaden and oxycotin and nueroton. All these drugs come with side affects. Like dizziess and depression. What im saying is the meds help and hurt at the same time. I use a stress ball that I Squeez the crap out of.

I wish you luck and stay strong

T.O.

I've had an MRI of the neck already and this has been cleared by 1 ortho doctor, and two prominent radiologists. No disc problems. Even the ER scans were clear.
From what I've read about whiplash the dizzy stuff can happen and will take some time for it to stop. I think I also tore some ligament or muscle on the left side of the neck about midway, because when the PT puts his thumb there it hurts like a bruise beneath it. I'm not taking the meds on a regular scehdule either. Only on an as needed basis. Early on it was regular for like the first month after the accident, but then started to use only when having a flareup. It's these flareups that wreck havoc with me.

Today hasn't been too bad, just tingly and tight arms and pain across the shoulders and between the blades.

Say, what do you mean by 'TR' BPI? Is that total right?
Wendy

Hi Wendy,
Don't think I can be much help but...... The good news is that you seem to have some movement in most places so there seems to be something to work with. With nerve injuries it's a long slow recovery. My son has a TLBPI (traumatic left brachial plexus injury). His car was hit by 2 semis. Having different areas of loss of feeling or numbness seems to be typical with this injury. Dustin had lost all function in the arm and hand. Hand and lower arm and some shoulder have returned. Bicep is extremely weak. I am wondering about the 2 inch shoulder hike. Have they said what is causing that? Seems with the accident you had that perhaps everything is out of aline. Have you talked with a chiropractor possibly? An EMG will hopefully give you some more info on your BPI. It should tell where the specific injury is and whether the nerves and muscles are all firing. But keep in mind these are not 100% accurate. I don't know how much experience your neurologist has with BPI but I highly recommend seeing a specialist in this area. Especially if it is confirmed by the EMG. 2 mos isn't too long to wait, like you say better late than never. Nerves can be grafted up until 6mos post accident at the optimum so you are well within that. Not to suggest that is what you will need just reassuring that you haven't waited to long. In fact with some movement in most area's hopefully there is nothing avulsed. With Dustin they said if it can heal itself it would have the best outcome. He is now 18 mos post accident and tired of waiting for the bicep. If he could bend it up the arm would be really useful so he has opted to have a muscle transfer this summer. Everything else seems to be coming along but we know he is using rotator cuff to compensate for most of the deltoid. As to the dizzy and ect sorry don't have any info. Dustin is fortunate in although he has some loss of feeling in areas of the arm and hand he has no pain.
Let us know what they find out and ask away you have come to the right place for support and answers.
Sue

Hello Wendy

My husband has A LOT of the same "weird" things that you have going on. The best advice from me is to have a great DR perform the EMG and make sure that it compares your left to right. For a year we never knew were Matt's blackouts were from until a GOOD EMG was done. It turns out that there is a nerve that runs from the ear to the collar bone that will cause all kinds of "weird" things including headaches, dizziness, blackouts and other things. Matt went thru a 10 day stretch with his where he was in the hospital because all that would take it away was morphine. The burning that you feel we have been told it is from the damaged nerves. The tenderness I believe is the nerve also, Matt cannot touch his armpit without the pain shooting into his shoulder.
Matt has a TPBI to the left, thoracic nerve damage, carpel tunnel from the fall, 7 bulging discs, and other damaged nerves also.
I wish you the best of luck with your injury, we are past a year and have had no improvements.

Beth

Morning.
Yes I've read some of what your son is going through. Terrible accident.

I think I might have an answer to the hiked shoulder. Winging Scapula. I had thought of this earlier when looking at why one day while trying to resume some pelvic exercises with very shallow bridging, and I went into a hyperventalation for about 40 seconds. The long thoracic nerve I think ennervates the diaphram. Well this morning I thought I'd take another look in the mirror and check out what was happening when I pushed against the wall in the bathroom. Sure enough, that sucker sticks out like an extra appendage. Sigh..........what next.

I don't go to chiros. Plain and simple.
Wendy

Thanks Beth. I think I mentioned a sore spot that the PT sometimes lays a thumb on which hurts like crazy. And when the neck gets tight, going into spasm, and then I get ill and everything, this might be putting pressure on the nerves that do what they do to your husband, only to a lessor degree.

There are days I just feel broke you know.
Wendy